FG Bemoans Non-utilisation of Railway for Cargo Evacuation Obinna Chima The federal government has expressed dissatisfaction with the non-utilisation of railway transportation system for the movement of cargoes. The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi
Amaechi, said yesterday in Lagos that such a situation was not good for the growth of the rail sector. He spoke on the issue while discussing “Rail Infrastructure: Progress and Plan” at the Nigeria 2020 Economic Outlook organised by Deloitte.
According to him, unless businesses and individuals start utilising the railways for the movement of goods, it would be difficult for the federal government to recoup the huge amount spent in constructing the railways. He said: “Itakpe to Warri
railway is ready, where are the cargoes for it? So, you said the federal government should provide infrastructure, which we have done; we have awarded another contract to construct railway from Abuja to Itakpe, to connect Abuja to Warri, with a new seaport to
be constructed at Warri. “But at least for now, Itakpe to Warri is ready, but where are the cargoes? Nobody is talking about moving cargoes from Lagos to Ibadan, or from Ibadan to Lagos. “When you talk about railways, if it is to move
passengers alone, then there is no need to construct railways because it is very expensive.” He added that the federal government would soon commence construction of the railway from Ibadan to Continued on page 9
Naomi Campbell Seeks Afrobeats Category at Grammys... Page 8 Wednesday 29 January, 2020 Vol 25. No 9060. Price: N250
www.thisdaylive.com TR
TODAY'S WEATHER
ABUJA 25°C-33°C
MAIDUGURI 31°C-31°C
UT H
& RE A S O
ENUGU 25°C-28°C
N
KANO 27°C-33°C
LAGOS 24C-27°C
PORT HARCOURT 20°C-30°C
Buhari Expresses Shock at Level of Violent Crimes in the Country Promises tougher measures against bandits Senate backs community policing, to interface with IG Insecurity alarming, says House Omololu Ogunmade, Deji Elumoye, Chucks Okocha and Adewale Akinwale in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday expressed shock at the level of violent crimes in the North-west and other parts of the country, promising tougher measures against bandits that had made life
difficult for Nigerians. “I was taken aback by what is happening in the North-west and other parts of the country,” the president told a delegation from Niger State today in Abuja, adding: “During our campaigns, we knew about the Boko Haram. What is coming now is surprising. It Continued on page 9
Maryam Sanda to Appeal Death Sentence Justice was served, says co-convener of BBOG Alex Enumah and Udora Orizu in Abuja Mrs. Maryam Sanda, who was on Monday sentenced to death by hanging for killing her husband, will appeal the judgment, a member of his legal team has told THISDAY. Justice Yusuf Halilu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had given her the maximum sentence for killing her husband, Mr. Bilyaminu Bello.
However, some women and civil rights activists have condemned the death penalty, describing it as unacceptable. But another activist and co-convener of #BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) movement, Mrs. Aisha Yesufu, welcomed the death penalty, saying that it was not only an adequate punishment but also that justice had been served in the case. Continued on page 9
PREPARING THE GROUND FOR FDI... Kwara State Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (left), and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Geoffrey Onyeama, after a meeting on combating human trafficking and attracting Foreign Direct Investment to the state in Abuja…yesterday
Court Bars Oyo LG Chairmen from Resuming Duties... Page 5
2
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 2020 •T H I S D AY
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 2020 • T H I S D AY
3
4
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 2020 โ ขT H I S D AY
5XQ IRU ลข )DPH ลข $ &DXVH ลข 1HWZRUNLQJ ลข )LWQHVV ลข )XQ ลข 8S WR LQ SUL]H PRQH\ ลข $QG RWKHU DPD]LQJ SUL]HV bลฃZKDWHYHU \RXU UHDVRQ IRU UXQQLQJ WKH PDUDWKRQ DZDLWV b 5HJLVWHU RQ ZZZ ODJRVFLW\PDUDWKRQ FRP RU DW DQ\ $FFHVV %DQN EUDQFK
5
WEDNESDAY, ÍşÎ Ëœ ͺ͸ͺ͸ Ëž T H I S D AY
NEWS
Group News Editor Ejiofor Alike Email Ejiofor.Alike@thisdaylive.com, 08066066268
Court Bars Oyo LG Chairmen from Resuming Duties Restrains Malami, police from aiding, abetting council helmsmen
Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan The local government crisis in Oyo State assumed a new twist yesterday with an Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan, the state capital, restraining the removed chairmen of the 33 local government areas and 35 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), from forcible takeover of the council offices across the state. The chairmen, however, returned to work yesterday for the second day running, amidst tight security provided by the police. The court, presided over by Justice Moshood Abass, granted the four reliefs sought by the lead counsel to the Oyo State Government, Dr. Akin Onigbinde (SAN), including an order of interim injunction restraining the chairmen from forcibly taking over the local government councils or taking steps capable of causing breach of the peace in the state. The order of interim injunction followed an ex-parte motion filed by the state government in Suit No: I/78/2020. Also restrained were the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar; Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, Mr. Shina Olukolu; and the Oyo State All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman, Mr. Akin Oke. The parties and their agents were restrained from taking any
step that could tamper with the hearing and determination of the motion on notice. According to the court, the chairmen, as well as the four other defendants, their officers, agents, privies or otherwise, were restrained from taking steps that would cause a breach of the peace by embarking on self-help to give effect to a letter dated January 14, 2020 with reference number HAGF/OYO/2020/VOL.I/1 issued by the Attorney-General of the Federation to the chairmen and the Inspector General of Police pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
Chairmen Return to Work amidst Police Protection
Council building, there was heavy presence of security officials, with the chairmen in sight. The state Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Prince Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, said majority of the council chairmen were in their offices and performing their official duties. He said they resumed with the assistance of the police as there were instructions to Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) to provide each of them with security. In a statement entitled, "Governor Makinde: Attempt to Legalise Illegality, he said: "the ALGON chairman, accused Makinde of dwelling in illegality, saying that they are not going to back down in reclaiming their mandate.
"The foundation of this lingering crisis in our local government administration is the illegal dissolution of councils by the governor - a dissolution done with no court pronouncement; a dissolution done in utter contravention of the judgment of the Supreme Court; a reckless dissolution in disobedience of the judgment and orders of the Oyo State High Court and other serial reckless illegalities following. “It is, therefore, a huge joke to read from the government, comments of alleged illegality against the Attorney-General of the Federation, who has directed all governors to comply with the Supreme Court judgment on the issue. “They claim they have a case in court yet they disobeyed
existing judgments issued against them. They claim they are not under the AGF to obey his directive, yet they recruit thugs to prevent the exercise of constitutional mandates and orders of courts. Indeed there are rife rumours that the government is shopping for a court that will dance to its tune and help in restraining the police from carrying out the judgment of the Supreme Court. We have implicit confidence in the judiciary of Oyo State that they will not join the governor in his quest to confer any form of recognition on these illegal acts of government for which they are doing forum shopping.� But Makinde yesterday accused the local government chairmen of being after the money of the local government
areas. He spoke at the foundation stone laying ceremony for the construction of traditional council building, "Mini Mapo" in Ibadan South West Local Government, which was initiated by the former governor of Oyo State, Chief Rashidi Ladoja. "Those, who are fighting that they want to come back and take over the councils, are all after the money of the local government areas. They are gone forever. They are after the money of the local government areas. You know that some local government areas have money; that is why they said that they wanted to come back. It is my belief that God will change them. It is my belief that they will change their minds,� Makinde said.
However, while the court was making its order, some of the chairmen were in their office. Reports from all the 33 LGAs and 35 LCDAs in the state showed that majority of them turned up at their offices yesterday, though there were reports of violence in some of the councils such as Ibadan North East Local Government. THISDAY learnt that the chairmen were escorted to the offices by policemen to protect them against those who might want to stop or molest them. At the Ibadan South West and Ibadan South LCDA, Aleshinloye, Ibadan, where the Governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde, laid the foundation of Ibadan South West Local Government Traditional
FRSC Confirms 15 Dead, 38 Injured in Ogun Auto Crash GENDER EQUALITY... Kayode Fasua in Abeokuta
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has confirmed that 15 persons died while 38 others sustained injuries when a white Mitsubishi truck with registration number XE331MKA veered off the road and crashed into the dried Omi River along the Ibadan/Ijebu-Ode road yesterday morning. The accident occurred at the Omi River, Ajegunle bridge along the Ibadan/Ijebu-Ode highway in Ijebu-Ode Local Government Area of Ogun State. The FRSC, in a statement by its Superintendent Route Commander, Mrs. Florence Okpe, said all the corpses recovered were those of male adults crammed into the mini-cantre truck, all of whom had been evacuated to Sabo in Ijebu-Ode, where the leaders of the Hausa community, the Sarki Hausawa, were making arrangements with the police to give them a mass burial. The Sector Commander of the FRSC, Ogun State Command, Mr. Clement Oladele, said the truck was travelling from Sokoto and was overloaded with passengers. "Rescue operatives led by the FRSC unit commander, Ijebu-Ode and the FRSC rescue operators from the FRSC Ago-Iwoye outpost command, were quickly mobilised to the scene. Rescue operation is still
ongoing. However, 15 corpses, all male adults, of the passengers crammed in the truck, have been recovered from the Omi-River underbridge. "So far, thirty-eight passengers in the truck sustained varying degrees of injuries and were taken to the state hospital Ijebu Ode for treatment. "The corpses of the dead victims have been evacuated to Sabo in Ijebu-Ode with the Sarki Hausawa (Hausa community leader) making arrangements with the police for the mass burial of the dead victims." The sector commander also advised families of the victims to contact the FRSC command in Ago-Iwoye or Ijebu-ode, both in Ogun State, for details of the dead victims. Oladele said the “suspected cause of the crash is fatigue as the vehicle veered off the road and crashed into the dried Omi River along the Ibadan/Ijebu-Ode road". According to him, the Omi River bridge does not have safety railings, but rescue operation was made easier because the river had dried up. The sector commander commiserated with the victims and advised passengers to desist from boarding vehicles designed only for goods. He said by the configuration of vehicles designed only for good, such vehicles are not made to carry passengers but goods only.
L-R: Lagos State Commissioner for Women Aairs & Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Cecilia Dada; Deputy Country Representative, United Nations, Mr. Lansana Wonneh; and Managing Director/CEO, Polaris Bank, Mr. Tokunbo Abiru, at the oďŹƒcial launch of HeForShe, a UN Women Gender Equality Campaign in Lagos‌yesterday
Buhari Writes Senate, Explains Non-Inauguration of NDDC Board To reconstitute new one Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the Senate explaining the non-inauguration of the 15-man governing board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) which the Senate approved last November. The president, in a letter dated October 18, 2019, had sought the approval of the Senate for the board for the NDDC, which the upper chamber approved on November 5. But at the resumption of Senate plenary yesterday after a six-week Christmas break, the president's new letter dated December 23 and received on January 11, was read by the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, wherein he said a new NDDC board would be constituted and sent to the National Assembly for confirmation.
According to the letter, the earlier board would be put on hold to allow the Interim Management Team carry out a forensic audit of the commission. Buhari added that a new board would thereafter be constituted after the interim team, led by Mrs. Joy Nunieh, had concluded work on a forensic investigation of the NDDC. The one-page letter reads: “I write to intimate the Senate of developments concerning the appointment of the board of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). “The Senate may wish to note that after the dissolution of the Board of the NDDC, an Interim Management Team was set up to manage the affairs of the Commission before a new board was composed and sent for Senate confirmation. “The Senate is invited to note that while the process
of composition and Senate confirmation of the appointment of the board was ongoing, I had directed that the forensic audit of the Commission be carried out, which is being overseen by the constituted Interim Management Team. “Based on this, and in order to allow for uninterrupted process of the forensic investigation, the board appointment confirmed by the Senate has to be put on hold to allow the Interim Team continue to manage the Commission pending the outcome of the forensic audit. “Thereafter, a new board of the Commission will be recomposed for confirmation by the Senate.� The upper chamber on November 5, 2019, had confirmed 15 nominees for the NDDC board. The confirmation of the 16th nominee, Dr. Joy Nunieh, was, however, declined by the upper chamber due to the nominee's
failure to appear before the Senate committee on Niger Delta Affairs, which earlier screened the nominees. The confirmed nominees who were not inaugurated before the suspension of the board, were former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Dr. Pius Odubu (Chairman); Bernard Okumagba (Delta), Managing Director; Otobong Ndem (Akwa Ibom)-Executive Director, Projects; Maxwell Oko (Bayelsa)-Executive Director, Finance and Administration; Jones Erue (Delta); Victor Ekhator (Edo); Nwogu N Nwogu (Abia) and Theodore Allison (Bayelsa). Others included Victor Antai (Akwa Ibom); Maurice Effiwat (Cross River); Olugbenga Edema (Ondo); Uchegbu Kyrian (Imo); Aisha Muhammed (North West); Shuaibu Zubairu (North East) and Abdullahu Bage (North Central).
6
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 2020 •T H I S D AY
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 2020 • T H I S D AY
7
8
WEDNESDAY, ÍşÎ Ëœ ͺ͸ͺ͸ Ëž T H I S D AY
NEWS
We’re Not Fighting Corruption to Impress TI, Says FG Ejiofor Alike The federal government has said it will not be distracted by the rating of the Transparency International, which ranked Nigeria low in its latest international Corruption Perception Index (CPI). It also said it was not fighting corruption to impress any organisation, including Transparency International (TI). The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, gave the government’s position in London when he featured on interview sessions with some international media organisations. Reacting to the TI rating, the minister described as incorrect the position by the organisation that Nigeria was doing worse in fighting corruption, adding that the government is unhappy about the development. “In any event, we are not fighting corruption because we want to impress any organisation. “We are fighting corruption because we believed that without fighting the menace, the much-sought development will not happen and we have results to show for fighting corruption. “We have put in place policies and legislations that have tamed the monster called corruption. “For instance, apart from the TSA, which has saved us billions of naira, we put in place transparency portal which enables every Nigerians to see how much is being spent by the government every day. “Under the transparency portal regulation, any expenditure above N5
billion must be reported and that gives every Nigerian the opportunity to know exactly what is going on. “We will continue to fight corruption and we know that we are winning the war,� he said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the minister stressed that for the first time in the history of the country, high profile people have been convicted of corruption charges. “For those who say that the anti-corruption fight is selective, how do you say that when serving senators and past governors who were members of the ruling party are now serving jail terms,’� he said The federal government had earlier rejected Nigeria’s rating as 146 out of 180 countries and the fourth most corrupt country in West Africa on the 2019 Transparency International's CPI. Again, TI had scored the President Muhammadu Buhari- led administration low in its fight against corruption as Nigeria was scored 26 out of 100 points in the Corruption Perception Index CPI, 2019. Of the 19 countries in the West African region, Nigeria ranked the fourth most corrupt country, after Equatorial Guinea, GuineaBissau, and Cameroon. The CPI 2019 released globally by TI revealed that Nigeria has further slipped down by one point compared to last year The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), had faulted the ranking, saying there is no evidence to back the report by TI.
Naomi Campbell Seeks Afrobeats Category at Grammys Nseobong Okon-Ekong English supermodel and actress, Ms. Naomi Campbell, has called on the Recording Academy, the America-based music industry platform famous for The Grammys to create a distinct Afrobeats category for achievements in that genre. Commenting on the 2020 Grammys, Campbell stated that it was wrong to lump a form of music like Afrobeats which caters to diverse cultures into the broad category of World Music. She said: "There is something that brings joy, strength and happiness to me, and to so many people that hear it, and it is called Afrobeats. Afrobeats is a musical genre played on mainstream and primetime radio not only across the continent Africa, but all
over the world. " She further challenged the Recording Academy to address the injustice against African artistes by wrong categorization of their musical works. According to her, "The genre was categorized into your ‘World Music’ category at the 2020 Grammys. This misrepresentation diminishes an entire genre in which such a high standard of talent has emerged; a genre that has been a force of hope and positivity for many, and a vehicle for artistry on the continent of Africa." Naomi's angst is a response to the loss of Nigeria's Burna Boy who was nominated in the World Music category but lost to Be in Oise singer, Angelique Kidjo at the 2020 Grammys announced on Sunday.
“In terms of the fight against corruption, we have been doing more, we have done more and we will continue to do more out of inherent conviction and desire on our part to fight against corruption devoid of any extraneous considerations
relating to the rating by Transparency International,� Malami reportedly said on LunchTime Politics, a programme on Channels TV. “Our resolve to fight corruption is inherent and indeed devoid of any extraneous considerations, we will continue to do more
and we will double efforts,� he added. Malami said there was nothing that had not been done as a nation in the fight against corruption. “In terms of legislation, we have done more; in terms of enforcement we have done more; in terms
of recovery of looted assets we have done more and in terms of political goodwill, we have demonstrated extra-ordinary political goodwill,� Malami said. He had also added that “the empirical evidence� did not support Transparency International’s report.
X-RAYING NIGERIA’S ECONOMIC OUTLOOK... L-R: Chief Operation OďŹƒcer, Deloitte, Mr. Anthony Olukoju; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Chief Executive OďŹƒcer, Deloitte, West Africa, Mr. Fatai Folarin; and West Africa Tax Leader, Mr. Yomi Olugbenro, during the Deloitte in Dialogue: Nigeria Economic Outlook 2020 in Lagos‌yesterday
DMO to Release New Debt Management Strategy Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The Debt Management Office (DMO) is about to release a new Debt Management Strategy (DMS), which sets out the modalities for debt management in the country, THISDAY has learnt. A debt management strategy contains how the government intends to borrow and manage its debt to achieve a portfolio that reflects its cost and risk preferences, while meeting financing needs. It guides debt management decisions and ongoing operations. THISDAY gathered that the aim of debt management is to raise the required amount of funding at the lowest possible cost over the medium to long run, consistent with a prudent degree of risk. Based on latest figures, Nigeria's total public debt stock, comprising federal and state governments as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) stood at N26.2 trillion as at September 30, 2019. There was strong indication that the soon-to-be-released DMS may continue to give
external sources of borrowing higher preference over domestic debt. The Director General of DMO, Ms. Patience Oniha, who spoke on the development, said work on a new Debt Management Strategy (2020-2023) was being finalised by her agency and would soon be sent to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval. Oniha said the agency had surpassed its target of borrowing more externally as against locally. "The new Debt Management Strategy is being finalised and we expect that within a month it will be sent to the Federal Executive Council for approval . "We set ourselves a domestic debt to external debt portfolio ratio of 60: 40. We are at 68: 32." "Borrowing is not approved by one-man; it is not determined by one man. It is a collective decision. So, when you say this administration has borrowed, previous administrations also borrowed. Borrowing is cumulative. There are rules and regulations
for borrowing. So, the point being made is that borrowing is not ad-hoc. It is not a decision of one man or one woman. There are laws and laid-down procedures that have to be complied with. "In fact, before the budget document is presented to the National Assembly, it must comply with the Fiscal Responsibility Act. We are actually complying with the laws. So, having the laws and the budget would determine the nature of the borrowing. We also have the strategy. The budget says how much we should raise. Should we issue FGN bonds? Should it be five years? Should it be ten years? All that is driven by strategy. "All that we did in 2017, 2018 and 2019 was driven by the strategy. "So if you look at the budget, you will see that there is new domestic borrowing and new external borrowing for each of those years. It is because the strategy says domestic borrowing is less expensive, less risky than external. In addition to that , you have external because it also helps reserves , and you
can get more longer tenure . It also says that the domestic debt portfolio has a lot of short-term instruments and thresholds." She explained that before the implementation of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) in 2017, there was less than 20 per cent in external debt while about 80 per cent was domestic , adding that the federal government was accused of crowding out the private sector and of making the interest rate very high which was stopping the banks from lending to the real sector. "We have been repenting of those things since 2017. In terms of the distribution of domestic debt between long term and short term, the target was 75 to 25 but as in September 2019, we were actually at 80 to 20, meaning we have over-performed the budget . The reason is that we stopped using treasury bills as a new borrowing instrument. Like I always said, government debt is to finance long-term projects so treasury bills cannot be the large part of our portfolio," Oniha added.
9
WEDNESDAY, ÍşÎ Ëœ ͺ͸ͺ͸ Ëž T H I S D AY
PAGE NINE MARYAM SANDA TO APPEAL DEATH SENTENCE The federal government had arraigned her on a two-count charge bordering on murder. In the judgment delivered, the trial judge held that there was circumstantial evidence coupled with the defendant's testimony and statement to the police that she "fatally" stabbed her husband to death in Abuja on November 19, 2017. The judge while stating that the offence for which the defendant was convicted was based on Section 221 of the Penal Code imposed the maximum sentence. "It has been said that thou shall not kill. Whoever kills in cold blood shall die in cold blood," the judge said, adding: "Maryam Sanda should reap what she has sown. It is blood for blood." However, reacting to the judgment yesterday, one of the lawyers, who spoke off the record, said they would go on appeal against the judgment. "She has a constitutional right of appeal and definitely she has
to exercise it," he said, adding: "We will definitely appeal the judgment." Sanda killed her husband on November 19, 2017, through multiple stabbing. She was arraigned alongside three other persons, including her mother and brother. However, the others were discharged because the prosecution was unable to link them to the charges. The late Bello is a son of a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Haliru Bello.
Activists Condemn Death Penalty Some women and civil rights activists have condemned the death penalty given to Sanda, describing it as unacceptable. In a WhatsApp conversation with THISDAY, an activist and Director of Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, Mrs. Abiola Akiyode-
Afolabi, condemned the court’s ruling. Though she agreed that anyone found guilty of such conduct should be punished, she said death penalty was condemnable. She said: "It’s a very unfortunate situation, killing of a spouse whether a man or woman is condemnable and anyone found guilty of such conduct should be punished, as deterrence. The society should have zero tolerance to genderbased violence. "However, death penalty is condemnable. I think maximum sentence in this instance is not the option given the background of the offence. The society should shift from the culture of death penalty; it is no longer acceptable, it has not served the purpose it was meant in the society." Corroborating AkiyodeAfolabi's comment, human rights lawyer and Director of Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights (CASER), Mr. Frank Tietie, said Sanda
should not have been given the maximum punishment. Tietie in a phone conversation with THISDAY hinged his claim on the possibility of defendant being mentally unstable during the time the crime was committed and the defence team not doing enough to explore all the possible defences available to the woman. He added that Nigeria must move beyond being a retentionist country in these modern times and realise that death penalty does not solve problems. According to him, "Mental incapacity is something that should have been brought to the court and with the use of expert witness to prove that she’s not mentally capable of organising herself in such a state of frustration. "Firstly, for someone to want to kill her husband is an expression of abnormality; it’s not quite natural. I suspect that her mental health was
something to be questioned, which should have been brought before the court. If to argue that the woman did not do it, it’s a different thing but to say that she did it, her mind set was not in control of her mental faculty as at the time she did it because of the marital trauma she must have been exposed to which was prolonged and eventually led to pent-up anger and she was also left unattended to by relatives and friends." He expressed optimism that Sanda has a window for appeal both at the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. He said: "It’s my hope that some new pieces of evidence will be introduced. "Even by law, death penalty is barbaric; Oscar Pistorius wasn’t given maximum sentence not to talk about this kind of culpable homicide that was done based on crime of passion. What led her to committing those crimes should have been brought to the court."
But activist and co-convener of #BringBackOurGirls, Yesufu, believed that justice was served. She, however, tasked the judiciary to also apply the same energy in ensuring that everyone gets justice regardless of one's status or gender. She said: "For me basically the case is simple. Maryam Sanda was found guilty of killing her husband and of course justice has been served. My take out from this is that if the Nigerian judiciary system can be very strict in ensuring that people get justice, a lot of things that happen in Nigeria, we wouldn’t see them happening. "People won’t have any reason to take the laws into their hands and feel that they can do anything and get away with it. No matter who you are, you have to pay for your crimes no matter your gender, age or status. It’s all a tragic ending for the families involved but it’s what it is, justice has been served.�
He explained that the security situation had deteriorated, leading to the attendant loss of lives that's unacceptable to the National Assembly. "We need to secure the lives and property of our citizens, as enshrined in our constitution. “We all are witnesses to how our economy is also affected by the inclement security situation. Therefore, we need to speedily seek for solutions to fix the security problem bedeviling our dear country," he added. Ahmad, while decrying what he described as the high level of inefficiency in the power sector, said the National Assembly would prioritise reforms in power, agricultural and solid mineral sectors to boost efficiency and enable diversification of the economy. “It is an incontrovertible fact that the power sector cannot function optimally and thrive under the current circumstances. The anticipated outcome of improvement in effectiveness and efficiency of the privatisation process has not been achieved, and doesn’t look feasible,� he explained.
He said the House was worried by the killings, hence the need for legislative interventions to ensure better protection for Nigerians. "The insecurity in the land is too much; it is alarming. We can no longer paint it with beautiful colours; we can no longer discuss about it in low tones. "The cries of the people that have lost their lives, they are giving us sleepless night and something needs to be done about it and this Ninth Assembly is going to look at various legislative interventions with regards to insecurity in the land to ensure that Nigerians are safe better than they have always being because that is the core mandate of every government to protect lives and property," he added. He stated that it was not a wrong decision for the government to call on the police to take over the areas liberated from Boko Haram as it was part of their constitutional role.
Level of Insecurity Alarming, Says House
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers in the House have decried the deteriorating security situation and impending genocide in Mangu-Bokkos communities. The lawmakers while addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja decried the recent attacks on Mangu-Bokkos communities in Plateau State that claimed about 26 lives within two weeks. Hon. Solomon Bulus Maren lamented that there was no sign that government was willing to perform its constitutional duty of protecting the lives
and property of the people or arrest and prosecute those behind the killings. He traced the current crisis to October 1, 2019, when two citizens of Mangu-Bokkos, Lawrence Duna and Gafdfrey Shikakham, carpenters working with humanitarian nongovernmental organisation in Borno State, building homes for displaced persons, were abducted and executed. The lawmaker also lamented the attack on January 8, 2020 on Kuthen Village of Kombun District, Plateau State, which claimed 12 lives, adding that till today those arrested in connection with the killings have not been prosecuted. He cited other attacks on the people, including that of 26 January, 2020 on Kwatas, Mansh, Sabon Barki, Murish, Lokudung, Pil and Mbiri-Ishala, which claimed 16 lives while many buildings were burnt. The lawmaker said those who escaped from those villages were taking refuge in Bokos without food, water and adequate sanitation to cater for such population. He said: "Government seems not only complacent but to be condoning these hoodlums and probably protecting them by dealing with the issues with kids' gloves. Because no single prosecution of those arrested over the years, no categorical statement and policy to fight this menace to the finish. Even when killer herdsmen were designated and referred to as most dangerous terrorist gang in the world, our government didn’t classify them as such. One can easily conclude that genocide has been declared on my people as indeed Plateau State."
BUHARI EXPRESSES SHOCK AT LEVEL OF VIOLENT CRIMES IN THE COUNTRY is not ethnicity or religion; rather it is one evil plan against the country.� Buhari then said what he would do: “We have to be harder on them. One of the responsibilities of government is to provide security. If we don’t secure the country, we will not be able to manage the economy properly.’’ The president spoke while receiving a delegation of eminent citizens from Niger State led by the Governor, Alhaji Sani Bello, in State House, Abuja, and lamented that activities of bandits had forced many to abandon their farms and homes. The state of insecurity in the country also engaged the attention of the National Assembly as the Senate expressed support for community policing and resolved to formally engage the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, over the rising wave of insecurity of lives and property across the federation. The House of Representatives also decried the spate of insecurity in the country, describing it as alarming. A statement by the president's media adviser, Mr. Femi Adesina, quoted the president as saying he was surprised by the level of criminal activities in the North and other parts of the country in recent times. He acknowledged that the onslaught of the bandits had affected agricultural output in some parts of the country, despite the favourable weather for farming, noting that many farmers were attacked, forcing others to stay away from their farms for safety. Advising Nigerians to take interest in agriculture, Buhari
said the degree of poverty ravaging the country would be significantly controlled if the nation could diversify into agriculture as against the current heavy reliance on oil. According to him, the discovery of oil and gas reserves in Chad Basin, Benue trough and Bida as well as some parts of Bauchi and Gombe, will help in boosting current efforts to strengthen the Nigerian economy. He also urged Niger Delta leaders to counsel unscrupulous elements in the region blowing up pipelines, which culminate in spillages affecting farming and farmlands, noting that the loss has always been collective, sometimes turning hard working farmers to victims. Members of the delegation thanked the president for his interventions in some areas in the state, especially infrastructure, security and appointment of indigenes of the state into key positions. Their spokesman and former governor of the state, Dr. Aliyu Babangida, said activities of bandits had rendered many homeless while others could no longer go the farms. He thanked the president for ordering aerial protection by the military. He also sought the president's intervention to ensure the completion of some federal road projects such as the Mokwa-Birnin Gwari-Kaduna road, Kotongora road, and for more attention on the Minna airport, to complement access to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). In his remarks, the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, assured the Buhari administration of continuous support and prayed for God to give him strength and
wisdom to govern the country.
Senate Backs Community Policing, to Interface with IG Also while debating the insecurity in the country, the Senate threw its weight behind community policing and resolved to hold talks with Adamu over the rising wave of insecurity of lives and property nationwide. Already, an invitation has been extended to the IG to brief the Senate on efforts made so far to address the escalating cases of insecurity in the country. The President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, said the National Assembly would vigorously pursue the implementation of community policing as a way of tackling the growing spate of killings and kidnappings in Nigeria. He said as part of measures to reform the country’s security architecture, the legislature would engage the executive on the need for the immediate implementation of the recently launched National Security Strategy (NSS). He said: "There is an urgent need for paradigm shift and reform of the architecture and structure of our security systems. Equally important is the citizen participation and collaboration in providing security. “In this regard, the Senate will engage the executive arm of government to discuss the implementation of the recently launched National Security Strategy (NSS) 2019. “For a long time, major stakeholders in the security of our nation and police authorities appear to achieve consensus on the necessity of introduction of community policing in the country."
Also at plenary yesterday, the House of Representatives decried the spate of insecurity in the country, describing it as alarming. The Chairman, House Committee on Media, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, expressed concern about the situation while briefing journalists after the House adjourned plenary till today to mourn a member who represented Babura/Garki Federal Constituency of Jigawa State, Hon. Muhammad FagenGawo, who died last year in a Dubai hospital.
PDP House Caucus Condemns Violence Plateau
FG BEMOANS NON-UTILISATION OF RAILWAY FOR CARGO EVACUATION Kano, which he said would cost $5.3 billion, for the distance covering 860 kilometres. Amaechi stated: “And all you want to do is to carry passengers at subsidised rates? “So, the reason for constructing railway is to provide logistics for the movement of goods. “We have finished AbujaKaduna railway, not even one cargo has been moved. We have moved from 300 passengers a day to 3,700 passengers a day. “So, we need to change the thought pattern of Nigerians.� He attributed the development to the fact that Nigeria is not a producing nation, just as he stressed the need for Nigerians to start looking inwards.
“We must start producing in this country. In Nigeria we produce nothing, but we blame government for everything,� he said. According to him, the private sector in Nigeria is an extension of the public sector and without support from the public sector, a lot of operators in the private sector would go out of business. Amaechi faulted news making the rounds that the train from Lagos to Ibadan takes three hours to get it to its destination. “When we start running Lagos to Ibadan, there would be three kinds of operations. The first would be those who are rich; we would give them services that would start from
Lagos and end at only three locations and there will be another one that would be dropping people at different locations. “We have paid for 200 wagons, but it will carry nothing! Where are the cargoes? If all we are hoping to do is to jump into the trains and get to Ibadan, it will cost the federal government more money to run that because we would not break-even,� he said. The minister stated that the first standard gauge railway in Nigeria was developed 34 years ago, but was not completed. That is from Itakpe to Warri, which is 350 kilometres. He expressed satisfaction that the Buhari administration has completed the project.
The minister added: “If you add that to Abuja to Kaduna, which is 186 kilometres and then Lagos to Ibadan, which is about 600 kilometres of railway, there is an approval I am going to seek from the president in the next one week, if I get the approval and we commence construction, we should be leaving Nigeria with another 3,000 kilometres of railway. “But that still makes us one of the countries with the lowest kilometres of railway in Africa or in the world. South Africa has about 35,000 kilometres of railway. “The problem Nigeria has is both the leadership and the followership; but more of the followership. First, the railway we met, there was no
maintenance and nobody was asking questions. “When we came, there was no railway contract that was awarded to the seaport. For me, the movement of goods is the essential element of railways. “So, all the president has said is that we would leave enough infrastructures for the next government. We believe that when the factors of production are okay, the cost of production would reduce. “Today, Nigeria is not competitive, compared with Ghana. Because of the ECOWAS protocol, you can produce in Ghana and sell in Nigeria. What am I doing here (Nigeria), where there is no power, no water, no security and no logistics.�
TOP GAINERS JBERGER NAHCO LINKASSURE NEM VITAFOAM TOP LOSERS ABCTRANS GSK ETERNA
NGN NGN 2.00 22.15 0.26 2.95 0.05 0.57 0.20 2.40 0.20 5.50 NGN 0.04 0.37 0.30 0.55 0.25 2.60 TOTAL 10.00 107.00 HONEYWELL 0.08 1.10 HPE Nestle Nig Plc â‚Ś1,380.00 Volume: 250.931 million shares Value: N4.829 billion Deals: 4,561 As at yesterday 28/01/2020 See details on Page 41
% 9.9 9.6 9.6 9.0 3.7 % 9.7 9.1 8.7 8.5 6.7
10
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY
NEWS
Lalong Asks Police to Question Fulani Leaders over Plateau Killings Don’t allow terrorists kill all Nigerians, CAN cries out to UN One killed, houses burnt as attacks persist Seriki Adinoyi in Jos Following the gruesome murder of 15 villagers and destruction of properties in Kwatas village of Bokkos Local Government Council in Plateau State on Sunday night, the state Governor, Mr. Simon Lalong has handed over Fulani leaders and village heads of the affected community to the Police for questioning. Also, following the resurgence of abductions and killings across the country by terrorists and the seeming inability of the government to stem the tides, the Plateau State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), yesterday called on the United Nations to urgently intervene in the situation and stop the insurgents from killing all Nigerians. This is coming as gunmen have continued their deadly attacks in the Bokos Local Government Area of the state, killing a man and setting many buildings ablaze. Lalong had summoned stakeholders’ meeting, which had in attendance heads of security agencies, traditional rulers, community leaders and leaders of the Fulani in the community at the Government House, Jos where he insisted that the perpetrators of the crime must be fished out immediately. He expressed anger over the incident, which he said would not be allowed to degenerate further and make nonsense of the efforts made to restore peace to the state, insisting that nobody is above the government. “How can people be killed and there is no arrest; are those killing others spirits? I don’t think you can kill 15 human beings and claim you are a spirit and there is not arrest.
