THURSDAY 20TH FEBRUARY 2020

W’Bank Okays $2.185bn Project Support Fund for Nigeria James Emejo in Abuja The World Bank has approved $2.185 billion to fund six projects in Nigeria as part of its support for the country’s development priorities. The World Bank’s Country Director for Nigeria, Mr.

Shubham Chaudhuri said in a statement yesterday that the World Bank was ramping up its support to Nigeria in its efforts to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty. The fund will be used to finance projects focused on improving immunisation,

providing an enabling business environment for the private sector and expanding the digital economy to promote job creation as well as increasing capacity of public and private sector on governance, social and environmental safeguards. The six approved

programmes in the 2020 fiscal year include: Immunisation Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services (IMPACT); Nigeria Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project; Nigeria Digital Identification for

Development Project and Ogun State Economic Transformation Project. The rest are: Innovation Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills Project and the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards

Enhancement Project (SPESSE). IMPACT will strengthen health systems to deliver effective primary health care and improve immunisation, malaria control and child and maternal health in selected Continued on page 8

Rivers Condemns Attack on Odili, Holds Sylva, Oshiomhole Responsible...

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Borno Gov: Nigeria Needs 100,000 More Soldiers to Crush Boko Haram Wants 50,000 recruited from Borno Urges Buhari to revisit 2016/2017 military strategy to defeat insurgency Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, yesterday said that Nigeria would require about 100,000 more soldiers to win the war against Boko Haram. He, however, suggested at least 50,000 of the recruits should come from Borno, irrespective of whether or not

they have western education, to prosecute the ongoing war against terror. The governor urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the military to revisit the strategy used in 2016/2017 when Nigerians were almost celebrating the demise of Boko Haram so that the insurgents would be defeated once and Continued on page 8

FG Mulls Handover of Power Distribution to Siemens

Warns Discos to brace up or lose licences

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja The federal government is considering a proposal to take over power supply from the distribution companies (Discos) and hand it over to a German firm, Siemens. It warned yesterday that it could no longer tolerate the shoddy performance of the Discos, which has undermined

its efforts at ensuring stable supply of electricity. Should the proposal be approved, Siemens will fully take charge of power generation, transmission and distribution. Briefing reporters after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Continued on page 8

NICE TO HAVE YOU BACK... L-R: Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Senator George Akume; Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the Minister of Water Resources, Mr. Sulieman Adamu, welcoming Akume back from medical trip abroad after the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja…yesterday godwin omoigui

FG, States, LGs Share N647.35bn January Allocation... Page 5

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FG, States, LGs Share N647.35bn January Allocation

Ejiofor Alike The federal, state and local governments yesterday shared a total of N647.35 billion for January as the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting ended in Lagos. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the N647.35 billion shared is 9.63 per cent lower than the N716. 29 billion shared in December 2019. The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mr. Mahmoud Isa-Dutse, told journalists after the meeting that the reduction was due to what was provided by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) for the month. Isa-Dutse said the FIRS had explained that the shortfall of revenue was due to the reduction in economic activities, which usually occurs in January, adding that revenue generation would improve as the months go by. He said the N647.35 billion comprised Statutory Revenue, Value Added Tax (VAT), Exchange Gain, Non-Oil Revenue and Excess Bank Charges recovered. The permanent secretary said as at February 19 (yesterday), the balance in the Excess Crude Account (ECA) was $71.81 million. Isa-Dutse said: “The gross statutory revenue for the month of January 2020 was N525.25 billion. This is lower than the N600.31 billion received in the previous month by N75.06 billion. “For the month of January 2020, the gross revenue available from the Value Added Tax (VAT) was N104.75 billion as against N114.80 billion in the previous month, resulting in a decrease of N10.04 billion. “Exchange Gain yielded a total revenue of N1.04 billion, while the non-oil revenue was N16.29 billion.” He said from the N647. 35 billion, the federal government

got N267.38 billion, the 36 state governments received N176.92 billion and the country's 774 local government councils got a total of N132.94 billion. Isa-Dutse said the oil producing states received N46.19 billion as 13 per cent derivation revenue and the revenue generating agencies received N23.90. billion as cost of revenue collection. According to a communique released by FAAC, a breakdown of the distribution showed that from the gross statutory revenue of N525.25 billion, the federal government received N243.70 billion, the state governments received N123.61 billion and the local government councils received N95.29 billion. “Also, the oil producing states received N46.07 billion as 13 per cent derivation revenue and the revenue collecting agencies received N16.56 billion as cost of collection. “From the Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N104.75, the federal government received N14.61 billion and the state governments received N48.71 billion. “The local government councils received N34.09 billion and the revenue generating agencies received N7.33 billion as cost of revenue collection. “From the Exchange Gain revenue of N1.044 billion, the federal government received N0.48 billion, the state governments received N0.24 billion, the local government councils got N 0.19 billion and the oil producing states got N0.12 billion as 13 per cent derivation revenue. “From the non-oil revenue of N16.29 billion, the federal government got N8.58 billion, the state governments got N4.35 billion, the local government councils got N3.35 billion, ” it said. The communique confirmed that for the month of January 2020, there was a significant increase in Import Duty revenue while Companies Income Tax (CIT), VAT, Oil and Gas Royalties and Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) recorded decreases.

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

Lagos Confirms First Case of Lassa Fever, Isolates Patient Places 63 persons under surveillance

Martins Ifijeh The Lagos State Government has confirmed a case of Lassa fever outbreak in the state, saying the patient has been isolated in the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idia-Araba. It said it had placed 63 persons under close monitoring over concerns that they may have come in contact with a Lassa fever patient. The Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, Prof. Akin Abayomi, in a statement issued yesterday, said the situation was under control and that residents have nothing to fear. “We have identified 63 of the persons he may have been in contact with since his arrival from Ebonyi State into Lagos, Lagos Law School, the Nigeria Air Force Clinic and LUTH.

“They are being monitored. If they develop any symptom of Lassa fever, we will pick them up early and isolate them so that we can break the cycle of transmission,” Abayomi was quoted to have said. He added that the state government, in active collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), was doing everything possible to control the spread of the disease. He said: “The Ministry of Health through Epidemiology, Biosecurity and Global Health Directorate is currently carrying out ‘contact tracing’ to determine those who may have been infected in line with international standards while we beef up our other surveillance strategies. “There is the need for

members of the public to ensure and maintain adequate personal hygiene and environmental sanitation at all times as part of prevention and control measures against the spread of the disease in the state.” According to him, the prevention and control of the disease remain a shared responsibility of all citizens through observance of the highest possible standards of personal and community hygiene as well as environmental sanitation. The commissioner urged residents to store household refuse in sanitary refuse bags or dust bins with tight-fitting covers to avoid infestation by rats and rodents. Abayomi advised the residents to dispose refuse properly at designated dump sites and not

into the drainage system and store food items in rodent-proof containers. He added that it is by so doing that a habitable and conducive environment and a disease-free state can be achieved. “Isolation wards have been prepared to manage suspected and confirmed cases; drugs and other materials have also been prepositioned at designated facilities while health workers have been placed on red alert and community sensitisation activities intensified,” Abayomi said. Before Lagos recorded its first case of Lassa Fever, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had last month recorded a total of 82 cases of Lassa fever, including 14 deaths in eight states.

STATE FUNCTION... President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan (left), in handshake with the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, during the joint public hearing of the Senate Committees on Communications and Trade and Investment at the National Assembly in Abuja...yesterday

Rivers Condemns Attack on Odili, Holds Sylva, Oshiomhole Responsible PDP, Wike behind protest, APC chieftain alleges Lyon sues for calm in Bayelsa Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Rivers State Government has condemned attacks on former Governor of the state, Dr. Peter Odili and his family following the Supreme Court judgment that nullified the election of Mr. David Lyon as winner of the November 16 governorship election in Bayelsa State. Odili's wife, Justice Mary Odili, headed a five-man panel of the Supreme Court that nullified the victory of Lyon and the All Progressives Congress (APC) on February 13. The state government accused the Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva and the National Chairman of the APC, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, of sponsoring the attacks on Odili and members of his family. But in a swift reaction, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr. Yekini Nabena, accused Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of being behind the protest at the Abuja residence of Justice Odili In a statement yesterday

by the state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr. Paulinus Nsirim, issued after the state Executive Council meeting, the state government expressed concern that the federal government did not show interest in what it described as sponsored threats to the lives of the Odilis. Nsirim said: “The Rivers State Executive Council condemns the barricading of the residence of Dr. Peter Odili at Maitama, Abuja by sponsored thugs of the All Progressives Congress (APC).” The state wondered why Odili's family should be singled out for “the unwarranted attack when the judgment that ousted David Lyon as governor of Bayelsa State was a unanimous decision of a five-member panel of Supreme Court justices.” The statement added: “That the Rivers State Executive Council warns the Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva and the National Chairman of APC, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole and their hired agents to desist from the sponsorship of violent attacks against Dr. Peter Odili and members of his family. “That the Rivers State Government will hold Timipre

Sylva and Adams Oshiomhole responsible if anything happens to Dr. Peter Odili and members of his family.” It noted that Rivers State has suffered unfavourable judicial pronouncements and never resorted to self-help as allegedly being promoted by APC leaders. It warned that the Rivers State Government would employ all legal means to protect the Odilis. The statement added that the state would protect all Rivers State indigenes serving as federal and state judicial officers. “The Rivers State Government warns that should this harassment and intimidation continue, it will have no alternative than to retaliate. That the Rivers State Government will defend the lives and property of Rivers people at all times. Enough is enough,” it stated.

PDP, Wike Behind Protest, APC Chieftain Alleges However, refuting the allegations against the APC, Nabena accused Wike and the PDP of sponsoring the protest at the

Abuja residence of Justice Odili. Nabena told journalists in Abuja that the opposition party sponsored protesters who identified themselves as "APC Supporters," stressing that it was a decoy to portray Lyon and his APC supporters in bad light. He stated: "Nobody should be fooled by the usual antics of the PDP. Resort to extra-judicial tactics such as maligning the judiciary and its officials is the PDP's stock-in-trade. The same hired urchins the PDP Chairman, Uche Secondus has used for his protests to the embassies of the UK, US and the European Union were used for Tuesday's protests at Justice Odili's residence. "The Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, aside from being the main financier of the PDP, must explain his inexplicable interest in the governorship of Bayelsa State. The people of Rivers State must begin to ask their governor how and what he uses their money for. "The APC national leadership is already pursuing all legal avenues to contest the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

to declare Mr. Duoye Diri as Bayelsa Governor, having failed to meet the mandatory constitutional requirement to become the governor." Nabena called on the judiciary to ignore what he described as the antics of PDP and always side with the will of the people and rule of law in all matters.

Mischief-Makers Using My Silence To ‘Instigate Violence’, Says Lyon Meanwhile, Lyon has said that some mischief-makers are cashing in on his silence to disrupt law and order in Bayelsa State. Lyon, in a statement yesterday stated that he would not support or be engaged in any act of violence following the outcome of the apex court judgment. He added that the mischiefmakers are using the situation to express their grievances, causing avoidable circumstances in the state. “As a law-abiding citizen of Nigeria, I would never support

or direct anyone to be engaged in acts inimical to the progress and wellbeing of the same people I seek to govern. “Some mischief-makers have seized on the opportunity of my silence to perpetrate all kinds of evil intentions and actions in the guise of expressing their grievances and have created unnecessary and avoidable circumstances in the political history of our state and country.” Lyon added that his thoughts and actions have never wavered from the fact that the court is the last hope of the common man. He said since the Supreme Court judgment, he has been preoccupied with exploring all legal processes in addressing the incident. He called on all political leaders, irrespective of party affiliations, to call their supporters to order and urged them to be calm and law-abiding. He expressed his faith and confidence in the judicial process and the Supreme Court, in particular, noting that “at the end of the day, justice will be done to himself and the good people of Bayelsa State.”