“Commissioner of Police, you should take the community leaders and the Ardos (Fulani Leaders) with you so that they can tell you those behind these killings. By the time you go to cell, you will bring out those people that are doing it. If you want to give evidence, give it to the Commissioner of Police. We are not afraid of criminals. “Some community leaders and Ardos have done their best, but within us, there are criminals. We must expose them, no matter how high. If you are one of them, you better take yourself to the police station. The Army is here. Police, Civil Defence, DSS, and Operation Rainbow, all are here. I want those people today. They should not sleep in their houses. By the time they are arrested, we will solve this problem”, the Lalong raged. The Commissioner of Police in Plateau State, Mr. Isaac Akimoyede earlier briefed the governor on the crises and the efforts to contain it, explaining that he had held a meeting with the community leaders last Saturday based on intelligence where he warned against any breach of the peace. Meanwhile, the sstate chapter of CAN yesterday called on the United Nations to urgently intervene in the situation and stop the insurgents from killing all Nigerians. Chairman of the Youth Wing of CAN in the state, Mr. Marcus Kanda made the appeal while addressing journalists in Jos, shortly after he led a delegation on a condolence visit to the family house of the late Mr. Daciya Dalep, a 200- level student of the University of Maiduguri who was executed by Boko Haram insurgents last week. Kanda said, “As a nation, for how long will we continue to lose Nigerians from all walks
FG Confirms 41 People Killed, 258 Lassa Fever Cases Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The federal government has confirmed that at least 41 people have died of Lassa fever in parts of the country since the beginning of 2020. The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, disclosed this yesterday during a press briefing at the ministry’s secretariat in Abuja. Ehanire, who gave an update on the raging outbreak of the disease, revealed that at least two health professionals were among the 41 deaths recorded. The minister added that there were at least 258 confirmed cases recorded across 19 states in the country. He urged Nigerians in various parts of the country to practice good hygiene and protect their foods from rat contamination. The minister also spoke about the outbreak of coronavirus reported in China,
Germany, the United States, as well as two African countries. He noted that the Federal Ministry of Health had issued a health advisory in the outbreak of the disease, saying that the risk of importation was high even though no single suspected case has been reported in Nigeria. Ehanire was, however, worried about the presence of suspected cases in the Ivory Coast and Kenya, considering that coronavirus was being transmitted by humans who infected with the disease. As part of efforts against the spread of the disease, he said the federal government has raised surveillance at all entry points into the country. The minister was specific about the preventive measures being taken at the five international airports in Nigeria – in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as well as Lagos, Enugu, Rivers, and Kano States.
of life, who are adding value to the nation, to the hands of those who believe that the only value Nigerians deserve is destruction, mayhem, and trauma? “For how long will we sacrifice the future of our nation to a group, whose belief is that no one deserves a peaceful life because they have not subscribed to their lifestyle of mayhem and carnage? “For how long will we allow a group that believes no one has any
right to hold onto other religious believes if not theirs? For how long will we keep spending hundreds of billions of tax payers’ money, not only in fighting this group but also in providing relief to victims of their mayhem and rehabilitation of lives and communities they have destroyed? “We call on the United Nations and other members of the International Community to, as a matter of urgency, come to
the aid of the Nigerian people especially the primary targets of these terror attacks, who are Christians.” In a related development, gunmen have continued their deadly attacks in the Bokos Local Government Area of Plateau State, killing a man and setting many buildings ablaze. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the gunmen had descended on Ruboi and
Marish communities in Bokos Local Government, killing at least 16 people late on Sunday. NAN learnt that the latest onslaught took place early on Monday while residents of the two communities were still in bed. The Public Relations Officer of the Plateau State Police Command, ASP Abuh Gabriel, confirmed the development, saying that a man was killed in the latest attack.
TO WHOM THE CAP FITS…
L - R: President Muhammadu Buhari; Auditor General of the Federation, Mr. Anthony Mkpe Ayine ; Chairman , Conference of State Auditors-General , Mr. Abdu Usman Aliyu; and Chairman, Forum of Auditors-General for Local Governments, Mr. Abel Esievo, giving an award to President Buhari during the opening ceremony of the 2nd Edition of National Conference of the Auditors-General in Nigeria at the International Conference Centre, Abuja ...yesterday GODWIN OMOIGUI
Military Reopens Maiduguri-Damboa-Biu Highway after FourYears Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri The troops fighting insurgency in the North-east have reopened the Maiduguri-Damboa-Biu highway, one of the major highways leading to Maiduguri, the birthplace of Boko Haram, which was literally closed to motorists for over four years, as a result of the Boko Haram crisis. The closure of the road had made traveling from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital to Biu, one of the major towns in the state, a distance of 187 kilometres, a whole day journey, as travelers had to traverse three states. The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai while
conducting the ceremonial opening of the road near Molai village, an outskirt of Maiduguri, yesterday said the closure was for strategic reasons and to allow free actions of troops against Boko Haram insurgency along the highway and Sambisa Forest. He said: “The road to be re-opened today (yesterday); runs into the forest, serving three towns and a dozen communities. Despite the re-opening of this road on April 4, 2016 to members of the public, we had to close it again. The closure is an operational exigency to secure and protect people lives and property along the affected road.”
He noted that the Army has achieved the objectives of the road closure by securing it for motorists and commuters. He said there is minimal insecurity to lives along road linking Damboa, Sabon/Gari, Biu and communities along the road He however assured stakeholders of Damboa and Biu, that the Civilian JTF, vigilantes and hunters will support the military in securing the road. He said: “Operations along this road will continue, until it is fully secured, before handing it to the police to protect peoples’ lives, while commuting in the state.” The COAS appreciated the
police for supporting the Army in the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. The Borno State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Umar Kadafur while thanking the Army for re-opening the road, called on motorists to cooperate with soldiers and other security agencies. He said that with the reopening of the road, bushes and shrubs along the road would be cleared for visibility. He however warned motorists against giving out money to security personnel for logistics before travelling along the road.
Atiku Expresses Shock over RenewedViolence in Taraba, Plateau Chuks Okocha in Abuja Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed shock over the renewed violence in Plateau, Taraba states and elsewhere across the country, describing them as disturbing signals.. Atiku also said that the renewed violence and attacks reminded the country of how much work it still have ahead to tidy the country’s internal security apparatus. According to Atiku in a state
by his media aide, Mr. Paul Ibe said, “while it is fair to appreciate the military and other security outfits for their spirited efforts to clear all trenches of bandits hideouts, it is expedient that we re-evaluate and recalibrate the country’s security architecture through community policing and any other of such mechanisms that allows for a more far-reaching inclusive security networking”. He further stated that while it is desireable to have a razor edge security system, it is also
important that Nigeria should ensure that the justice system in the country works so as to ensure that criminals who are caught in this kind of heinous crime are meted with adequate punishments. According the former presidential candidate of the PDP in the last general election, “a society with a derelict justice system is a fertile land for misconduct, according to a popular Africa adage. “To be sure that we are one
step ahead of criminals who pose existential threats to our internal security, it is important that we empower our justice system with the belief that when stiff punishments are handed down on these criminals, there will be a deterrence for a repeat of this nature of crime,”Atiku stated. He said that these kinds of crime and killings have continued unabated because assailants are hardly brought to justice, explaining that there is no deterrence to such crimes.
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 2020 • T H I S D AY
11
12
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 2020 •T H I S D AY
EDO STATE GOVERNMENT 28th January, 2020.
GOVERNMENT SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT The Edo State Government hereby announces the constitution of the Commission Of Inquiry Into The Construction Of The Specialist Hospital And Supply Of Hospital Equipment For The Hospital. Members of the Commission are: Hon. Justice J.U. Oyomire (RTD)
-
Chairman
Prof. Emmanuel E. Obaseiki - Ebor
-
Member
Mrs. Elizabeth Uwaifo
-
Member
Enemaku Hilary Igemoh Esq.
-
Member
Anthony Izevbekhae Esq.
-
Member/Secretary
The Terms of Reference of the Commission of Inquiry are as follows: 1. To conduct a detailed inquiry into the processes leading to the conceptualisation, design, construction and equipping of the Benin Specialist/Central Hospital Extension (originally designated as the Accident and Emergency Unit) and determine if same were in breach of the Edo State Procurement Law and other extant Laws and procedures in that regard. 2. To inquire into the process of tendering for, award, execution and payment for all contracts arising from and/or connected with the Benin Specialist/Central Hospital extension and to determine if such payment(s) were made in compliance with extant Laws. 3. To verify the exact details and dates of construction carried out on the project and equipment supplied on the Hospital project and to determine if same were in line with the contract stipulations and timelines. 4. To identify any losses and /or damages incurred or suffered by the Edo State Government and to further identify all persons responsible for such losses or damages. 5. To make appropriate recommendations for such disciplinary civil or criminal sanctions to be meted out against any persons found to be responsible for such losses or damages suffered by Edo State Government arising from failure to follow extant Laws and procedures. 6. To make recommendations to Government to prevent a reoccurrence of such breaches, losses or damages in the future. 7. To make such further recommendations to the Government as may be considered by the Commission. This appointment is with immediate effect.
Osarodion Ogie, Esq. Secretary to the Government of Edo State.
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 2020 • T H I S D AY
13
14
T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ Í°ÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ
COMMENT
Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com
NO TO TAXING OF MARRIAGES
The new directive of the Federal Ministry of Interior on marriages is awed, reckons Sonnie Ekwowusi
I
t is now crystal clear that we are under a totalitarian democracy in which one government person can wake up any morning and issue a decree on anything without the backing of any law. For example, the Federal Ministry of Interior has decreed that henceforth married couples, worship centres and churches shall be made to pay a whopping sum of N51, 000 (marriage certificate of N21, 000 while licensing of place of worship is N30, 000) as taxes and licences before performing statutory marriages in Nigeria. This is sad. Ours is supposed to be a participatory democracy in which the government ought to govern according to popular will. But the reverse is the case in the current Buhari government. The government operates with utter contempt for the people. Government policies are made without prior consultation with critical stakeholders. Sincerely speaking it is absurd that government should unilaterally take a decision on such as important issue as marriage affecting the family institution without prior consultation with critical stakeholders. We claim to be practising presidential democracy yet the views of stakeholders are excluded in policymaking processes. Therefore the new directive of the Federal Ministry of Interior taxing marriages in Nigeria is fundamentally flawed. Since the issuance of the directive many Nigerians have been kicking against it. To begin with, the imposition of taxes or licences by the federal government on marriages is a fragrant violation of section 7(5) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria and sections 6 (1) ((2), 21, 24, 30, 36, 37, 38 of the Marriage Act. Specifically, section 7 (5) of the 1999 Constitution vests the registration of all births, death and marriages solely on the Local Governments Areas in Nigeria not on the federal government. Therefore by usurping the function of the local government areas the federal ministry of interior has violated section 7(5) of the 1999 Constitution. It is regrettable that Nigeria’s concept of three-tier federalism is a mere theoretical concept that is not in tandem with reality. In the last four years, we have been helplessly witnessing the centrifugal forces continuously swallowing up the centripetal forces. In utter disregard for the principle of separation of power which is the soul of our presidential democracy, the federal government continues to dictate to the state and local governments in the scheme of things as if Nigeria were still under military dictatorship. Some argue that taxing of marriages is a new way being devised by the federal government to generate revenue. I beg to register my objection. Must the federal government tax marriages in order to generate revenue? Certainly the ministry of interior could explore other ways of generating revenue other than placing unnecessary and extra financial burden on couples and churches. More importantly, the new directive of the Ministry of Interior is discriminatory. It is only targeted against churches, Christian places of worship and Christian couples. This is why the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), and other churches are insisting that the new directive must be rescinded by the federal government. Specifically
GOVERNMENT POLICIES ARE MADE WITHOUT PRIOR CONSULTATION WITH CRITICAL STAKEHOLDERS
the Primate of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Revd. Nicholas Okoh has said that taxing of Christian marriages by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s Ministry of Interior is improper. I cannot agree less. The Buhari government should stop indulging in actions that are capable of dividing Nigeria along religious lines. Ours is a secular and multi-religious society. Therefore what is good for the goose is equally good for the gander. If marriages conducted under the Islamic law are recognized by the government without being subjected to any taxation, why should marriages conducted by, for instance, the Catholic Church, Anglican Church and other churches be subjected to taxation? In fact, marriages conducted by the Catholic under the Canon Law and marriages conducted by other churches under their respective laws should be recognized by the government without further ado in the same manner marriages conducted under the Islamic law are recognized by the government. Besides you may be well aware that many young men and women in Nigeria are already finding it difficult to get married largely owing to the economic hardships in Nigeria. So, why should the Federal Ministry of Interior compound the woes of these young men and women by imposing taxes on marriages? You may be shocked to learn that many marriageable young men and women in Kera village, Kano State are no longer keen on getting married owing to the taxes imposed on marriages by the local communities. Therefore the Federal Ministry of Interior should rescind its directive. Instead of taxing married couples and Christian worship centres the government should offer tax rebates or tax reduction to married couples as obtains in Germany and other countries. The government should protect marriages and the family institution. It is beyond question that the United Nations universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948, which is the oldest universally-accepted human rights instrument in the world, contains articles that protect the marriage institution. Specifically article 16 (3) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 stipulates thus “The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State�. This article is expressly or impliedly reproduced in the regional instruments and constitutions of most continents and countries. In Nigeria, section 17(3) (h) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution protects the family institution. Therefore instead of taxing marriages and by so doing placing heavy financial burden on many marriageable young Nigerians, the Federal Ministry Interior, in solidarity with pro-family NGOs, Churches, Mosques, communities and other pro-family voluntary organizations, should promote family programmes, enhance techniques and promote research that can support the family system towards enhancement of marriage, family stability and promotion of Nigerian family values. In fact the lingering feud between the Federal Ministry of Interior and the local councils over the right to conduct, celebrate, register marriages and issue marriage certificate is completely uncalled for.
WHEN THE REGIONS WERE AUTONOMOUS AND FREE Eric Teniola canvasses caution on national issues
I
find the press release by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, of January 14 on the Security outfit of South Western states very interesting. The minister could not find it dignifying to personally sign the press release on a weighty issue like that. He merely asked his media aide, Dr. Umar Gwandu, to sign the press release on his behalf. That has become the pattern of some top government officials particularly those in the central government these days. We have just marked the 50th anniversary of the end of the civil war in Nigeria. A tragic war indeed. The anniversary should remind all of us especially top government officials on the need for caution in treating national issues. Less arrogance must be applied. At the time we ended the civil war, Mr. Abubakar Malami was two years old, so in effect he did not witness what led to the civil war. He is not alone. I leant he is very comfortable now and that his next ambition is to be the governor of Kebbi State, when the term of the incumbent, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu expires. The desired unity in Nigeria, which has been fragile all these years, cannot be achieved through legal interpretation. The unity cannot be strengthened when there is master- servant relationship. If the idea of national unity in this country is still a dream, top officials of the central government past and present should share a greater part of the blame. By their actions and pronouncements they are polarizing the entire country. What I find strange is how an appointed official could talk down to elected governors doing the wishes of their people. The situation leaves no one in doubt that something is wrong with this type of democracy forced on us by the military since May 1999. Those calling for the restructuring of the democratic process have valid points. It is the operation of an imbalanced system of government that could create chaos. Every Nigerian is a stakeholder in the Nigeria project. There is insecurity everywhere—a failure on the part of the central government- elected state governors want to ameliorate the situation in their
states, the Attorney-General of the federation and Minister of Justice says the action is illegal. I find it very difficult to understand. Mr. Malami needs to be reminded like all others like him that there was a time in this country, in 1966 to be precise, when there were four regions in Nigeria and the four regions had their separate constitutions. The regions were Northern region, Western region, Eastern region and Mid-Western region. In the wisdom of the military and thanks to General Yakubu Gowon, General Murtala Mohammed, General Ibrahim Babangida and General Sani Abacha, the old Northern region now constitutes 19 states, and Abuja. The old Western region now is made up of six states. In the wisdom of the military also, the old Mid-Western region now constitutes Edo and Delta States while the old Eastern region now constitutes nine states. The regions were separate and autonomous and they had Agents General in the United Kingdom who were like ambassadors. Section 64 of the Constitution of Mid-Western region affirms that power to appoint persons to hold or act in the office of the Agent-General of the Region in the United Kingdom (including power to make appointments on promotion and transfer) and to remove persons so appointed from that office shall vest in the Governor, acting in accordance with the advice of the Premier. Before tendering any advice for the purposes of this section in relation to any person who holds any office in the public service of the region other than an office to which this section applies, the premier shall consult the Public Service Commission of the region. The other regions had similar provisions. You don’t have the power to appoint an agentgeneral unless you are a sovereign state. The constitutions of the four regions had differences, which made them sovereign and unique. For example, the Western Region created a Court of Appeal which was the first of its type in the Federation. Section 52 of the Constitution of Western Nigeria states that there shall be a Court of Appeal for the Region; the
Judges of the Court of Appeal of the Region shall be—the President of the Court of Appeal; and such a number of Justice of Appeal (not being less than three) as may be described by the legislature of the region; the Court of Appeal of the region shall be a superior court of record and, save as otherwise provided by any law in force in the region, shall have all the powers of such a court; the President of the Court of Appeal of the Region and the Justices of Appeal shall be appointed by the Governor, acting in accordance with the advice of the Premier; A person shall not be qualified to hold the Office of President of the Court of Appeal of the Region or of Justice of Appeal unless-(a) he is or has been a judge of a court having unlimited jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters in some part of the Commonwealth or a court having jurisdiction in appeals from any such court; or he is qualified for admission as an advocate of Nigeria and he has been so qualified for not less than 10 years; If the office of President of the Court of Appeal of the Region is vacant or if the person holding the office is for any reason unable to perform the functions of the office, then, until a person has been appointed to and has assumed the function of that office or until the person holding the office has resumed those functions, as the case may be, those functions shall be performed by such one of the Justices of Appeal as may from time to time be designated in that behalf by the governor, acting in accordance with the advice of the premier; if the office of any Justice of Appeal is vacant or if the person holding the office is acting as President of the Court of Appeal of the Region or is for any reason unable to perform the functions of his office, the governor, acting in accordance with the advice of the premier, may appoint a person qualified to hold the office of Justice of Appeal to act in the office of a Justice of Appeal and any person so appointed shall continue to act for the period of his appointment or if no period is specified until his appointment is revoked by the governor, acting in accordance with the advice of the premier. In the Constitution of Northern Nigeria, Section 6—1and 2 states that the adviser on Moslem law
shall be appointed by the Governor, acting in accordance with the advice of the Premier; (2) A person holding the office of adviser on Moslem law may be removed from office by the governor, acting in accordance with the advice of the premier. Section 23 of the same constitution states that the business of the Legislative Houses of the Region shall be conducted in English and Hausa: provided that all bills introduced in either House and all laws made by the Legislature of the Region shall be printed in English and, if any such bill or law is also printed in Hausa, the English text shall prevail in the case of a conflict between the two texts. The Eastern and Midwestern reions also had their variants. All these goes to confirm that although the regions were within the same country but their constitutions were not the same. The various constitutions reflected at that time their different challenges. But above all Section 123 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria states that the constitution shall have the force of law throughout Nigeria, and, subject to the provisions of section 4, if any other law (including the constitution of a region) is inconsistent with it, the federal constitution shall prevail and the other law shall, to the extent of the ‘inconsistency, be void. Two, Nigeria shall be a Federation comprising Regions and a Federal territory, and shall be a Republic by the name of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Three, (1) There shall be four Regions, that is to say, Northern Nigeria, Eastern Nigeria, Western Nigeria and Mid-Western Nigeria. (2)The Regions and the Federal territory shall consist of the areas comprised in those territories respectively on the thirtieth day of September, 1963. In his book titled “Nation Building�, Professor Andreas Wimmer, the Lieber Professor of Sociology and Political Philosophy at Columbia University asked a pertinent question “Why do some countries fall apart, often along their ethnic fault lines, while others have held together over decades and centuries, despite governing a diverse population as well?
15
T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2020
EDITORIAL
THE 2019 CORRUPTION PERCEPTION INDEX Nigeria’s ranking is another wake-up call on the fight against corruption
T
he response of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation to the 2019 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released last week by Transparency International (TI) which ranked Nigeria 146 out of 180 countries is both unnecessary and unhelpful. The right attitude would be to accept the report as yet another wake-up call on the challenge of fighting a scourge that has been with us for a long time. However, to be consistently rated low not only on the anti-corruption war but in virtually all critical indices of development is a sad reminder of what we have left undone. What is certain here is that our leaders have not got it right in terms of judicious allocation of resources for the benefit of the populace. The monumental waste in the name of governance at virtually all levels has all combined to deny the people a decent living standard and rendering our country perpetually underdeveloped. This is the time for our governments across all tiers to put on their thinking caps on TO BE CONSISTENTLY how to redress the RATED LOW NOT ONLY ON situation. THE ANTI-CORRUPTION According WAR BUT IN VIRTUALLY to the 2019 CPI ALL CRITICAL INDICES OF released last DEVELOPMENT IS A SAD Thursday, Nigeria REMINDER OF WHAT WE scored 26 out of 100 points, HAVE LEFT UNDONE falling by one point compared to 2018. Nigeria is also ranked this year at 146 out of 180 countries – two places down compared to 2018 results. In explaining the ranking, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) said the index aggregates data from different sources that provide perceptions by business community and country experts of the level of corruption in the public sector. “The negative result from this year provokes tough questions. Despite the proclaimed war on corruption, why is Nigeria
Letters to the Editor
I
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, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com
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.
SANWO-OLU, SAVE AJAO ESTATE
t is gladdening that the first official action of the new Governor of Lagos State, Babajide SanwoOlu, after his inauguration, is the signing of an Executive Order to address the issue of traffic control and management, fixing of potholes on the roads, sanitation as well as cleaning of drainage in the state. In carrying out the executive order on “fixing of potholes on the roads”, the governor directed the hitherto ineffective Lagos State Public Works Corporation to commence patching and rehabilitation of bad roads. This, no doubt, is very commendable and laudable. Hopefully, the public works agency will be nudged from its slumber these past four years. It is a departure from the last dispensation where inner city roads and streets across the state were allowed to deteriorate to the extent of causing untold agony to road users and damage to vehicles of motorists in the state. There is no place this is more evident as in the Ajao Estate area of the state, a boisterous settlement by the Murtala Muhammed International Airport road to Oshodi. It is an irony of sorts that why the last administration embarked on that widely appreciated reconstruc-
perceived by Nigerians and the international community still as very corrupt? The Government of Nigeria claims winning the war on corruption, but is this statement backed by evidence?” asked CISLAC Executive Director, Auwal Rafsanjani. In calling for a holistic approach in the efforts to combat corruption in Nigeria, participants at a seminar in Abuja last year identified a lack of institutional capacity in the anti-graft agencies and leadership deficiency. It was also observed that the absence of credible data has made fighting corruption difficult in the country while both the domestic and international communities still perceive government efforts as slow, selective and grossly ineffective. In the course of the sessions, the roles of the executive, the legislature, judiciary and the media were dissected by the participants. The conclusion was that without all these critical stakeholders working together, it would be difficult to successfully tackle the menace of graft in the system. They observed that there should be more emphasis on preventive measures through the enactment of relevant laws by the National Assembly. Anti-corruption efforts, it was also agreed, should be driven more by institutions rather than personalities. Other conclusions were that there should be a national policy and comprehensive strategy based on accurate awareness of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to fighting corruption within the Nigerian society. Besides, the approach must also include taking the highest risk with potential to make the maximum impact by including prevention, education and enforcement. At the end, there was a consensus that in the efforts to rid the country of the stigma of corruption, a lot more remains to be done by the agencies saddled with the assignment. The federal government was also urged to involve the people at the grassroots whose drive would further compliment the efforts of the institutionalised agencies. Rather than attack TI, these are some of the issues the federal government should try to address in the war against corruption.
tion and expansion of the airport road to a 10-lane highway, the roads adjoining it in Ajao Estate are left in a most atrocious state. A tour of the estate roads notably, Stela Solanke, Olutosin Ajayi, Fatai Irawo, Cobham, Adekunle, among others will depress and distress the governor to no end. I therefore use this auspicious medium to urge Governor Sanwo-Olu, in the spirit of the executive order to patch all the potholed roads in the state, to come to our aid in Ajao Estate. The roads and streets in the estate are in a shambles and unbefitting of a mega city more so as the estate is the bypass motorists from the international airport use to connect to Ejigbo, Isolo and Ikotun, all densely populated areas of the state. Aside from the decrepit road infrastructure, the estate was sidelined from the so-called Light-Up Lagos Initiative of the Ambode administration leading to pitch darkness pervading the streets at night. We have suffered huge neglect from successive governments in the state these past 20 years and therefore appeal to you to save us. r$IJFG 4BMBV (CFOSP "KBP &TUBUF -BHPT 4UBUF
50 YEARS POST-BIAFRA
T
hese days, I do not feel the need to rush into generating opinion pieces on germane national issues because, out there, very brilliant columnists would have made excellent analyses and deductions on these national issues. When people working independent adopt the same reasoning processes and come to the same general conclusion, this must necessarily fall in the province of “convergence of consciousness.” The expression “convergence of consciousness” only recently occurred to me and it should be interesting to inquire if an aspect of psychology resembles this line of thought! Just when I thought I should do a brief commentary on the “prophecy” of Father Mbaka, Abimbola Adelakun of The Punch did a brilliant job of exposing this fraud of a man (well, I may have to go to confession for calling a once-ordained priest of the Church a “fraud,” but why would that priest make himself a willing tool in the hands of those who oppress his faith and his way of life?) Again, as I was left worrying about the Supreme Court sham that knocked Emeka Ihedioha off the highest political pedestal of Imo State, Prof. Farooq Kperogi’s Saturday contribution to the Tribune was a brilliant piece on the line of thinking of certain interest groups
who have enslaved the moral conscience of Nigeria; this posse thinks it is so smart as to play one part of an apparent gullible tribe of Nigeria against the other. Now, this “apparent gullibility” tag is what should rile the Yoruba nation. The Yoruba nation is one proud hegemony of a people who trace their ancestry to a common descendant and, given their comparatively high acceptance of the reformations that education can bring, these folks are set to test the stand of a dysfunctional central government on the now-central issue of regional commitment to securing lives and property. It is a surprise how the centric central government of Nigeria manages to shove and bulldoze past seeming “educated” segments of society. Oh, no wonder, Nigeria is the poorest and the wretched of countries today! Having taken the Yoruba nation for a ride, and knocking off its sons and daughters from “exalted” federal positions, methinks that in the background there is a din calling for Oduduwa Republic and in the minds of the Omo Odu’a this din is sweet music in the making. At this point of the 21st century, reason prevaileth! r4VOEBZ "EPMF +POBI %FQBSUNFOU PG 1IZTJDT 'FEFSBM 6OJWFSTJUZ PG 5FDIOPMPHZ .JOOB /JHFS 4UBUF
16
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY
NEWS
Imo Speaker, Majority Leader, Six Others Defect to APC Amby Uneze in Owerri The Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Hon. Collins Chiji, has defected to the All Progressives Congress from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He was joined by the Majority Leader of the assembly, Hon. Chigozie Nwaneri, and six other lawmakers. Their defection brings the number of the APC lawmakers to 18 out of the 26 as Uju Onwudiwe (Action Alliance) of Njaba, who was returned elected during the last Saturday’s supplementary election, was yet to be inaugurated by the speaker. The speaker announced his defection and that of his seven other colleagues during plenary yesterday. The plenary, which lasted for 15 minutes, ended after the speaker announced the names of the defected lawmakers. Apart from the speaker, Hon. Uche Ogbuagu(Ikeduru),
Hon. Dominic Ezerioha ( Oru west); Hon. Chigozie Nwaneri(Oru East); Hon. Kanayo Onyemaechi (Owerri west); Hon. Kennedy Ibe (Obowo); Hon. Onyemaechi Njoku( Ihitte /Uboma) and Hon. Eddy Obinna( Aboh Mbaise) equally defected. Obinna represents the constituency of Hon. Emeka Ihedioha who was sacked as the governor of the state by the Supreme Court on January 14. The Deputy Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Hon. Okey Onyekamma, representing Mbaitoli State Constituency, had earlier defected to APC, along with six others. Meanwhile, the Imo State chapter the PDP has blamed hunger on the part of their members and inducement by the state Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, for the defection of the lawmakers. The state Chairman of the party, Hon. Ray Emeana,
told THISDAY that the leadership of the party tried to dissuade the lawmakers from defecting to the ruling party but some of them said
they were offered mouthwatering inducement such as N50 million and two plots of land with certificates of occupancy (C of O) at choice
locations each to join the party. Emeana added that his party would be meeting today to deliberate on the
issue, adding that the party is not facing any crisis that would warrant any of her elected member defect to another party.
SIGNED AND SEALED……
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Dr. Mohammed Bello; Minister of State, Science and Technology, Finance Bill 2021 L-R: Mr. Mohammed Abdulah; Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu; and Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETF), Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology and TETF in Abuja… yesterday ENOCK REUBEN Underway, Says Finance Minister INEC Cancels Re-run Elections Marred byViolence Obinna Chima
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, yesterday disclosed that the federal government will in the coming days commence work on the Finance Bill 2021. Ahmed disclosed this yesterday, while speaking at the Nigeria 2020 Economic Outlook organised by Deloitte in Lagos. According to her, the president had told members of the executive to ensure that every national budget is accompanied by a Finance Bill. “We wanted a bill that will be easy to pass by the National Assembly - a bill that would have quick wins; that was why we sent the 2020 Finance Bill, which has been signed into a law. “So, there are more bills that would come. We are going to do Finance Bill 2021. The president has directed that every national budget must be submitted with a Finance Bill and the essence is to make sure that we make continuous fiscal adjustments to meet our aspiration,” she explained.
However, Zainab, stressed that the executive would ensure that the upcoming Finance Bill does not negatively affect businesses. She said the federal government would ensure that members of the private sector are carried along in drafting the proposed legislation. “The strategic revenue objective is being vigorously pursued. We were told that consultations we made the last time were not enough, but this time, we would consult properly,” the minister said. Commenting on the 2020 budget, the minister reiterated that the deficit component was going to be financed by a combination of domestic as well as foreign borrowing. According to her, the domestic borrowing would be N774.5 billion, while the external borrowing would be N850 billion. She reiterated that the country is at a comfortable debt to GDP ratio at 18.99 per cent presently. “So, there has been a very strong fiscal disciple and we have not allowed to debt to go above the limits set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
Tambawal Appoints New DG for PDP Govs’ Forum Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum (PDP-GF), and Sokoto State Governor, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal has appointed Hon. CID Maduabum as the Director General of the forum. This is sequel to a resolution of the forum in June 2019, which was reconfirmed on January 26, 2020. According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the Sokoto State Governor, Mr. Mohammed
Bello, “Hon. Maduabum is a Masters’ Degree holder in law, a legal practitioner of 35 years, a former two-term member of the House of Representatives, a former Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief of Staff to former presiding officers in the National Assembly. He is an experienced administrator”. He is expected to assist in repositioning and reorganising the PDP-GF to play its role in nation building under the leadership of Tambuwal.
Chuks Okocha in Abuja In line with its resolve to sanction electoral bad behaviour, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday announced the cancellation of election results where there were violence and the commission’s staff taken hostage by politicians. INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had fortnight ago said the commission would no longer accept results where violence and staff of the commission were taken or held hostage during any election. Reviewing the elections that took place on January 25, INEC,
in a statement yesterday by its National Commissioner and Chairman Voter Education and Publicity, Festus Okoye, said all elections results where violence took place have been cancelled. It added that the cancellation was done to protect the electoral process. “In furtherance of its resolve not to accept results from areas where the processes were disrupted and its officials attacked, the commission took a firm action by not accepting results from such areas as it could not vouch for their integrity. But, the commission notes that in most cases, these incidents were not widespread
and did not significantly affect the overall results. As such, declarations and returns were made. “In Akwa Ibom State, where the officials of the commission were abducted and diverted to an undesignated location and forced to compromise the elections in Essien Udim Local Government Area, all the polling units involved were identified and their results discountenanced. “In Isa Local Government Area of Sokoto State, the activities of bandits prevented the commission from deploying staff to a few polling units, but the commission successfully
conducted elections and declared results. “In Abi State Constituency of Cross River State, officials of the commission were abducted and thus prevented from deploying its staff to eight polling units,” the statement said. INEC added that all officials of the Commission that were abducted have been rescued and accounted for. It also noted that in the case of Oru East/Orsu/Orlu Federal Constituency of Imo State, the election was conducted peacefully in the 18 polling units as ordered by the court.
$500,000 Bribery: Lassa Fever Killed My Witness’ Brother, Farouk Lawan Tells Court Former Chairman of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on an investigation into fuel subsidy regime in 2012, Hon. Farouk Lawan, yesterday told the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja that his first defence witness’ brother in his ongoing bribery case was killed by Lassa fever in Kano, on Sunday. Lawan disclosed this as the reason for his inability to open his defence in the bribery case
instituted against him since 2012. The former legislator, who was present in court yesterday, is being prosecuted for allegedly accepting $500,000 as bribe for the removal of billionaire businessman, Mr. Femi Otedola’s company’s name, Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited, from the list of firms indicted by the House committee for alleged fraud in the subsidy scheme. Justice Angela Otaluka, had in her ruling delivered on October
17, 2019, dismissed the no-case submission, which Lawan filed after the prosecution closed its case with five witnesses, including Otedola. The judge had ruled that contrary to Lawan’s contention in his no-case submission, the prosecution made out a prima facie case against him, which he had to defend. The court directed him to open his defence on November 11, 2019. Due to unconfirmed reasons,
the trial was further adjourned till Tuesday (yesterday). But at the resumed trial yesterday, Mr. Benson Igbanoi, who stood in for Lawan’s lead counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), said despite being ready for the trial, they were unable to proceed to open the defendant’s case because his “sole witness” who was meant to testify at the hearing could not attend proceedings because he was bereaved.
Report Explains High School Drop-outs in Nigeria Peter Uzoho In commemoration of the 2020 edition of the International Day of Education, lack of finance, personal motivation, occupation, early girl-child marriage and other constraints have been identified as the reasons for high rate of school drop-outs in Nigeria. This was part of the findings
of the NOIPolls 2017 Education Polls, which it reproduced during this year’s International Day of Education to remind the nation, particularly leaders, of the ugly situation and the urgent need to address it. The survey at the time highlighted the perception of Nigerians regarding out-of-school children and revealed that the rate of children dropping out
of basic education was high. According to the report, 15 percent of the poll’s respondents had children in their households drop out of school during the preceding 12 months. It showed that the drop-out rates were higher in rural areas with (17 per cent) than urban areas (14 per cent), revealing further that the North-Central zone of the country recorded 23 per cent drop-out, while
North-East zone recorded (24 per cent) than elsewhere in the country. The report said: “The reason for school dropout is dominantly financial (73 per cent), followed by other factors including Motivation (seven per cent), Occupation (seven per cent), Early Marriage (five per cent), Lack of Schools in Community (four per cent) and insecurity (one per cent).
17
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 2020 • T H I S D AY
MANAGEMENT
18
T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 2020
MIDWEEKPOLITICS
Group Politics Editor NSEOBONG OKON-EKONG Email nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com 08114495324 SMS ONLY
A N A LY S I S
When all Hope is Lost in the Supreme Court Ojo Maduekwe finds a nexus between an earlier onslaught against the judiciary and the recent judgement of the Supreme Court on Imo State governorship election
Uzodinma
Muhammad
T
So far, the case brought by the DSS against Justice Ngwuta has been dismissed twice; first by a Federal High Court in Abuja, and second by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT). The court and tribunal relied on an earlier judgement by the Court of Appeal in which the appellate court held that by virtue of section 158 of the 1999 Constitution, the powers to try judicial officers for misconduct lies on the National Judicial Council (NJC). For Justice Okoro, the same DSS three years later, in December 2019, cleared him of any wrongdoing. The sum of $38,000 and other items that the secret police carted away from his house were reportedly returned. The dismissal of Justice Ngwuta by both the Federal High Court and CCT, and the clearance of Justice Okoro by the same DSS that illegally raided his house, portrays the DSS as highly unprofessional. The raid was not only illegal as have been proven by the courts and admitted by the DSS by letting Justice Okoro go, it mirrored the fact that it was a political witch hunt that had the presidency written all over it. The onslaught against the judiciary
wo weeks ago on January 14, the Supreme Court nullified the governorship election of Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and declared candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hope Uzodinma, governor of Imo. Highly controversial, the judgment catapulted Mr. Uzodinma, who during the March 9, 2019 election had pulled 96,458 votes to settle at fourth place. According to records from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ihedioha led comfortably in first place with 273,404 votes to his credit. Reactions that immediately trailed the judgment on social media shows that Nigerians have lost hope in the judiciary as the last hope of the people. When the government of President Muhammadu Buhari began its onslaught against the equal third and critical arm of government, the judiciary, many were aware of the implication. In October 2016, officials of the Department of State Services (DSS), bearing what sources said were doubtful search warrants with incorrect names, had in the wee hours of the night, stormed the residence of two Justices of the Supreme Court, Justices Sylvester Ngwuta and John Okoro; as well as two judges of the Federal High Court, Justices Adeniyi Ademola and Nnamdi Dimgba. While Ngwuta, Okoro and Ademola were arrested, the DSS only searched Dimgba’s residence. Though Justice Walter Onnoghen, who was then in line to become the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), was spared, the events that would follow the illegal invasion of the Justices residence in such questionable hour of day, made it clear for all to see that the DSS was acting out a script and being puppeteered by the presidency. Following in the footsteps of sister agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the DSS moved to conduct media trials of the arrested Justices, especially in the case of Justice Ngwuta which the DSS in court alleged had stored N27 million in one of his houses, but then claimed they couldn’t find it.
Ihedioha
was the beginning of the end to when Nigerians lost all hope in the Supreme Court, vis-a-vis the judiciary. The attack on the judges at the dead of night instilled fear in the heart of other justices. Those who had some courage left in them, lost it when later Justice Walter Onnoghen was removed as the CJN, and Justice Tanko Muhammad, sworn in in his stead. Presently, several persons see the Supreme Court as an extension of the presidency, and the Justices are viewed as being in obeisance to the president. To think of it, not many people found the ruling on the Imo state governorship matter surprising. Judging by the accuracy with which a self-styled prophet, leaked the judgment, many are of the opinion that the “prophet” and Apex Court were playing from the same script. A coalition of civil society groups recently alleged in a press statement released in Abuja on January 26, 2020 that there were discrepancies between the oral judgment given on the case, and the written judgment which they (Supreme Court) released to the public. According to the group, this discrepancy points to a cover-up by the Apex Court.
Presently, several persons see the Supreme Court as an extension of the presidency, and the Justices are viewed as being in obeisance to the president. To think of it, not many people found the ruling on the Imo state governorship matter surprising. Judging by the accuracy with which a self-styled prophet, leaked the judgment, many are of the opinion that the “prophet” and Apex Court were playing from the same script. A coalition of civil society groups recently alleged in a press statement released in Abuja on January 26, 2020 that there were discrepancies between the oral judgment given on the case, and the written judgment which they (Supreme Court) released to the public
The coalition is not the only group of persons to find the judgment questionable. Social commentator, Dr. Chima Amadi, better known on social media app, Twitter, as Mazi Gburugburu, ran a Twitter thread on the controversial judgment. According to him, the Supreme Court failed by basing its judgment on what he termed “a clearly contrived ‘Oluwole’ result” presented as evidence by the APC’s Uzodinma. “The ‘fakeness’ in the results was so obvious that judges at the tribunals during one hearing, in open court asked INEC lawyers why they had not approached the police to prosecute Hope for forgery,” he tweeted. In further analysis of the 388 polling units which Uzodinma presented to the Supreme Court, and from which they based their judgment, Chima argued that Uzodinma scored an average of 95 percent in the 388 polling units, and scored an average of 12 percent in the rest of the over 3550 polling units in the state on Election Day. “Note that Hope’s results does not have any results for the remaining 68 parties that fielded candidates in the election. Parties like AA, SDP, APGA etc who won seats in the State House of Assembly had no single vote in Hope’s Supreme Court 388 polling units results. What happened?” Chima queried. If any man was to blame for the loss of hope in the Supreme Court, it would be President Buhari. When the DSS had violated the law in raiding the residences of the justices, and also flouted previous judgment that says the power to discipline a judicial officer was that of the NJC, the DSS lawlessness was sanctioned by Buhari. The President, through his Media Adviser, Garba Shehu, had waxed lyrical, saying the raid was an assault on corruption and not on the judiciary. However, with the judgment on Imo, Nigerians are of the opinion that the assault had more implications far beyond the judiciary. Having lost hope in the judiciary that should naturally be the last hope of the people, they consider the attack against them; a sad conclusion.
19
T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 2020
POLITICS
An Evening of Partisan Jokes
GOVERNANCE IN PHOTOS
Nseobong Okon-Ekong writes that the recent THISDAY 25th anniversary was as much an evening of political commentary, during which the audience were not tired of hearing partisan jokes about personalities in government
L-R: Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode fayemi and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, at the National Economic Council meeting in Abuja…recently
The Publisher, Nduka Obaigbena and Noami Campbell
T
o be sure, if it was television, disconcerted viewer would have punched the button to bring on another channel. But in more ways than one, it was television. There was a mega screen in the background, shimmering in all the glory of multi-glitz to help the audience follow what was happening in the Convention Centre of Eko Hotel, Victoria Island-Lagos at the recent 25th anniversary of THISDAY Newspapers. It was a show for television because THISDAY is embryonically linked to ARISE News, a sister company-from the same parent, Nduka Obaigbena, who presides over the operations of both companies. And some of the people on television were on stage live: Charles Aniagolu and the ‘Charlies Angels’ on ARISE News anchored the proceedings of the evening. Yet another link to television was a major highlight on the programme of the day, the presentation of ARISE Play, a streaming platform, the first of the revolutionary services that will shape THISDAY/ARISE Media Group’s next 25 years of existence. Stripped of its formalities, the THISDAY 25th anniversary was as much an evening of political commentary, during which the audience was not tired of hearing partisan jokes about personalities in government. From playing the role of auxiliary compere, Obaigbena assigned himself to dishing out jokes that may have unsettled some politicians, but cajoled the gathering into boisterous laughter. As a creative person, the Publisher of THISDAY is brimming with humour about all the political events happening around him, not minding how nasty the jokes may come across, he served it to generate debate and excitement. Introducing some of his valued guests, Obaigbena found a way to dress it in political colours. “We welcome the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, sitting not too far away from Mr. Herbert Wigwe, Group Managing Director of Access Bank.” The intended pun was not lost on the audience. Earlier that week, there was some talk about Wigwe being detained by the EFCC. As the hall erupted in raucous laughter, Obaigbena calmed them, “don’t worry,” he assured everyone. It is settled.” Talk of EFCC may have created a feeling of awkwardness for the former governor of
Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke who told an interesting story of why Nigeria needed an institution like the EFCC, but unwittingly finished his speech by stirring a controversy over his status with the EFCC. Duke claimed he was not a ‘customer’ of the anti-graft agency. The clap acknowledging the brilliance of his speech had barely subsided when Magu mounted the stage to challenge Duke’s statement. “The records do not say,” retorted Magu. Perhaps, Duke must have regretted not making a simple speech and quitting the stage when the ovation was loudest. Now, the joke was on him! Another show of witticism which must have caused Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State to lose some sleep was the moment when Obaigbena brought the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole on stage. Presenting Oshiomhole, the THISDAY Publisher described him as the only man with the power to endorse Obaseki for a second term. The comment could bolster Oshiomhole’s confidence, but it was sure to rankle Obaseki. Both men have been at daggers drawn for a long period of time now, even as the Edo State APC 2020 governorship selection process gets closer. Not a man given to much fantasies, Magu who received the THISDAY Award for Institution of the Decade on behalf of the EFCC went back in time to the early days of the organisation, stating its humble beginning and the initial challenges of those times. For Magu, there was little room for humour. He said, it was the first time, he would sit in a crowd for over three hours. When he got the chance to speak, it was back to work. You could tell that here was a man who avoids joking. He did not care about political connection, therefore, he spoke from his heart. “We don’t want to keep chasing everybody as a suspect. We want everybody who has stolen from the commonwealth to bring it back to Nigeria, so as to use the monies to provide the needed infrastructure,” he stated. Someone else may have put it more nicely, not Magu. He dropped like it’s hot. The audience laughed long and hard, but to who it may concern, it was not a statement of comfort to hear the EFCC would build more detention facilities and open additional zonal offices so as to bring the anti-corruption fight, nearer home to the people.
R-L: Ogun State Deputy Governor, Engr.Noimot Salako- Oyedele, the widow of the late General Manager of Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation, Dr. Jumoke Akinhanmi, daughter, Dunni, Son, Tomiwa and the Chief of Staff to the Ogun State Governor, Alhaji Salis Shuaib during the funeral ceremony of Mr.Diji Akinhanmi at The African Church Rock of Ages, Owudotun Parish, Abeokuta...recently
L-R: Robinson Umo, Media Aide to the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Amos Etuk, Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Akwa Ibom State Council, Mr. Moses Ekpo, Deputy Governor, Akwa Ibom State and Mr. Dominic Akpan, Secretary, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Akwa Ibom State Council, during Ekpo’s visit to the Press Centre in Uyo...recently
Governor State of Osun, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola and newly appointed President of the State customary Court of Appeal, Hon. Justice Foluke Eunice Awolalu, during the swearing-in ceremony of Justice Awolalu, at Multipurpose Hall, Local Government Service Commission, State Secretariat, Abeere…recently
20
T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ
FEATURES
Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi Email chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, 08038901925
Strengthening the Tech Advantage for Communities Maduabuchi Ubani writes that the Development Festival, a community-led developer event hosted by Google Developer Groups around the globe, is not just focused on community building, but also presents people in the tech ecosystem the entrepreneurial mindset needed to progress in their line of work
Google Developer Groups Country Mentor, Hanson Johnson taking a selďŹ e with participants at Devfest Uyo 2019
Cross section of participants at Devfest Lagos 2019
A
cross the globe, many millennials are setting out to learn skills for the future. Most of them are defying different challenges in their environment to learn hard skills that will position them for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Of course, many young people have moved from extreme poverty to comfort due to the hard skills they were determined and focused to learn. But there's a catch. Many young people only set out to learn hard skills alone. Most of them are unaware of different communities, ecosystem and tribes around the skills they wish to learn. To these young people, they are better off on their own. That way, they can get to move faster in their learning process. This same mindset is seen in Emmanuel Sunday, a young computer science undergraduate who learnt how to build applications on Android and IOS devices from some of his friends at University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN). Sunday spent most of his time coding, building online platforms and working with clients from across the globe on software programming challenges and innovations. But while making good money through freelancing and referrals from his satisfied clients, Sunday had little to no idea about the tech community around him; he didn’t understand what the tech ecosystem meant, and he wasn’t even aware of the active players in the tech space around his environment. “All I just cared about was to code and build platforms.� Emmanuel continued, “I had little to no interest in tech groups or whatever they called themselves. There are some tech platforms in my school, but to me, I just saw it that they were going to slow me down and there was nothing new for them to say. In my head, I was doing fine all by myself." However, the change of mindset came when he made it back home for a short semester break in Aba, Abia State. At home, a friend introduced him to a technology hub focused on training people in software development and powering businesses with technology just around his area. At the hub, he got to see the amazing work that other young people were doing in the technology community. He also came to know about other techies, and alongside, saw the collaboration and growth taking place across the tech space in his community. It was also at RAD5 Tech Hub that Emmanuel got to know about Developer Festival (DevFest) by Google Developer Group (GDG). Before now, he had no prior knowledge of any major event where software developers, members of a tech ecosystem alongside technology enthusiasts could meet up, network and share knowledge. “It was as if the veil was removed from my face. Everything made sense all of a sudden. I
Jubilant participants at Devfest Aba 2019 can’t even begin to imagine the opportunities that must have slipped me by. But then again, this isn’t time for blame game. It’s a privilege to be linked up with other active players in the tech environment. Now I can run faster.� Sunday explained. In an official online statement, DevFest is described as a community-led developer event hosted by Google Developer around the globe. Google Developer Groups (GDGs) are focused on community building and learning about Google's technologies. Every DevFest event is tailored to the needs of the hosting developer community; the event covers multiple products such Android, Google Cloud Platform, Machine Learning, Mobile web etc. The event provides the conducive environment for local developers and tech enthusiasts to teach, learn, code and network. This year alone, DevFest took place in about 35 cities across Nigeria. In Lagos State alone, more than one thousand eight hundred beginners , intermediate and expert software developers converged to listen to speakers sessions, trainings with speakers from Google, Women Techmakers Ambassadors and speakers from other companies on topics around Google Developer platforms/ products. Although DevFest seems to hover around developers and people in the software development space, the event has over the years spread out its wings to accommodate other players in the tech industry who play significant roles to power the tech ecosystem. It is this accommodation that Ada Nduka Oyom sees as the integral part of any community that wishes to be sustainable and scale over time. As the Google Developer Relations Ecosystem
Community Manager, Oyom sees the DevFest platform as an opportunity for people to not only make their way into the tech space, but also for techie people within an environment to learn from each other and grow. At Devfest Aba recently, Oyom aptly pointed out that “the tech community is a very versed and highly accommodating community for anyone to thrive in their chosen fields of endeavor. And so, it is platforms like DevFest provided by Google Developer Groups that provide the ground for people to move from lone rangers into active contributors to the tech space in their community.� Apart from lone rangers coming out of their shells to share their knowledge and insight, it is events like DevFest that provide an environment for young people, especially women to be encouraged in chasing their dreams and aspirations. Before now, young ladies across major cities in the country were being dissuaded from pursuing a career in technology or even tech-related fields. Most times, the male in the family is encouraged to go learn computer skills even when it is evident that the girl-child shows more potential than the boy in that area. It is this lack of role models for young girls that Mr. Ihueze Nwobilor contends with on a daily basis. As the South-east Programme Officer of Paradigm Initiative, a Non-governmental Organisation that trains young people in underserved communities on entrepreneurship, personal development, financial literacy and digital skills, he comes in contact with many ladies who seem to have handed over the job of being tech savvy to the male counterparts. “We see young ladies who have the potential to do amazing things with their lives, but then, the bulk of the work is to rid them of the mentality
that tech is mostly for boys alone.� He explained. Back in 2017, Nwobilor ensured that majority of the girls at the centre attended DevFest Aba. The result it had on them was phenomenal. “These girls at the centre attended DevFest 2017 and saw other young girls their age speaking about their journey in technology. In 2017, they saw the likes of Ada Nduka Oyom, who also made it back to Devfest Aba 2019, mount the stage and give an amazing presentation. “I can tell you that after the DevFest event in 2017, our work at the centre was made a whole easier because these young ladies got to see things for themselves. They wanted to be like the young people they saw on stage. It was really a defining moment for them. And for us, it has been a humbling experience to give them such kind of exposure to witness the amazing things young people are doing.� He enthused. While tech events like DevFest provides the exposure for young people to dream bigger, aim higher and achieve even the impossible, it also presents people in the tech ecosystem with the entrepreneurial mindset needed to progress in their line of work. It is this mindset that makes the average techie to understand the art, science and business side of the skills they have. And when they are exposed to these entrepreneurial line of thought, they begin to see things differently. As a software developer, John Nnanna Oji doubles as the Google Developer Lead Aba, and the Co-founder of Rad5 Tech Hub in Abia State. He sees techies with an entrepreneurial mind as valuable assets. This is because when these techies join different teams in different organisations, they are not just the everyday software developers and designers who sit behind their laptops and build complex lines of codes. Instead, they are more like problem solvers who possess the ability to work around a problem prevalent in an environment and use their skillset to provide a lasting solution. “The difference between a techie and an entrepreneurial techie is their approach to problems and how to solve it. Almost anybody can proffer solution to an issue, but very few can provide an innovative solution to a problem. "This is one of the reasons why events like DevFest hold every year across major cities of the globe. Yes there is need to build a strong tech ecosystem. Yes there is need to educate people on the fourth industrial revolution and the changes it will bring. But then, there is a need to raise innovative, creative and entrepreneurial minds that won’t keep doing the same thing and expect a different result.� He explained. As the DevFest revolution keeps sweeping across different communities in Nigeria and Africa as a whole, one can see the light at the end of the tunnel for the teeming young minds and the continent as a whole.
21
T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ
FEATURES
Framework for Turning Lagos into ‘Smart City’ Chiemelie Ezeobi writes that the Transportation Hailing Alliance of Nigeria, a coalition of operators leveraging technology within the moto-taxi industry in Nigeria, is ready to partner the Lagos State government to deploy technology infrastructure that will help achieve the state’s broader vision for a ‘smart city’
T
here is no doubt that Lagos is a mega city but the move now is make it also a smart city. To help achieve the vision of the government, the Transportation Hailing Alliance of Nigeria, a coalition of operators leveraging technology within the moto-taxi industry in Nigeria and committed to safe, reliable and fairly affordable transportation, is proposing a workable framework. This framework no doubt, will tackle the menace of commercial motorcycles, who are popularly known as Okada. Gotten from the defunct Okada Airways, these breed of okada riders have in no small measure contributed to the chaos in the mega city, also touted to be the commercial nerve centre of the nation. Given the chaos and its resultant negative effects like accidents and deaths, the state government has on countless occasions resorted to banning them from 475 roads out of its 9100 roads in the state. These are contained in Section 3 and Regulation 16 Sub-Section 4, 5 and 6 of the 2012 Road Traffic Law. Entrance of THAN The Transportation Hailing Alliance of Nigeria is a coalition committed to safe, reliable and fairly affordable transportation. The group which is currently made up of the nation’s leading motorcycle operators comprising of MAX, ORide and Gokada. Presently, the group’s goal as an industry is to align quickly with industry stakeholders on an agreeable framework for the transportation needs of citizens in a fast growing mega city as Lagos. This includes partnering to deploy technology infrastructure that helps the government achieve it’s broader vision of a smart city.� Framework According to THAN, in order not to become the very nuisance that has typified the conventional commercial motorcycles, they are quite willing to work with the state government in putting together a framework that will effectively serve the state and its citizenry. This they intend to do by ensuring safe and structured operations, just as they intend to highlight the importance and modernisation that its operations has brought into the transportation hailing industry. They also intend to educate the masses on what to expect and demand from operators, as well as demonstrate the potential for government to block revenue leakages by leveraging technology that allows for transparency. In the same vein, they appealed to government to continue to provide enabling environment and policies for the sustainable operations of the industry Alliance Although the respective companies under THAN are providing competing services, the decision to form an alliance was purely a selfless decision-providing easily accessible, safe and secure motorcycle operations to Lagosians. Giving the three core reasons for the formation of the alliance they said if you look at the proliferation of motorbikes in the city of Lagos, there is a need to challenge Lagosians to begin to demand more from motorcycle riders, such as high quality riders, ensuring that the riders are in the best state of mind when they are riding, knowing that they can demand safety tools from riders, and more importantly should be able to make complaints when they are dissatisfied with the service they have gotten. “So our first objective is to sensitise Lagosians that safety is their personal responsibility. Second, is also to begin to educate riders that they have a responsibility to be safe
L-R: Chief Finance OďŹƒcer, MAX, Guy Bertrand-Njoya; Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat; Governor, Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; and Chief Executive OďŹƒcer, MAX, Mr. Adetayo Bamiduro
Bike hailing services like these will sanitise Lagos and keep their passengers safe always. Sometimes, riders put themselves under very stressful circumstances just in pursuit of their livelihood, without regard for their own personal safety. While we understand the need to make money, we believe that the riders themselves need to be educated adequately on the importance of their personal responsibility for safety. “Lastly, is in the area of collaborating with government to help achieve the status and vision of a smart city that it desires. And we know that technology plays an important role in the development of a smart city, which is the baseline competence of every member of this alliance. So for us, the alliance is about providing a common technology infrastructural support to the government based on insights from our ongoing daily business operations,� they posited. On the changes and modifications their mode of operations have brought to the motor-bike transportation service, they said: “Our processes of world-class driver recruitment and training, being safety-oriented (speed control, safety tools, hygiene tools, tracking) and ensuring secure operations (real time monitoring, verified and background-checked identity of riders, performance rating system), enables us to
change the landscape of a generally informal industry�. On the measures they have in place to ensure that their riders abide by the laws of the state with regards where| wherenot, how, how-not to operate in the state, they revealed that they have an “in-built system of performance rating of drivers, continuous training and retraining of drivers, real time tracking of drivers behavior, consistent communication with drivers, and disciplinary measures for erring riders.� Interface with Government According to THAN, from time to time, they are carried along in developments in the transportation sector by the ministry of transport, as well as areas of improvement the ministry wants us as a whole to improve upon. “We have had interfaces individually with Mr. Governor, and at his instance had interface as a group with the Senior Special Adviser on Transportation. The reasons for our engagements have always varied, sometimes regulatory, sometimes advisory, and other times we are basically just seeking the government’s support.� Disciplinary Actions On disciplinary actions they subject riders
to if reported and found to be violating any of the laid down rules they said: “As an alliance, we are trying to self-regulate and ensure we can adopt a unified disciplinary code across board so that riders can know that whichever platform they jump to, their infractions are going to be treated similarlyâ€?. Stance on Safety Their stance on safety remains 100 per cent compliance with safety and security rules. They said: “Overall, as an industry, we have raised standards of living of our drivers by over 100 per cent across all players. We provide brand new bikes that are compliant, to our drivers, as well as comprehensive maintenance using manufacturers’ spare parts to ensure the bikes are in great conditions and are not prone to accidents while on the road. “Furthermore, the drivers are tested, trained, and well kitted. They use safety certified helmets for themselves and their passenger (compulsory for every passenger to wear a helmet before the driver can start the ride). They even provide a hairnet for hygiene purposes. “In reinstating our stance on safety, one of our members has also launched, a rapid response medical service to help administer first aid to cases of accident and her victims before getting them to the hospitals for proper medical attention. In the same vein, we have been very collaborative with Nigerian Police in ensuring their smooth operations. This is to encourage the force and ease their operations in ensuring that the city of Lagos remains safe. “We are all working towards the goal of making transport easily, safely and securely accessible for Lagosians. As an industry, we’re proud to be at the forefront of a sector that is changing exponentially and look forward to being a part of its continued evolution with a guarantee that Lagosians can continue to depend on us to set the pace for safe and secure motorcyle transportation in the state. SpeciďŹ cs The specifics of the superiority in the alliance is that every trip is monitored with technology. This they said gives them the ability to analyse what happens on every trip from start to finish. “We are able to know when they do hard acceleration, excessive banking, overspeeding or phone usage while on a trip, and then translate that into the core offering of our service in the areas of safety, security and affordabilityâ€?.
22
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 2020 •T H I S D AY
23
T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍˇËœ 2020
BUSINESSWORLD
Group Business Editor Obinna Chima Email obinna.chima@thisdaylive.com 08152447875
ÍŻ Íľ Ëœ Í° ÍŽ ÍŻ ͡ MONEY MARKET OVERNIGHT OBB
REPO 3.86 3
CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH
2 5.50 ;˛Ͱͳ
S & P INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY MONTH-TO-DATE
Ͳ͎͡˛ͯͳϹ ͎˛ʹͰϹ ͯ˛͜;Ϲ
S & P INDEX 1/4 TO DATE YEAR TO DATE
ͯ˛͜;Ϲ ͯ˛͜;Ϲ
EXCHANGE RATE ͹͎;˚ͯ ̊ ̊
Quick Takes KPMG Commences Remuneration Survey
CSR IN ACTION
L-R: Representative of Vice President of Ghana/Minister of Monitoring and Evaluation, Ghana, Mr. Anthony Osei; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo – Olu;Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya; Minster of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, and Oni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, during the Airtel Touching Lives Season 5 Premiere, held in Lagos‌recently AbiodunAjala
Stockbrokers Urge FG to Ensure Policy Consistency Goddy Egene The Chairman, Association of Securities Dealing Houses of Nigeria (ASHON), Chief Oyinyechukwu Ezeagu, has called on the federal government to sustain policies that impact financial markets and entire economy positively. One of such policies, according to him, was the decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to exclude individuals and local non-bank institution from its open market operations (OMO) auction last year. The policy has since crashed
CAPITAL MARKET yields on the fixed income securities and increased patronage of the equities market. Ezeagu explained that the OMO policy had been very beneficial to the stock market, noting that the fall in interest rate created opportunities for higher return on equity (ROE) and investors are taking advantage of the inverse relationship between the money market and capital market. He, however, expressed concerns about the sustainability
of the OMO policy going by uncertainties that usually characterise government policies in Nigeria. According to him, the government might decide to reverse OMO policy if banks mount pressure that it was hurting their profit margin or the CBN perceives a need to boost the nation’s external reserve. “Our concern is always policy uncertainty and consistency in Nigeria. This has been a major drag to the growth and development of the economy and by implication, the capital market. “The new policy on OMO is making investment in
the market more attractive but the question is sustainability. We operate in an unpredictable environment where there can be policy somersault at the least expected time,� Ezeagu said. The OMO restriction was part of the CBN’s financial engineering tactics to ensure that deposit money banks channel credit to the real sector and reduce the crowding-out effect on the private sector in terms of credit. “Banks should lend money to the real sector to enhance Continued on page 24
Mining: Adegbite Woos UK Investors Kasim Sumaina in Abuja In line with federal government commitments to diversify the economy and provide jobs for the teeming youth, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr. Olamilekan Adegbite has highlighted reforms in the mining sector aimed at fast-tracking national growth. Adegbite, who was the chief host at a conference in United Kingdom titled, “Nigeria Beyond Oil� seized the opportunity to showcase Nigeria’s mineral and mining potential and the incentives put in place to make the sector more attractive to investors. Adegbite, opined that Nigeria was being perceived as an oil country and should serve as a hub of investments. He, however, noted that the country has been an unwilling victim of the oil curse which he said created a huge gap in terms of solid mineral
CAPITAL MARKET management. This, according to him, has brought about Nigeria’s 30 years of stagnation in the mineral industry. According to him, “President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration met challenges in the mining sector occasioned by long neglect. It was apparent that we must re-enact the ‘Nigeria before oil’ policies, when the sector contributed as much as 5.6 per cent in 1980 to the national GDP.� The minister, in a statement by the ministry’s Director of Press, Mr. Edwin Okpara, stated that the present administration recognised mining as a strategic income stream in the face of dwindling oil revenue and look towards increasing its contribution to the national
GDP by three per cent by 2025. While assuring participants at the conference that the Nigerian government was determined to protect direct foreign investments as indicated in the Nigerian Mineral and Mining Act 2007, he said: “Our focus is now on de-risking the sector, by the provision of more up-to-date and comprehensive data on mineral occurrences in Nigeria and enabling a more investor friendly environment through favorable incentives.� He stressed that the ministry has achieved some milestones which he believed would prompt the participating countries as well as the larger mining world to be part of the exploration and mining revolution in Nigeria. The minister listed the achievements of the ministry to include the on-going National Exploration Project (NIMEP), which was government’s rapid response to
the dearth of investible geoscience data as well as the upgrading and automation of the Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office (MCO) for full online operations which he said would reduce the processing of mining licenses from 45 days to 15 days. He said the outstanding gold discovery by Segilola Resources operating Limited/Thor Explorations Limited, whose exploration exercise in the Southwest of Nigeria established a proven reserve of one million ounces of gold on part of its tenements, is receiving the attention from international investors. He further explained, “Our approach to the enactment of a ‘Nigeria Beyond Oil’ era is holistic, the integrated method involves the development of the necessary infrastructure to support the mines and mining communiContinued on page 24
KPMG said it has kicked-o the second edition of its remuneration survey for the independent oil and gas industry. The survey would help the participating exploration and production companiestakeinformedpaydecisions,byprovidingthemwithvaluable market insights and information on pay levels and practices. Many) key players in the industry have signed up for the 2020 edition. “The survey is still very much open to other oil companies that may wish to participate. “Thesurvey,whichisconductedonajobgradebasis,coverspermanent Nigerian employees from graduate entry to executive management levels,â€? a statement from KPMG explained. The survey report would cover all elements of pay such as: ďŹ xed pay (basic salary & cash allowances), variable pay (short and long term performance based pay), beneďŹ ts-in-kind (e.g. medical and status car) and retirement beneďŹ ts (e.g. pension and gratuity). The report would also present total cash compensation (ďŹ xed and variable pay) and total cost of employment (total package). The survey exercise would run for four months, thereafter, a report would be issued (in May 2020) to participating companies. “KPMGwillsubsequentlycommunicateadatefortheclose-outmeeting to debrief participating companies as well as obtain feedback on the exercise.
Access Bank Boost Tourism
Withthe2020AccessBankLagosCityMarathonfastapproaching,the headlinesponsor,AccessBankPlchasreiteratedthatitssponsorship of the race is geared towards improving the economic and social outlook of the state.While speaking about the marathon, the Group Managing Director of Access Bank Plc., HerbertWigwe, was quoted in a statement to have said, “As one of the leading banks in Nigeria and indeed Africa, it is imperative for us to support the economic and social development of the communities in which we operate. “Hence, we have sponsored the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon for ďŹ ve years to make Lagos State more attractive to tourists and foreigninvestorsalike. “Wehavealsousedthisplatformasanavenue to create more jobs and opportunities to thousands in the state,â€? he added. He went further to add that, “to ensure that the impact of the marathon,asfeltinLagosState,isduplicatedandsustained,wehave also begun sponsoring marathons and other sporting events across dierent states in Nigeria as highlighted by our sponsorship of the Abeokutamarathon.â€? Withover100,000participantsrecordedacross thelasttwoeditionsoftheAccessBankLagosCityMarathon,Wigwe said he expects the trend to continue as the marathon which has moved up from a Bronze Label marathon to a Silver Label, less than ďŹ ve years after its maiden edition, continues to garner the respect of top international and local athletes alike.