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ASUU Optimistic on Amicable Resolution of Dispute with FG Won't shift ground on rejection of IPPIS Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja, James Sowole in Akure, Wole Ayodele in Jalingo, Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano, Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto and Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has expressed optimism that it will amicably resolve its disputes with the federal government over the implementation of the 2009 agreement and the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS). The union, however, stuck to its position on IPPIS, a centralised payroll system introduced by the federal government, saying it is irreversible. THISDAY had exclusively reported the reopening of negotiations between ASUU and the federal government team, led by the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu. There were, however, fears that the meeting may have been stalled over disagreement on the implementation of IPPIS in federal universities. But the Chairman of ASUU at the Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, Dr. Sabo Yabo, told THISDAY that the union and the federal government were still negotiating to thrash out some contentious areas in the 2009 agreement and IPPIS. Yabo explained that parts of the negotiation is on the adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) proposed by the union to replace IPPIS because it meets the universities’ peculiarities and also does not conflict with the universities Autonomy Act. According to him, the other issues being addressed include: staff welfare and the ratio of

academic staff to non-academic staff. He said the ratio should be 1 to 4, that is, one non-academic staff to four academic staff but lamented that the reverse is the case. Citing the case of the Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, Yabo said the school has 3,000 non- academic staff and only 1,000 academic staff. He also said part of the negotiation is the proper funding of universities by the federal government, adding that if the federal government is sincere, the issues would be resolved amicably. The branch Chairman of ASUU at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Dr. Olayinka Awopetu, also confirmed to THISDAY that the federal government and the union were still talking on the 2009 agreement. "So as we speak now, the Minister of Education was talking with the union. I think they will start the process of renegotiation soon," Awopetu said. On IPPIS, he stated that the union has not changed its position on the matter. "Our stance is still the same; the president of the country said they should go and look at how they can harmonise it because IPPIS as it is now, ASUU will not go back. ASUU will not register," he added. He said the UTAS system was designed by ASUU to take care of all the faults in IPPIS. "The major thing is that IPPIS is illegal in the form that it is now, and that is what we have been saying. "If they remove the illegality there, of course, we are ready to support anything that will curb corruption; that is why we went to develop our own free-of-charge for the

government," Awopetu said. Awopetu expressed optimism that the two parties will resolve the dispute amicably in the interest of university education in Nigeria. ASUU president, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, told THISDAY that the leadership of the union was continuing talks with the federal Ministry of Education. When asked if the talks were deadlocked, Ogunyemi said:" No, it is not. The meeting is still going on ". On the progress of the negotiation, Ogunyemi said it was too early for him to measure the progress but

expressed optimism that the matter will be resolved. He also said no target date had been set to end the current engagement with the federal government. On his part, the Chairman of ASUU at the Federal University of Wukari in Taraba State, Professor Kidzu Oweh, told THISDAY that "we reliably gathered that the government is positively disposed to implementing UTAS proposed by ASUU but some merchants who have interest in IPPIS don't want it to sail through. "But ASUU and the federal government would continue negotiations next week to

review the Memorandum of Action (MoA) on the implementation of the 2009 agreement signed by both parties." The Chairman of ASUU at the Bayero University, Kano (BUK), Professor Haruna Musa, also said IPPIS would not address the peculiarities of Nigerian academics. “Ideally, IPPIS has encroached on university autonomy. That autonomy is threatened when someone will just sit in Abuja and determine your salary while the university governing council is our lawful employer; therefore, the IPPIS is against the principles of university

autonomy. “But the system we proposed is more flexible and can accommodate all the peculiarities of the Nigerian academics. “Also, audit reports have shown that there are a lot of corrections in the IPPIS,” he added. According to him, the two parties will resolve the issues to avoid plunging the university system into another crisis. The ASUU at the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), however, insisted that its members would not enroll into the IPPIS. Continued on page 43

FAREWELL VISIT... L-R: Justice of Court of Appeal, Justice Abdu Aboki; President, Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Adamu Bulkachuwa; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and another Justice of Court of Appeal, Justice Mohammad Lawal Garba, during a courtesy visit at the Lagos House, Marina…yesterday

State House Director, Naankang, was Murdered Court Orders Release How Police arrest suspect of Dasuki’s Passport Alex Enumah in Abuja A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday ordered the release of the international passport of a former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd). Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf gave the order while delivering ruling in an application brought by Dasuki, seeking the release of his passport for the purpose of renewal and visa application. Dasuki was released nearly two months ago after spending four years in custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) despite being granted bail by several courts. Part of the conditions attached to his bail in 2015 was that he should deposit his international passport with the court and could only travel out of the country with the permission of the court.

Omololu Ogunmade and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

Delivering ruling on Dasuki’s application, Justice Baba-Yusuf said since the request was not opposed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which put the defendant on trial, he would grant the request. The judge subsequently ordered the registrar of the court to release the document to Dasuki through his counsel, Malam Ahmed Raji (SAN), to enable him to carry out the renewal of the document, having become expired since the court took custody of it. The order of the court was also to enable Dasuki to obtain a visa for a specialised medical consultation abroad after being in detention for four years. Dasuki along with four others are standing trial before the court on charges of breach of trust and money-laundering. Trial in the charges has been fixed for March 13, 2020.

Details emerged yesterday on the circumstances leading to the murder of Ms. Dagan Laetitia Naankang, an Assistant Director, Administration in the State House. She was 47. Already, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has confirmed the arrest of one suspect in connection with the murder. Naankang was murdered on Monday night in her Abuja apartment by yet to be identified killers. Investigations by THISDAY yesterday revealed that the deceased was killed by some criminals, otherwise known as 'Yahoo boys.' It was learnt that the deceased found out that her environs in Lokogoma was surrounded by 'Yahoo boys', which made her uncomfortable and she reportedly told some of her friends that she was contemplating relocating. It was also learnt that out of

concern over the presence of the boys, she opted to report them to the police. However, it was learnt that the police betrayed her confidence as they freed the suspects after arrest and leaked information to the assailants that it was Ms Naankang who reported them to the police. It was learnt that the suspects, on a revenge mission, manhandled her before they strangled her to death and set her house ablaze. THISDAY also learnt yesterday that her gateman who was suspected to be an accomplice in the sad event had been arrested and had provided useful information that could help in tracking the killers. It was also gathered that one of the killers took their victim's mobile telephone, having mistaken it for his and left his own telephone at the crime scene. It is believed that the telephone will also assist the police in tracking down

the killers. The deceased, who hailed from Plateau State, according to a statement by Deputy Director, Information, Mr. Attah Esa, on Tuesday, worked in her State House office on Monday till 8pm, and was murdered in her apartment at 11p.m.

FCT Police Arrest One Suspect Meanwhile, the FCT Police Command has confirmed the arrest of one suspect in connection with the murder. A statement yesterday by the command said the suspect, Editing Ohonre, conspired with others at large to carry out the killing. According to the statement issued by Anjuguri Manzah, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), "preliminary investigation into the suspected murder of Laetitia Naankang Dagan "f’, an Assistant Director with the Office of the Secretary to the

Government of the Federation, by the Criminal Investigation Department of the FCT Police Command led to the arrest of one Edirin Ohonre ‘m’ who is suspected to have conspired with others now at large to perpetrate the crime. "The suspect, who is currently under interrogation, is assisting the team of police detectives with information that will lead to the arrest of the other suspects connected to the crime, that are now at large", it said. The command commiserated with the bereaved family, friends and colleagues of the deceased and assured the public that it was striving to apprehend the killers. "The command is urging members of the public to disregard insinuations making the rounds in some social media platforms, and also wish to appeal to the members of the public to desist from pre-empting the ongoing police investigation," it added.

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PAGE EIGHT W’BANK OKAYS $2.185BN PROJECT SUPPORT FUND FOR NIGERIA states. According to Chaudhuri, the projects are focused on delivering better services to Nigerians by ensuring children immunisation and protecting them against malaria infection. It will also improve rural mobility with better roads and provide citizens with a unique identification number “to be able to better target social safety nets”. The Bretton Woods institution explained that IMPACT aims to improve vaccination coverage, increase the percentage of children under five who sleep under insecticide treated nets from 28 per cent to 41 per cent and improve the percentage of women who receive post-natal check-ups from 47 per cent to 55 per cent. The project is financed under concessional terms

through an International Development Association (IDA) credit of $650 million. The second project, Nigeria Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project, which is financed through an IDA credit of $280 million, cofinancing of $230 million from the French Development Agency and $65 million from the federal government, will upgrade rural roads, improve connectivity and access to local markets and agrobusiness services in 13 states. The project will upgrade about 1,600 kilometres of rural roads and improve 65 agro-logistics centres. The interventions are expected to increase by up to 10 per cent the proportion of population who live within two kilometres of an all-season road. The third project, Nigeria Digital Identification for

Development Project, bankrolled through an IDA credit of $115 million and co-financing of $100 million from the French Agency for Development and $215 million from the European Investment Bank, seeks to support the National Identity Management Commission to increase the number of persons who have a national identification number (NIN) reaching about 150 million in the next couple of years. "This will enable people in Nigeria, especially marginalised groups, to access welfare-enhancing services. The project will also enhance the ID system’s legal and technical safeguards to protect personal data and privacy," the statement added. Other programmes covered by the scheme include the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project,

which will catalyse private investment in the state by improving the businessenabling environment, strengthening agri-food value chains and upgrading skills. The project will support the issuance of 15,000 Certificates of Occupancy, facilitate offtaker arrangements with agribusinesses for up to 40,000 farmers and improve STEM teaching in up to 70 per cent of public secondary schools, with funding from an IDA credit of $250 million. The Innovation Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills Project will strengthen the skills of 50,000 Nigerian students and enhance the capacity of technical teachers to better equip them for jobs in the formal and informal sectors. The project will increase female enrollment rate from 13 per cent to 23

per cent in technical colleges and provide recognised skills and certification to 3,000 youths after completing an informal apprenticeship. This is financed through an IDA credit of $200 million. The portfolio also included the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement Project (SPESSE), which will strengthen capacity in managing procurement, environmental and social standards in the public and private sectors. The project will enhance the skills of 21,240 persons and facilitate certification of 4,000 practitioners in procurement, environment and social standards and also ensure that accredited degree programmes meet International Best Practice and Good International Industry Practice (GIIP) in these areas

with financing from an IDA credit of $80 million. The project also included the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960, to help the world’s poorest countries by providing grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programmes that boost economic growth, reduce poverty and improve poor people’s lives. IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 75 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Resources from IDA bring positive change to the 1.6 billion people who live in IDA countries. Since 1960, IDA has supported development work in 113 countries. Annual commitments have averaged about $21 billion over the last three years, with about 61 percent going to Africa, according to the bank.

challenges of the Nigerian military, I think the theatre commander can inform you better, but to the best of my knowledge, their major deficiency is manpower. They lack manpower. Borno State has a large landmass and therefore they need manpower; they need technological warfare; they need logistics. You cannot fight this insurgency to an end without technology and without manpower and without funding, this is very germane. "Take my words, they don't have manpower. They don't have equipment." According to the governor, military operation has to use stabilisation mechanism, which ensures stabilisation effort on ground during a military operation. He added that to ensure this, the military needs manpower to hold a place as "without manpower, you cannot hold a place; without people going about their normal activities, going to their farms peace cannot reign. "We have over 500,000 IDPs in Monguno, 120,000 IDPs in the Republic of Niger, we have