NSIA Group Celebrates 25th Anniversary
The NSIA Group has said it intends to play a major role in the development of the African economy. The insurer also said it would continue to provide lasting responses to the socio-economic challenges facing the continent. The President of the Group, Jean Kacou Diagou, stated this while speaking at the 25th anniversary celebration of the company’s operation held in Abidjan, recently. He said the Group’s insurance division, intends to respond to the major challenges of transforming the African society. “On the personal market, the rise of the middle class will require supporting the needs of populations in terms of protection and provident insurance while providing innovative solutions. “The digitalisation of our oers represents a tremendous growth driver,â€? Diagou, said. He said NSIA’s continuous growth has been driven by strategic acquisitions, ďŹ rst in CĂ´te d’Ivoire and then in the sub-region. He said the group. acquired Assurances GĂŠnĂŠraux de France (AGF), InternationalBankofWestAfrica(BIAO)andmorerecentlyinAfrican countries like Togo, Cameroun, etc), with the exception of Nigeria. “I am happy and proud of what has become of the NSIA Group today. I thank our customers and investors who have accompanied and trusted us to this day.
“If recommendations made after accident investigations are not implemented airlines suffer, the public suffers but it helps the win-win situation and give people the confidence to fly��
Commissioner, Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB
Akin Olateru
licy 13.5 ent 200
24
T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ
STOCKBROKERS URGE FG TO ENSURE POLICY CONSISTENCY economic growth and development. Banks are currently awash with liquidity and this should be channeled to the real sector,� Ezeagu said. Some market watchers had expressed fears that the naira might be devalued. But the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, had last year allayed such fears. Last week, the apex bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) increased Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by 500 basis points, from 22.5 per cent to 27.5 percent, apparently to hedge against upsurge in inflation rate which is at 11.98 per cent as at December last year. The upward movement of CRR was to mop up excess liquidity in the system. MINING: ADEGBITE WOOS UK INVESTORS ties. We are working assiduously to ensure the development of a central corridor around the steel development complex.� This, he said would include the provision and up-grading of railway network to link Abuja to the mineral centers and ports for easy evacuation of minerals resource and products. He expressed the wiliness of the country to attract genuine investors to the Nigerian mining space and assured that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration would guarantee the safety of their investments. Similarly, the President and CEO of African Finance Corporation (AFC), Samaila Zubairu, who was represented by the Director Natural Resources, Osam Iyahen, in his presentation titled, “Derisking African Mining Project,� said the mining sector can potentially be the key driver for industrialisation in the continent. In his presentation, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prof. Konyin Ajayi, praised the strategies being put in place by the ministry, saying it would enhance the development of the sector for the realisation of the government’s agenda of economic diversification. Adegbite, recently disclosed that the federal government has provided N2.5 billion counterpart loan facility and lease-for-free mining equipment to support artisanal miners.
FG Tasks New FIRS Management on Improved Tax Revenue Collection James Emejo in Abuja The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, has expressed confidence that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), under its current Execution Chairman, Mr. Mohammed Nami, will be able to meet and surpass federal government revenue target for tax revenue. He said the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari needs all the required funds to enable it deliver on his mandate to Nigerians. Speaking when he received the new FIRS chairman who paid him a courtesy visit in his office, the SGF also vowed to the former and the board to succeed in their mandate. Mustapha, who also presented Nami with his letter of appointment together with those of the newly inaugurated members board, further congratulated them, expressing confidence that the FIRS will under his watch meet and exceed government’s revenue targets from taxation. Specifically, the SGF urged the executive chairman to be proactive in his tax collection drive, stressing that the current huge funding gap had
compelled the government to resort to borrowing in recent times. He added that if more revenue could be generated from taxation, there would be less need for government to borrow. He further stressed that as a cost-cutting measure, the
federal government recently directed its officials, particularly ministers, to reduce the number of aides who travel with them. Mustapha also decried a situation where the overhead cost of governance far outweighed capital expenditure. The service generated a total
sum of about N5 trillion in 2019, which fell short of its projected revenue collection of about N8.8 trillion, thus posting a shortfall of about N3.7 trillion for the year under the immediate past administration of Tunde Fowler. Nami, in a Christmas
message to staff particularly expressed concern over the dwindling revenue performance despite increase in the service workforce over the period, and encouraged them to redouble efforts towards achieving its target in 2020. The service targets to raise N8.5 trillion this year.
CAPACITYBUILDING
President /Chairman of Council, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), Dame Gladys Olajumoke Simplice (left), and Deputy Vice President, Samuel Agbeluyi, at the CITN tax practice management workshop held in Lagos‌recently ETOPUKUTT
Nanono Heads C’ttee on Agriculture Mechanisation James Emejo in Abuja The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono has inaugurated an 18-man committee for the implementation of the $1.1 billion agriculture mechanisation programme, also referred to as the Green Imperative. The minister chairs the committee. He said the project, which seeks to prioritise mechanisation, was being funded by the Brazilian government through a credit facility from the Deutshe Bank (DB), Development Bank of Brazil and Islamic Development Bank.
He said the loan was expected to be repaid at three per cent interest rate over a period of 15 years for Development Bank of Brazil and seven years, including two years moratorium for the Deutsche Bank. Speaking during the inauguration of the committee, Nanono said 100, 000 young people were expected to benefit directly and five million indirectly from the intervention. He added that it was designed to enable Nigeria acquire 10, 000 units of tractors and 50, 000 units of assorted implement and equipment for assembly
in the country, adding that it would enhance the mechanisation of agricultural specialised extension services and agro-processing in the 774 local government areas and the six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The minister noted that the programme was timely, in view of the need to feed the Nigerian population estimated at 200 million, as well as other African countries which depend on the country for food. He argued that there was no way a county could feed about 200 million people and get surplus for agro allied industries without access to
mechanisation services. He therefore lamented a report which had shown that the country currently only possessed 7, 000 functional tractors. Nanono, nonetheless, expressed optimism that the programme, which would have service centers in 632 local government areas and 140 processing centres, would achieve its mandate, in view of the dire need to boost production in the country. The scheme will train beneficiaries for over 10 years and establish 780 service centers to assist smallholder farmers to prepare the soil, cultivate and harvest farm produce.
Nanono recently revealed that the federal government was reviewing the nation’s agricultural policy. This, according to him, would help revitalise existing agricultural policies in order to meet the needs and aspirations of President Muhammadu Buhari in diversifying the economy, using agriculture as a driving force. He noted that the ministry was aware of the achievements recorded by the CDA since its inception in 2012. He said such achievements would not have been possible without the tremendous support from the university’s management and staff.
Asharami Energy Offers Young Professionals Career Opportunities Peter Uzoho
Group Business Editor
ĂŒĂ“Ă˜Ă˜Ă‹ Ă’Ă“Ă—Ă‹ Capital Market Editor
ÙÎÎã Ă‘Ă?Ă˜Ă? Comms/e-Business Editor
Ă—Ă—Ă‹ Ă•Ă™Ă˜Ă”Ă“ Senior Correspondent
Ă‹Ă’Ă?Ă?Ă— Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ĂŒĂ™Ă–Ă&#x; (Advertising) Correspondents
Ă’Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂŽĂ&#x; äĂ? (Aviation) ĂœĂ™Ă—Ă™Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă? ĂŒĂ“Ă™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă˜ (Maritime) Ă‹Ă—Ă?Ă? Ă—Ă?ÔÙ (Finance) ĂŒĂ?ĂœĂ? åÙÔÓ (Insurance) Ă’Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă—Ă? Ă•Ă‹Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ě™(Energy) Reporters
Ă&#x;Ă—Ă? Ă•Ă?Ă‘Ă’Ă? (Money Market) Ă™Ă?Ă‹ Ă–Ă?Ă•Ă’Ă&#x;ÙÑÓĂ? (ICT)
Asharami Energy Limited, a Sahara Group Upstream Company, has commenced its recruitment exercise aimed at giving young professionals a shot at honing their careers at the African Exploration and Production Company. Asharami Energy is one of Africa’s leading independent E&P players with a diverse portfolio of nine oil and gas assets in prolific basins across Africa. According to the Managing Director, Asharami Energy, Olajumoke Ajayi, the Sahara Graduate Upstream Trainee Programme was designed to give professionals a solid foundation for a promising
career in the upstream sector. Ajayi said the programme would give successful candidates exposure to challenging real-life upstream business scenarios in today’s rapidly evolving business environment, mentorship opportunities to shadow seasoned leaders and experts as well as world class training in practical upstream activities that are tailored to their career aspirations. She said highlights of the programme included formal classroom and practical training for one year, career progression opportunities with clear paths and growth plans, cross-function exposure
to several aspects of the sector and in-depth training on the soft skills needed to thrive in a structured business environment. “Asharami Energy is excited about the program and looking forward to welcoming exceptional talent that will add impetus to our drive towards achieving oil production of 100,000 barrels per day over the next five years,� she added. The current programme, among other requirements, features opportunities for individuals with Second Class Upper in their first degrees in Engineering and Geo-sciences. Some of the beneficiaries of the programme
expressed delight at their experiences which they summed up as being “a dream come true�. One of them, Adaora ObiOkoye, said: “My experience in Asharami energy has been exceptional, to say the least. It has surely surpassed all my expectations. Asharami Energy has invested in me as an individual. I can honestly say that it goes beyond honing my skills, I see the organization’s genuine interest in my development as an individual, overall.� Another beneficiary, Olamide Seyi-Olutayo, said: “Working with Asharami Energy has been a tremendous experience as I have learnt to push myself beyond my
comfort zone to achieve set goals especially in a fastpaced environment. With great support from a team of highly skilled industry experts and opportunities to learn both on the job and in-class training, I have gained mastery of my role, “said Olamide Seyi-Olutayo. Also, Ifesanmi Tolu-Alao, intoned: “Sahara is not where I work, it’s who I am�. When I saw that mantra for the first time, I thought it was just a nice-sounding phrase, but I soon found out that it was the absolute truth. Being part of Asharami Energy has been a wonderful journey, every day presents a new opportunity for growth and advancement.�
25
T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ
OVH Energy Appoints Dagazau COO Peter Uzoho 07) &OFSHZ UIF DPNQBOZ CFIJOE UIF 0BOEP SFUBJM CSBOE JO 8FTU "GSJDB IBT announced the appointment PG "MIBKJ .VNVOJ %BHB[BV BT UIF $IJFG 0QFSBUJOH 0GGJDFS $00 PG UIF DPNQBOZ The company in a statement PO .POEBZ TBJE %BHB[BV who is a business strategist with over 30 years’ experience in the private sector, would be responsible for supply and trading; customer service; TBMFT BOE NBSLFUJOH "41. engineering and terminal business of the company. Prior to his appointment, %BHB[BV XBT UIF $IJFG 0QFSBUJOH 0GGJDFS BU " " Rano Nigeria Limited. According to the statement, %BHB[BV JT WBTUMZ FYQFSJFODFE in establishing operational organisational optimisation across diverse industries with
core competence in the oil and gas sector. 5IF $00 IBT PWFS UIF years, in various capacities, “become recognised for his talent in strategy development, process optimisation, corporate vision actualisation with maximum revenue generation.� i%BHB[V TUBOET PVU BT a professional with the unique ability to convert strategic plans into reality. In his previous roles, he has guided companies to establish themselves as viable businesses,� it stated. He is an associate member of the Association of Business Executives, United Kingdom BOE "MVNOVT PG 7BMMFZ 'PSHF Military Academy in the 6OJUFT 4UBUFT i8F BSF QMFBTFE UP IBWF %BHB[BV KPJO 07) &Oergy Marketing. His strong background in operational
organizational optimization coupled with his technical expertise make him an ideal person to take on this position. “His appointment is also an indication of our commitment to build a business that continually provides our customers with products and services of the highest standards,� the Chief ExecuUJWF 0GGJDFS 07) &OFSHZ .S )VVC 4UPLNBO TBJE Commenting on his apQPJOUNFOU %BHB[BV TBJE i* am excited to lead operations GPS 07) &OFSHZ .BSLFUJOH There are significant contributions that this Company has made to the downstream business and indeed the Nigerian economy, and I am confident that together with the capable team here, we will continue to do significant work seamlessly and with utmost integrity.�
SkyNe Courier Company Lauds FG on Road Projects Kayode Fasua in Abeokuta 5IF 4LZ/F 8PSMEXJEF &YQSFTT has commended the federal government over the rapid improvement in the construction of major roads in the country. 4QFDJĂ DBMMZ UIF DPVSJFS BOE freight merchant expressed delight at the commitment by the .JOJTUFS PG 8PSLT BOE )PVTing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, to the various road projects BDSPTT UIF DPVOUSZ 4QFBLJOH UP 5)*4%": JO "CFPLVUB shortly after a promotional UPVS PG 0HVO CVTJOFTT BSFB JUT /JHFSJBO .BOBHJOH %JSFDUPS BOE $IJFG &YFDVUJWF 0GĂ DFS .S 5BZP 0HVOEBSF DPNNFOEFE the federal government. “For us in the logistics industry, good road network nationwide is paramount to our business. Presently, almost 100 per cent of goods are distributed by road throughout Nigeria. “Travelling on the Nigerian roads with heavy duty vehicles is very hazardous. Horrible tales of fatalities on the roads have become a daily occurrence. In fact, these seem to have become the norm. “But thanks to the new
drive of the Federal Ministry PG 8PSLT VOEFS UIF BCMF leadership of Mr. Babatunde Fashola; Nigerians and those of us in the transport and logistics sector of the economy can see visible improvement on the state of the roads. “The LagosIbadan Expressway presently under construction is a giant step taken by the present administration to ease the travelling experience of transport operators. By the time the road is completed, Nigerians will enjoy a worldclass road,� he enthused. 0HVOEBSF BEEFE UIBU UIF repairs brought upon the Ibadan-Ife-Ilesa road in /PWFNCFS %FDFNCFS could not have come at a better time, noting that the repairs were a major relief to commuters during the end of the year rush. He stressed that, “the high number of fatalities usually recorded during the ‘ember’ months dropped drastiDBMMZ JO TBNF XJUI UIF loss of goods. “Also, the construction of UIF 4FDPOE /JHFS #SJEHF CZ this present administration
is a good step in the right direction. It is a plus to the administration. I hope the pace of the work at the site will be sustained. i"T UIF .BOBHJOH %JSFDUPS of the fourth largest courier and express delivery network in the world in Nigeria, our company understands the importance of good road network, and we hope the government will sustain the present pace of road repairs and increase budgetary allocations to road constructions,� he urged. Meanwhile, the President of Certified Institute of 1VSIBTJOH BOE 4VQQMZ "ENJOJTUSBUPST PG /JHFSJB %S Mufutau Adebowale, has criticised Julius Berger over what he described as, “the slow attitude in the construction of its portion of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.� Adebowale, who averred that the construction company appeared insensitive to the importance of the road project, said the federal government should summon its management and ensure that urgent relief come the way of road users.
Chi Lists BeneďŹ ts of Lychee Fruit Juice Chi Limited has announced the launch of Chivita 100% Real Lychee Blend fruit juice in the one litre Tetra aseptic packaging. A statement from the manufacturers described the product as sweet and exotic, reiterated that the lychee is a small, delicate, rare fruit that grows in subtropical regions throughout the world. It originated in China where it is especially popular, and is present in many countries of the south-east Asia continent. “Lychee is widely regarded as the ‘Fruit of Royalty’ for its delightful flavour, exquisite taste, satisfying juiciness, and immense health benefits. The ancient Chinese consumed
this super fruit and its juices to promote positive energy circulation in the body and overall well-being. “Round in shape, lychees are about the size of a walnut, and have an outer shell with a textured surface which is usually reddish-brown or pink in colour. Inside the outer shell is a soft, succulent, jelly-like flesh that is white or pearl-coloured with a sweet, delicious taste,� it stated. According to the statement, the lychee contains a good amount of fibre and B-complex vitamins which aid metabolism. “The fruit also contains nutrients like manganese, magnesium, copper, and iron
required for the formation of red blood cells in the body. Research has also shown that the Lychee fruit helps boost the body’s immunity, regulates blood pressure, aids weight loss, is good for skin, and helps maintain strong bones. “No matter how you consume it, whether eating the actual fruit, as a pure fruit juice, or blended with other fruits, lychee is a delightful, tasty, and pleasurable fruit. “The new Chivita 100% Real Lychee Blend fruit juice is a great addition to the already existing range of Chivita 100% fruit juices which come in 0SBOHF 1JOFBQQMF "QQMF and Red Grape variants,� it added.
ELEVATING TO THE NEXT LEVEL Marie-Therese Phido
Go-To-Market: Six Strategic Initiatives In recent times, I have had many people calling me to talk about how to take their businesses to the next level. Many are concerned that their businesses are either not growing as well as they should or that growth has stalled. In order to ensure that I answered everybody’s questions holistically, I will start by asking the following questions. The first is, how does your business connect with customers? How can you deliver your unique value proposition to your target customers? How do you go from your initial connection with a potential customer to fulfil your brand promise? If you can answer these questions, these answers will give you a strong definition and an indication of your go-to-market strategy. In a nutshell, your go-to-market strategy brings together all the key elements that grow your business; sales, marketing, distribution, pricing, brand development, competitive analysis and consumer insights. According to the Cult Brand Company, having a proper go-to-market plan provides you with strategic insight that builds a clear path to enable you reach your target customers and have a competitive edge in the market. Let’s keep in mind that go-to-market strategies can be applied to new product launches as well as existing products and services. There are many benefits that come with having a proper go-to-market strategy, which include: reduced time to market, reduced associated cost with failed product launches, increased ability to adapt to change, ability to manage innovation challenges, ensuring effective customer experience, establishing proper growth plan, avoiding the wrong path and clarifying the direction the business sales and marketing trajectory will take. Many businesses do not take time to define their go-to-market plan. I recently helped a business review and define its go-to-market strategy. The diagnostic review indicated that the business had been growing opportunistically and not intentionally. I conducted a five year financial analysis of the business and discovered that the growth in sectors and services were uneven and the business concentrated on what walked in through the door not what they concertedly decided to pursue. In addition, the services provided to customers was based on what they could offer, not what they had the capacity to do as a business. This behavioural pattern was stunting their growth. Having a proper go-to-market strategy provides the opportunity for exponential growth. It ensures that you look at all the variables required to drive your business to achieving stellar results, instead of moving at a pace that may not necessarily help your business in the long run. This is why some of the businesses that called me were having problems and stalled growth. They were not intentional about how they wanted their businesses to evolve. Your go-to-market strategy improves key business outcomes. These are achieved by aligning to the evolving needs of your customers. Please note the key word evolving. Your business must be poised for continued renewal and the peripatetic taste of your customers. Below are six strategic initiatives to consider when developing your go-to-market strategy. r .BSLFUT m 8IBU NBSLFUT UP QVSTVF :PV need to be able to determine which markets you want to focus on. These can be in terms of sectors, retail, corporate, demographics, ethnographic, psychographic, drivers of need, online, offline and location. You will need to consider markets with urgent and big needs, gaps, alignment, similar core competence, reach, market size and least competition. Your marketing to these markets should also be distinct because of the characteristics of each segment. You will need to consider whether you want to use: email marketing,
sponsorships, collaboration, direct targeting, account management, networking, public relationships, social media, referrals, relationship building, etc or a combination of marketing tactics that best suit your business. r$VTUPNFST m 8IP XJMM ZPV TFMM UP 5IF Ă STU step is to develop your customer intelligence. Brian Tracy said, “Every entrepreneur should intensely focus on his or her prospective customers. The ability to find a customer, sell your product or services so that the customer buys from you again, should be the central focus of all entrepreneurial activity.â€? The greater clarity you have with regard to your ideal customer, the more focused and effective your marketing efforts will be. I have had cause to call people to ask them exactly who they are selling to. Many times businesses do not have a focus on the characteristics of their ideal customer and are not selling their services from the customer’s point of view. r$IBOOFMT PG %JTUSJCVUJPO m 8IFSF EP ZPVS UBSHFU DVTUPNFST CVZ 8IFSF XJMM ZPV QSPmote your products? Factors to consider in channels of distribution are: the nature of the product, market, middlemen, government regulation and competition. Components with all of the above considerations, will include: perishability, size and weight of the product, unit value of the product, standardization, product lines, consumer or industrial market, number of prospective buyers, geographical considerations, buying habit of customers, financial considerations, competition, type of service, etc. All of the above will help you determine the appropriate distribution channel e.g. retail store, digital, customer service center, face to face salesperson, trade shows, seminars, direct partner, etc. r1SPEVDU 4FSWJDF 0GGFSJOHT m 8IBU QSPEVDU or service and unique value do you offer FBDI NBSLFU 8F OFFE UP CF DBSFGVM BOE TVSF about our product offerings and services. 4PNFUJNFT CVTJOFTTFT PGGFS UPP NBOZ QSPEVDUT and services to too many different types of customers at too many prices and too many markets, says Brian Tracy. He goes on to say, success in business requires that you develop clarity and focus about the products and services you are going to offer. Every product usually has a different strategy and NFUIPE PG TBMFT ESJWJOH GPSDF 8F UIFSFGPSF need to focus and concentrate in order to take advantage of synergies and not dissipate our energy and resources in different directions. r1SJDF m )PX NVDI EP ZPV DIBSHF GPS ZPVS products and services in each market group? m *O EFUFSNJOJOH ZPVS QSJDJOH ZPV OFFE UP be able to determine your threshold price. In order to do this, you must factor in and maximize your margins, while remaining attractive to your customers, understand the market, decide on the most appropriate pricing technique, define the costs, consider your cost-plus pricing, set a value-based price, evaluate influences that will affect your price and know that your cost, customers and competition are ever evolving. This will give you the ability to shift your prices to keep up with the market. r 1PTJUJPOJOH m )PX EP ZPV EJGGFSFOUJBUF your business and position your brand? You need to figure out the market position of your business in order to create an effective brand for your business, which depends on: Ă HVSJOH PVU XIBU NBLFT ZPV EJGGFSFOU m CFJOH able to understand what sets you apart from competition and appeal to your customers, being able to accurately judge which customers you serve the best and discovering your position in the competitive landscape. To get started, ask yourself the following RVFTUJPOT 8IFSF BSF XF OPX 8IFSF EP XF XBOU UP HP 8IBU IBT UP IBQQFO UP HFU us to our destination? Being able to do all of the above, will give you clarity and a roadmap of how to approach the market and grow your business.
26
T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ
BUSINESSWORLD
INTERVIEW
Subair: There is Misconception about Multiple Taxation The Chairman, Lagos Internal Revenue Service, Mr. Ayodele Subair, in this interview on ‘The Morning Show’ on Arise Television, stressed the need for tax reforms. Nume Ekeghe presents excerpts: In the 2020 budget, Lagos state is targeting an internally generated revenue of N70 billion monthly, is that target feasible, and how much does your agency generate monthly presently? We really believe that it an achievable feat. Presently we generate approximately N30 billion a month and with this increase, N500 billion is attributed what we are expect to collect and that works out at about of N42 billion a month and then the rest comes in as capital receipts, etc. Out of N60 billion that is expected to be generated internally, N500 billion comes from the Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) and we are very optimistic that we can achieve. But what is the strategy in place for achieving that? There are various strategies. We are majorly going to leverage on technology. I can assure you that there are no new taxes coming. Generally, there is a misconception by members of the public on this issue of multiple taxation. People take other types of levies, administrative charges and then they call them multiple taxes. But really and truly, we must realise that we have three layers of government - the federal, state and local governments - and each level is charged with different types of taxes. I can assure you that there is no way that the same type of tax would be charged for the same service by different layers of government. Half of the time, there are some direct services local government perform for instance and they have to make some administrative charges for those. There are also some other types of levies, but generally, everybody just calls it taxation. The LIRS is empowered to charge certain taxes as prescribed by the federal legislation and we don’t go outside what we are supposed to do. So, I can speak 100 per cent for the LIRS that we don’t introduce any type of foreign taxes into what is on the role already Subair Many Lagos residents feel that in spite of the high IGR recorded by the state through all the taxes and levies they pay, they don’t really get real value in terms of infrastructure and services, do you agree with this? No, I totally disagree because the government is very responsible and as much as possible, there is a lot of infrastructure that is provided as well as qualitative social services. Lagos has been blessed with good administrators right from the time of Bola Tinubu, through Raji Fashola to Akinwunmi Ambode, and our present governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. They have a lot of programs for the state and you can see Lagos is booming. We have approximately 24 million people in Lagos and so there is lot of people to cater for and it is difficult to satisfy everybody. But generally, you don’t need to drive very far in Lagos to see all the developmental projects that are all over. And the LIRS tries to showcase what the government is doing so that people can earn the trust of government. They want to make sure that whatever they pay in taxes, they can actually see in terms of physical structures and services. So, I don’t think I will agree with that assertion. But of course, we know the government must always improve and do better. What we tend to do is that we benchmark ourselves with developed countries, but it took something for them to get to that point where the citizenry appreciates and know that there is civic duty and obligation for them to pay their taxes. And then there is a very high correlation between payment of taxes and development. So, the government would always try to do better. Lagos is seen by residence and businesses as one of the most expensive places in the world to live in and this is partly blamed on the issue of multiplicity of taxes and levies. How exactly is the LIRS looking to streamline this or looking to improve the ease of doing business in terms of
taxes this year? In terms of revision of taxes, we are not really empowered to revise taxes. Taxes that we execute are basically federal taxes such as Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Personal Income Taxe (PIT), and all other taxes and they are all done by legislation and then we have no powers really to amend what is there. But, in terms of making life easier for tax payers, we continuously look at technology as a means of making life much easier. The ease of doing business is very key to the federal administration and Lagos also subscribes to that. So, what we have done is to have several types of solutions online to ease the payment of taxes. We would continue to invest more in technology to make sure that tax payers meet their obligations at the minimal cost. In 2018, there was a controversy around plan by the Ambode administration to review Land Use Charges in Lagos which I am sure is still lingering. Is there any plan by this administration to go back to that issue either to still revise or review the charges?
Generally, there is a misconception by members of the public on this issue of multiple taxation. People take other types of levies, administrative charges and then they call them multiple taxes
controversy was around, the government reversed itself and suspended the initial provisions and also gave some element of discount and reduction as well as completely exempting certain residents from paying this. But I will tell you that presently, the Lagos State House of Assembly is reviewing the Land Use regulations and I’m sure that before the end of this month, I think the new regulations would be passed and a lot of Lagosians would be happy. Lagos has seen several industries relocate to the neighboring state, Ogun, what is Lagos doing to bring them back? Lagos is the center of excellence and Lagos attracts all manner of people and businesses and it is expected that if there is some element of saturation or dissatisfaction of certain services it is a free world and people are allowed to move around the states. But in terms of what we doing, we are definitely not going to lobby businesses to come back to Lagos if indeed some have actually left Lagos, because we don’t have statistics on that. There are border towns between Lagos and Ogun state and many of these companies were always at the borderline and some were confused as to who were they to report to - Lagos or to Ogun? But with clear demarcation and with more efficiency on the side of Ogun State, we are able to reach out to more companies. More importantly, Lagos has always been in the forefront of taxation and Lagos has always been efficient and effective in collecting taxes. So, after some time, people and recalcitrant taxpayers would think that if they move from one area to another area, perhaps the tax people would not be so efficient which is what has really happened. But much credit to my colleagues in Ogun state as they are ramping up on all of their taxation strategies and very soon maybe these same people would run back to Lagos to come and join us. We encourage a lot of commerce in Lagos and our government supports businesses heavily.
So, I believe that it a matter of time before all these businesses start to come back to Lagos. You recently launched the enterprise tax administration system, E-tax, what is that all about and how does it work and how will it help generate more tax and revenue? It is a new innovation on the part of the LIRS. It is an end-to-end digital tax administration solution and by that we mean that a lot of tax payers don’t really have to come to LIRS physical locations in order to carry out their tax activities. They can go online and it starts with registration, file their returns, generate and print assessments as well as make payments online. They can print tax clearance certificate and they can also track the progress of the tax audits that have been carried out on the various companies. And they can do all this from their homes and from wherever they are. At the end of the day, we want to improve the ease of doing business and we want to reduce the cost of people filing their taxes. So, it is win-win situation for all and we expect more traffic on the platform. Overtime, a lot of Lagosians would learn how to carry out all their tax activities. We are very optimistic it would work for everybody and help bring in more taxpayers. President Buhari recently signed the Finance Bill into law and the reaction has been quite mixed. The objective is to help MSMEs, attract investments, expand the revenue base for the federal government and also for the states. What is your reaction to that especially as the increase in VAT would bring in more money to the states? It is an excellent move by the federal government, because for too long, our taxes have just been static. So, it is refreshing to know CONTINUED ON PAGE 27
27
T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ
SUBAIR: THERE IS MISCONCEPTION ABOUT MULTIPLE TAXATION
Concerns of Cybercrime, Natural Disaster Worry Insurers Ebere Nwoji
Subair that things are going to change. All the unfair tax laws are going to be reviewed in favor of bringing more developmental strategies in place. The reactions have been mixed, some are happy while some are not so happy. All the multinationals that had issues with excess dividend policy would be smiling. We have the citizens saying that the VAT rate should not have been increased. But it is debatable. On my own part, I would advise that the federal Government concentrates more on indirect taxation, than direct taxation which is what VAT is all about. And remember that the rates in Nigeria are quite low as we had one of the lowest rates in the world at five per cent and at the end of the day, the government needs revenue. If we want to have meaningful development, government must generate revenue. I think it is a good move and we hope that it would be an annual event like it used to be in the past. Are you excited that Lagos would get more money from VAT? In terms of direct collection, it is the Federal Inland Revenue Service that collects VAT, but at the end of the day, there is a sharing formula between the federal government, the states and the local government. So, we are excited that we would get a bit more. But as you know, Lagos is almost self-sufficient. We do not rely on receipts from the federal government, we generate our own revenue here. So yes, it going to be an addition to the pot, but not that significant for the state. Talking about the tax base, the alarming statistics you mentioned earlier was that out of 24 million people in Lagos, only one million are paying taxes, what are the efforts being made to tap into the informal sector? We have approximately 4.5 million registered tax payers and we intend to move this to an average of seven to eight million at the end of the day. It is a continuous exercise and unfortunately with the way Nigeria is, we have problems with identification of residence. And we are working on a lot of strategies to ramp up and increase the number of tax payers. So, it is a work in progress for us. On a federal level, what can the government do to improve on tax collections in Nigeria? If I was to consult for the federal government, there are a number of measures and one of the key things is to review tax laws which we have taken a step towards. But there are still a lot of other laws that really need to be reviewed. Also, it is important to leverage on technology. The federal government can invest more in technology to help increase the tax base. Increasing the tax base is key both at federal and state levels. So rather that thinking of bringing in new taxes, it is much better to
widen the tax net and bring more people in and that way you can increase revenue. There are also other issues that can be looked into like the issue of tax waivers, it is a major leakage area. So, reviewing tax waivers and reducing that to the barest minimum to ensuring that the impact of those waivers would be felt in the economy and not necessarily giving all the very rich people more means of getting more wealth. In Lagos, in trying to meet your target of 70 billion monthly, what are the other expectations for 2020? Generally, from 2018, we invested a lot of money in technology and we hope that we would sustain that and even bring in more solutions. The other thing we are getting very big on right now is integration of data because that is part of the problem in credible data. We are hoping to collaborate with other ministries, departments and agencies both at the state level and at the federal level. And then we are hoping we would able to share information more at the federal level in terms of exchange of information on a global level, we need to be able to profile tax payers in a much better manner. Do you have a strategy in place for engaging taxpayers because there are cases where tax ofďŹ cials lock up people’s businesses and there is still distrust towards paying tax? We have a lot of strategies in place in terms of enlightenment of residents of states and quite a bit of our resources go into these enlightenment strategies. We have teams that go out and when people talk about harassment, that is not entirely true because there are processes in place before it gets to the point of locking or sealing up businesses a lot of things must have transpired in between. And it is always the last resort for us. Even for us to seal any business, we usually would refer to the law courts and we obtain warrants of distrain before we take such actions. But before then, we constantly communicate with taxpayers and have reconciliation meeting. Some don’t even show up and those are the few exceptions. As much as possible, we want voluntary payments by members of the public. We don’t want a situation where we have to carry stickers to chase people. And that is why we have also invested in technology. With technology, people can log in themselves and the human element is totally taken out and reduced. They can just go onto the system and do anything they would ordinarily do when walking into a tax office. And in terms of trust, we try to build the trust because any taxation system that is devoid of trust is not truly worth anything. We try to showcase the programs of the state government as much as possible.