68,000 IDPs in the Republic of Cameroon that are eager to come back home and even in Dikwa how many IDPs do we have that have limited access to their farms. This issue will not stop until people have access to their farms. "And honestly speaking, we need to increase the firepower of the police to augment the military as well as the Civil Defence Corps because of their importance." He noted that the paramilitary, police and others have to be allowed to carry sophisticated arms. "I think there is the need to allow for certain guns to be used by the paramilitary for certain period of time. After the insurgency is over, you can now go back to the old position," he stated. Meanwhile, Zulum has declared Monday, a day of statewide fasting and prayers against Boko Haram insurgents. The governor, in a sixminute broadcast to the people of the state, however, said there would be no public holiday on Monday. The governor after enumerating ongoing

collaboration with the military, including calls for mass recruitment, equipping and deployment of thousands of volunteers in the Civilian JTF, hunters and vigilantes, said his call for prayers was strange but a necessary decision made based on popular wish of the people of the state. "Even though this decision is based on the popular demand of our people, some observers may rightly argue that it is a strange call. But then, Borno has been befallen with a strange evil since 2009; and sometimes, strange ailments require strange approaches. “As your governor, I hereby declare Monday the 24th of February 2020 as a day of devotion to pray for the return of peace in Borno. I intend to fast on that day and I appeal to every one of us in Borno, who can, to join in that simple, but pricelessly rewarding spiritual endeavour. I also appeal for the sacrifices of all other well-meaning friends and associates of Borno who can, to join us in fasting on Monday, insha'Allah, for the restoration of peace in Borno State and rest of Nigeria,” he explained.

to subsidise because what they are doing is that they collect 3,000 megawatts and pay for only 1,000 megawatts. That is 15 per cent of what they are collecting. So, government is the one completing the payment. "So, we cannot continue like that. If they are ready to continue, fine but if they are not ready to continue, maybe they should give way to whoever that is ready to come and invest. So, we are asking the government to review and see if they are capable, fine; but if they are not capable, they should give way," he said. In his own briefing, the Minister of State for Works, Abubakar Aliyu, said the council also approved a memorandum to increase the contract cost for the construction of Benin-Akure Road from the earlier N3.297 billion to N4,770,188,497 billion. He said the contract, which was awarded in 2013 by the former administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, was inherited by the current government. "We presented a memo to

the council today (yesterday), which is an augmentation of an ongoing project. It is a road project from Benin-AdumagbeIgba-Akure Road in Edo and Ondo States.The contract was awarded in December 2013, meaning we have inherited the project, and as you all know, it's the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to continue and complete all ongoing projects. "This project was stopped for sometime for lack of funding. Now, that the contractor wants to continue, the bill has to be reviewed. We have reviewed the contract from the original sum of N3,297,221,221.90 to N4,770,188,497, inclusive of VAT and tax, an increase of about N1.48 billion. "It was further reviewed down through the processes of going to BPP to the total sum of N4,770,189,493," he said. Also briefing, the Minister of Water Resources, Malam Suleiman Adamu, said the council approved a memorandum of understanding that he presented, seeking to raise an earlier contract sum of N3.263 billion for the execution of Shonga irritation project in

Kwara State to N10.18 billion. He said the project, located between River Niger and River Benue basins, could serve 1,500 to 2,300 hectares of irrigation project.

BORNO GOV: NIGERIA NEEDS 100,000 MORE SOLDIERS TO CRUSH BOKO HARAM for all. Zulum spoke yesterday in Maiduguri while playing host to the House of Representatives’ Committee on Defence led by its Chairman, Hon. Babajimi Benson. Also yesterday, the governor, in a broadcast, declared Monday a day for statewide fasting and prayers against Boko Haram insurgents. He said the war against insurgents could not be successfully won without manpower, technology and proper funding. He said: “Take my words, they (the military) don’t have the manpower; they don’t have the equipment. Kindly advise the speaker and the Senate president to tell Mr. President to approve the massive recruitment of soldiers. We need about 100,000 more to be recruited into the Nigerian Army. They should come and employ the locals whether they have western education or not. “We need to recruit nothing less than 50,000 men from Borno; we have able-bodied men that can join the Nigerian Armed Forces on an ad-hoc

basis.” Zulum expressed doubt about Nigeria's readiness to win the ongoing war against insurgency, saying that “you cannot fight this war without manpower, technology and proper funding.” The governor added that he will always admit the fact that the Buhari administration did so much to degrade Boko Haram when it came to power in 2015, but the situation has already degenerated with the renewed attacks on the state. He said: "I have always admitted that the federal government has done well under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari. At a time, about 20 local government areas were displaced but after May 29, 2015, almost all the roads were opened and the local government retrieved. "But notwithstanding the gains that we had, between March 2019 till date, we have experienced horrific and simultaneous attacks throughout the state. As I told the Theatre Commander, we are experiencing the attacks in quick geometrical ratio. "I therefore plead with Mr.

President and as well as the Nigerian military to revisit the strategy used during 2016/2017 that we were almost celebrating the demise of Boko Haram so that we can deal with the insurgents once and for all. "One important thing that we have to do is to take the fight into their enclaves. The whereabouts of the Boko Haram is known to all of us. It is known to the people of Borno State; it is known to the military. It is known to all of us. "Another important thing that I raised is the issue of commercial activities. There is nexus between peace, security and development. There is nexus between poverty, unemployment and insecurity and in order to address causes of insurgency, we need to address our major challenges. And one thing I plead with the Nigerian military is to allow for free flow of commercial activities in Borno. This will reduce recruitment, fortunately enough the chief of army staff has lifted the ban on sales of fish and fish farming in Borno State, we have conveyed the message to the fish farmers. "Then coming down to the

FG MULLS HANDOVER OF POWER DISTRIBUTION TO SIEMENS the State House yesterday, the Minister of Power, Mr. Saleh Mamman, said whereas Nigeria currently generates 13,000 megawatts of electricity, it transmits 7,000 to Discos while the distribution companies can only distribute 3,000 megawatts to end users. According to him, the Discos have continued to demonstrate a show of incapacity, inefficiency and dishonesty in the distribution of power to consumers despite the huge investments made into the sector by the federal government since the privatisation of the power sector in 2013. The minister regretted that even when the discos receive 3,000 megawatts, they shortchange the system by paying for only 1,000 megawatts, threatening that the federal government could no longer continue to subsidise their inefficiency. "Government cannot continue subsidising. If they are ready to continue, fine. If not, give chance to those who are ready," Mamman stated. The minister said the proposal to hand over power distribution to Siemens was

contained in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that he submitted to the council yesterday. The minister's memorandum, which FEC admitted yesterday, would be deliberated upon soon and if approved, the Discos will be out of business. The minister only stopped short of saying that the privatisation arrangement embarked upon by the federal government in 2013 with the intention of ending the power supply crisis, has failed. He said: "What I want to say is that most of the problems we are facing in this country is that we cannot get electricity supplied adequately and efficiently and this is because we have a problem in distribution. On generation, there is no more problem. We can generate up to 13,006 megawatts but the transmission, those who are taking the electricity supply can only take 7,000 megawatts; even at that, they are not taking the whole 7,000 megawatts but only 4,500 megawatts and then send for distribution. The distribution (Discos) in turn receives only

3,000 megawatts. Because of technical and commercial reasons, they cannot contain the whole power that has been generated. "So, we have to correct the infrastructure. That is why I said that today (yesterday), I submitted my observation to council and I believe the government is on it. One of the things I will tell you is that government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the German company, Siemens. "They are to align between distribution and transmission and also generation, so that at the end of the day, if we generate 13,000 megawatts, transmission will take the whole 13,000 and will distribute same. That way, Nigerians will be happy and everyone will have 24/7 electricity supply." On January 23, 2020, the federal government, at the end of the monthly National Economic Council (NEC), had said it had so far spent N1.7 trillion on the power sector without any commensurate output. "That is what we are saying. Government cannot continue

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NEWS

Kwankwaso Asks Supreme Court to Review Kano Governorship Case Chuks Okocha in Abuja A former Governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, has asked the Supreme Court to review the state governorship case. In its ruling last month, the apex court had upheld the victory of the state Governor, Dr. Abdullahi

Ganduje, who is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 election. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the state, Alhaji Abba Yusuf, had asked the court to annul Ganduje’s victory but lost from the tribunal up to the apex court.

Kwankwaso, who is the PDP leader in Kano, led some members of the party from the state to the national secretariat of the main opposition party, asking the leadership of the PDP to support the call for a review of Kano governorship election. The media aide to Yusuf, Mr. Ibrahim Adam, disclosed this

in a statement issued yesterday. He said Kwankwaso appealed to the national working committee of PDP to facilitate the process of the Supreme Court’s review on the Kano election case. He lamented that Kano people were “robbed of their mandate through voter disenfranchisement and manipulation of judicial

processes”. Responding, the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, who was represented by his Deputy, Alhaji Suleiman Nazif, said the party has taken Kano as the major support base in northern Nigeria and will do everything within the confines of law to protect the its interests

in the state. Nazif applauded Kwankwaso for his “tenacity” in leading the party to victory in the 2019 governorship election. He, however, complained about the “injustice meted out” to Kano people during the rerun election and the way PDP was “sabotaged of victory”.

Boko Haram: 547 Teachers Killed in North-east, Says NUT The National Union of Teachers (NUT) has revealed that 547 teachers have been killed by the Boko Haram terrorists in the North-east region. The President of the union, Mr. Nasir Idris, said this in Abuja during the 2020 edition of the union’s Solemn Assembly. He did not state the period during which the casualties were recorded, as the insurgency in the North-east geopolitical has run for over a decade. He also said the government has not paid the benefits of the deceased teachers to their families. “It is unfortunate that some of the children of these teachers affected are dropped out of school sitting at home, some can’t even go to their workplaces,” he said. Idris said the union is engaging the affected state governments to ensure that the death benefits of the deceased teachers get to their families. He also spoke on the meeting the union held with President Muhammadu Buhari on its request to adjust the retirement age of teachers to 65 years. ”President Buhari directed that a memo be written through the Minister of Education itemising our request on the retirement age for onward approval,” he said. “We have made headway, we have passed all the processes, from the Senate to the House

of Representatives; everybody is in consonance with the agitation of the Nigerian teachers on the retirement age issue. We look at it that the gesture that allows university lecturers to teach till 65 should be passed onto us teachers of primary and secondary schools.” He said re-adjusting teachers retirement age to 65 would revive classrooms across the country. Idris said state governments no longer recruit teachers for rural areas, which has created a gap in the education system. “Therefore we are having a shortage of teachers in our primary and secondary. That is why we are demanding that the retirement age be made 65, so that when local and state governments fail to recruit teachers we will be able to manage the ones in the system before their retirement.” President Buhari in January acknowledged that Nigeria had a deficit of teachers. The president also said the federal government was ready to engage more qualified teachers to increase the teacher-to-pupil ratio in the country. In his sermon at the event, an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Muhammad Bin Uthman who said the first session of prayers, said, killings in the country have nothing to do with Islam.

Investors Oversubscribe FGN N100bn Bond Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The February 2020 FGN Bond Auction by the Debt Management Office (DMO) which took place yesterday, was significantly oversubscribed. The DMO offered N140 billion across three Instruments to investors at the Auction (five-year tenor--N45 billion; 10-year tenor--N45.00 and 30-year tenor--N50.00 billion). The subscription received through competitive bids for the three instruments was N398.20 billion, indicating a total subscription level of 284.43 per cent. Non-Competitive bid for the sum of N60 billion was also received, bringing the total subscriptions from Competitive and Non-competitive bid to the sum of N458.20 billion. A breakdown of the Competitive subscriptions shows that the sum of N78.43 billion or 174.30% was received for the 5-year Bond; the sum N95.70 billion or 212.67 per cent for the 10-year Bond and the sum of N224.07 billion or 223.15 per

cent for the 30-year Bond. Successful bids were allotted at the rate of 8.7500 per cent for the five-year, 10.7000 per cent for the 10-year and 12.15 per cent for the 30-Year bond, which indicate a decline from the allotment rates of 9.8500 per cent, 11.1250 per cent and 12.5600 per cent for the fiveyear, 10-year and 30-year bonds, respectively, at the January 2020 FGN Bond Auction. The total amount allotted for Competitive Bids was N100.00 billion across the three tenors, while a total sum of N60.00 billion was allotted through NonCompetitive Bid for the five-year and 10-year tenors, at same rates with the Competitive Bids, which made the total allotment from Competitive and Non-Competitive bids to N160.00 billion. Amotekun Bill Scales First, Second Reading at Ondo Assembly The bill for a law to establish the Ondo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun’ Corps 2020 was yesterday committed to the state House of Assembly Committee on Security.

PROJECT INSPECTION...

L-R: Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike; and Managing Director, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Dr. Lars Richter, during the inspection of ongoing construction of three flyover bridges in Port Harcourt…yesterday

Buhari Names New NDDC Boss Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja named Prof. Kemebradikumo Daniel Pondei as the Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Poindei replaces Mrs. Joy Nunieh, who until her removal yesterday, headed the Interim

Management Committee (IMC) of the commission in acting capacity. A statement by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said Buhari approved the enlargement of IMC from former membership of three to five. Adesina listed the new five members of the committee to

include: Pondei as as the acting MD, Dr Cairo Ojougboh as Acting Executive Director (Projects); Mr Ibanga Bassey Etang, acting Executive Director (Finance and Administration); Mrs Caroline Nagbo (member); and Cecilia Bukola Akintomide, a former Vice President with African Development Bank (member). According to the statement,

Pondei, the new NDDC boss, is a Professor of Medicine at the Niger Delta University, and former Provost, College of Health Sciences of the institution. It added that the president had earlier approved that the Interim Management Committee would be in place till the forensic audit of the NDDC was concluded.

Report: Nigeria Ranks among Bottom 10 Globally in Child Devt Nigeria hasranked174thoutofthe180 countriesthatwerecomparedonindices of child health and overall well-being. The report, released yesterday by a commission of over 40 child and adolescent health experts from around the world, revealed a new global index of180countries,comparingperformance on child flourishing, including measures of child survival and well-being, such as health, education, and nutrition; sustainability, with a proxy for greenhouse gas emissions, and equity, or income gaps.

The commission was convened by the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and The Lancet. In the report, Nigeria competed for the bottom place with countries such as Afghanistan (171); Sierra Leone (172); South Sudan (173); and Guinea (175). Others are Mali (176); Niger (177); Somalia (178); Chad (179); and Central African Republic (180). The report noted that, despite dramatic improvements in survival, nutrition, and education over recent

decades, today’s children face an uncertain future. “Climate change, ecological degradation, migrating populations, conflict, pervasive inequalities, and predatory commercial practices threaten the health and future of children in every country,” the report states. It noted that, in 2015, the world’s countries agreed on the Sustainable Development Goals, lamenting that nearly five years later, few countries have recorded much

progress towards achieving them. “This Commission presents the case for placing children, aged 0–18 years, at the centre of the SDGs: at the heart of the concept of sustainability and our shared human endeavour. “Governments must harness coalitions across sectors to overcome ecological and commercial pressures to ensure children receive their rights and entitlements now and a liveable planet in the years to come,” the report admonished.

Oil Discovery in North will Hasten Restructuring, Says Afe Babalola The founder of the Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), has said the discovery of crude oil discovery in the North will quicken the restructuring of the country. Babalola spoke in Lagos yesterday at the maiden edition of the Goke Omisore Annual Lecture organised by the Voice of Reason. He was, however, represented by the Provost, Postgraduate School, Afe Babalola University, Prof. Kunle Olowu, as chairman on the occasion.

In his remarks as chairman on the occasion, Babalola said his prayer was that there would be more oil discoveries around the country because “it will make it easier for the country to embark on the process of restructuring and thereby solve the age-long problem of oil-producing states.” The elder statesman reiterated his belief that the 1999 Constitution was the bane of Nigeria’s prosperity, saying it should be completely discarded.

He said the 1999 Constitution “encourages indolence, lack of creativity, greed, avarice, wanton struggle for positions in the central government and untoward attitude of begging for monthly allocation from the Federal Government.” Babalola added that as a result of the constitution, politics had become the most lucrative business in the country. While saying that he had seen the draft of the new constitution being proposed by the National

Assembly, Babalola said if it scaled through it would make politics less attractive and pave the way for the emergence of “transformational leaders” in the country. “The proposed new constitution would make politics less attractive. It will enable Nigeria to have transformational leaders, who will be visionary and enterprising; who will serve for free; who will only earn sitting allowances and who will use government money for the development of the country.

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Senate Seeks Commission to Control Proliferation of Arms

Four bills seeking to amend 1999 Constitution pass first reading

Chuks Okocha and Deji Elumoye in Abuja

With over 350 million small and light arms in private hands in

Nigeria, the Senate yesterday moved to establish a commission to control its proliferation in the country. This is sequel to the adoption of

Suspected Herdsmen Kill Two Persons in Edo Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City Suspected herdsmen yesterday reportedly killed two indigenes of Owan village in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State. The victims are: 45-year-old man, simply identified as Mr. Harrison Owoh, and Mr. Samuel Imonkhai, a palm wine tapper THISDAY gathered that Owoh was shot by his assailants while he was tapping his palm in the bush while the other victim, Imonkhai was brutally murdered in his farm by the suspected herders. In a ‘Save Our Souls’ message to the Edo State Government, residents of Owan, Agbanikaka , Uhiere, Odiguetie and Odighi communities all in Uhiere Ward of Ovia North East LGA of the state appealed to Governor Godwin Obaseki and the security agencies to come to their rescue to end the incessant and unprovoked killings by suspected herdsmen in their communities.

Speaking on the issue, the Odionwere of Owan Community, Pa Ifiabor Michael stated that the Owan communities have been under siege from suspected headsmen, who have not only ravaged the people’s farm land but have also embarked on a killing spree of the inhabitants. He said said no fewer than eight persons who are predominantly farmers have been killed across these communities since the beginning of February, 2020. “Just yesterday, two indigenes of Owan Village , a palm wine tapper named Owoh and aged 45, was shot by the bandits where he was tapping his palm while another man named Samuel Imonkhai was brutally murdered by these same bandits,” he said. Another resident who didn’t want his name in print, said all efforts made by the inhabitants of these communities to draw government attention to their plight have not received any attention.

the bill titled “A bill for an act to provide for the establishment of the Nigeria National Commission Against the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons and Related Matters,” sponsored by the Chairman of Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Smart Adeyemi . Leading the debate, Adeyemi stated that in 2019 alone, Small Arms Survey reported that over one billion small arms were distributed globally, out of which 350 million (about 70 per cent) are in civilian hands in Nigeria He also said the Survey

revealed that US civilians alone account for 393 million (about 46 per cent) of the worldwide total of civilian held firearms. Accordingly, Senator Adeyemi said the objectives of the commission is to identify country routes and sponsor countries, stating that by so doing, Nigeria would have gone a long way to curbing and controlling the proliferation of arms through the establishment of the commission. He blamed the proliferations of small and light arms in Nigeria for the violent crimes and increasing rate of ethno and

religious crisis as well as violence during elections, explaining that it has taken a heavy toll on the population of Nigeria in terms of humanitarian crisis. The senator said that small arms and light weapons, if not controlled have the capacity to truncate the nascent democracy in Nigeria. He was supported by Senator Adamu Harilu from Kebbi State who blamed the proliferation on illegal routes across the various unmanned routes into Nigeria. He explained that in most cases, these arms found their

ways into private hands through motorcycles, Carmels and other illegal routes. Senator Abdulfatah Buhari from Oyo State said that the number of private arms in Nigeria is more than those in the hands of the military and paramilitary agencies. He blamed the increased rate of proliferation to absence of political will to control. Senator Abdullahi Adamu from Nasarawa state blamed the proliferation on the growing market. He said that there is a great limitations and capacity to control the possession of illegal arms in villages.

Alleged N3.1bn Fraud: Appeal Court Orders Return of Suswam’s Case to Justice Mohammed Alex Enumah in Abuja The Abuja division of the Court of Appeal yesterday ordered the return of the case file of a former governor of Benue State, Senator Gabriel Suswam to Justice Ahmed Mohammed for continuation of trial. The appellate court in a unanimous judgment also stopped Justice Okon Abang, who is currently trying the former governor and another to hands off from the matter. Suswam alongside his former

Commissioner of Finance, Mr. Okolobia Okpanachi, are standing trial on a nine-count charge, bothering on money laundering and diversion of funds to the tune of N3.1 billion, preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). They were arraigned before Justice Mohammed in 2015, who had handled the matter until his withdrawal last year, citing allegations of biase made against him by an online publication.

Following his withdrawal, the case was then re-assigned to Justice Abang for trial, a situation which led to the defendants approaching the Court of Appeal. Delivering judgment in the appeal, the Court of Appeal in the judgment held that it was not satisfied with the reason given by Justice Mohammed for recusing himself from the matter, adding that the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court also erred in re-assigning the matter to another judge.

Justice Emmanuel Agim, who delivered the judgment, subsequently ordered that Justice Mohammed who had shown unjustified reluctance in entertaining the case should give the trial an accelerated hearing. The court held that Justice Mohammed was wrong to have recused himself from conducting the trial on account of fear, when all the parties had expressed confidence in him.

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

INTELLECTUAL LAZINESS KILLINGVISIONS Okello Oculi tasks the African Union to engage the youths in more challenging activities

T

he deaths, in rapid succession, of Bob Marley, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Miriam Makeba, Lucky Dube, and Baba Wamba were, though deeply and widely mourned across Africa, were not openly linked to international politics and foul minds until a CIA agent recently confessed that he administered a cancer-causing chemical to Bob Marley in the service of his country’s national interest. The assertion by his senior brother, a much respected medical doctor, that Fela was felled by HIV/AIDS echoed lyrics of a song that: ‘’A little bit of sugar makes the medicine go down …in the most delightful way’’. What these artists held in common was their combination of music with intellectual guidance for African people fighting for freedom and yearning for development and live justice. In today’s Democratic Republic of Congo, the widespread cry was: ’’When will independence go away’’. One week after independence on June 30, 1960, Patrice Lumumba, the country’s charismatic Prime Minister was assassinated. By the time his killer, Mobutu Sese Seko Kukubendu Wazabanga, died in 1978 of cancer as a fugitive in Morocco, millions of Congolese had known a cruel historical cocktail of combination of bloodshed, hope and disillusionment. Their souls drunk music as tonic. Bob Marley and Fela bashed oppression, cynical corruption and despair at home in Jamaica and Nigeria, respectively; and also felt deeply offended by cruelties against Black peoples by European immigrants. Both lit political fires inside of peoples at home. Bob Marley’s lyric that “We gonna Liberate Zimbabwe… We African Will Fight …’’ shocked Jamaicans into accepting their identity as Africans. It made sense to eliminate them if Africans were not to be aroused to see the wealth and raw resourced being looted by foreign companies. Lucky Dube and Miriam Makeba stirred souls of Black South Africans yearning for Land and whose frustration would be harmless if turned into a pandemic of raping Black girls and women; homicides; armed robberies; mind-bending narcotics, and alcoholism. They too had to go. With their exit also went flags they waved: fluttering hope and vision into eyes of Africa’s youth. Also assassinated were Amilcar Cabral of Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde, Samora Machel of Mozambique, Agustinho Neto of Angola, and Steve Biko of South Africa. Robert Mugabe defeated vicious schemes of denying Africa’s youth symbols of valour, virtue and vision for freedom. The lack of media to keep their giant shadows dressed in heroism, denies Africa’s youths nourishing symbolism. Basil Davidson accused Euro-American intelligence operative of promoting corruption by government officials; and with local political