Risks associated with cybercrimes topped the list of peril incidences that may likely hit the corporate world in 2020 and beyond. But Nigerian insurance underwriters have said what they fear most this year is risk from climatic change especially flood risk and other natural disaster related risks. Allianz global, disclosed this in its 2020 Risk Barometer publication. The publication is an annual report that identifies top corporate risks for the next 12 months and beyond, based on the insight of more than 2,700 risk management experts from 102 countries and territories. The report highlighted three major risks incidence that could befall corporate business and noted cybercrime incident as risk that have become more damaging and expensive for companies – and often result in lawsuits and litigation after the event. It also stated that business interruption ranked second, but remains a key challenge with digitalisation and civil unrest creating new causes of disruption and loss of income It further stated that said climate change rises to its highest-ever position, adding that companies are most concerned about physical losses from extreme weather events. In terms of cybercrime, the report noted that it ranked top in the survey, for the first time after receiving 39 per cent of responses from more than 2,700 risk management experts in over 100 countries and territories. “Seven years ago, cyber risk ranked only 15th with just six percent of responses. Awareness of the cyber threat has grown rapidly in recent years, driven by companies’
increasing reliance on their data and IT systems and a number of high-profile incidents. “Businesses face a growing number of cyber challenges including larger and more expensive data breaches, an increase in ransom ware and business email compromise (spoofing) incidents, as well as the prospect of litigation after an event. “Political differences between nation states being played out in cyber space brings added risk complexity, while even a successful merger or acquisition (M&A) can result in systems problems,â€? the report stated. While responding to what may likely be the top risks for 2020, the Chief Executive Officer of AGCS, Joachim MĂźller, was quoted in the report to have said: “The Allianz Risk Barometer 2020 highlights that cyber risk and climate change are two significant challenges that companies need to watch closely in the new decade. “The risk of cyber incidents have become more damaging and expensive for companies and often result in lawsuits and litigation after the even “In addition to being the top risk globally, cyber incidents are among the top three risks in many of the countries surveyed. In Austria, Belgium, France, India, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the US it also ranks as the top business risk.â€? “Businesses face the challenge of larger and more expensive data breaches, an increase in ransomware and spoofing incidents, as well as the prospect of privacydriven fines or litigation after any event. “A mega data breach, involving more than one million compromised records now costs on average $42
million, up eight per cent per cent year-on-year. “Incidents are becoming more damaging, increasingly targeting large companies with sophisticated attacks and hefty extortion demands. Five years ago, a typical ransomware demand would have been in the tens of thousands of dollars. Now they can be in the millions,� Deputy Global Head of Cyber, AGCS, Marek Stanislawski said He said extortion demands were just one part of the picture, adding that companies could suffer major losses due to the unavailability of critical data, systems or technology, either through a technical glitch or cyberattack. He attributed many of the incidents to human error, but said it coul be mitigated by staff awareness training which are not yet a routine practice across companies. He said business interruption ranked second, but remains a key challenge with digitalisation and civil unrest, creating new causes of disruption and loss of income. According to him, climate change rises to its highest-ever position and companies are most concerned about physical losses from extreme weather events but also fear consumer criticism and increasing regulatory and legal action. Meanwhile, a Nigerian insurer and Managing Director, Anchor Insurance, Mr Augustine Ebosa, has said various types of risks face businesses every year. But this year, he said what Nigerian insurers fear most is risk from natural disaster. He said Nigerian insurers anticipate to pay huge claims from this, taking clue from what happened in the country and other countries last year.
Sovereign Trust Wins Award Ebere Nwoji Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc has won the ‘Best Insurance Company of the Year ’ award by Champion Newspapers Ltd. This was announced by the c o mp any in a stateme nt made av ailable to THISDAY in Lago s . The award conferment letter, was signed by the Editor, Daily Champion, Mr. K e lv in Ege rue . The statement said the 25-ye ar-o ld c o mpany was selected from a list o f fiv e ins uranc e an d re ins uranc e c o mp anies operating in Nigeria and ac ro s s the We s t Afr ican insurance market which w e re s ho rtlis te d fo r th e aw ard. Ac c o rding to th e s tate me nt, the Executiv e Manage me nt an d Bo ard o f Dire c to r s of C hamp io n N e w s paper
approved the selection of Sovereign Trust as the Insurance Company of the year, saying the the risk management and underwriting company parades outstanding profile which stood as th e ben chmar k for measuring successful organisations in Nigeria. Also, in a letter to the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc, Mr. Olaotan Soyinka, conveying the award, the Group Managing Director and Editor- in- Chief of Ch ampion Newspaper s Limited, Mrs. Nwadiuto Ih eakanwa, noted the compan y’ s impressive per f or mances in key reven ue lines including the company’s compliance to all regulatory requiremen ts especially in th e areas of capital adequacy and solven cy margins. “On all scores, our find-
ings, largely corroborated by th at of independent assessors, confirmed that Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc under you r m a n a g e m e n t has become an insurance company of first choice among teeming customers given its array of cutting edge products which have earned the financial institution commendations from informed economic analysts�, Iheakanwa stated. She noted that judging by the uncommon zeal and commitment of Sove r e i g n Tr u s t I n s u r a n c e in growing Nigeria’s economy by supporting business and boosting the development of micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs), the a w a r d a ccessors had no other choice than adjudging the company the winner of the award.
28
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 2020 •T H I S D AY
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 2020 • T H I S D AY
29
30
T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ
Enhancing Customer Service, Shareholder Value Access Bank’s acquisition of Transnational Bank of Kenya is in line with its vision expand its footprints across Africa, enhance customer service and create more value for shareholders, writes Goddy Egene “The year 2019 has been fraught with challenges as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has instituted policies aimed at driving credit extension to the private sector, which in our point of view has increased the overall risk in the sector at a precarious time. “Also, 2020 will herald an evolution of the Nigerian banking sector, as the policy-induced-shift risk asset creation drive will see credit to the real economy increase swiftly, just as the spread between risk-free assets and loans narrows due to competition. “While the argument for increased credit extension and lower interest rates for driving growth are compelling, in our view, this needs to be at the appropriate time and in an environment that is structurally suitable. Hence, in our opinion, the overall risk to the sector is higher than it has been in recent times.� The foregoing was how analysts at Cordros Research described the banking sector, indicating the challenges ahead. Hence, boards and management of discerning and visionary banks have been exploring ways to maintain their market share and deliver value for all stakeholders. One of such banks is Access Bank Plc, led by Mr. Herbert Wigwe as group managing director/CEO. The bank, which last year executed a successful merger with Diamond Bank Plc, to become the largest in Nigeria by customer-size, recently announced the expansion of its footprint across Africa with the approval to acquire 100 per cent of Kenya’s Transnational Bank Plc and its 28 branches. Giving the approval, the Central Bank of Kenya said: “Access Bank Plc’s business model mainly focuses on corporate and retail banking and its strong group support is expected to drive Transnational Bank Plc’s business growth for the benefit of the Kenyan economy and the banking sector.� Speaking on the acquisition, Group Managing Director/CEO of Access Bank, Wigwe said: “This acquisition aligns with our strategy to become Africa’s Gateway to the World and we are excited about the potentials that reside in the East African market. We will leverage our presence in key payment corridors, strong partnerships in nonpresence countries: robust technology platform as well as world-class risk management to provide cutting edge financial solutions to our clients. “We will build on TNB’s existing expertise in agricultural financing and deploy our resources to optimise other business segments. “We are committed to supporting the growth and development of our host community in line with our sustainability ethos and are certain that this acquisition will deliver great value to our stakeholders.� According to analysts, with this move, Access Bank may be capitalising on Transnational Bank’s interest in the agricultural sector. The acquisition will further cement its pan-African strategise by moving into East Africa’s largest economy. Sustaining vision Wigwe had said that Access Bank’s merger with Diamond Bank Plc greatly bolsters the bank’s brand, opening doors of opportunity both in local and international markets. “The merger will form a leading Tier-1 Nigerian bank and the largest bank in Africa by number of customers, spanning three continents, 12 countries and 29 million clients. It will bring together treasury, risk management and corporate banking expertise with strong retail and digital banking capabilities to create a financial institution operating across the full suite of products for all customer segments,� he said. Analysts have said that the decision of Access Bank to acquire Transnational Bank Plc is line with the vision to create Africa’s biggest retail institution and a formidable global powerhouse. Already, Access Bank Plc has subsidiaries in Gambia, Limited,Sierra Leone, Zambia; Ghana; Rwanda and United Kingdom, while it also operates a Representative office in China, United Arab Emirates(UAE), Lebanon and India. Partnering DIFC As part of efforts to boost African business frontiers across the region, Access Bank UK
Wigwe. branch has entered into a partnership with Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the leading financial hub in Middle East and South Asia ( MEASA). According to the bank, as a leading bank the country, it was always striving to provide alternative to customers. “One of the things you need to understand about financial services and customer want, they want alternatives any customers you go to and say this is the only solutions what you are doing is boxing them in. What the DIFC provides for us is another alternative and is one that is now celebrated. It has been 15 years on and I think they have demonstrated that they are world class and they can compete with the best economical zones anywhere in the world. We are very glad to be partnering with them, we have a business outlook with DIFC, the last four years has been excellent for us. But unlike most Nigerian institutions who enjoys something and keep quite while not we enjoy it and share it with the rest of the world so that others too can take the benefit and enjoy the reward we have been enjoying in DIFC so we thought is important,� deputy managing director, Access Bank, Mr. Roosevelt Ogbonna explained. According to the Chief Representative, International Markets, DIFC, Vikrant Bhansali, the organisation is a thriving community with unique lifestyle offerings including an outstanding commercial and residential environment that comprise seven residential towers, two 5-star hotels, seven renowned art galleries, 112 retail outlets with another 200 on the way. “DIFC has built an enabling ecosystem that inspires innovation and encourages technological disruption which includes forward-thinking regulation: innovation testing license; first-of-their-kind accelerator programmes, DIFC financial tech hive and startup boot camp, subsidised licensing options, access to a $100 million fintech fund, and innovative ecosystem of partners and potential investors,� Bhansali said. He added that DIFC allows zero per cent tax rate on profit, personal income tax, and 100 per cent profit on foreign ownership with no
restriction on foreign talent or employees , no restriction on capital repatriation, international regulatory environment, central location for key regional activities. Impressive ďŹ nancial results As Access Bank Plc enters its close period, shareholders are already salivating for significantly enhanced full year results ended December 31, 2019. Already, the bank had given an indication of what should be expected at the end of the year, having reported an impressive nine months ended September 30, 2019. Access Bank Plc posted gross earnings of N513 billion for the nine months, showing an increase of 37 per cent above the N375.2 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2018. Interest and non-interest income contributed 79 per cent and 21 per cent respectively to the earnings. Specifically, interest Income grew by 48 per cent to N405 billion, from N274.5 billion, while non-interest increased eight per cent from N100.4 billion to N108.6 billion. Net impairment charges stood at N10.61 billion, up from N8.353 billion in 2018. Profit before tax (PBT) rose by 47 per cent to N103.1 billion in 2019, from N70.3 billion, while profit after tax (PAT) grew by 44 per cent to N90.7 billion, compared with N62.9 billion in 2018. Return on average equity stood at 21.9 per cent, just as return on asset was 2.1 per cent, which an improvement from 17 per cent and 1.9 per cent in the corresponding period of 2018. Asset base remain strong and diversified, growing by 33 per cent to N6.6 trillion a sat September 2019, up from N4.95 trillion as at December 31, 2018. Customers’ deposits soared by 65 per cent to N4.2 trillion from N2.57 trillion. Capital adequacy ratio (CAR) stood at 20.3 per cent, up from 20.1 per cent in 2018. Liquidity ratio improved from 44.2 per cent to 48.5 per cent , while loan to deposit ratio also improved from 57.6 per cent to 67.4 per cent. According to Wigwe the group delivered a robust performance in the first six months post merger, despite a challenging and fast-changing macro and banking landscape.
He said: “The results which reflects the performance of the combined entity post merger has outstripped those of the combined entities on a standalone basis. This further reinforces the bank’s sustainable business model and brand promise to deliver more to all stakeholders as we work to realise the envisioned synergies of merger,� he said. Wigwe noted that the effective execution of their strategies ensured strong top-line figures of N513.7 billion, a 37 per cent growth from the previous year, on the back of a 48 per cent growth in interest income. “Customer deposits recorded a 65 per cent gain year-to-date (ytd) to N4.239 trillion with low-cost deposits accounting for 54 per cent of the deposits mix. Pre-tax profits also grew 47 per cent to N103.1 billion, driven largely by a 71 per cent increase in net interest income, evidencing proficient utilisation of the bank’s assets. Customer deposits has grown by 8.1 per cent since the merger from a combined customer deposits of N3.92 trillion in March’ 2019 to N4..24 trillion in September 2019 with strong retail base. Similarly, net loans and advances grew by 7.2 per cent post the merger. Deliberate investments in expanding our digital lending portfolio resulted in daily volume disbursement of over N1 billion, putting us in the forefront of digital lending. The strong retail lending contribution demonstrates our commitment to improve access to financial services by leveraging on innovative digital platforms,� he said. The GCEO said the asset quality continued to improve as guided, to 6.3 per cent on the back of a strong recoveries and a robust risk management approach. “This is expected to trend upwards into the future as we strive to surpass the standard we had built in the industry prior to the merger .Also Liquidity Ratio stood at 48.4 per cent, reflecting deliberate steps to ensure the group’s liquidity position remains robust. Going into the last quarter of the year, our focus remains on consolidating our retail momentum and driving financial inclusion. Furthermore, we will remain disciplined in our efforts to deliver enhanced shareholders’ value, with a focus on offering more than banking,� Wigwe assured.
31
T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ
BUSINESSWORLD
ANALYSIS
Deepening Strategic Engagement Proper application of the science of strategic engagement in reaching out to, and connecting with stakeholders is crucial to business growth, Raheem Akingbolu writes Getting across to, and engaging with, major and important stakeholders is one of the challenges faced by brands of all kinds – personality brands, products, organisations, institutions or even non-profit and civil society groups – in today’s globalised world. To achieve it requires stakeholder mapping, in which the brand promoters dissect the various publics and then design messages based on the needs of each stake-holding public, without losing the compelling nature of the message and the singularity of its purpose. More challenging is the fact that most nongovernmental and civil society organisations do not consider the need to apply the science of strategic engagement in reaching out to, and connecting with, their core stake-holding publics. One social change, non-profit organisation that appears to be getting this right is the Mindshift Advocacy for Development Initiative. Setting the pace After her launch recently in Abuja, to a select audience of government officials, business executives, political actors, the civil service, and members of the public; last week, the group again unveiled its social change blue-print to another critical audience – the Youth – in Lagos. The Mindshift Advocacy group strategically targeted another key audience in this event held in Ikeja, Lagos. At the event, symbolically tagged ‘Lagos 70,’ were carefully selected urbane and suave youths who are influencers in their own right. The aim is to leverage their clout and discernment to pass on the social change message cultivated and promoted by the Mindshift Advocacy for Development Initiative to the larger Nigerian youth population. Focus area The Founder and Board of Trustee member of the Mindshift Advocacy for Development Initiative, Mr. Joko Okupe, in the first presentation, introduced the concept, vision and mission of Mindshift to the audience. According to him, the Initiative was incorporated as a non-partisan movement that all Nigerians can effectively identify with, and get involved, to tackle this menace that has kept Nigeria and the entire African continent down for so long. Okupe also explained that to achieve efficiency and steady results, the initiative has in place well-articulated key focus areas toward its agenda. These areas are: family and society, government and politics, education, business and economy, media, arts and entertainment, innovation and technology, religion, culture, and health and wellness. Additionally, it will approach this systematically through social research, targeted issues campaigns, action-oriented initiatives, knowledge sharing, events, and public discourse. He rationalised the need for a mental shift of all Nigerians. “We have to change the way we think. I mean to change our mindset – the way we perceive things, our values, our priorities, our beliefs, in fact our worldview. We need to inspire all positive possibilities as more Nigerians buy into the idea of mindshift. People in government need to know that their purpose is to serve the people. They are servants of the people, and not masters to some slaves. The citizens need to understand their positions in the society; they need to know that they are citizens and not slaves. They need to be responsible and also know how to hold the leaders accountable. Everyone needs to understand their roles in the spectrum. At the two poles of probable virtuosity, service for the common good comes superior compared to service for self. Currently, in Nigeria’s leadership landscape, service for self, super-ordinates service for the common good. This is a function of mindset, and it needs to change. To change it means to change the mindset first.� Okupe explained that “the bane of Nigeria’s existential condition, and by extension, that of the African continent, is the mindset of Africans as individuals, communities and nations, about themselves and the mindset of the rest of the world about Africa. The wrong mindset of Nigerians and Africans in general, which influences the way we do things, has created myriads of problems for us such as: lack of visionary and purposeful leadership, bad governance standards, erosion
and loss of good value systems, corruption, poor understanding of global issues and how it impacts their lives; unprecedented never-ending poverty, heavy debt burdens, over dependence on international aids, endless conflicts, inadequate education etc.� Africa’s transformation and mindsets He cited the President of Rwanda, Mr. Paul Kagame, who once said that Africa’s transformational change will first happen at the level of mindsets before it is translated into concrete actions. Okupe firmly believes that Africa’s journey of transformation starts with changing how people think. “It is vital for citizens of all ages and social classes to have the right mindset because they are the ones who would be actively involved in the day-to-day actions that bring about sustainable transformation.� According to Mr. Okupe, the Mindshift Advocacy is actually focused on shifting mindsets from negative to positive. We cannot but pay attention to how people think. We must have that clear understanding. That essentially is the crux of the Mindshift Advocacy.� He stressed that every effort geared at reorientating the citizens with a view to making them develop positive and progressive mindsets as individuals, society and at national levels,
We have to change the way we think. I mean to change our mindset – the way we perceive things, our values, our priorities, our beliefs, in fact our worldview. We need to inspire all positive possibilities as more Nigerians buy into the idea of mindshift
would put us on the road to meaningful and effective transformation of the continent for sustainable growth and development. This is why: “The changes we wish to make have more to do with how we think than what we actually do, because thinking patterns ultimately influence actions. We need to get our citizens to embrace positive mindsets that can impact thought and action for our progress and development. We must also lead by example by thinking and acting differently.� A former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Adamawa State, and member BOT, Mindshift Advocacy for Development Initiative, Ahmad Sajoh also made a presentation at the Lagos programme. In his speech he explained that the Mindshift movement is focused on redirecting the mindset of Nigerians from negative, unproductive and fatalistic thinking; to positive, productive and progressive mindsets. In his words, “When you look at the great nations of the world, you will discover that their people have mindsets of greatness. How can we have progress and development when majority of our citizens have the wrong mindsets? We cannot achieve any meaningful transformation without a re-orientation of the citizens’ mindsets. Even when Government decides to run a campaign on changing attitudes, the success will depend on whether the mindsets of the citizens have changed or not. Development initiative In her presentation, Adebo Onabowale, a BOT member of the Mindshift Advocacy for Development Initiative simplified and dissected the chain linking morals, values, ethics and beliefs and how these factors can mould young people to reflect, rethink and do things differently. All these, she explained, are ways Mindshift Advocacy for Development Initiative want to approach the Nigerian problem from a different perspective to ensure visible results. Also speaking at the event, a Board of Trustee member of Mindshift Advocacy for Development Initiative, Lady Taiwo Adejumo, focused on the need for young people to see themselves as solution providers in the country. She encouraged everyone never to see Nigeria’s situation as an impossible case, and strongly recommended that the greatest good anyone can do for himself is to cultivate his mind to think. “It is mainly through forward and selfless thinking that we
can forecast factually and pre-empt effectively, to change our destiny� She stressed. Some of the young people at the event expressed their desire to be part of the Mindshift Advocacy movement. Adam Opeyeleru, a young social media czar, responding to the call to work for a greater Nigeria said, “I am grateful that I attended this launch. I want to associate with a team of professionals and intellectuals who are thinking of a progressive Nigeria. Members of the Mindshift Group are progressive minded Nigerians who are seeking for solution instead of blaming everyone except themselves. They are hitting at the fundamental of our problem – our mindsets, the way we think. I applaud them and I will take the message to my other youth groups�. In his contribution, another youth attendee, George Enema, a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, commended Mr. Joko Okupe for his initiative and vision. “I will suggest that we develop an online platform to warehouse our knowledge and information about the programme through which the youths will be enlightened about the vision and mission of this movement. A movement to change Nigeria and place her on the part of progress� Many of them who spoke were full of accolades for Mr. Okupe and his team for this initiative. Collectively they promised to be part of the mobilising force for the movement, as they take the message to their friends, colleagues and family members. Responding to questions, Joko said “We are open to more knowledge and contributions from other credible knowledge base. It is all a matter of approach and method. Our initiatives would be determined by research and insight. There is a reason or rationale behind every mindset. How much have we researched into why we behave the way we do? Why do we think the way we do? We will make efforts to dig into the foundation to understand the issues and gain necessary insights before we develop initiatives. A man whose mind is conditioned to darkness tends to acclimatise to the situation and live in it. People’s eyes can only be opened through enlightenment which will serve as an illumination to the thick, engulfing darkness and ignorance around us. Adequate exposure to realities will compel them to see and think differently. If we continue at the current pace, we are definitely on a suicide mission as a nation, though we may be fully aware of this�.
32
IMAGES
T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ
Photo Editor ĂŒĂ“Ă™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă˜ ÔËÖË Email Ă‹ĂŒĂ“Ă™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă˜Ë›Ă‹Ă”Ă‹Ă–Ă‹ĚśĂžĂ’Ă“Ă?ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁĂ–Ă“Ă Ă?Ë›Ă?Ù×
L-R; Member of BOT SPE Nigeria, Mr. Monday Otabor; Council Member of SPE Nigeria, Prof. Olalekan Olafuyi; Managing Director/CE, Eroton E & P, Mr. Ebiaho Emafo; Executive Director, Eroton E & P, Dr. Theo Okeke and, Managing Director,WalterSmith Petroman Oil Ltd/BOT Member,SPE Nigeria, Mr. Chikezie Nwosu during the courtesy visit of Society of Petroleum Engineers Nigeria Council to Eroton E & P Company head oďŹƒce in Lagos... recently
L-R: Principal, Gbagada Comprehensive Junior High School, Mr Olakunle Adegbemi; Executive Assistant to Lagos State Governor on New Media and Public Relations, Mr Olusegun Fafore; Representative of Tutor General/Permanent Secretary, Education District II, Mrs Adeyemi Kalejaiye; Founder, GDM Group, Mr Victor Afolabi; and Chief Operating OďŹ cer, Mrs Labake Yussu, during the donation of marker boards and painting services as CSR initiative to GCJHS to mark 10 years anniversary of GDM Group in Lagos..recently
L-R: One of the beneďŹ ciaries receiving grant from the Executive Director, Aliko Dangote Foundation, Halima Aliko Dangote; Chairman/Founder, Aliko Dangote Foundation, Aliko Dangote; and Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Bello Masari; during the presentation ceremony of N10 billion Dangote Micro Grant Scheme for 34, 000 Women in Katsina...recently
L-R: Secretary, Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ, Lagos State Council), Mr. Alfred Odifa; Chairman, Dr, Qasim Akinreti; Secretary to the Osun State Government, (SSG), Mr. Wole Oyebamiji; and Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, during the Union’s courtesy visit to the Commissioner in Osogbo, Osun State...recently
R-L; Ondo State Governor, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu, Osun State Governor, Alh Adegboye Oyetola, Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Rauf Aderemi Olaniyan, Pleteau State Governor Simon Lalong, Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Mrs Ipalibo Gogo Banigo and Sokoto State Governor Rt Hon Aminu Tambuwel during the National Economic Council Meeting held at the Presidential Villa. Abuja...recently
L-R: Executive Director, Corporate Services, ANAMMCO Ltd, Mr. Uche Okeke; Minister of Labour, Senator. Chris Ngige; Business Development Manager, ANAMMCO, Mr. Ben Ejindu and Head of Sales, Mr. Olalekan Sanyaolu, during an inspection tour of AL Dongfeng trucks assembly plant in Enugu‌recently
Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode fayemi(left) and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, at the National Economic Council meeting in Abuja...recently
T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ
33
Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire (m); Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Mr Abdulaziz Mashi Abdullahi (3rd right); Senior Technical Adviser to Health Minister, Chris Isomokpomwan (r); and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Sta (in ak jackets), during the inspection of Ports Health Service against Novel Coronavirus in Kano State...recently
L-R: Director, OďŹƒce of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs (SSOP-SDGs) Muhammadu Idris; Special Assistant to Kwara State Governor on SDGs Dr Jemila Bio; Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; SSOP-SDGs Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire; Special Adviser to Kwara State Governor on Special Duties Hon. Yinka Aluko; and Secretary of Programmes OSSAP-SDG Danjuma Dauda; during the governor’s visit to OSSAP-SDG in Abuja...recently
L-R: Special Adviser to the Governor for Commerce and Industry, Mr. Oladele Ajayi; British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Mrs. Harriet Thompson; UK Minister for Investment, Mr. Graham Stuart; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Director-General, Lagos State Public Private Partnership OďŹƒce, Mr. Ope George; Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora and Foreign Relations, Mr. Jermaine Sanwo-Olu and Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Ms. Bisola Olusanya, during the Governor’s meeting with the Minister in London... recently
L-R: Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Frank Okiye; Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki; Hon. Godwin Adenomon, Chairman, Edo State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Barr Aselem Ojezua, and Hon Omosede Adenomon, at the social dance in honour of late Madam Rosemary Adenomo, in Benin City, Edo State capital....recently
L-R: Director-General of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, during a visit to the scene of the ďŹ re incident at Amu Timber Market in Mushin, Lagos...recently
L-R: Son of Deceased, Mr. Dele Dipo Dina Jnr; Widow, Mrs. Adenike Dina and Coordinator, 10th Dipo Dina Foundation Programme, Mr. Afolabi Odetunde, during the 10th year Remembrance of and Launching of Late Otunba Dipo Dina Foundation, at Astro Turf, Ikoyi, Lagos‌recently PHOTO: KOLA OLASUPO
34
T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ
EDUCATION EKOEXCEL: Restoring ConďŹ dence in Lagos Public Schools Uchechukwu Nnaike reports that the current education reform programme of the Lagos State Government, EKOEXCEL seeks to, among other objectives, increase confidence in the state public education system by developing more skilled teachers through training, supporting and motivating them to succeed in their classrooms. This is expected to have a positive effect on pupils’ performance
L-R: Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folashade AdeďŹ sayo; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Chairman, State Universal Basic Education Board (LSUBEB), Wahab Alawiye-King; the Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat and board member, LSUBEB, Idowu Sijuade-Tiamiyu during the formal launch of the EKOEXCEL in Ikeja... recently
I
n recent times, owing to the declining quality of public education in the country, most parents have resorted to enrolling their children in private schools, even low cost private schools operating in unconducive environment with poorly qualified teachers. However, governments at all levels have embarked on series of projects over the years to reverse the trend and attract more children to public schools. The recent programme by the Lagos State Government, Exellence in Child Education and Learning (EKOEXCEL), launched on January 25 has been described as a move in the right direction. The launch followed a two-week intensive training of over 4,000 teachers from various schools and education districts across the state who will be the main drivers of the new initiative to reposition service delivery in public primary schools with special focus on learning outcomes for pupils. As part of the programme, over 14,000 head teachers and teachers will be moved from analogue to digital teaching, using tablets and updated curriculum. Over 3,000 primary school teachers from 300 public primary schools have been captured under the pilot scheme. Among other benefits, the EKOEXCEL Programme is expected to empower teachers to deliver at the same level as their counterparts around the world; provide strong continuous support that will encourage improvement in teachers and pupils; Lagos children can accelerate reading and literacy skills to compete with their peers globally; Lagos teachers will become more professional and technologically savvy in their work. It will also enable teachers to become more skillful in helping children to learn in a positive environment; increase pupils enrolment across the state; increase participation and enthusiasm among teachers and pupils; head teachers will be more efficient in their work using technology to support teachers; and SUBEB and other governing bodies will have adequate data to carry out necessary academic adjustments and infrastructural development across schools. Speaking at the graduation of the EKOEXCEL Pre-service Professional Development and Technology Training Programme, held at The Blue Roof, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu reaffirmed his administration’s plan to transform the state education sector and to increase government’s investment for the good of the pupils. While describing education as a vital instrument of economic emancipation, mobility, social
improvement and cultural growth, which ultimately enhance national development, he said, “suffice it to say that the role of teachers in the attainment of these objectives cannot be over emphasised. “It is no secret that teachers have an influencing role in the life of every child. They are like beacons of light, guiding us in the formative years of our life. Teachers mould us and in the process shape our future. What we learn from our teachers remains with us throughout our life. However, career development is important and puts emphasis on broader skills, which are applicable in a wide range of situations. This includes decision making, thinking creatively and managing the children for excellence.� The governor recalled that at the inception of his administration, “we identified three critical issues militating against quality education in Lagos State. They are the need to upgrade the teaching profession to promote knowledge transfer and co-create workable functional models for the profession thereby creating overwhelming support for learning outcomes; review the school curriculum such that it reflects current and future industry needs to positively influence and reshape the present educational system in the state; and upgrading school infrastructure. “We resolved to solve these problems through combining innovative technology, scientifically based pedagogical approaches, effective training, support and closing the learning gap such that all school age children in Lagos State builds a better and brighter future for themselves, their families and the teeming people of Lagos State. We resolved that this government will empower teachers in every local government and strengthen their capacity to deliver quality education to our children.� He said at the end of the programme, over 14,000 primary school teachers would have benefited from the initiative, while over 500,000 pupils would have been positively impacted. “I am particularly happy that this programme is holding at a time when all hands are on deck to ensure that the quality of teaching and learning is improved across all our schools in the state. “As a responsible government, we will continue the massive investment in this sector, with the training and retraining of our teachers, making the sector more ICT compliant, exposing our teachers to international best practices, as well as ensuring that our schools become a destination for work and learning.� To encourage teachers and make good examples from outstanding ones, he said the state government would identify the best head teachers in all the 20 local government
A cross-section of over 3,000 teachers from various schools and education districts in Lagos State at the formal launch of the EKOEXCEL in Ikeja... recenly areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) and reward them with a car each. The governor noted that his administration is not paying lip service to repositioning the sector, adding that the education ministry got a significantly higher allocation in the 2020 budget. He also promised that teachers will undergo free sight assessment and reading glasses will be provided for every teacher that requires it to be able to discharge their duties effectively. In her remarks, the state Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo said the goal of EKOEXCEL as an initiative to reform primary school learning outcomes in Lagos is to transform learning in the classroom such that every child has access to quality teachers. “For these youths to contribute their utmost, the onus falls on the teachers to impact rightly, in accordance to the modern pace and trends. Investing in the education of our children and young adult became paramount and the need to strengthen the capacity of teachers to deliver quality education became germane. It is our believe that introducing new educational infrastructure will cultivate a learning environment that would prepare our children and young adults for a trending terrain that requires intuition, creativity and critical thinking for future workplaces. “With these in view, integrating technology into our school curriculum and empowering our youths with the much- needed skills for tomorrow’s job through trainings, programmes and other activities became our immediate goal and a task that must be accomplished and sustained. “The state government’s strategic designing and funding of the EKOEXCEL initiative, a transformational plan aimed at supporting teachers to achieve better learning outcomes in the classroom through training, supporting and motivating of our teachers, is a phenomena objective. “It is our view that we will deliver a radical better learning outcomes for our future leaders as the EKOEXCEL initiative will provide our schools with the technology based up skills, scientific- proven pedagogical approaches and a complete 360 degree support system that will beacon across educational strides.� Adefisayo reiterated that EKOEXCEL was designed out of the government’s recognition of the fact that children in public primary schools in the state are going to live a different life than the life the older generation had. She therefore charged the teachers to impact their students, while bringing to bare their professionalism. “The concise framework we have formulated that encapsulates our
collective vision should be built upon as you give your best at all times. To whom much is given, much is expected. “I urge you to rededicate yourselves and continually contribute your own quotas positively and responsively in this new drive to reform the education sector and take it to a higher pedestal,� the commissioner said. Also speaking, the Chairman, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, (SUBEB), Mr. Wahab Alawiye-King, disclosed that the government is advancing rapidly with its reform of the primary education sub-sector, adding that apart from the initiative improving the quality of learning the pupils will receive in the over 1,000 public primary schools in the state, it will also boost school enrolment. “UNICEF and World Bank reports say that Nigeria has over 12 million out-of-school children and many of them are in Lagos and northern states.� Alawiye-King commended Bridge House, the technical partner on EKOEXCEL for the amount of work put into training the teachers and developing the model that will revolutionise the way teachers deliver teaching in line with modern trends and best practices. He also lauded the determination and enthusiasm of the teachers towards the initiative and enjoined them to effectively deploy what they learnt at the training to make the classroom more engaging for pupils. “No child should be left behind; you must carry all your pupils along, irrespective of their individual differences and capabilities. “EKOEXCEL is a multifaceted, multidimensional approach to teaching and learning in our schools. It will have a great impact and increase enrollment in public schools. Also, it will make our teachers more efficient, they will not only teach with Android devices, but will also exhibit other classroom management skills they have learnt. It will make primary schools interesting as all 1,016 public primary schools in the state will be covered,� Alawiye-King stressed. He also promised to continuously seek the support and cooperation of the Lagos State House of Assembly to ensure that the necessary legislative framework is put in place to guarantee the sustainability of EKOEXCEL beyond the current administration. “As the home is the first learning ground for all children, we call on parents and guardians to carry out effective oversight functions over their wards and complement the efforts of the teachers by ensuring regular and prompt attendance of their children in school, adequate supervision of homework and to be supportive of all school activities.�
35
T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ
EDUCATION
Maths Experts Harp on Proper Data, Planning for National Devt Uchechukwu Nnaike Some mathematicians and key educationists have called on governments at all levels to embrace the culture of evidence-based planning for national development. They observed that any government planning without statistics would fail to deliver on its promises for the improvement of the welfare of the citizenry. The Statistician General of the Federation, Yemi Kale, said government needs good statistics because they are part of enabling environment for development and census is of great value and population data are sine qua non for sustainable development. Kale, who spoke in Lagos at the annual Mathematics Conference and Exhibition 2020 organised by the Mathematics for Life Foundation recently, said population census exercises have had a history of enormous challenges in Nigeria which affects the credibility and usefulness of census data for informed decision making process In his presentation on the theme of the conference, ‘The Mathematics of Census (Population, Planning and National Development)’ he said census should be seen as a planning instrument rather than political weapon and be made a priority in Nigeria in its quest for socioeconomic transformation and development. “A nation without accurate information about the population of its country would always be wobbling in confusion with attendant effects of serious underdevelopment and abject poverty. “African countries are still underdeveloped because of failure to put in place effective system of vital statistics production,� Kale said.
The President of the Mathematics for Life Foundation, Omoniyi Osuntuyi, said the theme was reflecting on happenings in Nigeria today in terms of population, planning and development. Osuntuyi said the foundation’s mission is to educate every African, using mathematics as an innovative and unique tool in improving the quality of education at all levels. According to him, the United Nations said census population should be done every 10 years in all countries. “We discovered that Nigeria has not counted its people for 14 years now which can really affect our plan for the future. “Government needs to update the population statistics in every area so that the country can plan and develop for the future. “Our foundation is doing great in terms of improving Nigerian students academics, recently one of our students got the best WAEC and JAMB result in Nigeria. “We also developed teachers and give them basic information on how to teach mathematics so that students can be encouraged in learning mathematics in the simplest form,� he said. On her part, the President, Nigeria Women in Mathematics, Prof. Olabisi Ugbebor quoted the United Nations as saying that national population census is the total process of collecting, compiling, evaluating, analysing, publishing and disseminating demographic and economic status. She said census is not limited to taking the number of people alone, but also various matters such as agriculture, business firms, housing, among others. “Now because of the link between families and housing units, population
FUPRE Sacks Lecturer, Demotes 4 Others over Sexual Harassment Sylvester Idowu in Warri The Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Effurun, Delta State has terminated the appointment of four academic and one non-academic staff over cash-for-grades, alleged sexual harassment, insubordination and other offences. The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, Prof. Abdullahi Shehu Zuru disclosed this while briefing journalists on the concluded disciplinary procedure of the university. He said a professor, accused of serious insubordination and plot to undermine the peace, was demoted to the rank of reader and banned from holding office in the institute for 10 years.
He also said a lecturer of the rank of Lecturer I was dismissed from the service of the university over cash-for-grade and sexual harassment, adding that two other lecturers on the rank of Lecturer I were demoted to Lecturer II with serious warning to be careful for their inability to properly supervise students. Also, a senior assistant registrar alleged to be involved in false petitions against the management of the university was demoted to the rank of Assistant Registrar and banned from holding any office in the university for a period of five years. The pro-chancellor also promised a level-playing field during the selection of a new vice-chancellor for the university.
census and housing are usually combined. “If Nigeria is determined to leapfrog her rivals into a
leading position, she must do something about the quantum leap in population levels.
“That is aggravated by the teenage marriages being allowed by fathers who are so eager to deflower other
people’s young girls, that they have no qualms about other men doing the same to their little girls,� she said.
Former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi (middle) with sta and students of St. Patrick’s International Secondary school, Awka, during his presentation of 12 laptop computers, printers and a generator to the school... recently
US Embassy, Strauss School Host Music Concert to Curb Violence among Youths In an effort to promote positive attitudinal change among youths, the Strauss School of Music and United States Embassy is hosting a New York-based band, the Huntertones in the country on an American Music Abroad (AMA) 2020 series aimed towards global peaceful coexistence nurtured early among students. The Cultural Affairs Officer at the US Embassy, Mr. Sterling Tilley, said the aim of the visit is to establish a connection with the Nigerian youths, recognising the importance of creative and constructive outlets as opposed to engaging in harmful or violent behaviour. “American Music Abroad artists represent the new generation of musical ambassadors; reaching beyond
concert halls to interact with other musicians and citizens around the globe. The aim of this visit is to establish a connection with the Nigerian youth, recognising the importance of creative and constructive outlets as opposed to engaging in harmful or violent behaviour,� Tilley said. A member of the Huntertones band, Mr. Dan White, speaking at one of the concerts hosted by the Strauss Preparatory School, Maitama, Abuja recently, said they are using their music to inspire the young children who played audience to the concert that they can become what they want to be if they work hard. He said Huntertones also encountered challenges at the start, but through determination and hard work, they became an international band
and that is the type of lesson they want the youths to learn through the music they play. “We are here as cultural ambassadors to share music with Nigerians for a week. Today we want the young children to be inspired, work hard and dream about what they could become. Because for the Huntertones inspiration was our driving force,� he said. Also speaking, the Director of the Strauss Schools, Ms. Golda Obi said the school made music a key curriculum because it prepares young children for the wider world. She said students who learnt music and creative arts have an extra edge over their peers who did not. “Communities are now about human interactions. Music is an ice breaker, it’s a story because education
has become so universal, it’s expected that every child will be good in maths and English. But, I have found that the question students meet at interview is ‘what else are you about?’, and at Strauss we’ve decided that we must give our pupils that what else to talk about,� Obi said. A Strauss parent, Ms. Too Attah lauded the concert, saying that the programme will inspire the children to learn how to play instruments. Huntertones has been described as a band that brings people together around the globe with fun, imaginative and fearless music. Their high energy, horn-driven sound features genre bending composition and unconventional covers. Every show is a social experience celebrating the joy of music.
APWEN Restates Commitment to Female STEM Education Oluchi Chibuzor As part of efforts to bridge the gender gap in the engineering domain, the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) has restated its commitment towards increasing female participation in engineering, as it launched the ‘SHEENGINEER: INVENT IT, BUILD IT’ project in Lagos. The programme, which attracted secondary school students, exposed the gender lapse in the sector and charged young girls to follow their passion in engineering careers. According to the Project Manager, Mrs. Felicia Agubata, while male and female students perform equally well at secondary school level, there remains a disproportionate gap at the workplace as the female gender still accounts for less than 30 per cent of the engineering workforce.
She said the narrative needs to be corrected with the right sensitisation of the female gender whose cause the ‘SHEENGINEER: BUILD IT, INVENT IT’ has brought to the fore. Agubata added that the programme is centred around activities of advocacy and service deliver with the aim of creating a platform for inclusivity for females from the secondary school level. “The first activity the project will engage in is the train the trainer workshop, which will equip 60 engineers to effectively train 200 STEM teachers across the six geopolitical zones and build their capacity to effectively mentor junior secondary school girls in STEM.� She added that with the training and mentoring, the ‘Invent it, Build it’ challenge will be held for 500 students
in 10 secondary schools with engineering kits and prizes presented at the end of the challenge across the country. “Female students should not rule out engineering. I chose engineering because I loved mathematics and engineering promised real opportunities to change the world. Besides filling critical role of lack of female engineers, women bring a different perspective to the table. “As important as it is to investigate what deters young women from pursuing these careers, we should take a closer look at encouraging secondary school girls to follow their dreams by introducing them to a broader range of knowledge when developing STEM innovations,� she said. Meanwhile, the President of APWEN, Mrs. Funmilola Odelade stated that the ‘SHEENGINEER’ Project
would serve as a capacity building programme for female engineers and public secondary school girls in basic seven and eight across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. She added that the project is a product of a grant from the Royal Academy of Engineering under the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Africa Catalyst Programme to strengthen professional engineering in sub-Saharan Africa. “The aim of the SHEENGINEER programme is to increase local engineering capacity. APWEN will execute the SHEENGINEER programme by training female engineers and STEM teachers. This will help to promote STEM and ultimately increase the female engineers in sub-Saharan Africa to solve Africa’s problem,� she said.
36
T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ
EDUCATION
‘Grace School’s Scholarship,Window of Opportunity for Indigent Students’ Peace Obi The management of Grace School, Gbagada, Lagos has reiterated its commitment to providing Nigerian children access to quality education, irrespective of their parents’ economic status. Over the years, the schools has through its annual indigent scholarship award, created a gateway for students from indigent homes to enjoy quality education. Speaking with some journalists recently, the Executive Director of the school, Mrs. Olatokunbo Edun said over N1 million worth of scholarship was designed to provide succour for the less privileged in the society. She said the scholarship covers tuition, books, uniforms, boarding fees and pocket money per session, adding, “it even
extends to their university education afterwards.� She also hinted that over 50 students have benefitted from the awards since its inception in 2004, while over N100 million has been invested in the scheme by the school. The scholarships are from senior secondary onethree (SS1-SS3). Edun added that every child deserves quality education that leaves him/her globally competitive and called on the government, corporate organisations and individuals to rise to the need of making education accessible to the poor in the society. “All hands must be on deck to support the indigent. The scholarship scheme is our own corporate social responsibility and I hope others will join to bridge the gap as the less privileged should also have access to qualitative education.
“Annually, thousnds of students turn up for our scholarship examination which is open to students of public schools only. “We also support them when they leave Grace School to the universities. We also encourage them to do the SAT exams, which is also paid for by us. At least two of them have through their high SAT scores, won spaces in some very reputable American universities. “We instituted the scheme in honour of my mother, the late founder of the school, Deaconess Grace Osinowo and it has become an annual event to support the less privileged in the society.� She added: “Recently we started to give out cash donations of N50,000 and above to some of the beneficiaries who couldn’t emerge as the overall. We started this as a palliative
measure to support the families and also help the students’ education. In some cases, eight students take such amount while the three overall students obtain the full scholarship. “My passion is to support as many children as possible, but the funds are not there and that is why I believe corporate organisations can do better in this regard. The interesting thing is that some of these students actually graduated with firstclass which means they can excel if given the opportunity like others. “We are open for sponsorship in order to alleviate the sufferings of parents in educating their children. These people are poor in every sense of it and you need to visit where some of them stay. Some stay in one room apartment with three or four children as the case may be,� Edun stated.
EY Regional Managing Partner and Country Leader, Mr. Henry Egbiki, unveiling the borehole and water treatment equipment, in addition to refurbished and equipped science laboratories at Boys’ Senior Academy, Sura, Lagos Island, donated by EY Nigeria as part of its CSR school project initiatives in Lagos... recently
KEHINDE OMORU www.kayomoru.com
HOW’S YOUR RECORD KEEPING DOING?
Your school’s records are made up of data and information about dierent aspects of its operations, as well as about its facilities, ďŹ nances, students, academic performances, stas and facilities. Teachers - being student facing - are usually involved with academic performance records. Record types such as: reports, baseline reports and transitional reports all provide valuable insight into student progress. They help in the making of important decisions regarding the learning and behaviour shaping needs of students. A good record keeping process has always and will always be the bane of ineďŹƒciency, slackness and procrastination. Good record keeping is one of the least celebrated evidence of good integrity yet it is potentially job-saving and name-saving when trouble comes knocking.Records are historical proofs of actions, communications, decisions and deliberations. Records are of dierent kinds. They include: Inventories; correspondences; personal papers, political or oďŹƒcial papers; manorial papers - court rolls, surveys and legal paper. Broader examples of records include: medical records; personnel records; education records; organisational records and ďŹ nancial records.Six important steps involved in a good record keeping habit are: identify; capture; record; check; act and review. These steps are useful for keeping all records such as: administrative, ďŹ scal, legal as well as operational record types.Take a look at the following beneďŹ ts of prompt and eective record keeping. They are sure to help you up your game with regards to keeping good records: Ëž Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ? ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂŽĂ? Ă’Ă?Ă–Ăš ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă—Ă™Ă˜Ă“ĂžĂ™Ăœ ÞÒĂ? Ă’Ă?ËÖÞÒ Ă™Ă? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ăœ ĂŽĂ?ĂšĂ‹ĂœĂžĂ—Ă?Ă˜Ăž or organisation Ëž Ă?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂŽĂ? Ă?Ă˜Ă‹ĂŒĂ–Ă? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; ÞÙ Ă“ĂŽĂ?Ă˜ĂžĂ“Ă?ĂŁ ÞÒĂ? Ă?ĂžĂœĂ?Ă˜Ă‘ĂžĂ’Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂĄĂ?Ă‹Ă•Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă“Ă˜ your institution, department or business Ëž ÙÙÎ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂŽĂ? Ă’Ă?Ă–Ăš ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă’Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă“Ă˜ Ă™Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ă“Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă˜Ă?Ă?ĂŽ ÞÙ ÞËĂ?Ă•Ă–Ă? Ëž Ă?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂŽ Ă•Ă?Ă?ĂšĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă‘Ă“Ă Ă?Ă? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă Ă‹Ă–Ă&#x;Ă‹ĂŒĂ–Ă? Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ—Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹ĂŒĂ™Ă&#x;Ăž ÒÙå ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; are doing Ëž ÑÙÙÎ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂŽ Ă’Ă?Ă–ĂšĂ? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă?ÚÙÞ ĂšĂœĂ™ĂŒĂ–Ă?Ă—Ă? Ă?Ă™Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ăœ Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂžĂ?Ă‹ĂŽ Ă™Ă? Ă–Ă‹ĂžĂ?Ăœ Ëž ÙÙÎ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂŽĂ? Ă’Ă?Ă–Ăš ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă?Ă–Ă‹Ă“Ă— Ă?Ă Ă?ĂœĂŁĂžĂ’Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă‹ĂœĂ? Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ“ĂžĂ–Ă?ĂŽ ÞÙ ÞËâ̋åÓĂ?Ă? Ëž ÙÙÎ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂŽĂ? ĂšĂ&#x;Ăž ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹ Ă?Ă‹Ă Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ‹ĂŒĂ–Ă? ÚÖËĂ?Ă? ÞÙ Ă‘Ă?Ăž Ă‹ Ă–Ă™Ă‹Ă˜ Ă™Ăœ Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă– your business Ëž ÙÙÎ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂŽĂ? Ă’Ă?Ă–Ăš ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ăœ ĂšĂ–Ă‹Ă˜Ă˜Ă“Ă˜Ă‘Ëœ Ă‘ĂœĂ‹ĂšĂšĂ–Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ åÓÞÒ Ă?Ă’Ă‹Ă˜Ă‘Ă?Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ making improvements Ëž ÙÙÎ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂŽ Ă•Ă?Ă?ĂšĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă’Ă?Ă–ĂšĂ? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; ĂšĂ–Ă‹Ă˜ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ăœ ĂšĂ&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă’Ă‹Ă?Ă?Ă?Ëœ ÚËã×Ă?Ă˜Ăž ÞÙ creditors and to employees Ëž Ă?Ă?ĂšĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ ÑÙÙÎ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂŽĂ? Ă?Ă˜Ă‹ĂŒĂ–Ă?Ă? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; ÞÙ ĂšĂœĂ?ĂšĂ‹ĂœĂ? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă?Ă˜ĂŽ Ă™Ă? ĂŁĂ?Ă‹Ăœ reports or ďŹ nancial accounts Ëž ÙÙÎ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂŽ Ă•Ă?Ă?ĂšĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă’Ă?Ă–ĂšĂ? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă‹Ă Ă?ĂœĂž Ă–Ă“ĂžĂ“Ă‘Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă“Ă˜Ă Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ“Ă‘Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ëž ÑÙÙÎ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂŽ Ă•Ă?Ă?ĂšĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ ĂšĂœĂ™Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă’Ă™ĂœĂžĂ?Ă˜Ă? ÞÒĂ? ÞÓ×Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?ĘĽĂ™ĂœĂž Ă˜Ă?Ă?ĂŽĂ?ĂŽ to reconstruct information in the event of losses or disaster Ëž Ă’Ă? Ă‹Ă Ă‹Ă“Ă–Ă‹ĂŒĂ“Ă–Ă“ĂžĂŁ Ă™Ă? ÑÙÙÎ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂŽĂ? Ă?Ă˜Ă’Ă‹Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă?×ÙÙÞÒ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ă‹Ă?ĂŁ inspection and supervision Ëž ÙÙÎ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂŽĂ? ĂšĂœĂ™Ă Ă“ĂŽĂ? ĂœĂ?Ă–Ă?Ă Ă‹Ă˜Ăž Ă?Ă Ă“ĂŽĂ?Ă˜Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă™Ăœ ĂšĂœĂ™Ă—Ă™ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă™Ăœ Ă?Ù×mendations
Mrs Kehinde Omoru writes from the UK
AAUA Partners NGO on Monarch Wants Proposed FCE Sited in Ila-Orangun Skills Training for Students Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo An Osun monarch, the Orangun of Ila-Orangun, Oba Abdulwahab Oyedotun has canvassed for the establishment of the proposed Federal College of Education (FCE ) in his domain, Ila-Orangun, Osun State. The federal government recently announced the establishment of federal colleges of education in six states, including Osun. Briefing journalists recently, the oba said: “In the pursuit of the laudable goals of fairness as demonstrated by President Muhammadu Buhari led government, Ila-Orangun
James Sowole in Akure
remains the best and the most suitable place for the location of the proposed federal college of education in the state.� In justifying his position, he noted that Osun State comprises three senatorial districts, Osun West, Osun East and Osun Central, saying that in Osun West, there is a federal polytechnic located in Ede, while Osun East is also blessed with a federal university, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-ife as Osun Central remains the only senatorial district without the presence of any federal institution. The monarch stressed that it is logical and fair to
establish the proposed FCE in Ila-Orangun Community where relevant adequate facilities and amenities are readly accessible for the smooth take-off of the institution. He stressed that Ila-Orangun Community is largely a historical town to be reckoned with not only in Osun State, but generally in Nigeria, adding that the community had demonstrated during the previous elections and deserves commendations and necessary rewards in terms of the unconditional release of the proposed federal college of education to the community. According to him, already the Osun State government is
incurring heavy expenses in running the two state-owned colleges of education and its two polytechnics, saying that the expenses on those institutions are a huge strain on its fragile financial resources. He therefore called on the government to shed its weight by releasing facilities of Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun for the smooth take-off of the institution. The monarch also contended that the position of releasing one state-owned college of education to the federal government was a key issue at the education summit organised by the immediate past government at its inception.
PTI Governing Council Appoints Adimula as Vice-Principal The Governing Council of the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, Delta State has approved the appointment of Dr. Adebowale Adimula as the Vice-Principal of the institute. This was conveyed in a letter with reference number: REG/ HRD/SSP.580c/65 signed by the Registrar and Secretary to PTI Governing Council, Mr. Onobrorhie Siakpere.
The statement read: “The institute’s governing council, at its emergency meeting held on December 4, 2019, approved your appointment as the viceprincipal of the institute; for a tenure of three years in the first instance, and renewable for another tenure of three years for a maximum of two terms.� Until his appointment, Adimula, a holder of B.Sc
and M.Sc degrees in Chemistry from the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, was the Director of Science in the institute. Adimula, who also holds a PhD from the University of Benin, Edo State, joined the services of the institute on December 14, 1992 as lecturer II in the Department of Chemistry. The accomplished chemist
has contributed to the advancement of knowledge through publications in renowned journals and has authored two books: ‘Basic Techniques in Chemistry’ and ‘PTI Research Abstract Index’. He is an experienced researcher with interest in Biopolymer and Bioremediation of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Sites.
In an effort to impart entrepreneurial skills in its students, the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State haa collaborated with a nongovernmental organisation, Doctor Rhoda Makinde Initiative (DROMI) on skills training for students of the institution The programme, which targets final year students, will cover trainings in headgear (gele) tying, make-over, small chops making, decoration, bag making, beads making, among others. The collaboration aims at preparing the students for self-employment and reliance, as well as economic independence after graduation. Speaking at the opening of the event, the acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olugbenga Ige thanked the NGO for bringing the initiative to the institution. Ige, who was represented by the Dean of Students’ Affairs, Dr. Olusegun Owolewa, called on the participating students to take full advantage of the programme in order to reap its maximum benefits. He noted that the world’s richest people are entrepreneurs who leveraged on their chosen skills to build wealth and
influence. “I’ve said that the few available white-collar jobs cannot go round the teeming mass of young graduates,� ha said, adding that the future belongs to those who would use their competencies and their skills to become economic giants and employers of labour. Also speaking, the acting Director of the University’s Women Studies and Development Centre (WSDC), Dr. Kikelomo Olugbemi commended the participants for joining the training, adding that it would prepare them for self-employment and reliance, as well as economic independence after graduation. The representative of DROMI, Mrs. Damilola Abayomi advised the participants to make use of the privileges of the training. Two of the beneficiaries, Miss Abimbola Akinbobola and Miss Tawa Raheem described the programme as well-timed and an effort aimed at reducing poverty and unemployment in the country. They thanked Dr. Rhoda Makinde for bringing the initiative to their doorstep and promised to make good use of the opportunity to establish themselves after the training.
37
T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ
TETFund Inaugurates Four ATBU Projects Worth N4.9bn Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi The Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Professor Suleiman Bogoro has inaugurated four major projects worth about N4.9 billion at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi with a charge on lecturers to strengthen research development in Nigerian universities for the development of tertiary institutions in the country. The agency is also to spend N1 billion for the fencing of the Gubi Permanent Site of the university. Speaking in Bauchi while unveiling the Centre for Science Technology and Entrepreneurship Development in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area, Bogoro said TETFund will be supporting universities to strengthen research documentations in all tertiary institutions in the country. He described good academic leadership as the backbone of success in all institutions, while poor leadership negatively affects all professional progression and development. “TETFund will fund 12 centres of excellence for innovative research in the six geopolitical zones with two centres each in each of the zones in the country. The centres will be promoted with special funds allocation in each of the zones. It is disheartening to discover that research is now tailored more on promotions and certifications rather than solving problems. This trend must change by employing qual-
ity renowned academic leadership and attitude. “In the TETFund budget for 2020, we are adding 50 per cent of what we disbursed last year for research grants. We are budgeting this year N7.5 billion as against N5 billion earmarked for research grants last year. “Researches on problem solving suitable to our Nigerian content and environmental growth are the best option for industrial development. Nigerian universities are becoming stronger, competing with foreign universities in terms of quality research harvest and academic excellence. I am very happy to announce to you that ATBU is one of the universities in the country that is in the forefront of research,� he said. In his remarks, the Vice- Chancellor, Professor Muhammad Abdulazeez commended the federal government through TETFund for providing the necessary funding to execute the projects, which he said will accelerate the development of the university. He said the four projects include the Central Laboratory Block and College of Medicine Phase II, Gubi Campus, Clinical Complex College of Medicine, ATBU Teaching Hospital and Centre for Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship Development, Tafawa Balewa. Meanwhile, TETFund is to spend N1 billion for the fencing of the Gubi Permanent Site of the institution. The fence is said to be about 21Km2. Bogoro announced this
Ex-UI DVC to Deliver 482nd Inaugural Lecture Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan The immediate past Deputy Vice-Chancellor, (Academic), University of Ibadan, Prof. Adeyinka Aderinto, will on January 30, deliver the 482nd inaugural lecture of the institution. Aderinto, who will be the first Criminologist to deliver an inaugural lecture from the Department of Sociology, will speak on the topic: ‘On the Fringe of Society’. The lecture, which is will hold at the Trenchard Hall of the institution, will be chaired by the ViceChancellor, Prof. Idowu Olayinka. The renowned criminologist and social problem expert has rich administrative profile having been sub-Dean and Dean of the Postgraduate School (now Postgraduate College);
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic); one-time acting Head, Department of Sociology, Lagos State University (LASU) during his sabbatical; and currently the Head of Sociology at the University of Ibadan. Aderinto, who consults for many international organisations such as UNFPA and UNAIDS, is also a Member of Osun State Health Rejuvenation Committee, headed by Governor Gboyega Oyetola. The inaugural lecturer, whose research interests span deviance, criminology, victimology and social problems, is expected to unpack how his researches connect with the title and make policy sugestions that can help government at all levels nagivate the stormy climate of rescuing those on the fringe of the Nigerian society.
while addressing the senate of the institution during the inauguration of some projects executed by TETFund. “I started something about four years ago, I made some money available to secure ATBU, it was N400 million and when I was disengaged, my predecessor stopped the money. He could not determine what happened next, I replaced him, it was the work of God. “So we came back and reinstated our fencing project and this time, it is N1 billion. I will not be happy until you secure this place with a physical fence.� He announced that TETFund is initiating the
establishment of two diary centres of excellence to cater for the agricultural needs of the northeast “In the context of insecurity, Nigeria’s economy is largely agro-based and it is a pain for me to note as an agro scientist that in the northeast that overtime and it remained so, we have the largest livestock resources in Nigeria. “I realised that the diary industry is embarrassingly about the weakest. In the northwest, we have the agric complex and they are very strong diary facilities. In the North central zone, we have the NVRI, Com and in the Northeast, we don’t a research and cevelopment center for diary,� he stated.
He therefore disclosed that “in the 2020 budget, we will establish two centers of excellence by geopolitical zone for diary� with one to be established in ATBU, Bauchi for the northeast. The executive secretary said it is a shame that Nigeria wanted to export cassava which was considered substandard, adding that it was sad that science could not be injected into the development of cassava which was to be exported. “For me as an agriculturist, it is a shame that two years ago, Nigeria had no land to cultivate and export cassava and of course, our research could not have value. Even the
packaging, we could not even inject science into it, from basic to applied science, we couldn’t inject it, we were considered substandard. He said over 50 per cent of what TETFund gave out last year as grant was primarily for research development. He urged the management of ATBU to give more priority to the development of research in order to reposition the institution which he said was one of the best in the country in the past. He stated that wherever he finds himself, he will position himself as a worthy ambassador of the institution, his alma mater.
The Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu Abubakar III and some of the government oďŹƒcials who paid him a sensitisation/advocacy visit at his palace in connection with the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA)... recently
Foundation Donates N6m to Three NGOs The Gameville Foundation, a non-profit organisation that provides games recreation and aid to humans that are onset by hardship, loneliness or disability, has lifted three NGOs by fundraising and donating N6 million to their causes. The fundraising effort culminated at a gamesthemed gala which included an interactive mystery game hosted by HC Bonum and casino games administered by Oceans 7. The funds were given to three charities: Street Child Care and Welfare Initiative, Jakin NGO and Echoes of Mercy and Hope Foundation, which focuses on the welfare and integration of street and underprivileged children into the society.
Each NGO received N2 million which will be spent on the welfare of the children, including school fees, school clothes and kits, vocational training, and nutrition. Speaking at the event, which held at Havilah Events Centre, Lagos, the co-founder and trustee of the Gamesville Foundation, Chidinma Obi said: “We put this event together to support the grassroots work that these charities are doing to improve the lives and well-being of children who are on the streets, in harm’s way, or living in deep poverty. We are keen to use our platform and access to resources to support sustainable solutions to problems plaguing children, and we
are deeply grateful to our corporate and individual sponsors for empowering us to do so.� Major donors of the event include Shelf Drilling, GTP Oil Field Solutions Limited, Zenith Bank, and the staff of LEKOIL employees. The GM, Corporate Communications at LEKOIL, Hamilton Esi, who explained why the staff pulled resources together to make a contribution, said: “LEKOIL shares in the Gamesville Foundation’s mission of improving lives and values-building, and we’re delighted to support their efforts in this mission through independent employee engagement and volunteer work.�
The Presidents of the NGOs, Mrs. Fola Soyebo of Echoes of Mercy and Hope Foundation, Mrs. Olubukola Adebiyi of Jakin NGO and Mrs. Comfort Alli Babalola of Street Child Care and Welfare Initiative, each thanked the coordinators of the foundation and assured all donors that the funds which were raised to assist the underprivileged children will be judiciously used. The Gamesville Foundation is the NGO arm of Lagos Games Group, a private social organisation that promotes recreation and values-building through board, card, roleplay and other interactive games. The organisation hosts games once a month.
T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ
38
CITYSTRINGS
ĂœĂ™Ă&#x;Ăš Ă?Ă‹ĂžĂ&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? ĂŽĂ“ĂžĂ™ĂœË? Ă’Ă“Ă?Ă—Ă?Ă–Ă“Ă? äĂ?Ă™ĂŒĂ“ Ă—Ă‹Ă“Ă– Ă?Ă’Ă“Ă?Ă—Ă?Ă–Ă“Ă?Ë›Ă?äĂ?Ă™ĂŒĂ“ĚśĂžĂ’Ă“Ă?ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁĂ–Ă“Ă Ă?Ë›Ă?Ă™Ă—Ëœ ͙͔͙͚͚͓͖͑͑͑͒
Combating Erosion Menace in Delta Pius Mordi writes on measures put in place by the Delta State Government to control ravaging erosion menace in the state
F
or the unwary, environmental challenges in Delta State revolve around oil spills, large expanse of wetlands that make project execution, especially roads, very expensive and air pollution from the many decades of flaring of associated gas that orchestrate acid rain. But the ceremony of Wednesday, January 15, 2020, presided over by the Secretary to the Government of Delta State, Chiedu Ebie, unveiled an equally serious challenge the government has to contend with - the scourge of gully erosion and landslide. The occasion was the signing of a N2.4 billion erosion contract for one of the five sites the World Bank has classified as posing clear and present danger to the affected communities. The erosion control contract was signed between the state’s Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) and Levante Construction Limited for the Owanta Gully Erosion Project in Ika North-east Council. The Midoma/Iwerebor erosion site in Owanta, Boji Boji, Owa is among the five selected and cleared erosion and flood cited for intervention by the World Bank in Delta State. The other sites are in Ubulu-Uku, Ukwu-Nzu, Jesse and Obomkpa. For the Owanta site, the menace of devastating erosion has been affecting the area for over 20 years. This has created active gullies in different streets in the area and causing environmental degradation leading to destruction of infrastructure, loss of arable land, lives, properties and established means of income. Ahead of the contract signing, Delta State NEWMAP had inaugurated a 12-member Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) Committee to commence the process of the resettlement of residents of the Owanta community away from the construction area. With resettlement almost completed, the contractor is expected to move to site immediately, according to the State Project Coordinator, Mr. Isaac Ufiofio. The project involves construction covering over 2,800 metres of erosion sites in Owanta and is expected to be completed within 18 months. “The administration of Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa saw the need to partner the World Bank through the Delta State NEWMAP to tackle erosion challenges in the state. I therefore call on Levante Construction Company to ensure that the project is executed on time and to specifications�, Ebie said at the contract signing ceremony. According to him, all five sites will ultimately be covered in a collaborative effort with the World Bank. "The government is committed to addressing the erosion issue in the other four sites but due to financial limitations, we are taking it one project at a time. This is only the beginning. In fact, the process of combating the erosion challenge began only when Governor Ifeanyi Okowa came into office in 2015. In line with extant World Bank procedures, extensive studies were conducted, at least seven of them, at erosion sites before we got to the stage of beginning actual construction," Ebie stated. Due to the severity of the erosion, the State Project Management Unit (SPMU) had undertaken palliative work to desilt drains across four out of the five intervention erosion and flood communities in the state ahead of the commencement of the civil work. Ufiofio said the measures were to cushion the
Secretary to Delta State Government, Mr. Chiedu Ebie (second right standing); Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Christian Onogba (second left standing); Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Mr. Precious Anuku (right standing)Delta NEWMAP Director of Administration, Mr. Jacob Kagho (standing left) witnessing the signing of the N2.4 Billion Owanta Gully Erosion Control Project between the Project Coordinator of Delta NEWMAP, Mr. Isaac UďŹ oďŹ o (sitting right) and the Project Manager Levant Construction Limited, Mr. Sari Jarad (middle sitting) at the Conference Room, OďŹƒce of the SSG Asaba‌recently
The hitherto bad state of Ubulu-uku roads before palliative measures were carried out
effect of flood and erosion hazards in the affected communities. Only Owanta community was not included in the palliative measures due to the severe nature of the gullies along its corridors, as straight civil work was the panacea. The representative of the contracting
firm, SPPIR, Mr. John Agusa, said the palliative work in Jesse was completed with opening of blocked culvert and construction of new ones, while the one at Ubulu-Uku is ongoing. He listed the roads that received the palliative intervention in Jesse to
include Efemini, Idjedaka, Uyo, Akpaka, Old Market road to Ethiope River and Oguedion road among others. Explaining the collaboration with the World Bank, Ebie, a lawyer and one-time commissioner for Basic Education in the state, said it was an opportunity the state could not afford to miss. Noting that the state has already paid its N500 million counterpart funding, he said Okowa ensured that the state became part of the World Bank initiative as soon as he became governor. "Actually, Delta State started keying into the World Bank initiative less than three months after Okowa was sworn in 2015. By May of the following year, the mandatory series of studies began and today we are here. Our state has diverse environmental challenges, including those associated with the fall out in the exploitation of oil and gas resources. There is also the difficult terrain, mainly in the coastal area. The wetlands and chain of rivers make project execution very expensive. “Experts will tell you that it may require up to five times the cost of building a kilometre of road in dry parts of the country to build a similar road in the coastal area in Delta State. And even in the upland area, the spectre of gully erosion and landslides have brought another dimension to managing the environment. But they do not deter the governor. He has evolved a creative approach to addressing the challenge hence the partnership with the World Bank," Ebie said. To Christian Onogba, Commissioner for Environment, “The contract signing agreement was historical, as the menace of erosion in the area had displaced the residents from their farms and their homes destroyed. Now, very soon, all that will be a thing of the past."