WITH OVER SIX MILLION YOUTHS HUNGRY FOR VISION AND MISSION, THE AFRICAN UNION COULD TAKE AFRICA TO HEARTS AND MINDS OF YOUTHS BY LAUNCHING CELEBRATIONS ALL ACROSS AFRICA OF INDEPENDENCE DAYS OF EACH AFRICAN COUNTRY

engineers manipulated this drought in heroes for youths by funding ruffians as ‘’governors’’ of secret cults; supplying guns and liquor to create cultures of violent death, brutal rapes, guzzling alcohol and hallucination drugs, and corrupting quality education. Ghosts of European pirates tempted morally disoriented young women and men into trafficking cocaine with swallowed cellophane wraps. Disoriented and angry women lost confidence in themselves and reached out to mimic appearances and mannerisms which DSTV and digital channels constantly bombard them with images of Caucasian models. They blame their poverty on their physical features. Africa’s youth are hungry for mountaintops of challenges to throw their energies and ambitions at. They are located in 16 small territories exemplified by Gambia, Gabon, Rwanda, Lesotho, Djibouti and Tunisia drawn from each of the five regions of the African Union. Gaddafi’s Libya and Morocco started buying diplomatic loyalties of small countries, while Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have promoted violent religious disruption among youths in the big countries: Algeria, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and D.R. Congo. Ambitious youths acting outside officialdom have traversed Africa as traders, extractors of diamond, gold, gemstones, and traffickers in human persons. A surge hit South Africa to harvest fruits of a struggle which they had never volunteered to participate in. The Organisaton of African Unity (OAU)’s Liberation Committee never aroused youth volunteers all across Africa to join the feast of blood to win freedom. With over six million youths hungry for vision and mission, the African Union could take Africa to hearts and minds of youths by launching celebrations All Across Africa of Independence Days of each African country; and each country sending contingents to participate in annual Independence Celebrations of One Country in each of the five geopolitical zones of the African Union. The African Union Commission could complement these ‘culturopolitico’ festivals with hosting a youth simulation of assembly of the African Union. Each country would send five ‘Presidents’ of different countries in zones. As an example, Rwanda’s contingent would have presidents of Algeria from North Africa; Ethiopia (from Eastern Africa); Mozambique (from Southern Africa), Gabon (from Central Africa) and Nigeria (from West Africa). No delegate-president would represent her/his native country. The delegate-president of Rwanda may well come from Tunisia. After the political fiesta, each Youth President would work as an Intern-President in the office of country’s real presidents for one year.

THE IMBALANCE IN NDDC The top echelon of the commission’s offices should be opened all states, writes Eric Teniola

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ince 2000 every President in Nigeria has been unfair to Ondo and Imo States in terms of appointments of Chairman/ Managing Director/Executive Director in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). It does not matter the quantum of oil produced in those two states as long as they are still members of the NNDC, the rotation formula as contained in the NDDC Act should be applied. Why do I say so? On August 27, 1991, General Ibrahim Babangida, created Delta State along with other states. He named Asaba as the state capital, a decision that is still regarded as crucial even till today. A few months later on June 25, 1992, General Babangida established the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC). On July 9, 1992, General Babangida signed into law, the OMPADEC Decree. The states covered by OMPADEC were Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Edo, Ondo and Abia. Port Harcourt was named as the headquarters of OMPADEC in the decree. The decree states among others that the Chairman and all other members of the Commission shall be appointed by the President; the Chairman and all members of the Commission shall be full-time members; the Chairman shall be the chief executive of the Commission and the supplementary provisions contained in the Schedule to this Decree shall have effect with respect to the proceedings of the Commission and the other matters contained therein. In establishing OMPADEC, General Babangida took a cue from Section 159 of the 1963 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. General Babangida should be commended for establishing OMPADEC. From 1966 till 1992 nothing was done by the Central Government to cater for the plight of the people from that region. Section 159 of the 1963 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria states that -----(1) There shall be a board for the Niger Delta which shall be styled the Niger Delta Development Board. The Board was among other things be responsible for advising the government of the Federation and the Governments of Eastern

Nigeria and Mid-Western Nigeria with respect to the physical development of the Niger Delta. The objectives of the Niger Delta Development Board are the same as that of OMPADEC which are to (a) to receive and administer the monthly sums from the allocation of the Federation Account in accordance with confirmed ratio of oil production in each State— (i) for the rehabilitation and development of oil mineral producing areas and for tackling ecological problems that have arisen from the exploration of oil minerals. General Babangida appointed Mr. Albert Korubo Horsfall from Buguma in Rivers state as the Chairman of OMPADEC. Mr. Horsfall was the former founding Director of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency and director General of the State Security Service. He also appointed six commissioners to work with Chief Horsfall among whom is Dr Juniad S. Mohammed. Between 1979 and 1983, Dr. Mohammed represented Kano West ward in the House of Representative. During the tenure of Chief Horsfall, OMPADEC received N11.48 billion approximately $133,488,372 from government through monthly disbursements from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). At the time President Olusegun Obasanjo took over on May 29, 1999, he handed the affairs of OMPADEC to his special adviser on utilities, Mr. Linyel Imoke. Mr. Imoke hails from Agbo tribe in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State. His father, Dr. Samuel Imoke was a medical doctor who became a cabinet minister and leader of Parliament in the former Eastern Region. In December 1999, President Olusegun Obasanjo sent a bill as an act changing the status of OMPADEC to NDDC. On June 6, 2000, the act was passed into Law by the Senate while the act was passed earlier into Law on June 1, 2000 by the House of Representatives. Alhaji Ghali Umar Na’Abba, the Speaker of the House of Representatives signed the act into Law on July 11, 2000 while Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, the then Senate President endorsed the act on July 12, 2000. The then Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Ibrahim Sali, CON, endorsed the Act as a bill on August 15, 2000 and was signed into Law by President Obasanjo on

that day. The bill states that (1) There is hereby established a body to be known as Niger-Delta Development Commission (in this Act referred to as “the Commission”).(2)The Commission-(a) shall be a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal; (b)may sue and be sued in its corporate name. (3) The Commission shall have its head office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and shall establish an office in each member state of the Commission. 2.(1)There is hereby established for the Commission a governing Board (in this Act referred to as “the Board”), which shall consist of-(a) a Chairman; (b) one person who shall be an indigene of an oil producing area to represent each of the following member States, that is, (i) Abia State,(ii) Akwa-lbom State,(iii) Bayelsa State,(iv) Cross River State,(v) Delta State,(vi) Edo State,(vii) Imo State,(viii) Ondo State, and(ix) Rivers State; (c) three persons to represent non-Oil mineral producing States provided that such membership should be drawn from the remaining geo-political zones which are not represented in the Commission; (d) One representative of Oil producing companies in the Niger Delta nominated by the oil producing companies;(e)one person to represent the Federal Ministry of Finance;(f)one person to represent Federal Ministry of Environment (g) the managing Director of the Commission (h) two executive Directors (2)The Chairman and other members-of the Board shall-(a) be appointed by the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, subject to the confirmation of the Senate, in consultation with the House of Representatives.(b) be persons of proven integrity and ability.(3) The members of the Board referred to in paragraph (a - f) of sub-section (1)of this section shall be part-time members(4)The supplementary provisions set out in the Schedule to this Act shall have effect with respect to the proceedings of the Board and the other matters contained therein.3. (1) Subject to the provisions of section 4 of this Act a member of the Board, other than an ex-officio member, shall hold office for a term of four years at the first instance and may be re-appointed for a further term of four years and no more (2) A member of the Board other than ex-officio member, may resign his appointment by

notice, in writing under his hand addressed to the President Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, which resignation shall take effect only upon receipt by the President, Commander-in-Chief. 4. The office of the Chairman SHALL ROTATE amongst the member states of the Commission in the following alphabetical order. (a) Abia State; (b) Akwa-Ibom State; (c) Bayelsa State;(d) Cross-River State; (e) Delta State;(f) Edo State;(g) Imo State;(h) Ondo State; and (i) Rivers State. Section 12 of the NDDC Acts states (1) there shall be for the Commission, a Managing Director, and two Executive Directors who shall be indigenes of oil producing areas starting with the member states of the Commission with the highest production quantum of oil and SHALL ROTATE amongst member states in the order of production. President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed Chief Godwin Eyarubere Omene, the first indigenous deputy Managing Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, the first Managing Director of NDDC. Chief Omene is from Delta state. President Obasanjo also appointed Chief Onyema Ugochukwu as the pioneer Chairman of NDDC. He is from Abia State. Mr. Timi Ndutimi Alaibe from Bayelsa State later succeeded Chief Omene as Managing Director of NDDC between 2007 and 2009. After leaving the Senate in 2007, Senator Bassey Ewa Henshaw from Cross River State was appointed the Chairman of NDDC. He later handed over to Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba also from Cross Rivers State. Between 2006 and now, the following have served as Managing Director or chairman of NDDC—Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (Chairman of the Governing Board), Mr Nsima Ekere (Managing Director/CEO) from Akwa Ibom State, Mr Mene Derek, Executive Director, (Finance and Admin), and Engr. Adjogbe Samuel, Executive Director, Project. Till date, no one from Ondo or Imo State has been appointed Chairman or Managing Director of NDDC. Contrary to what was contained in the bill. The Ilaje Local Government out of the 18 local governments in Ondo State produces oil. They have capable sons and daughters who can represent them in the NDDC.

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

EDITORIAL ASUU AND THE IPPIS ASUU should do what is right by submitting to transparency

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n the past couple of months, lecturers in the nation’s public universities under the aegis of Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) have been issuing threats of yet another strike. This time, it is over the move by the federal government towards ensuring that all its workers, including lecturers in federal universities, are enrolled under the unified salary scheme - Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS). But we consider it a shame that ASUU would continue to blackmail the federal government on an issue bordering on transparency and accountability. The federal government had conceptualised IPPIS in 2006 to centralise the payment of salaries of workers with a view to detecting fraud. Since then, the university lecturers have refused to be enrolled in the programme. At various times, there were interventions by the leadership of the National Assembly prevailing on the lecturers to dialogue with the federal government on the issue. While there were indeed negotiations, the decision by ASUU to insist on not complying with IPPIS remains the sticking point. Except ASUU THE UNION CANNOT members have BE AN ADVOCATE OF something to hide, TRANSPARENCY AND they should be at the ACCOUNTABILITY ONLY forefront of supporting the introduction WHEN IT CONCERNS of digital payrolls in OTHERS IN THE PUBLIC the public service SECTOR since it has helped to reduce the fraud of multiple payments to ghost workers. The union cannot be an advocate of transparency and accountability only when it concerns others in the public sector. Indeed, as ASUU continues to oppose IPPIS, pertinent questions remain unanswered. What really is the basis of the fear of the lecturers? Is it because it will block the opportunity of lecturing in more than one university and drawing salaries from more than one university, as some commentators have suggested?

These are the issues the leadership of the university academic union needs to ponder and remember the saying that he who goes to equity must go with clean hands. While nothing stops academics as experts in designated fields from offering their services to multiple universities, such services must not violate their contracts with their primary employers.

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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

SUU should also consider the fact that strike should not be its first resort on any matter. The hurried academic calendars, following the end of industrial actions, allow for very little attention to serious studies, or research. That is why our public universities have continued to go down the ladder of academic ranking, even among their peers in Africa. The leadership of the union should reflect on the pains Nigerian students have been going through in recent years. Those past strikes resulted in monumental loss to the nation’s university system as well as the economy. The federal government has threatened to stop payment of salaries to lecturers who fail to comply with IPPIS by the end of this month. In response, ASUU has also resolved to activate indefinite strike the moment the ‘No IPPIS, no salary’ policy was enforced. The consequences of this sort of disagreement in the past had been lengthy industrial strikes by the lecturers, with the attendant debilitating effects on educational development in particular and academic pursuits in general. Students in our universities have suffered enough in recent years and this administration should work with ASUU so that our campuses are not again shut down. The university lecturers should not add to the myriad of problems facing the country. Besides, it should worry the current leadership of ASUU that a once vibrant organisation that set agenda for national discourse in its heyday has degenerated into a strike-obsessed trade union that does not want to be accountable to the people. University lecturers are not above accountability. Their members must submit to IPPIS.

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TACKLING THE PROBLEM OF INSECURITY IN THE FCT

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he Federal Capital Territory, FCT and indeed other parts of the country have been witnessing pockets of security challenges in recent times, ranging from kidnapping, armed banditry, armed robbery, car snatching, communal clashes and even the outright vandalism of public facilities. Reports and explanations given by the relevant security agencies show that criminality and crime in the FCT is now taking a more sophisticated dimension with people using very disingenuous means to perpetrate crime and criminality in the territory. For instance, there have been rising cases of carjacking from both car owners and even dealers by persons posing as mechanics, passersby or even buyers. Also on the increase are cases of some unscrupulous persons using private vehicles or even registered commercial taxis to rob unsuspecting passengers, a term popularly known as “one chance” in the FCT, apparently taking advantage of the restriction imposed on tricycle operations. Added to these problems, are the recent incidences of kidnapping along the Kuje and Abaji axis of the FCT where scores of persons have been kidnapped and huge sums of money collected as ransom before their release. Those who have been unfortunate enough to not have the huge amounts being demanded have had to pay the ultimate price with their lives. Much as there have been very strong emphasis on the need for all the relevant security agencies in the FCT to do their work with added vigour, it has become very clear that the FCT Administration and the security agencies, as city managers and security officials respectively, need to relook at the strategies for combating

crime to be able to match this new level of sophisticated criminality. It is in this light that the recent efforts by the FCTA in partnership with the Area Councils and the security agencies to come up with a more robust approach in tackling insecurity in the territory could be seen as a step in the right direction. The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, having reviewed the security situation in the FCT with emphasis on emerging threats as well as efforts required to curtail them, had during the routine security meeting of the FCT Security Committee, directed that three syndicate teams be set up to tackle all forms of crimes and criminality in the FCT. The three syndicate teams, on the orders of the FCT Minister, have been given the general tasks of identifying black spots, mapping out proactive measures, highlighting possible challenges and areas that require the intervention of the FCT Administration for effective action. The first team (A) comprises of the representatives of the FCT Police Command, Department of State Services (DSS), the Military, Chairman of AMAC and Kuje Area Councils, FCT Security Services Department, the media and the FCT Traditional Council. This team as reliably gathered, will examine closely the serious crimes of banditry, kidnapping, vehicle snatching, armed robbery, insurgency and the policy on community policing. A second team (B), according information made available, will look closely at traffic control and management, curbing traffic offences, regulating of bus/taxi parks, enforcement of the restriction order for tricycles and motorcycles. This team will be made

up of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FCT VIO, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, FCT Security Services Department, FCT Police Command, the military as well as the Chairmen of Bwari and Gwagwalada Area Councils. A third syndicate team (C), has been charged with the task of looking into the crimes of drug (abuse and peddling), human trafficking, illegal immigrants, prostitution and smuggling of illegal items. This team will have as members, representatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Nigeria Correctional Services, Nigeria Customs Services, Nigeria Immigration Services, FCT Security Services Department, religious organizations, FCT Traditional Council and NAPTIP. All teams have been given four weeks to submit their reports at the next security committee meeting. This recent approach by the FCTA, indeed, could be seen as a ray of light in the dark time of serious security challenges currently facing the territory. Not only is it a novel approach, but it also has all the relevant security agencies, political and traditional institutions working together as a team, sharing intelligence information and preferring solutions to the problem of insecurity in the FCT. On the part of the FCT residents, it is very important that we continue to partner and give maximum support to the FCT Administration and the Nigerian police, the military commands within Abuja and other paramilitary agencies that are charged with the security of the city, so that jointly, we will make the city more secure. Danladi Akilu, Durumi II District, Abuja

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NEWS

Fayemi Orders Translation of Amotekun Law, Others into Yoruba Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has directed the state Ministry of Justice to immediately commence the process of translating the state laws into Yoruba language, especially the proposed Amotekun law. The bill for the establishment of the Ekiti State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun, was passed into law at the state House of Assembly last Friday and is now awaiting Fayemi’s assent. The state’s Attorney - General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Olawale Fapohunda, said yesterday in Ado-Ekiti that Fayemi gave the directive so that the ordinary people could better understand the provisions

of the law in their language. “In furtherance of the commitment of the Fayemi administration to its citizens active participation in governance, Mr. Governor has today (yesterday) approved the translation of Laws of Ekiti State into Yoruba Language. “Given the volumes of the Laws of Ekiti State, the translation will be implemented in phases. The first phase will include laws that have direct impact on the daily reality of our people.” Some of the laws that will be translated immediately, according to Fapohunda, include: Sustainable Development Goals Law, Ekiti State, 2019; Ekiti State Property Protection ( Anti- Land Grabbing ) Law 2019; Ekiti State Gender-based Violence (Prohibition ) Law 2019, and

Ekiti State (Transition) Law, 2019. He added that the proposed Amotekun law will be translated into Yoruba after the governor’s assent, saying: “Ekiti State Security Network Agency Bill affects the daily lives of the people of Ekiti

State, especially those in our rural communities. It, therefore, follows that this is one legislation that all of our people need to understand”. On how the laws will be translated, he said that “there

are many qualified academics in the Ekiti State University who specisalised in Yoruba language. We will work with them.” Fapohunda also stated that some of the policy documents of the Ministry of Justice like the Ekiti

State Charter for Victims of Crime; Directive on Non-discontinuance of Criminal Matters, and Additional Measures in aid of Prosecution of Sexual Violence would also be translated into Yoruba language.

Pandemonium over Robbery Scare in Ondo James Sowole in Akure There was pandemonium in Akure, Ondo State capital when the residents of the town heard the rumour that armed robbers were operating at a commercial bank in the town. The rumour caused confusion as residents that were closed to the area where the robbers were said to be operating ran helter skelter. An online blog started the rumour around 11.00 a.m, which spread like

wild fire. As the rumour spread, many commercial banks in the town closed hurriedlyandneveropenedforbusiness for the day. THISDAY gathered that the rumour may have arisen from a letter purportedly sent by robbers to a bank informing the bank of an imminent attack in the second week of February. The rumour created panic which led to the deployment of Police Anti-Robbery patrol teams and

men of Nigerian Army from the 323 Artllery Brigade in Akure. Police teams also engaged in stop and search of vehicles at major junctions in the state capital. Armed robbers had barely two weeks ago attacked two banks at Ile-Oluji headquarters of Ile-Oluji Okeigbo Local Government Area of the state, killing five persons including two policemen. Reacting to the development, Public Relations Officer, Ondo State Police Command, Mr. Femi

Joseph, said there was no robbery or attempted robbery anywhere in the state. Joseph said the story was not only false and mischievous but also wicked and lacked substance He said: “We wish to inform the general public especially the citizens of the state to disregard any rumour of bank robbery or attempted bank robbery in Akure or anywhere in the state.

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 20, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY FEBRUARY 20, 2020

POLITICS

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

‘Those Threatening the Security of This Nation Are Our People’

Segun James dialogues with Chief Lanre Razak, a member of the Lagos State Governor’s Advisory Council, on the restriction of commercial motorcyclists in certain parts of the state and the rising incidents of threat to individual and national security

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eactions to the ban on commercial motorcyclists (okada) have been mixed, some people are for it while others are against, where do you stand on this matter? We must have an in-depth research and knowledge of how okada and tricycle became a mode of public transportation in Lagos state and Nigeria. Maybe you want to call it economic recession or nonchalant attitude of those in charge of public transportation that led to the loss of the Lagos State Transport Corporation, which has been there even from time. Suddenly, it stopped operation and some people thought maybe okada will be the substitute or replacement for these bus services and okada was brought in. There are two major things I want us to consider, go to Igbobi, a ward is dedicated to victims of okada crash. The quantum destruction of human beings through okada, the mortality figure through okada, we must consider it. Then there is their involvement in criminality. If you see okada see two men on the okada and plenty of them moving, you know there is trouble somewhere. Is either they are going to rob, forment trouble, or they are going to kidnap. Okada is an easy vehicle for them to use for all these things. When you compare the good side and the bad side, the bad side is higher, so it is good we do away with okada. It is not helping anybody. We are comparing ourselves with advance countries, go to UK, do they use okada? All they do is to improve their public transportation. The train, the road which is the bus, or you go through Uber or water or the public transportation. Our governor has decided to improve on all three. He is working seriously on the train services. He is not just going to face the one they are doing from CMS to Okokomaiko, he is going to extend it to Ikorodu, Epe and Badagry and even Alimosho area. Lagosians are going to enjoy train services. He has launched 24 boats for water transportation. Lagos state has about 820 new buses and they are to release about 500 of these buses on the roads. I think it is better to move around through these means of transportation. He is synchronizing all the three modes of transportation in Lagos State and this will meet the needs of Lagosians. You can’t choose to be lazy. Some people argue that the reason they want okada is that they cannot trek from their house to the busstop; they want okada to come and pick them at the door step, take them away and return them. Lagosians should be told the bitter truth. There is a Yoruba adage that says, “They are saving the small chicken from the hawk and it is saying that they did not allow it to go to the doorway to eat.” Whereas going there will be the end of its life. When you leave your place with okada you can only thank God when you retune home safe. The percentage of hazard in okada riding is so high. Let’s thank the governor for restricting okada from moving in very volatile areas. I know how many times trailer has crushed okada riders, I know how many times danfo has killed okada riders and the passenger on the highway. All they are saying is that, ‘these areas that are very, very prone to accident, don’t go there.’ You can still remain within your neighbourhood and do your okada business. Those saying that there must be crisis if okada does not move, are those benefiting from the sad situation in Lagos. They maybe union members who make a lot of money from the riders. Or the riders themselves who think that they cannot have any other job to do. Must you die in the process of earning your living? Must you earn your living destroying people? Before okada came people were earning their living and they engaged in other things. They should diversify, they should go to other areas of business. They should go to Okobaba and

things. Agbaje doesn’t have the statistics at his disposal to utter those words. I just sympathize with politicians who want to become popular by running down an existing government. Agbaje is a Pharmacist of note. I appreciate that. But he is a man who cannot develop his own business more than one shop, since he has been running that pharmacy and he wonders how Lagos state is progressing. How were we able to move from the point of just N600 million internally generated funds per month to over several billions per month without additional hardship on Lagosians? All we did was effective scientific, prudent management of resources to achieve the goals. Agbaje is not competent and he is not a person with what it takes to run public affairs. His comment is very unfortunate.

Razak sell wood. They should go elsewhere and do business and make money, rather than insist that except they ride okada, Lagos must collapse. That will not happen. People must be educated on the dangers that okada poses to our individual and collective existence. We must resist these hoodlums. The Minister of Transportation has cautioned against the ban of okada, saying that there will be a lot of unemployment because of the huge number of okada riders and secondly Lagos State will miss taxes from the riders? As a Nigerian and as a minister he has his right to express his opinion. I never heard him say so. If he did, maybe he did not consider the quantum destruction of people. I will advise him to visit Igbobi Orthopaedic Hospital and see the situation of both passengers and riders in that hospital. I am sure after seeing them, he will have a change of heart. I will advise him to even go to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), there are wards for the okada riders and their passengers LUTH. He should equally visit these places.