39
T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ
CRIME&SECURITY
Drug Foundation Facilitates Training for Police on Prevention, Treatment, Care
A cross section of the trainers and trainees
T
he Drug Salvation Foundation(TDSF) recently facilitated a three-day training on Drug Prevention, Treatment and Care (DPTC) Sensitisation for the Nigeria Police. The training which came with technical support from the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) saw the trainees benefit from a training module. President, The Drug Salvation Foundation, Wilson Ighodalo, within this period, knowledge was imparted using adult learning principles by mixing theoretical, practical, discussion, debates and film screenings to challenge and enhance engagement and interest among participants. Ighodalo, who also doubles as the National Coordinator, NDLEA Celebrity Drug Free Club, said the project “DPTC Sensitisation Training Initiative� for the police on response to Drug Abuse in Nigeria could not have come at a better time considering prevalent drug use in the society among the rich, poor, work place, male, female and young people. He said: “Currently, drug use and abuse is a very serious social and public health problem that generates great social concern. If a few years ago, speaking of the drug problem usually alluded to illegal drugs as heroin, cocaine, but currently the concern has focused on the consumption of legal drugs such as alcohol, tobacco, pain relief and so on illegally which are considered the gateway to the consumption of other substances. “ The drug abuse prevalence motivated President Muhammadu Buhari to set up The Presidential Advisory Committee on the Elimination of Drug Abuse (PACEDA), chaired by Brigadier General Buba Marwa (Rtd). “The committee was set up in December 2018 by the president to advice on how to address the growing challenge of drug abuse in the country and they presented the findings and recommendations of the committee to the president on Friday, October 18, 2019. “The president identified with it in ensuring the security and well-being of the Nigerian populace as a responsibility of his government and called for multi-sectoral effort in addressing the rising drug challenge in the country. “The Nigeria Police has pivotal role to play
Some of the trainees on response to drug abuse because the police are the closet to the communities, so training the police on evidence-based law enforcement, criminal justice system and public health on response to drug abuse is very important. “Drug use has now been globally recognised as a public health issue. The language of “War Against Drug Abuse� as often used in drug control response is often synonymous with repression and measures that do not conform with human rights standards. “These are not in sync with what a public health principle truly holds. More so, as evidence has shown in many society and many climes, such a war becomes a war on People who Use drugs and get expressed in many forms such brutality, criminalisation, denial of health services, stigmatisation, forced detention in the name of treatment and many more. “We believe, and as the president mentioned, that it is time for us to expand our drug control
response beyond the narrow approach of the criminal justice system to providing a holistic response. We would also like to add that such effort should refocus our drug control indicators to promote the human rights, health and well-being of the general public particularly vulnerable and marginalised communities. “While this president’s steps are laudable, it is important to highlight the need to tackle this drug abuse response through training the Nigeria Police on Drug Prevention, Treatments and Care (DPTC) Sensitisation. “Furthermore, Nigeria’s implementation of the Universal Health Coverage which is currently at the fore of global discuss, rooted in the principle of leaving no one behind, can only and truly be achieved when the government invest in Harm Reduction services to mitigate the health consequences of drug use and achieve the health for all mandate.� He added, “The Drug Salvation Foundation-
Nigeria is committed to evidence-basedinformed drug training and policy reform in Nigeria and we look forward to the next course of action by the government and strongly believe after the Nigeria Police training will result on humane, human right and public health oriented central to addressing drug use challenge in the country. “The DPTC training which is in phases (all the 36 States Police Commands & FCT) targets to change the perception and approach of the officers of the Nigeria Police to the Drug User and the Drug Use Problem in Nigeria. “The evaluation from the police officers says that DPTC Sensitisation training sessions is eye opener to response to Drug Abuse also are easy to understand and hard to forget. Our appreciation goes to the entire Nigeria Police Force, Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu; the Force PRO, DCP Frank Mba and UNODC.
Police Arrest Teenager who Leads Deadly Robbery Gang in Delta Sylvester Idowu in Warri A 17-year-old girl, said to be the head of a "deadly robbery gang" operating in Warri has been arrested by police in Delta State. The girl, identified as Bella Lucky, was arrested in the early hours, along with two of her accomplices, by operatives of "Safe Delta" unit. "Safe Delta" unit headed by Aniete Eyoh, a Chief Superintendent of Police
(CSP), is a special police team newly created and fashioned along the Inspector General of Police IRT, to crack violent crimes in Delta State. THISDAY gathered that operatives of the unit, reacting to intelligence, arrested the female robbery suspect and two of her members at Maicaver market area in Warri, Warri South Local Government area of the state. It was learnt that dangerous weapons, including AK 47 rifles, and mobile phones
were recovered during the police raid on their hideout. Security sources said the female always engaged her victims into amorous discussions after which she lures them into the hands of her gang. It was learnt that the notorious female suspect was tracked down by the police after she allegedly stabbed and inflicted bodily injuries on an a yet-to-be identified woman. Delta State Commissioner of Police,
Mohammed Hafiz Inuwa confirmed the arrest of the suspects. "These were armed robbers who were using a woman. It's not a question of notorious armed robbers. Three of them were arrested. One out of them is a very young girl. "Her duty was to sort of deceive passengers, engage them in a discussion before they get carried away and they rob them. They've been arrested and they are in our custody", he said.
40
T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍˇËœ 2020
BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE
ABCON Urges CBN to Shun Calls for Naira Devaluation Nume Ekeghe The Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), yesterday advised the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) not to bow to the pressure to devalue the naira. The President of ABCON, Mr. Aminu Gwadade, said this at the association’s sensitisation meeting with CEOs and Directors of BDCs in Lagos. According to him, devaluing the nation’s currency would not be in the interest of Nigerians. Gwadade said: “Devaluation will not do any good to the economy. As you can see, there is border closure which has led to improvement in economic activities. But we are still struggling with electricity; in terms of its availability, and also Nigeria still remains an import-dependent country. “So we are not in support of any attempt to devalue the naira further than N360/$, because as far as BDCs are concerned the exchange rate is N360 to a dollar.
“All those who are saying N305, N306 to a dollar, well, for us this is not the transaction rate, these are rate for government obligations, it is not everybody and how many percentage of Nigerians that get dollar at N306? “So if unification is for everybody in the market to be buying at N360, fine and good the BDC already have in that kind of rate happening in the market. “Yes, the unification of the various exchange is germane, but any discussion on devaluation at a critical level of the economy should be completely discouraged.� Gwadabe said ABCON would ensure it gives its cooperation to the CBN and the government in general so as to checkmate any volatility in the forex market. He further said ABCON would continue to comply with central bank’s regulatory guidelines affecting their operations in the country. “The aspect of the examination we are comfortable with
is firstly, the submission of our audited accounts that have improved tremendously; a lot of members have now known the implications of not rendering their audited accounts to the CBN and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) more especially now that the drive of the government is revenue generation. “So this is one aspect we want emphasise for members to ensure they belong to the tax net , they comply with the necessary regulation, also we have automated our operations, our members are now on our platform which is www.abcon.ng.org where they render their returns to the CBN from the comfort of their offices, so these are some of the achievements that we have achieved and we felt we have to let the media know so that they help us emphasise some of this achievement apart from the exchange rate stability that we have been making for the past four year,� he added.
Factory Bill Will to Boost Financial Inclusion, Job Creation, Says NEXIM Bank Boss James Emejo Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË The Managing Director/ Chief Executive, Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), Mr. Abba Bello, has urged the National Assembly to quickly pass the Nigerian Factory Bill into law to promote small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as create job opportunities for Nigerians. He noted that the legislation has the potential to significantly create job opportunities for the teeming youth population as well as enhance financial inclusion. Speaking on behalf of its partners, during a meeting with the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance, and other Financial Institutions, Bello described factoring as a short-term, non-bank financing involving the purchase of receivables, which essentially is the conversion of credit sales to cash at a discount. This is as committee Chairman, Senator Uba Sani, has lauded the initiative championed by NEXIM Bank, adding that the proposed bill would promote the integration of the country into the global factoring market,
when passed into law. He said factoring was an essential component in international trade and played a significant role in the promotion of export and import activities of country. He said: “It also enhances the contributions of SMEs to non-oil export trade, particularly within the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area. “It also enhances the contributions of SMEs to non-oil export trade, particularly within the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area. “It also helps to support the diversification objectives of the federal government under the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.� Promising to hasten its passage into law, Sani said the bill would strategically serve as a catalyst for more financial flow in the trade sector and complement the giant effort of government in diversifying the nation’s economy. Bello, nevertheless explained that factoring transaction was undertaken when a client is a seller of goods or services on credit terms and is done so that the seller and his business
can receive cash more quickly with which to finance continued business operations. “Over the past four years, the Nigerian Export-Import Bank has been working toward developing factoring as a trade finance instrument designed to promote Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) development. “It also serves as a strategic tool toward financial inclusion in trade services. This has become necessary in view of current challenges to access to finance and the progressive decline in export credits to support exporters, particularly MSMEs.� The MD also said Bello the bank would be partnering with Factory Chain International (FCI), Intra-African Trade Initiatives and African ExportImport Bank (Afreximbank), for effective service delivery. However, representative of Afreximbank, Mr. Enga Kameni said factoring was considered a key instrument for supporting SMEs, especially those that do not qualify for traditional bank lending.
UBA Rewards Customers in New ‘Bumper Account’ Promo The United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc yesterday launched the ‘UBA Bumper Account’, a hybrid account targeted at transforming the lives of its customers. This, it said is in line with the bank’s mission of creating superior value for its stakeholders. The account, crafted to improve the lives of UBA customers, would offer account holders an opportunity to win cash prizes of up to N2 million. Speaking during the launch and monthly draw which was held in Lagos, yesterday, the Group Head, Retail Banking, Jude Anele said, the new ‘UBA Bumper Account’ was created with the customers in mind. Anele said, “We have in recent times deepened our focus on
the most important aspect of our business – the customers we serve. Hence, our huge investment in technology to make banking easier and seamless, even as we introduce new offerings such as this Bumper Account, that will deliver improved value to stakeholders.� He explained that new and existing customers of the bank needed to ensure they have a minimum deposit of N5,000 in their UBA Bumper Account to qualify for draws. “A total of 100 customers emerged winners at the live draws which took place here today, and as you have seen, some of our customers here present were part of the lucky ones who won N100,000 each. “From here on, lucky customers will win from N10,000 to
N2 million each in the monthly, quarterly and targeted draws,� Anele stated. He added that a shopping allowance of N100,000 monthly for a year was also up for grabs. “No fewer than 50 account holders will get a whooping N2 million each across all participating regions. This account is open to both existing and new customers of the bank who save a minimum of N5,000,� Anele noted. Amos Wisdom, one of the winners present, could not hide his joy when he was announced as one of the winners. Another winner, Ohagbelum Peace, who could not believe it when her name was announced said if she wasn’t present herself, she would not have believed in the campaign.
L-R: Head Consumer Banking, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Chiedu Ibeku; Group Head, Retail Banking, Jude Anele; Winner in the UBA Bumper Account Promo, Amos Wisdom, and Head, Brand Management, UBA, Lashe Osoba, during the launch of the ‘UBA Bumper Account’ held in Lagos‌yesterday
MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS
(MILLION NAIRA)
SEPTEMBER 2019 Money Supply (M3)
35,029,779.72
-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors
7,374,356.91
Money Supply (M2)
27,655,422.82
-- Quasi Money
116,533,891.21
-- Narrow Money (M1)
11,121,531.60
---- Currency Outside Banks
1,625,047.69
---- Demand Deposits
9,496,483.91
Net Foreign Assets (NFA)
13,911,335.83
Net Domestic Assets(NDA)
21,118,443.89
-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)
35,918,179.45
---- Credit to Government (Net)
10,452,199.38
---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA
11,007,422.79
---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)
25,465,980.07
---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)
-14,799,735.56
--Other Assets Net
7,000,253.07
Reserve Money (Base Money
2,005,600.83
--Currency in Circulation
4,677,530.81
--Banks Reserves
317,121.43
Ëž Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? Ě‹
Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month
March 2018
Inter-Bank Call Rate
15.16
Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)
14.00
Treasury Bill Rate
11.84
Savings Deposit Rate
4.07
1 Month Deposit Rate
8.82
3 Months Deposit Rate
9.72
6 Months Deposit Rate
10.93
12 Months Deposit Rate
10.21
Prime Lending rate
17.35
Maximum Lending Rate
31.55
Ëž Ă™Ă˜Ă?ĂžĂ‹ĂœĂŁ ÙÖÓĂ?ĂŁ Ă‹ĂžĂ? Ě‹ ͯ͹Ϲ
OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE Ëœ Í°Íľ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ
The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $61.98 a barrel on Monday, compared with $62.52 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), Oriente (Ecuador), ZaďŹ ro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela). SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna
41
T H I S D AY Ëž Í°ÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ
MARKET NEWS
Union Bank to Divest from UK Subsidiary, to Focus on Nigeria Goddy Egene Union Bank of Nigeria Plc has announced that it has entered a share sale and purchase agreement to divest its 100 per cent equity stake in Union Bank UK Plc. In a notification to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Union Bank said the sale aligned with its strategy to geographically streamline its business operations to focus on growth opportunities in Nigeria.
According to the bank, following a competitive bid process, MBU Bid Co Limited, an acquisition vehicle wholly owned by MBU Capital Limited, was selected as the preferred bidder. The completion of the sale is subject to regulatory approvals from the relevant regulatory authorities in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Commenting on the planned divestment, Chief Executive Officer of Union Bank, Emeka
P R I C E S MAIN BOARD
F O R DEALS
Emuwa, said: “As the banking landscape shifts towards digital and agency banking to drive financial inclusion, the Nigerian market presents robust long-term opportunities for Union Bank. This divestment allows us channel our focus and capital towards mining those opportunities fully. Through the sale, we are better positioned to deliver greater value to the organisation and its stakeholders as well as continue to build the future of banking
S E C U R I T I E S MARKET PRICE
QUANTITY TRADED
VALUE TRADED ( N )
in Nigeria. The terms of the sale of UBUK delivers substantial value to our shareholders, while also entrusting its customers and trading partners to a high-quality financial services institution who will work with existing management to deliver a stronger and more profitable entity.� Also commenting, Founder and CEO of MBU Capital, Mohammed Iqbal, said: “We are delighted to announce the acquisition of Union Bank UK,
T R A D E D MAIN BOARD
A S
subject to regulatory approval. We see a huge opportunity to build on UBUK’s strengths in international markets to create a new-style bank which is focused on the needs of UK and international SMEs and entrepreneurs. Many of these customers are seeking a bank which truly understands the needs of entrepreneurial, fast-growing businesses. We believe that our acquisition and vision for UBUK offers the potential for significant
O F
growth for the bank. We look forward to working with our new colleagues at UBUK to continue to service the needs of its clients. We also look forward to sustaining and deepening relationships with UBUK’s existing trading partners.� Meanwhile, the stock market sustained its bearish performance as the NSE All-Share Index fell by 0.59 per cent to close at 29,378.63, while market capitalisation shed N89.8 billion to be at N15.1 trillion.
2 8 / 0 1 / 2 0 2 0 DEALS
MARKET PRICE
QUANTITY TRADED
VALUE TRADED ( N)
42
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY
MARKET NEWS
NSE Launches New Board for High-Growth Companies Goddy Egene The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) will today launch its Growth Board(GB) to provide issuers with the opportunity to list, raise long term capital and facilitate liquidity in the trading
of their shares on the exchange. With a total of 41.5 million Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSME) operating in Nigeria, the launch of the GB is designed to encourage the listing of growth companies and provide them with a cost-
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
effective platform to raise the capital needed to scale, attract investors, enhance corporate visibility and put in place a regulatory structure that fosters growth. According to the NSE, the GB was established as part
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 27Jan-2020, unless otherwise stated.
of its initiative to elevate the Nigerian capital market and meet the needs of businesses at every phase of their lifecycle. Commenting on the GB, Head, Listings Business Division,NSE, Mr. Olumide Bolumole, said:“The launch of the NSE
GB further re-affirms NSE’s long standing tradition of supporting the development of SMEs in Nigeria by offering entrepreneurs opportunities to access finance and scale their businesses. The GB is expected to attract small to medium-sized companies
that exhibit the potential for fast growth in their corporate earnings and are in the growth phase of their business cycle. It will also offer investors the opportunity to invest in such companies with potential for high returns/capital gains.”
Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors. Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return. NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.
DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Plutus Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria International Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.91 0.91 7.64% ACAP Income Funds 0.76 0.76 33.75% 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 8.01% AIICO Balanced Fund 2.49 2.53 0.88% info@anchoriaam.com ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 6.20% Anchoria Equity Fund 109.60 110.01 6.99% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.17 1.17 2.56% 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 16.60 17.10 8.39% ARM Discovery Fund 366.68 377.74 6.14% ARM Ethical Fund 30.74 31.67 5.70% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 8.02% 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 103.14 103.86 7.35% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 6.28% CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 1.95 1.95 18.93% 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 8.66% Paramount Equity Fund 13.09 13.28 4.39% Women's Investment Fund 116.17 117.25 5.24% 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 N/A N/A N/A Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 N/A N/A N/A Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 N/A N/A N/A 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 7.48% Coronation Balanced Fund 0.96 0.97 3.91% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.36 1.36 2.40% 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 5.93% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 6.15% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,181.41 1,183.21 1.66% FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,311.14 1,312.27 1.55% FBN Balanced Fund 152.57 153.72 3.92% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 7.35% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional N/A N/A N/A FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail N/A N/A N/A FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 134.63 136.41 3.46% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.63% Legacy Debt Fund 3.67 3.67 0.52% Legacy Equity Fund 1.20 1.22 5.79% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.08 1.08 0.29% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund 3,181.96 3,220.36 6.71% Coral Income Fund 3,099.60 3,099.60 13.08% FSDH Treasury Bills Fund 100.00 100.00 8.50% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.41% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 119.86 120.28 11.75%
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 7.14% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.28 2.31 5.61% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 11.55% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 145.68 146.19 16.73% 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 1.23 1.25 5.69% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,108.44 1,108.44 0.93% 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 10.49 10.60 14.65% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 6.76% 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 1.42 1.44 15.98% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.33 12.42 9.25% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 11.30% PACAM Equity Fund 1.20 1.21 PACAM EuroBond Fund 108.34 110.22 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 139.96 141.34 10.43% 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 1.00 1.00 0.07% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 2,521.35 2,532.80 4.21% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 210.33 210.33 0.51% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.88 0.89 7.30% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 273.87 273.95 0.95% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 154.92 156.64 5.31% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 6.70% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,674.15 7,756.30 7.05% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.16 1.16 0.48% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 118.18 118.18 0.00% 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 1.18 1.20 1.63% United Capital Bond Fund 1.69 1.69 15.58% United Capital Equity Fund 0.69 0.70 -3.63% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.06% United Capital Eurobond Fund 111.58 111.58 8.05% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.08 1.08 6.79% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 10.91 11.08 6.33% Zenith Ethical Fund 12.13 12.28 4.54% Zenith Income Fund 22.99 22.99 3.43% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 5.14%
REITS NAV Per Share
Yield / T-Rtn
3.40 119.19 52.14
-64.85% 0.22% 0.17%
Bid Price
Offer Price
Yield / T-Rtn
9.98 103.13 79.99
10.08 105.34 81.47
14.58% 11.53% 8.49%
Fund Name FSDH UPDC Real Estate Investment Fund SFS Skye Shelter Fund Union Homes REIT
EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund SIAML Pension ETF 40 Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund
VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund
funds@vetiva.com Bid Price
Offer Price
Yield / T-Rtn
3.87 5.55 13.81 12.57 171.80
3.91 5.63 13.91 12.77 173.80
9.10% -6.01% 13.47% 20.79% -8.25%
NAV Per Share
Yield / T-Rtn
108.69
17.60%
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.
43
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY
INTERNATIONAL
Coronavirus Death Toll Hits 106, Infects 4,515 Virus spreads to Beijing
Deaths from the coronavirus have now hit triple figures as China revealed the first death of a victim in Beijing yesterday. The ongoing outbreak has now claimed 106 lives while China’s National Health Commission has counted more than 4,515 confirmed cases. On Monday, the number stood at 81 deaths and 2,600 cases. Most victims are people who were in Wuhan, where the outbreak began. The city of 11m is now under
lockdown, with China banning transport to other cities as well as public gatherings. Tens of millions of other Chinese citizens in Wuhan’s wider Hubei province are also subject to travel curbs. There are reportedly around 300 Brits still in Wuhan and the Hubei province. The Foreign Office is set to evacuate the area in the coming days.. Transport secretary Grant Shapps told BBC Breakfast today: “We are working on it. For anybody who is there, one
...Halting Spread of Virus Our Highest Priority, Says WHO The World Health Organisation (WHO), says halting the spread of novel Corinavirus (2019-nCoV), both in China and globally, is the top most priority of the health agency. Its Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, made the assertion on Tuesday at a meeting with President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China in Beijing. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 2019-nCoV was first reported in Wuhan City, China, on Dec. 31, and has since been detected in 11 other countries, including Thailand, Japan, France, Germany and the U.S. A statement posted on WHO’s website said that Ghebreyesus and the Chinese Government shared the latest information on the novel Coronavirus 2019 outbreak and reiterated their commitments to bringing it under control. In the statement the WHO’s mission comes as the number of people confirmed with the virus rose to over 4,500 globally on Jan. 28, with the greatest numbers being in China. “We appreciate the seriousness with which China is taking this outbreak, especially the commitment from top leadership, and the transparency they have demonstrated, including sharing data and genetic sequence of the virus. “WHO is working closely with the government on measures to understand the virus and limit transmission. “WHO will keep working sideby-side with China and all other countries to protect health and keep people safe,” Ghebreyesus said in the statement. Ghebreyesus was joined by WHO Regional Director, Dr Takeshi Kasai, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, Dr Mike Ryan, and also met State Councillor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi and Minister of Health Ma Xiaowei.
According to the statement, the National Health Commission presented China’s strong public health capacities and resources to respond and manage respiratory disease outbreaks. It noted that the team’s discussions focussed on continued collaboration on containment measures in Wuhan, public health measures in other cities and provinces, conducting further studies on the severity and transmissibility of the virus. Others are continuing to share data, and for China to share biological material with WHO. “The measures would advance scientific understanding of the virus and contribute to the development of medical countermeasures such as vaccines and treatments. The two sides agreed that WHO will send international experts to visit China as soon as possible to work with Chinese counterparts on increasing understanding of the outbreak to guide global response efforts,” the statement said. It stated that the WHO delegation commended the actions which China had implemented in response to the outbreak, its speed in identifying the virus and openness to sharing information with WHO and other countries. “Much remains to be understood about 2019-nCoV. The source of the outbreak and the extent to which it has spread in China are not yet known. “While the current understanding of the disease remains limited, most cases reported to date have been milder, with around 20 per cent of those infected experiencing severe illness. “Both WHO and China noted that the number of cases being reported, including those outside China, is deeply concerning. “Better understanding of the transmissibility and severity of the virus is urgently required to guide other countries on appropriate response measures,” WHO said in the statement.
of the issues we have, working with our partners internationally on this, is actually identifying how many British citizens there are in Wuhan. “One of the things we’re asking people to do is to contact the consulate there to make them aware. People have started to do that. “If they actually contact the consulate where they are then that consulate is in fact gathering together all the information of the people who are there in order to help repatriate where that’s appropriate.” Other countries are also
repatriating citizens, with the first French flight to depart tomorrow. And the US consulate is readying diplomats and other US citizens out of the city shortly. While only China has reported deaths so far, coronavirus cases are much more widespread. Countries across Asia, North America and Europe have confirmed infections. Germany confirmed a case last night. Meanwhile Hong Kong has counted eight cases as has Thailand. The US, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan and Macau have recorded five cases each while there are four in South
Korea, Japan and Malaysia. Canada and Vietnam have reported two confirmed cases. The UK has tested 73 people for the coronavirus but so far the tests have returned negative. Chinese authorities warned yesterday the virus appears to be getting stronger. Health bodies have advised the virus can pass via human contact. The incubation period can range between one and 14 days, during which time it is also infectious, China’s National Health Commission has warned. “According to recent clinical information, the virus’s ability
to spread seems to be getting somewhat stronger,” minister Ma Xiaowei said. The spread of coronavirus crumbled global stocks yesterday. Germany’s Dax sank 2.75 per cent and the FTSE 100 fell 2.3 per cent. Today European stocks have inched up, but are far off recovering their losses. “We think it is better to wait for the rise in the number of cases to slow before getting positive about the markets again,” London Capital Group’s head of research, Jasper Lawler, said.
EXECUTIVE MEETING..
Kwara State Governor, Mr. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (left), in a hand shake with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, after a meeting on how to combat human trafficking and attract Foreign Direct Investment to the state, at the minister’s office in Abuja... yesterday
Burkina Faso Rocked By New Jihadist Massacre At least 10 men have been killed in a jihadist massacre at a village in Burkina Faso, which is in the grip of a years-long Islamist insurgency, security and local sources disclosed Tuesday. “We are talking of between 10 and 30 dead” in the assault, which targeted the village of Silgadji in northern Soum province, said a security official. The attack was launched on Saturday and jihadists were still in the area on Monday, a resident in nearby Bourzanga town revealed, citing accounts from those who had fled. “The terrorists surrounded the people at the village market, before separating them into two groups. The men were executed and the women were ordered to leave the village,” the source said.
The security source said: “Security teams are trying to get to the site but access to the village has probably been booby-trapped with homemade mines, and they are having to proceed carefully.” Jihadist groups have killed almost 800 people in Burkina Faso and displaced 600,000 more since the start of 2015 when extremist violence began to spread from neighbouring Mali. The attack comes on the heels of a massacre of 36 people at two villages in northern Sanmatenga province on January 20, prompting President Roch Marc Christian Kabore to declare two days of national mourning. Located in the heart of the vast Sahel region on the southern fringe of the Sahara, Burkina Faso is one of the most impoverished countries
in the world. Its army is ill-equipped and poorly trained to deal with the threat although in recent months commanders claim to have killed roughly 100 jihadists. The assaults typically entail fast-moving jihadists who arrive on motorbikes, attacking the market place. There are 4,500 French troops deployed in the region, which are now backed by armed drones, as well as a 13,000-strong UN peacekeeping force in Mali. They support the forces of the “G5 Sahel” anti-terror group — Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger. The day after the attacks in Sanmatenga, the Burkina parliament adopted unanimously a law allowing
for the recruitment of local volunteers in the fight against jihadists. Volunteers aged over 18 will be given 14 days of military training, after which they will be given small arms and other communication equipment. The recruits would be expected to conduct surveillance and provide information and protection for their communities in the event of an attack while waiting for security forces to deploy, according to Defence Minister Cheriff Sy. According to UN figures, jihadist attacks in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger last year claimed around 4,000 lives. Hundreds of thousands have fled their homes, sparking a humanitarian crisis.
Court Formally Indicts Netanyahu on Corruption Charges Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday on was formally indicted in court on corruption charges after he withdrew his request for parliamentary immunity from prosecution. Netanyahu was in Washington for meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of the release of Trump’s long-delayed Israel-Palestinian peace plan when Israel’s attorney-general filed the charges in a Jerusalem court. The immunity bid seemed
doomed to fail from the beginning since Netanyahu, who denied any wrongdoing, lacked sufficient votes in the legislature for approval. The request for protection from prosecution had effectively blocked the filing of the indictment until now. As proceedings move toward trial the timeline remains unclear and it could take months or years. In addition to his legal battle, Netanyahu is fighting for his political life in a March 2 election,
Israel’s third in less than a year after inconclusive ballots in April and September. Netanyahu, Israel’s longestserving prime minister, said in a statement that an immunity debate in parliament would have been a “circus” and he did not want to take part in this “dirty game”. With public attention in Israel focused on events in Washington, Netanyahu’s White House meetings seemed likely to overshadow his latest legal woes.
Report says the veteran right-winger is under no legal obligation to resign. Netanyahu’s main rival, centrist former general Benny Gantz, made Netanyahu’s legal troubles a centrepiece of his campaigns in two Israeli elections in 2019. Gantz made a brief trip to Washington to discuss the peace plan with Trump and had rushed back to Israel expecting to lead the parliament debate against granting Netanyahu immunity. “Netanyahu is going to trial,
we have to move on. “The citizens of Israel have a clear choice: a prime minister who works for them or a prime minister busy with himself. “No one can manage the country and in parallel manage three serious criminal cases,” Gantz said after Netanyahu pulled his immunity request The corruption charges marked the first criminal indictment against a serving Israeli prime minister. The charge sheet was first
published by Israel’s attorney general in November following a long-running investigation. The charges included bribery, breach of trust and fraud. Netanyahu is suspected of wrongfully accepting 264,000 dollars worth of gifts, which prosecutors said included cigars and champagne, from tycoons. He was also accused of dispensing regulatory favours in alleged bids for improved coverage by a popular news website.
44
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY
NEWSXTRA
Buhari: Nigeria Committed to Providing Enabling Business Environment MTN earmarks $1.6bn to strengthen network Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja said the federal government was committed to providing an enabling environment for businesses in the country to thrive. This came as the telecoms’ giant, MTN, pledged to pump $1.6 billion into its Nigerian operations to strengthen its network. According to Buhari, partnerships between the public and private sectors remain the most veritable platforms for bringing prosperity to the masses. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said Buhari gave the assurance in the State House while receiving the Chairman of MTN Group, Mr. Mcebisi Jonas. He was quoted as saying that the support being offered by MTN for Nigeria’s digital inclusion programmes gladdened his heart.
Buhari also said such programmes would boost Nigeria’s diversification arrangement and financial inclusion projects. “I am pleased to hear of the progress you are making in Nigeria, especially in supporting our digital inclusion programmes. Your proposed projects, such as the rural telephony project, will surely complement our economic diversification and financial inclusion programs by connecting the producers based in rural areas to consumers located in our major towns and cities,” he said. The president told his guest that the government was looking at ways of increasing the level of security across critical national infrastructure, explaining that doing so would guarantee seamless service delivery and as well facilitate investments across the country. Buhari who described Nigeria as both the Africa’s largest
telecommunications’ market as well as MTN’s largest market, said: “Our hope is for operators like MTN to continue to focus on delivering quality service at reasonable prices. If we put our minds together, such win-win positions are achievable.” The statement added that the
MTN Group Chairman, Jonas, in his remarks, said his visit to the president along with top executives of the telecoms’ company was meant to express appreciation to Buhari for addressing most of the issues raised when he visited South Africa last year, noting that “there is progress
on the remaining ones.” Jonas also said in line with the MTN Group’s commitment to investing in Nigeria, the company would commit the sum of $1.6 billion from its operations in the country to strengthen its network and systems.
According to him, MTN identifies with government’s plans to fortify the country’s digital economy. “We are fully aligned with the strategic agenda of government, and are committed to strengthening the digital economy of the country,” Jonas said.
Electoral Reforms: PDP Wants US to Mount Pressure on FG FOCUS ON HIGHER TAXES… L-R: Wife of Oyo State Governor, Mrs. Tamunominini Makinde; Oyo State Governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde; his Deputy, Mr. Rauf Olaniyan; Chuks Okocha in Abuja
The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Prince Uche Secondus has called on the United States of America to mount pressure on Nigeria to carry out electoral reforms before the next general election. Secondus made the call when a delegation of IRI led by its Country Director, Mrs. Angela Nwambugu, visited the party’s National Working Committee (NWC). “You need to speak to your country and other countries to mount pressure for Nigeria to amend her electoral laws so that any one that will vote will make sure that his or her vote will be counted and not manipulation of figures”. According to the PDP National Chairman, “security agencies should be barred from directly participating in election, stressing that in Kogi State that helicopters by police came and dispersed people who came to vote. INEC and APC denied the people who came to vote and cooked up figures. We are setting up a review and assessment committee review as a post mortem of what
happened in 2019” He noted that if this could happen during re-run elections, then imagine what will happen in 2023, adding, “if you cannot be guaranteed that you can go and vote and come back safely, what will it be by 2023 when people will come and to vote? “So, we want all those pressures to be mounted on the President to sign all the enabling laws that would guarantee the right to vote and the security officials be kept away from the electoral process like any other countries like in Ghana, Kenya, South Africa. I have never seen military men participate in election”. “If people did not have the right to vote, what was the essence of election? People must come out of their houses to register and vote. They must have the right to go out there to vote and then be safe”. In her speech, said they were in Nigeria to assist in deepening of the country’s democracy and bridging the gap between government and the people. “Our work here simply to support your processes, your governance across the country and consolidating on democracy,” she said.
Wife of TAK Group’s Chairman Passes on The TAK Group has announced announced by the family in the transition to eternal glory of due course. Mrs. Jennifer Ramatu Etuh, the devoted, pious and cherished wife of their Chairman, Mr. Thomas Etuh. According to a statement by the company, Jennifer passed on to glory on Sunday, January 26, 2020 in London, after a protracted illness. She is survived by her husband, father, mother, siblings and four children. Details of the funeral arrangements will be Jennifer Ramatu Etuh
Deputy Chief of Staff, Hon. Mojeed Mogbojubola; and Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Akinola Ojo, during the Oyo State Stakeholders’ Tax Summit in Ibadan…yesterday
PDP Govs Pledge to Work with FG, Security Agencies on Security Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum has pledged to continue to work with the federal government and security agencies in addressing insecurity in the country. The Chairman of the forum and Governor of Sokoto State, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, while speaking with journalists yesterday in Abuja, said that the PDP governors would continue to work towards ending security challenges in the country.
“We do not play politics with security. There is no party when you talk about security. It is every body’s concern. All of us are really involved in it. “We will be supportive of security agencies in our respective states in ensuring that we achieve everlasting peace and stability in our respective states and the entire federation. So, we will continue in that regard. “We will continue to corporate with the federal government to come up with new ideas, new
approach especially when you talk about deploying technology and bringing more capable hands to ensure that we reverse the trend,” Tambuwal said. He pledged to use the forum to foster unite among PDP governors and the party. “I assure you that we are going to use this platform to bring everybody on board. “There are issues here and there but they are not beyond us. We shall reconcile those who are having some issues with one
another and also ensure that our party is firmly positioned to the challenges ahead,” he said. The forum chairman also pledged to use the forum to motivate its members and other party leaders to attend meetings called by the party. “We will bring former governors, former Ministers that served in the party. They are very resourceful, they are our leaders and they have lots to contribute for the development of the party and our country.
Establish Electoral Offences Commission, INEC Tells FG Martins Ifijeh Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called on the federal government to create an Electoral Offences Commission (EOC) which would have powers to arrest, investigate, and prosecute electoral offenders. Speaking yesterday this during an interview on THISDAY sister broadcast station, Arise News Channel, INEC Director, Voter Education and Publicity Department, Oluwole OsazeUzzi, said one of the challenges
affecting the commission was its inability to prosecute electoral offenders because it has no powers to do so. He said while INEC focuses on conducting credible, free and fair elections, government could take up the responsibility of ensuring erring Nigerians were brought to book, as this could help bring sanity to the system. “One of the challenges we also have is that eye witnesses do not like to go to court to testify. Judges are usually not there when the crimes are committed during elections.
They can only make judgments based on available information. “Our officials are on the frontline during these election irregularities. Some of our staff and ad hoc staff have been kidnapped or killed at different times. So, we are even, more concerned that there is a justice system to address the situation, more than anyone else,” he said. Osaze-Uzzi added that security was the responsibility of security agencies, and not INEC, noting that in situations where there’s breakdown of security systems, INEC would not be
able to do its work. “And we know bad politicians are the architects of security breakdowns during elections. Rather than wait for the people to decide who leads them, they go ahead to subvert the will of the people by causing violence. The police and the ministry of justice have the responsibility to prosecute them, not INEC. We have no power to arrest or investigate,” he added. On the recent Supreme Court judgment in Imo State, he said the apex court departed from a number of its previous decisions.
APC Leadership Backs Doguwa as House Majority Leader Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has given tacit approval to a member representing Tudunwada/Doguwa federal constituency in the House of Representative, Hon. Alhassan
Doguwa, as the Majority Leader. A Court of Appeal sitting in Kaduna had sacked Doguwa, who was the Majority Leader in the House and ordered a fresh election, but he later won the rerun election. Doguwa, who was in company of Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi
Ganduje, and other lawmakers from Kano State, yesterday met with the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, where they presented Doguwa’s Certificate of Return to him. Oshiomhole said: “Let me say that from the reaction of your
colleagues, the Speaker was in Kano, the Deputy Leader, was also in Kano and it was for nothing that they chose not to fill that position because like members of your constituency who elected you, they were also waiting to re-elect you.”
45
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY
24 HOURS...
24 HOURS...
Buhari Blames Lax Auditing for Governance Problems James Emejo in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said the governance problems experienced in the country are largely tied to ineffective audits by the auditing profession. He said auditors needed to decide not to be part of the governance issues plaguing the country but rather chose to be the “arrow to the solution.” Buhari also said no public servants should be afraid of audit if they have nothing to hide, and be encouraged to embrace audit as a means of improving their performance and not as a threat. Speaking while declaring the second edition of the Conference of Auditors General in Nigeria with the theme: ‘Building Government Audit Institutions in Nigeria: Needs for the 21st Century’, open in Abuja, the president said good governance, accountability and transparency are the hallmark of his administration, and further described auditors as “champions of the fight against corruption.” The conference also presented the ‘Champion of Transparency and Anti-Corruption’ award to
the president in recognition of his hard stance against corruption. Buhari said if auditors have not compromised their jobs, some of the recoveries from proceeds of corruption and eventual convictions would not have happened. He said: “Has any annual Financial Statements produced by any of the states received anything other than a clean audit opinion as far back as you can remember? “You will admit that this is strange in view of the significant cases of misappropriation that have been uncovered, the huge balances that have been recovered and the sentences being served by convicted officials including past state governors. “One can either assume that the audits are not thoroughly done, the auditors have been compromised, or the auditors are constrained in some way or other. ‘’You will know best what your constraints are, but I encourage you to reflect on this issue. What will it take to do a thorough job for the sake of your local government area, your state, Nigeria and the future generations?”
Odinkalu to Appeal N250m Defamation Judgment Drags Rivers judge to NJC Alex Enumah in Abuja A former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Professor Chidi Odinkalu has said he will appeal the judgment of a Rivers State High Court, which ruled against him in a defamation suit. Justice Augustina KingsleyChuku of a Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt had on Monday slammed a sum of N250million as cost against Odinkalu for allegedly publishing defamatory materials against a former Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili. Odili had in 2018 instituted legal action against the ex-NHRC boss for alleged defamation, demanding the sum of N1 billion as total and general damages and a public apology to be published in national newspapers. Delivering judgment in the suit, Justice Kingsley-Chuku ordered the defendant to pay Odili N250million and an additional N300,000 as cost. However, reacting to the judgment, lawyers to Odinkalu said they are going to appeal the judgment, adding that the defendant had already instructed them to do so. In a statement made available to journalists by his legal team, Odinkalu faulted the judgment on grounds of bias, and misconduct, amongst others, which he said has been reported to the National Judicial Council (NJC). “We had in the course of proceedings filed a petition against the presiding Judge, Justice Augustina Kingsley-Chuku, before the National Judicial Council (NJC) for manifest acts of bias in clear breach of the Judicial Code of
Conduct and violation of basic constitutional guarantees of due process, which made impossible a fair representation of the interests of our clients in the proceedings. “Every effort to bring these breaches to the attention of the court was frustrated. Counsel was denied the basic right to present their case and when counsel applied to the court to recuse itself, the court repeatedly doubled down, ultimately forcing counsel to withdraw from further participation in the proceedings,” the statement said. The legal team added that as at the time of the reported judgment, there are appeals pending before the Court of Appeal against several rulings of the court, including its claim of jurisdiction. It also noted that there is also pending before the NJC a complaint of judicial misconduct in connection with the proceedings in this case. Odinkalu’s lawyers claimed that apart from Odinkalu, several users of the Court had also alleged bias against the judge. “It has not come as a surprise to us that other court users have alleged a similar experience in this particular court, including, most recently, the national Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, who similarly laid a complaint of bias against this same court. “Our clients have instructed counsel to vigorously pursue legal remedies on his behalf, including appeals. They intend to do just that in faith that the Nigerian judicial system is eminently well equipped to correct every travesty”, the statement added.
The president, however, tasked the auditors to maximise the use of their constitutional powers in the fight against corruption, stressing
that they have the latitude to audit all public institutions without exceptions and challenged their will to carry out their duties.
Buhari, however, expressed concern that ineffective audits had contributed largely to governance problems over the
years, urging auditors to embrace good governance, accountability and transparency, which are hallmarks of this administration.
EDUCATION ON THEIR MINDS…
L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Chapel Hill Denham, Mr. Bolaji Balogun; Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs), Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire; and Senior Partner, West Market Area , PricewaterhouseCoopers Nigeria, Mr. Uyi Akpata, after the presentation to the minister of a plan for regeneration of education in Nigeria by the Private Sector Advisory Group on SDGs in Abuja ... yesterday
We Don’t Have Any Crisis, Says Urhobo Group The Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) worldwide has condemned in strong terms an allegation by its former President-General, Chief Joe Omene, that Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, is responsible for an imaginary crisis in the UPU. A statement by the National Publicity Secretary UPU, Hon. Abel Oshevire, said the group decided not to ignore Omene because the allegation could convey a wrong impression in
the minds of those not conversant with the workings of the group, “We have decided to put the records straight. Let it be stated for the umpteenth time that there is no crisis in the UPU, under the control of Olorogun Taiga, who was first elected PresidentGeneral on December 6, 2016, for a three-year term and was re-elected on December 5, 2019, for another three-year term,” the statement said.
The statement further stated that Omene duly served out his tenure and was replaced with Olorogun Taiga in a legally constituted national congress of the UPU that had most of the royal fathers and delegates from all the 24 kingdoms of the Urhobo nation in attendance. The statement added that it is most unfortunate that since Omene ceased being the President, “he has continued to
engage in actions and utterances that are embarrassing, and unbefitting of his person and former position.” “It beats our imagination why Omene has chosen to drag Okowa’s name into a non-existing crisis in the UPU. We believe and conclude that he is merely seeking attention and relevance by that reckless, unguarded and provocative allegation.”
Respite for Maina as CourtVaries His Bail Terms Alex Enumah in Abuja Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja yesterday varied the terms of the bail granted former Chairman of the defunct Police Pension Task Force, Dr Abdulrasheed Maina. Justice Abang varied the bail terms while delivering ruling in an application by Maina, praying the court to review the bail granted him in his alleged corruption and money laundering trial. Justice Abang had on November 26, 2019, granted bail to Maina in the
sum of N1billion and two sureties in the sum of N500million each, a condition which the defendant considered very stringent. Apart from the sum of N500million, thetwosuretiesmustbeservingsenators not standing any criminal trial in any court in the country and must always be present in court with the defendant at each adjourned date of the trial. Maina predicated his application for variation on the fact that the bail condition granted him on November 26, was stringent, excessive and impracticable” to fulfill such that not varying it,
will defeat the purpose of the bail. But in a ruling yesterday, Justice Abang held that pursuant to Section 173(2) of Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, the court as presently constituted has discretion and jurisdiction to review and vary the bail condition. Following the review of the former bail, Maina is to now produce one serving senator as a surety who must sign a bail bond in the sum of N500million. In the new arrangement, the senator although would have to accompany Maina to court on
any day of trial and must sign a register of attendance, he is however free to go for his normal business after signing the attendance register. Abang added that the senator must own a developed property with statutory certificate of occupancy in Katampe, Wuse 2, CBD (Central Business District). Maina is being prosecuted by the Federal Government through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegation of fraud, abuse of public office and money laundering amounting to N2billion.
Nigeria to Commence Rice Export Next TwoYears James Emejo in Abuja Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, said the country would begin to export its brand of rice within the next two years. He said the closure of the country’s land borders had resulted in increased output by various rice milling plants which were hitherto operating below installed capacity prior to the closure.
Speaking during a working visit of the Nestle Nigeria Plc in Lagos, the minister noted that with the improved production rate, Nigerian rice would soon be exported. “Before the closure of our land border, most of these rice milling plants were partially operating, but now they not only operate in full capacity but are also expanding. “If we maintain the momentum in the next two
years, we may export rice to other countries. I was worried in terms of the production of rice, but what I have found out is that most rice producers have stocked rice for the next six months. This means that before the stock is finished, dry season rice will be harvested, and before that finishes, the rainy season will come back,” he said. The minister explained that the country cultivates rice in a nine-month cycle, adding
that “probably as we move on, the cycle will widen, so we do not have a problem with rice processing.” He also noted that there had been expansion of local rice value chain as well as the creation of more jobs due to an increase in rice production. He said: “As at today, we have 11 rice milling plants with the capacity to produce from 180 tonnes to 350 tonnes of rice per day.
46
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY
24 HOURS...
24 HOURS...
Zulum Blames Unending Insurgency on Trust Deficit between Military, Civil Authorities Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State yesterday stated that the increasing trust deficit between the military and civil authorities and lack of strategic planning are partly responsible for the unending war against insurgency in the North East. Zulum made the statement yesterday in Abuja during a lecture on Strategic Leadership organised for participants of Course 28 of
the National Defence College. He said corruption and displacements were other reasons for the lingering war against insurgency in the region. “You need to have what it takes to end a war, right ammunition, equipment; and the major problem we have now is the increasing trust deficit between the military and the civil authorities. “It is a matter of great concern
to all and there is a need for us to bridge the trust deficit. “Corruption and displacements are other reasons for the unending insurgency in the region. “As long as the people are not resettled back to their communities, the war will not end, because
people need to go back to their normal businesses,” Zulum said. He advocated for stabilisation mechanism, reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement as a follow up to military operations in the North-East, to end the insurgency.
According to him, leadership responsibility under insurgency situation is a daunting task that requires trust and commitment. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted Zulum as saying that a strategic leadership must lead by example with a clear
understanding of the vision and mission of government. The governor said the lingering insurgency has caused humanitarian and displacement crisis with devastating political and social challenges in the state.
Buhari Seeks Senate’s Confirmation of Nominees Deji Elumoye and Chuks Okocha in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has sought the approval and confirmation of the Senate for Dr. Kingsley Obiorah and Professor Adeola Akande as deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) respectively. He is also seeking the upper chamber’s nod for the appointment of Captain Musa Nuhu as director-general of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). These requests were contained in three letters dated January 16, 2020, December 24, 2019, and January 7, 2020, respectively addressed to Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, and read at plenary yesterday. President Buhari, in the letter requesting the confirmation of Obiora as deputy governor of the CBN, wrote: “In accordance with
the provisions of Section 8(1)(2) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) (Establishment) Act 2007, I have the pleasure to present Dr. Kingsley Isitua Obiora for confirmation as deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.” In another letter seeking the confirmation of the NCC nominees, Buhari wrote: “In accordance with the provision of Section 8(1) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, I write to forward for confirmation by the Senate, the under-listed two names of nominees as chairman and member of the governing board of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).” The nominees are: Professor Adeolu Akande (Southwest) as Chairman, and Mr. Uche Onwude (Southeast) as member of the NCC board. In another request, President Buhari sought Senate confirmation of Captain Nuhu as directorgeneral for the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
IG Sponsoring Lawlessness in Oyo LGAs, Afenifere Alleges James Sowole in Akure A pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, yesterday accused the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed Adamu, of sponsoring lawlessness in Oyo State over the recent action by the sacked local government officials to return to office. It would be recalled that Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has ordered the immediate dissolution of local government elected officials on assumption office. Reacting to the development, Afenifere, in a communiqué issued at the end of its General Assembly and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, condemned the action of the IGP on local government matters in Oyo State. The meeting, which was held at Ijapo in Akure, Ondo State home of its leader, Chief Reuben Fasorati, was attended by notable leaders and members of the group including Chief Ayo Adebanjo, the Secretary, Chief Sehinde Arogbofa, Chief Olusola Ebiseni, Chief Korede Futile, Chief Femi Aluko, among others. It was the first meeting in Year 2020. “We condemn in the strongest terms the lawlessness going on in Oyo State over local government dissolution following the call
to self-help by the IGP. We are miffed that the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation is not appraised of the fact that Section 7 of the constitution which provides for the existence of administration and finance of local governments being the duty of states and not the federal government. “Any pupil lawyer should know that you cannot enforce a judgement a state is not party to on it as every case has an authority for what it decides. No one can force a judgement Oyo is not a party to on it,” Afenifere said. The group said apart from the provision of the constitution, which empowered states to control local government, there are two cases in court on Oyo State local government crisis which the federal government and IGP should have waited for determination before allegedly instigating the lawlessness in the state. “We commend the state government for the maturity with which it has handled the matter and it is encouraged to continue on that line until the court decides. The federal government should bury its head in shame for being agent of destabilisation once again,” Afenifere alleged.
PROMOTING ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE……
L-R: Principal, Grace High School, Dr. Stella Olagunju; Chief Executive Officer, Grace Schools, Mrs. Olatokunbo Edun; Director, International Education, Loyalist College, Canada, Mr. Jim Whiteway; Nigerian representative of Loyalist College, Canada, Mrs. Tanwa Talabi; and Vice Principal, Grace High School, Mr. Phillips Balogun, during familiarisation tour of Grace Schools by a representative of Loyalist College, Canada in Gbagada, Lagos… yesterday ETOP UKUTT
Fire Razes FG’s Power Plant in Ondo James Sowole in Akure Fire last Monday gutted the federal government multi-million naira electric power plant located at Oke Agbe town in Akoko South-West Local Government Area of Ondo State. The power plant, which was said to have been established by the federal government some years
ago to supply electricity to Akoko area of the state and some parts of Ekiti State was reported to had been abandoned. The cause of the inferno was still unknown as at the time of filing this report, but a source said it may have been caused by bush burning. An eyewitness said the fire destroyed the entire power plant,
and that there was no effort to put it out following the absence of the men of the Ondo State Fire Service. He said: “We just saw he place suddenly burning and we don’t know what could have caused it, and the fire fighters were not on ground to put out the fire because they are not in this local
government area.” When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer. (PPRO), CSP Femi Joseph, confirmed the incident, saying investigation had commenced into it. “We are yet to know the cause of the fire, but we have commenced investigation into the matter,” he stated.
Kwara Gov, Foreign Minister Meet on Human Trafficking, FDI Kwara State Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq yesterday met with the Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama in Abuja to discuss how to repatriate indigenes of Kwara State trapped in Lebanon and elsewhere, among other issues. “The meeting is a follow up to the efforts by the Governor to ensure prompt repatriation of
indigenes of the state who were victims of human trafficking especially in Lebanon from which two of such persons were recently brought back home,” spokesman of the governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, said in a statement. “The governor also discussed how Kwara can collaborate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to benefit from Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) particularly in the area of enterprise, agro-processing, human capital development, and others.” AbdulRazaq also told the minister of the resolve of his administration to kickstart the process of opening up an alternate West African route by linking Bode Saadu to Kaiama and Chikanda Road which empties into the country’s border with the
northern axis of the Benin Republic. “The governor told the Foreign Minister that his administration will construct the Kosu-Bosu Bode Saadu Road which is critical for this international highway. He said the highway will effectively link Nigeria’s North Central to West Africa and will be an alternative to the WestAfrica highway which is a coastal road,” the statement said.
Kogi Assembly Screens, Confirms 17 Commissioner-nominees Ibrahim Oyewale inLokoja Kogi State House of Assembly has screened and cleared a list of 17 commissioner-nominees sent to the Assembly by Governor Yahaya Bello. The Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly, Mathew
Kolawole, had earlier announced that the Assembly received a letter from the governor requesting it to screen 17 commissioner-nominees. The nominees presented themselves for the screening exercise, but the Assembly gave priority to all former
lawmakers who were nominated as commissioners to be screened by asking them to take a bow and go. While other nominees were subsequently screened one after the other. Those screened are: Mohammed Sani, Asiwaju
Ashiru, Abubakar Ohere, David Apeh, Joseph Baron, David Oniye, Idris Musa, Wemi Jones, Kingsely Olorunfemi Fanwo, Abdulsalam Ozigij, Abdulnumini Danga, Haruna Audu, Adewale Victor Omofaye, Hajiya Fatimah Aliyu, Gabriel Yunisa Olofu, and Bashiru Abubakar Gegu.
Abiodun Promises to Rebuild Burnt Sagamu Market Kayode Fasua in Abeokuta Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has assured the people of Sagamu, especially traders affected by the Monday midnight inferno at Sabo market that they would receive government’s quick intervention. He assured that the market would not only be rebuilt as soon as possible, it would also be built to taste “with all modern
amenities, such as access roads, quality architecture and security, and fire fighting devices.” Abiodun gave the assurances during an on-the-spot assessment to the market situated in Sagamu, where he urged the affected traders to be calm and patient with the state government, adding that the traders must learn a lesson from what happened at the scene of the fire outbreak.
“By the grace of God, we will rebuild this market and we will not waste time. We will put measures in place to ensure it does not happen again in the future. We will also look at how to ensure the efficiency of our fire service,” the governor said. He particularly begged the traders to be patient, calm and give government some time, saying “we will do everything we can to bring succour and relief to all those that
are affected. We must learn a lesson from what has happened here overnight. This must not happen in any of our markets again.” Abiodun promised that his administration would enumerate and quickly consider immediate relief measures for the affected traders, adding that government would also look at the design of the market with a view to foreclosing such future disasters.
47
Ëœ ÍşÎ Ëœ ͺ͸ͺ͸ Ëž T H I S D AY
WEDNESDAYSPORTS
Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY
AFN Ready for Tokyo Olympics, Unveils 2020 Programme Duro Ikhazuagbe The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has said that it is ready to reverse the trend of returning from the quadrennial Olympic Games without any medal to show for the outings. Nigeria last won any track and field medal 12 years ago at the 2008 Games in Beijing, China. It was no show at both the London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016. Acting President of the AFN, Honourable Olamide George, gave this promise of a new era for track and field as he unveiled the federation’s 2020 programme of activities in Abuja yesterday. “We have some athletes that have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics and we are, through the competitions we have lined up trying to get a few more to make the qualification standard. More importantly, we need to get our relay teams to qualify for the quadrennial event. “We are going to compete in some relays in the USA and Europe as well as utilise the two windows we will have at the African Championships in Algeria in June to either secure or cement our qualifications,� he said while allaying fears the so-called crisis in the administration of the sport will distract the federation from executing its programmes for the Olympics. He promised that all hands are on deck towards achieving a memorable outing at the Tokyo Olympics in July/August. George said that the programme was designed to bring life back into the sport that has suffered from maladministration in recent ye ars. “We have made athletes the focus of our programme and have designed one that will ensure they attain optimum performance level for both the
African Championships and the Olympics,� said George. The AFN chief said the athletes will begin running, throwing and jumping from next month with the All-Comers competition in Akure. “We have secured the venue and will provide accommodation for athletes based on last year’s performance. There will be no prize money for this because it is an All-Comers affair,� explained the AFN president who revealed that prize monies will be introduced at the Classics proper beginning from the first AFN Classics in Ado Ekiti at the end of February. “We are bringing back the Classics, our annual series of elite athletics competitions which produced so many champions for Nigeria in the past. So far we have four legs of the competition and we are looking to see if we can add a fifth,� he said and revealed that the AFN Classics after the National Sports Festival will be used to evaluate athletes’ performances for the Olympics. “We will use the National Sports Festival to invite athletes to our African Championship and Olympics camp. After that the AFN Classics will be used to evaluate their performances. We know there are athletes who may not reach peak form at the Festival and the AFN Classics will give these athletes the opportunity to get into our pre-African Championships and Olympics cam.� “There is no crisis in AFN. We are focused on the Olympics and have submitted our programme to our supervisory body, the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development. We are lucky to have professionally minded and committed people in the ministry headed by the
Preparations Begin for DOAM Foundation 10th Charity Golf Tourney The Daniel Ogechi Akujobi Memorial (DOAM) Foundation’s annual Charity Golf Tournament enters its tenth year and preparations are ongoing to make the 2020 event a milestone edition. According to DOAMF, this year’s edition would showcase in retrospect, all the projects (in health and education) that the Foundation has executed with proceeds of its charity golf tournaments in the last nine years. Pat Bassey, who has been the Coordinator of the organizing committee of the event since inception, said over 80,000 lives have been touched, adding that a significant part of the funding for the various life-changing projects have come from the annual charity golf tournament. “It has been a memorable journey for all of us involved in this project. For a decade, we have volunteered to support this project which gives hope to the hopeless and makes the
weak strong.� He said. “The Foundation has supported less privileged and underserved people and communities facing challenges particularly in the areas of health and education. It has awarded scholarships, built e-libraries, sickbays, organized free medical outreach programs and, more importantly, educated and mentored Nigerian children and youths,� he added. He further explained that the achievements would not have been possible, were it not for the magnanimity and support shown to the Foundation by corporate organizations and kind-hearted individuals during the yearly Charity Golf Tournaments. Hence, as a mark of gratitude, this year’s 10th edition would be devoted to showcasing the various intervention projects that have been made possible with the support received from donors.
Sports Minister, Mr. Sunday Dare. “Recall the minister’s ‘adopt an athlete programme’ in Lagos last December?
It has helped greatly in reassuring our elite athletes that Nigeria is backing them all the way to the podium in Tokyo 2020 and beyond,�
concludes George. The AFN president appeals for cooperation from Nigerians, especially the media as a new
chapter of transparency and professionalism has opened in the administration of athletics in Nigeria.
Tobi Amusan is one of Nigeria’s brightest medal prospect at Tokyo 2020
Kobe Bryant’s Death: Air Traffic Recordings Released The radio traffic audio indicates Ara Zobayan, the pilot of the crashed helicopter in which Kobe Bryant and eight others died, tried to remain below clouds in order to remain in visual contact with the ground and avoid flying on instruments, said Gary Robb, an aviation lawyer and author of the book Helicopter Crash Litigation. Robb said it was “certainly possible� that the pilot was “flying so low to get under the cloud cover that he clipped the top of that mountain that
extended into the clouds.â€? “The dialogue between the pilot and air traffic control leads me to believe ‌ he kept wanting to go lower and lower, beneath the fog and ceiling, as we call it, and that could have led him to fly so low that he flew into the mountain,â€? Robb said. The pilot, in his transmissions, “was calm and controlled the whole time,â€? Robb said, calling the communications “extremely normal and routine.â€? Investigators also would have to consider mechanical failure,
Robb said, though he described the Sikorsky twin-engine turbo helicopter as a “reliable� and “generally safe� aircraft. The mourning continued a day after Bryant’s death. After Lakers fans spontaneously built a shrine to Bryant near the Staples Centre where he played his home games, fans laid down flowers and Bryant jerseys at Lower Merion High School outside Philadelphia, where Bryant played before joining the NBA. In Hollywood, A-list stars including Robert De Niro
and Brad Pitt took part in a moment of silence to honour Bryant at the start of the annual Academy Award nominees luncheon. Bryant, an Oscar winner for the animated short film ‘Dear Basketball,’ attended the lunch two years ago. In New York, early morning commuters emerging from Penn Station stopped for a silent moment before an enormous electronic billboard lit up with Bryant’s image outside Madison Square Garden.
Obaseki Inaugurates National Sports Festival Secretariat Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City Ahead of the 20th edition of the National Sports Festival to be hosted by Edo State in March this year, the state’s Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, yesterday, inaugurated the secretariat complex for the festival The Secretariat is located within the Edo State Government House in Benin City and would serve as the coordinating venue for the competition, which holds in different venues across the state. Addressing journalists after inaugurating the complex, Obaseki described the edifice as a world-class office with conducive environment for work. He said the campaign for the National Sports Festival would commence in a week’s time, as President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to receive the torch of the game by the end of the month. Obaseki said the physical infrastructure needed for the games are being completed,
noting, “I was flying over the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium today, you can see that the base for the track has been laid; the football pitch is ready, and the lawn tennis section is completed. The swimming pools are being furnished, so the key infrastructure we need for the game are almost ready. “Athletes are being readied for camping. All measures
that will ensure the success of the games have been taken care of,� he said. In his remarks, Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Phillip Shaibu, said the state is making sure it hosts the games to win, adding, “the Edo State Sports Festival holding from Feb. 10 would be used to select athletes across the 18 local government councils
of the state to represent Edo during the NSF.� “The state’s gold medalists are seeded for the finals of the state festival and we are using the festival to get new talents from across the state,� he added. The deputy governor said the camping for the NSF would commence at the end of the state’s sports Festival.
R-L: Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Philip Shaibu; Governor Godwin Obaseki and Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie Esq., at the commissioning of the 2020 National Sports Festival (NSF) secretariat complex at Government House in Benin City‌yesterday
Wednesday January 29, 2020
TR
UT H
& RE A SO
N
Price: N250
MISSILE Edo Govt to Oshiomhole “Edo State Government needs Oshiomhole to understand that the state and the country are governed by laws. These laws are upheld by institutions that must be respected by highly-placed politicians and everyone else” – Edo State Government accusing the National Chairman of APC,Adams Oshiomhole, of repeatedly breaching the peace and safety of the state.
OKEYIKECHUKWU
EDIFYING ELUCIDATIONS
okey.ikechukwu@thisdaylive.com
Special Assistant of the Decade T
he THISDAY awards have come and gone. The winners in the various categories of merit are probably not done with the celebrations. The particular award on the basis of which I decided to write about the Special Assistant of the Decade is that of Peter Obi, the former governor of Anambra State, who won the Governor of the Decade award. But, knowing that no governor governs by himself, and also knowing that there is always a deputy governor, commissioners, aides, etc., we must state, for the record, that the choice and effective deployment of supporting personnel are critical success factors in this matter. Such dependable people as Mrs. Obi, Prof Okunna, Chief Oseloka Obaze, Mr. Peter Afuba and many others who stood like unshakable pillars around Peter Obi through thick and thin are relevant, if not determining, variable here. But the person I presume to bring out for special, and elaborate, mention here, in retaliation for the unsolicited ambush he has repeatedly inflicted on me over the years, using several newspapers, is Valentine Obienyem. He was the Senior Special Assistant to the former governor on everything. And I describe him thus very deliberately. Obienyem became an admirer of the former governor long before the latter became governor. He had no real motives of gaining anything from him, as he wrote about the man even when he was still my Personal Assistant in the Federal Ministry of Transport and, later, in the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation. While working with the Director General of the Voice of Nigeria, to whom I “loaned” him with pride, with the charge to leave Jijiwa in no doubt about media efficiency and effectiveness at very low cost, Obienyem still kept his eyes on Obi. He was to later work with him when the latter became governor. He was among the very few, like Afuba and Okunna, who kept faith when he was impeached. They all went through the drudgery of the legal processes, did not join those who asked him to give up his stolen mandate and have remained his friends, supporters and confidants. It is true that Peter Obi travelled light as governor, carrying his own bag, unescorted by security personnel, etc. It is true that he did not waste state resources on large entourages, or send large delegations to the often-pointless annual World Igbo Congress held in the US. “Let one person who will pay real attention to what is going on there, and who will also tell them our mind on key issues, go and represent the rest of us,” was Obi’s position when he pruned down the bloated list he received after assuming office from over 35 names to two. But it is also true that he did not travel alone to major national and grand public events. While others of equivalent standing will arrive such events with at least a ten-man team, in addition to a press crew of not less than five persons, Obi will come with Valentine Obienyem alone. The jobs of photographer, video camera man, television crew, news reporter, interview, newsroom supervisor, social media
Obi handler, media strategist, press Secretary, political adviser, protocol manager, image ambassador, journeyman and temporary Secretary to the State Government (SSG) were combined in Valentine. Obi also always got better media visibility and reportage from the same events to which he travelled light than all his peers combined. I proudly attest to Valentine’s diligence as aide and friend, his unobtrusive effectiveness, his focus on tasks and not privileges and also his not being easily distracted by the proclivities of young men of his biological age and social exposure. That is Val, as I fondly call him. My story with Valentine Obieyem began in the 1990s, but let us fast track to year 2004. I recall an incident in the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, when Arinze Orakwue came to see me in the office. He jokingly observed that he did not know his brother was working with me and I laughed and asked whom he was talking about. It turned out to be Val, my Personal Assistant, and he quickly went to open the door for the later, with whom he had apparently made an arrangement, to walk in uninvited. I had no idea they were related and was
happy to hear that. But they were not blood relations. They were both indigenes of Agulu town in Anambra State. When I then laughed and said “Oh Val, so you are from Agulu” they both burst out in uncontrollable laughter, with Val saying “Doc, Doc” repeatedly. They both made fun of my inattention to anything other than the actual worth of people, as the story of how their conversation when they met within the building led to their planning the office ambush. The first time I met Val was when he came to my office clutching a heavy manuscript of type-written pages. He had a resolute aspect, without any exaggerations. Then his story came out. The manuscript he brought with him was the draft of a book he had written on Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Ikemba Nnewi. The title of the book “Ojukwu: The Last Patriot” was informed by the idea that Ojukwu was the last Nigerian military officer who refused to violate the chain of command, refused to serve under his juniors and who refused to destroy esprit de corps by accepting unprofessional military paradigms. Val wanted me to take over the manuscript, put my name on it as the author and claim credit for it. He wanted it that way because, according to him, he had come to respect and admire me from reading my columns in The Guardian newspaper. He was therefore convinced that, in his own words, “only someone who is well known, intelligent and popular like you” would be the right author of a book on a great man like Ojukwu.” I knew at once that we were going to have a long-drawn conversation – and relationship. To summarise that long conversation, I told him that I had profound respect for Ojukwu and also a personal relationship with the man; but that I do not write biographies as a general rule. I also told him that (1) I will introduce him to Ikemba via a letter, for closer personal interaction to strengthen the results of his independent research; (2) I will read through, edit and review the book and that (3) I will try to make whatever financial resources I could find available, to ensure that the book was published. But he protested,
But the person I presume to bring out for special, and elaborate, mention here, in retaliation for the unsolicited ambush he has repeatedly inflicted on me over the years, using several newspapers, is Valentine Obienyem. He was the Senior Special Assistant to the former governor on everything. And I describe him thus very deliberately
saying he was not well known in the society. Then I reminded him that there was a time the great Chinua Achebe was like him. I also reminded him that the world would not be talking about Achebe’s Things Fall Apart if someone older had been irresponsible enough to take over the young man’s sweat. I told him a bit of my story: of my Ph.D in philosophy, of how I had to take lessons in German in order to write a thesis on Heidegger whom my teachers confessed that no one understood, etc. etc. I summarised it with an Igbo Proverb saying: “An elder does not eat the seed yam of the next planting season, so my duty is to assist with your efforts, not take credit for the sweat of your labour.” He was thus overruled. It was also with this argument that I overruled a committee that wanted Uche Ugbaja’s sweat in writing a biography of my boss, Ojo Maduekwe, given to a well-known professor because Uche was not well known. Under the title “Celebrating Okey Ikechukwu at 55,” Val wrote in the papers regarding our first meeting: “My first meeting with Dr. Okey Ikechukwu was not by accident. As a young man seeking knowledge and direction, I did not miss his columns in The Guardian newspaper because of their philosophical bent. I duly set out to look for him. Identifying me as a young man in need and search of mentorship, he rashly laid that task upon himself and carried it out unquestioningly. After a while he appointed me his research Research/Personal Assistant, though I was still an undergraduate. … I did not know where he got the money he paid me… the pay helped to see me through the university. When I went to the law school, he paid my fees single-handed, as he realised my salary from him would not be enough. During my Call to Bar, he was the only one present for me. He kept close tabs on me, took me along when he moved from Lagos to Abuja and generally mid-wifed and sustained the progress of my journalistic career.” When I called Val after seeing the above piece in the papers, he assured me that he had no idea what I was talking about and that I should hold his pen responsible if I saw anything in the papers. The pen, he said, did not consult him, even though he was not averse to whatever views may have been expressed in the “offending” article. When I reminded him that I had not said anything about any article, he then said that he may have overheard some people talking about something like that. Well, in the same vein, I hold my pen responsible should Val be surprised to find himself ambushed by this article. He deserves to be written about and no one should call my name. Please, I can’t kill myself. Going back to the matter of Governor of the Decade and Special Assistant of the Decade, Val is my number one choice for Special Assistant of the Decade. Peter Obi, on the other hand, is one of those I think of when we speak of the possibility of responsible and cost-effective leadership in Nigeria.
Printed and Published in Lagos by THISDAY Newspapers Limited. Lagos: 35 Creek Road, Apapa, Lagos. Abuja: Plot 1, Sector Centre B, Jabi Business District, Solomon Lar Way, Jabi North East, Abuja . All Correspondence to POBox 54749, Ikoyi, Lagos. EMAIL: editor@thisdaylive.com, info@thisdaylive.com. TELEPHONE Lagos: 0802 2924721-2, 08022924485. Abuja: Tel: 08155555292, 08155555929 24/7 ADVERTISING HOT LINES: 0811 181 3085 0811 181 3086, 0811 181 3087, 0811 181 3088, 0811 181 3089, 0811 181 3090. ENQUIRIES & BOOKING: adsbooking@thisdaylive.com