Must we earn money from the death, sadness, sorrow, destruction of humanity? Lagosians and Lagos State will be too willing to look for other sources of internally generated revenue to run the affairs of this government rather than insisting that okada must consider. He should come back and look at the pros and cons; the good and the bad and the ugly side of okada riding in Lagos and let him come and speak to Lagosians again. I know people really have in-depth knowledge of happenings in okada business will let him know that okada is not the best for this state or Nigeria. PDP chieftain, Jimi Agbaje said the ban was abruptly done, although he noted the reasons given for the ban? The man only crosses rivers on the map. He is not part of the Lagos state government and he doesn’t know how prepared Lagos state government was before taking that decision. I am sure Lagos state government must have been planning the ban of okada for one or two years. If not, they will not have the buses that are readily available. They will not have the ferry services. They have considered a lot of

Lagosians are going to enjoy train services. He has launched 24 boats for water transportation. Lagos state has about 820 new buses and they are to release about 500 of these buses on the roads. I think it is better to move around through these means of transportation. He is synchronizing all the three modes of transportation in Lagos State and this will meet the needs of Lagosians. You can’t choose to be lazy. Some people argue that the reason they want okada is that they cannot trek from their house to the bus-stop

The Peoples Democratic Party called for Mr. President’s resignation for not being able to secure the life and property of Nigerians. What is the way forward to provide better security for Nigerians? Well, the issue of security is not meant only for Mr. President with the service chiefs. Every Nigerian should be security conscious. Those threatening the security of this nation are our people. They are Nigerians. They are not masquerades. We know where they live. What I think we should do urgently is to allow state police. Once we have state police, we will be able to handle most of these things. The state police will operate in form of community police. The community knows everyone; where they stay and how they live. It will not be difficult for the community police to identify who stays in the community and how they operate. These criminals live within the community. The National Assembly should quickly allow states to establish their own police. The issue of the governor as the chief security officer is by word of mouth. The state governors know what it takes them to get the commissioner of police it their states to perform duties of security, because they don’t have absolute command over them. Whatever the governor tells the CP in his state is still subject to approval of the IGP, so what are we talking? We have a structure in security that is not functional or effective enough to provide security for this nation. They may grade offences that the state police can will deal with. There are several offences that the national police cannot cope with because of the level of poverty, even among the Nigerian police. I do not know if a Constable earns up to N100000 per month. How can a Constable earn N50,000? It is not going to help. They should improve the standard of living of policemen. They should provide education for their children. They should give them transportation. A lot of welfare packages should be given to the police so that they can be more committed, more patriotic in their service to Nigeria. We appreciate the South-west governors on the Amotekun initiative. They can’t fold their hands and see their people being dealt with by bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers and ritualists. You can imagine picking a student from the Lagos State University (LASU) to Osun state, only to end up being killed. Who is that governor that will be happy? Don’t we have police in these three states? Don’t we have police in a place where somebody is establishing a church which transforms to a shrine? The structure of the Nigerian police today is not strong enough. It is not adequately providing enough to meet 50% of the security needs of Nigerians. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

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POLITICS

‘S/West Will Not Accept Amotekun under Nigeria Police’ Kemi Olaitan holds a conversation with Dr. Kunle Olajide, the Secretary General of Yoruba Council of Elders, on South-west regional security outfit, Operation Amotekun and the performance of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari

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outh-west governors and the Federal Government seem to have reached an agreement on the Western Nigeria Security Network, Operation Amotekun. Do you think this is the best way to go? There is nothing wrong in having an agreement. For now, the terms of the agreement have not been made known. Beyond what we all read in the media, we have not seen the details of the agreement. But whatever the agreement is, the Yoruba people would not accept that the security outfit be subsumed under the community policing system but that the two work together. It must not be part of community policing because community policing is part of the Nigeria Police system that takes order from Abuja. Amotekun should be such that orders must only come from Ibadan, the other state capitals in the South-west region and Gbongan, which may be the headquarters of the security outfit. In other words, Operation Amotekun must be such that it must be peopled by indigenes of the South-west states. To put it under the Nigeria Police through the community policing would not be acceptable to us. A top official of Miyyeti Allah has called on the South-west to forget Amotekun if it wants to clinch the Presidency in 2023, what is your view on this? It is quite unfortunate that we are dignifying those that are calling themselves Miyyeti Allah. The space accorded them in the media is unnecessary. It is nothing but an association of herdsmen. Because they have access to the media, they are misusing the opportunity. On the statement credited to the Miyyeti Allah official, the Presidency of a country like Nigeria certainly cannot be determined by an association whose members cannot be more than 500,000. The association only came to limelight through the criminal activities of its members such as destroying farmlands, kidnapping and raping of women. To us in the South-west region, there must be a new constitution before the next election so as to reform our leadership process. This is because the system is ladden with corruption, for anybody to become the President such a person would spend nothing less than N100 billion, traversing the country in private jets, buying vehicles and as well as having coordinators. And whoever spends such a huge amount through his or her own money and those donated, such a person must be corrupt as he or she will be accountable to those who assisted along the way. In the past, it was not like this. Indeed, during the First Republic, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, contested and won election in his district in the present Bauchi State to become the first Prime Minister of Nigeria. Also, the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, contested and won election in his Remo division area and became the Premier of Western region. However, the present system is too expensive and the remuneration too juicy with most politicians becoming businessmen overnight instead of focusing on service delivery. The remuneration must be reviewed such that it should not be different from that of the civil service. The time has come for the country to move back to true federalism, Nigeria is nothing but a federation of different people coming together under certain

Olajide

rules. Life is sacred and self-preservation is an inalienable right of everybody, we need a constitution such that the local governments and states would have the right to come together and protect their people. It must be the duty of the legislators in our state Houses of Assembly to give us legislation on Operation Amotekun, such as, when there is misbehaviour on the part of the personnel and most especially funding. It must has nothing to do with Abuja. The Transparency International has rated the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari low

on the fight against corruption. Are you not worried given the much touted claim by the government that it is winning the war? I am not surprised by the rating given the country by Transparency International. The reason for this is simple. There is no leadership that evolved through the present faulty system that can successfully fight corruption. Indeed every form of injustice is corruption. Take the case of a Senator that spends close to N200 million to get into position, how do you expect him not to be corrupt? Thus all the anti-corruption agencies from the ICPC to EFCC are just

There is no leadership that evolved through the present faulty system that can successfully fight corruption. Indeed every form of injustice is corruption. Take the case of a Senator that spends close to N200 million to get into position, how do you expect him not to be corrupt? Thus all the anti-corruption agencies from the ICPC to EFCC are just merely blowing the fire with hand fan leaving the flame. The flame is nothing but effective constitution. Except we address this, the country would just be moving in circles in the fight against corruption

merely blowing the fire with hand fan leaving the flame. The flame is nothing but effective constitution. Except we address this, the country would just be moving in circles in the fight against corruption. But unfortunately, time is running out for the country, no thanks to the massive youth unemployment, infrastructure collapsing every day and a nation with population close to 200 million people grappling with less than 5,000 megawatts of electricity. And my fear is that the country may explode very soon. Those at the helm of affairs must be very careful because you can only fool some people sometime, not all the people all the time. A Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Chairman in a local government area in Adamawa State was recently beheaded by members of the Boko Haram. Do you share the view of the national leadership of CAN that Christians are being persecuted in the country? It is clearly obvious that Christians are under siege in the country. Take for instance the South-west, from available records, the herders have not less than 1,000 cells in the region, unleashing havoc on helpless people. The most unfortunate thing about it is that nobody is being prosecuted for the crimes. The daughter of the Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, was killed and till today, nothing has been heard about the case. Everything points to the fact that there is a programme of Islamisation going on in the country and the earlier the administration of President Buhari puts a stop to it, the better for the country as a whole.

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FEATURES

Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi Email chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, Tel: 08038901925

Passion for Charity A former presidential aide and leader of the Bakassi people, Senator Florence Ita Giwa means so many things to different people. However, the focal thing about her is her undying love for the needy and the displaced people of Bakassi. Chiamaka Ozulumba writes on this amazon with a heart of gold as she clocks 74

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here is a Chinese saying that goes: “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.” For centuries, the greatest thinkers have suggested the same thing: happiness is found in helping others. The above Chinese quote epitomises the essence of Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, who clocked 74 on February 19, 2020. All her activities involves providing solution and alleviating the plights of the common people. In line with her philanthropic nature, the senator started her charity project during her 60th birthday, a vision she said would benefit the younger generation of upcoming leaders. She went into the swampy areas in the creeks to rescue abandoned children and she started with seven of them. Today, the foundation for the welfare of the children of Bakassi has over 14 children that are being catered for by her and they are in different schools and universities in Africa while many of them have graduated. According to her, one of her trying moments was when she paid $7,000 per child in Ghana University during the wave of the economic recession in Nigeria and it wasn't an easy task for her but she was able to surmount the challenges. Ita Giwa does not lead from the comfort of her home. She is a warrior and ready to sacrifice all she had laboured for in fighting any course she believes in. Little wonder why her home in Calabar is always like a tourist centre with people with different needs and demands. For many years now, she frequents the creeks in the South-south, looking for women, children, boys and other vulnerables and caters for them from cradle to adulthood. She ensured that her people are represented in the electoral processes. Even when there were efforts to disenfranchise them, Ita Giwa fought relentlessly until INEC identified and created voting centres for the people that enabled them exercised their franchise despite the challenges. Politically too, the senator has empowered her constituents. Many have risen and attained lofty positions through her connections. According to her, donating to and sustaining her charity project, Foundation For The Children of Bakassi, is a major mood booster. The knowledge that she is helping others is hugely empowering and, in turn, makes her feel happier and more fulfilled. Late last year, Mama Bakassi reaffirmed her commitment to supporting Bakassi children and IDP's in Nigeria when she threw a graduating party for some of the kids she adopted. They made excellent landmark on the soil of history by graduating as one of the best in African University in Ghana. Many of them don’t know their parents while some of them experienced the brutal killings of their parents in the creeks. She pulled them out from destructive trauma, gave them sound education and prevented them from becoming a moral burden to the society. According to her, if they are abandoned by the society, they will become prone to crime and the society will harvest more criminals. The creeks will become a breeding ground for violence, militant infestation and unrest. According to her, the Nigerian government is yet to rebuild the broken traditional structures uprooted in Bakassi, adding that the religious, political and family structures collapsed during the Bakassi tussle. She is however hopeful that President Muhammadu Buhari who had been following her activities in the media and her interventions would someday hearken to her request and attend to the need of her people. “Our traditional institutions have become weak and therefore must be strengthened to respond to the needs of the next generation”. She also painted a cruel and agonising picture of life in the creeks. Many of them live in the IDP camps and wallow in extreme poverty. “We have the oldest IDP camp in Nigeria. The internally displaced people live there, have babies there and die during childbearing in the IDP camps.

Senator Ita Giwa

Ita Giwa with family

Senator Ita Giwa and some of her Bakassi children

They do not have access to good life. We have written lots of petitions and several committees have been set up but the government has not responded to our plights. Ita-Giwa further explained that she is obliged

to raise the future generation by equipping them with the tools to succeed in life. She said it is an investment of love and contribution to the Nigerian society. She decried that Nigeria has not been fair to

the people of Bakassi. The freedom fighters who embraced amnesty have been ignored. Some of the Bakassi children lost their way at the point of trying to navigate through the creeks. Many of the children got stranded at the creeks and she couldn't carry all of them but she was able to pay their school fees to enrol them in neighbouring schools while she also supplies them handouts and relief materials. One of the graduands and beneficiary of the foundation, Paul Bassey Okon, who is a graduate of Petroleum Engineering from the University of Mines and Technology in Tarkwa, Ghana, said, Sen. Ita-Giwa is a blessing in disguise. ''I thank God for using her to build our lives and bless every one of us. She singlehandedly picked people's children and gave them the best of life”. He expressed willingness to give back to the society by also helping to raise other people's children which he said, is the best way to give back to the society. Daniel Edet, another graduate from the foundation, who also studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana, said in spite of the difficult times, Ita-Giwa went out of her way to secure their future by giving them the best education. He noted that considering the plights of the displaced refugees in IDP camps, their own lives have been transformed for better. He also added that he is gunning for a platform that will help displaced people in the future. The senator has not only invested in the future of the kids. She also has a calling in taking care of the physiological needs of her people and as such, she opened a restaurant, Echoes of Calabar in Lagos. To Mama Bakassi, Ita-Giwa said cooking had always been a form of therapy for her. She stated, “I enjoy cooking a lot and I don’t see it as work. For now, I feel it is something more relaxing than politics. I have been fully into the restaurant business without being involved in politics. People often tell me that I am looking younger and I tell them that it is because I am doing what I enjoy. I enjoy interacting with people and I am a foodie. I can travel anywhere to eat a special meal.” She insisted that even as a senator, she cooked for her colleagues in government. She noted, “I am a Calabar woman and we cook well. I say it openly that people always misunderstand Calabar women. A Calabar woman has the ability to multitask. She can run her home, look after her children and work at the same time. “Even as a senator, my colleagues would visit me to eat. But before I went to the Senate, I was running two pharmaceutical companies. I had to shut them down because I didn’t want to go through that route again.” According to her, by opening Echoes of Calabar, she is contributing to the wellbeing of Nigerians. Ita-Giwa stated, “We cook exceptionally good African and continental dishes. We are very careful about the ingredients we use, but the public does not know this. We take care of our palm oil and we don’t use ordinary salt. We also lay much emphasis on seafood. I cannot eat fish from Lagos water because of pollution; so, the fish comes from the fresh water of Bakassi. Twice a week, we fly in fresh fish.” Mama Bakassi, as fondly called by wellwishers, maintained that she was not in a competition with anyone. She noted, “I am not in a competition with anyone; I am just here to make people happy and relaxed. We get almost everything we use here from Calabar, including the cooks, and it makes the difference.” Senator Ita Giwa is indeed in a good place at 74 and this fearless and elegant woman of substance still has more to offer her people and the country at large.” Senator Ita Giwa is indeed in a good place at 74 and this fearless and elegant woman of substance still have more to offer her people and the country at large.

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#THISISNIGERIA - Adun Okupe

Beachfront Communities and the Trickle-Down Effect

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ast week, I received my copy of the premier edition of the Irin Journal, a bi-annual African culture and travel magazine which seeks to discuss African culture, people and communities. I was captivated by the piece ‘Finding Home’ on Wale Silva, an artist and a Tarkwa Bay resident and I was struck by the timing. Whether or not you believe in coincidences, it is curious that the interview conducted in mid-2019 is published and of particular relevance at a time when Tarkwa Bay residents were forcibly evicted from their home on the 21st January 2020. Wale Silva brought a real sense of the journey to find home, however that is conceptualized. From his childhood in Lagos - did you know that you could get Christmas trees from Ikoyi Park, now Parkview Estate, an estate without a park. Wale spoke of his childhood, weekly visits to the National Museum in Onikan where there were free Saturday cultural classes for films and art. For me, it shows that to some extent Nigeria used to work and this is encouraging because the decay happened over time and the rebuilding, must happen over time. Wale described his travels around the world and his decision to eventually settle in Tarkwa and by so doing he painted a vivid picture of a community that was vibrant. Not without its struggles but vibrant, residents who sought a calmer pace of life and wanted to be close to Lagos and contribute in some way, to the experience of life: the surf school to develop the surfing community in Lagos, the work residents had been doing to stem plastic waste and the last time I visited Tarkwa as I loved to do, I remember remarking on its cleanliness and was told that the residents really put an effort to clean up the beach, clean up the waste that comes in from Lagos. And now, all that has vanished. Evictions are not new, and beachfront evictions particularly so. On Tuesday, the 20th of August last year, residents of Wxlacodji beach in neighbouring Cotonou were forcibly removed from their community with 160 houses demolished. The residents had been given two weeks’ notice to vacate their homes. In July 2019, representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development together with the Mayor of Cotonou had visited several waterfront communities along the Cotonou lagoon and Lake Nokoue to mark some houses for eviction. They provided no information about subsequent resettlement. Following this notice, federation members of six waterfront communities under threat quickly organised to write to the Ministry, the representative of the Littoral Department, and the Mayor of Cotonou in search of a reason. They received a response: the residents of the waterfronts of Cotonou were uncivilised and were at the risk of public health. There is no documentation on the current use of the site which was once known as the Wxlacodji beach community. Farther afield, there was another beachfront eviction on the 1st of October, 2019 at the Sylvan Beach Mobile House Park New York. The residents of Mariner’s landing park in Sylvan beach were issued an eviction letter on the 15th of April, 2019 from the Oneida Indian Nation stating they need to vacate the property by October 1, 2019. A reason was given: to redevelop the land around its Mariner’s Landing so as to increase accessibility to a marina and allow for a greater number of people to utilize and enjoy the location. Recognizing the disruption for the renters,

If only this had been the case for Tarkwa Bay residents. Tarkwa Bay is an island along the coastal cove which became a settlement for thousands of Lagosians for over three decades and provided a relaxation area outside of Lagos. About two weeks ago, on the 21st of January 2020, the residents of Tarkwa bay were forcefully evicted with disregard according to news outlets for the safety and security of the residents. The manner of the eviction by the Navy who shot and assaulted residents. No notice was given to the 4,500 residents who were rendered homeless. The reason given: pipeline vandalism. Some structures were reportedly identified as disguise for crude oil theft operations. At least 300 illegal spots and dug out pits revealed that oil products were being tapped and sold illegally were said to be discovered. The way to tackle criminal activity usually is to address the crime, provide more security for the pipelines, not eviction. Some hypotheses about the real reason for the eviction have come up and these are not baseless, let’s look at the evacuation of beachfront residents in July 1990 in Maroko displacing a total of 300,000 people; the displacement of 15,000 people Residents of Wxlacodji beach community in Banana Island on January 1995, Ilubirin beachfront community was also affected in January 1997 displacing 15,000 people, Badia East was evacuated on October, 2003 displacing 5,000 residents, in August 2008 Bar Beach was residents were evacuated rendering 80,000 people homeless and more recently Otodo Gbame residents were evicted in April, 2017 displacing a total of 30,000 residents. The reason provided by the authorities have been for crime and insecurity. The reality is different with the new estates, luxury residences and offices that have cropped up in these areas. The dispossession of the poor for the redevelopment of prime land for the wealthy. Understandably, cities evolve and as the infrastructural pressures of a congested city such as Lagos rise, city officials are given the task of how to address the requirements of the population. Many times, only a segment of the population is focused on, explanations given as always - the trickle-down effect. The trickle-down effect does not work. Rising economic growth results in rising inequality, one need only to look at the inequality rates in emerging economies Some structures were reportedly identified as disguise for crude oil theft operations. At least 300 illegal spots to see that trickling down brings only a and dug out pits revealed that oil products were being tapped and sold illegally were said to be discovered. The trickle, leaving a significant proportion way to tackle criminal activity usually is to address the crime, provide more security for the pipelines, not eviction of inhabitants dispossessed, marginalised, feeling increasingly hopeless. And it is this hopelessness that we must focus on and address. Because when a man has been pushed to the wall, and realises there is nowhere else to go, he becomes fearless. Fearlessness and hopelessness do not mix well. So, is there any hope, what can we learn from this and what does this all mean? My point of view tries to see how the experience of life in our society can be enhanced, how we understand the way of life and what can be done to advance this for economic, social and environmental gain. This issue is quite complex and difficult to unpack in a single article. To be continued.

Displaced residents of Tarkwa Bay

a 6 months’ notice period (the law required a 30-day notice for renters) was given and

the final month of rent was also waived for each of the tenants.

- Dr Adun Okupe is a researcher focused on socio-cultural development in Nigeria. She focuses on leadership as a tool for sustainable development with a sector interest in the cultural and creative industries, and a particular focus on the tourism industry. She is the country investigator for the GLOBE Leadership project which seeks to understand the cultural dimensions of leadership behavior in Nigeria. You may connect with her on @adunova or a.okupe@gmail.com.on AfricanArguments

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THURSDAY FEBRUARY 20, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Western Nations Fund Amnesty International to Destabilise Africa, AU Alleges Buratai seeks support of international organisations against insurgency Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The African Union’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) yesterday declared that Amnesty International (AI) is sponsored by western governments to destabilise Africa. AI has been very critical of some government policies and military operations in the North-east and other internal security operations across the country often accusing them of violating human rights of the citizens. This is coming as the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Yusuf

Buratai, has called on international organisations to support the military in the war against insurgency. The council made the declaration during a visit to the Nigerian Army Headquarters in Abuja. The leader of the delegation and Nigeria’s Representative at the 3rd Permanent Assembly of AU, Mr. Tunji John Ashaolu, said AI was funded by Western countries to destabilise the continent. “We know what Nigerian Army has done since from the

time of ECOMOG and the role of the army cannot be overlooked in silencing the guns in Africa. “We are here to see how we can work together to ensure the silencing of the guns completely in Africa. We want to urge you

to continue to build on what you have achieved so far to support in reaching this objective”, he said. The AU official said “AUECOSOC rate Nigerian Army high. We want to conduct an

assessment on what you do. You have won the war against terrorism. There was nothing like Boko Haram before; it came; you are facing it, tackling it and winning it. “You have worked effectively

in civil military relations and you have supported democracy to succeed in Nigeria. You have ensured professionalism in the army because you have ensured that personnel are trained and retrained”.

Court to Commence Hearing in Sowore, Bakare’s N1bn Suit against DSS Alex Enumah in Abuja Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, yesterday adjourned to March 25, for the commencement of hearing in a separate suit filed by the convener, #RevolutionNow protest, Mr. Omoyele Sowore and his co-defendant, Mr. Olawale Bakare, against the Department of State Services (DSS) for their alleged unlawful detention. Justice Ekwo adjourned till the above date after parties in the suit regularised all their processes. By the suit Sowore and Bakare are challenging what they described as their unlawful and illegal detention by the security agency, and are seeking the sum of N500 million each as compensation for damages suffered as a result of their alleged unlawful detention. The DSS had arrested Sowore on August 3, 2019 in Lagos and kept him for more than the time allowed by law before obtaining an order for his detention for 45 days, while Bakare on his part was arrested

on August 5, in Osogbo. They were however arraigned on September 30 on a seven count criminal charge bordering on alleged treasonable felony amongst others, to which they pleaded not guilty. Even when they were granted bail on October 4, 2019 by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja and perfected their bail, the DSS refused to recognise their bail. However, following an order of the court on November 6, 2019, the DSS released them, only to re-arrest Sowore the following day at the premises of the court. It took a directive from the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice before Sowore was released on December 24 alongside former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd) In the suits, which have the DSS DG and AGF as 1st and 2nd respondents respectively, Sowore and Bakare are demanding the sum of N500 million each as compensation.

CAN Tasks Buhari on Release of Leah Sharibu, Chibok Girls Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has reminded President Muhammadu Buhari his resolve and promise to secure the release of all persons abducted by the Boko Haram terrorists, especially Miss Leah Sharibu and the Chibok girls. CAN, in a statement yesterday by the Director, Legal and Public Affairs, Evangelist Kwamkur Samuel Vondip, said it’s deeply saddened by the puzzle of kidnapping, ransom payment and the non-release of Leah, including her reported present condition as well as other victims. “It is two years now since the young Christian girl and unarguably, the face of the church in the country, Miss Leah Sharibu, was captured by Boko Haram along with other colleagues. But she is the only one still languishing in the den of her captors as a captive of faith, simply because she resisted the pressure from the terrorists to convert to Islam.

“The unsuccessful efforts to free the prisoner of faith by the federal government is highly disturbing, disappointing, depressing and unacceptable. More so that some abductees and persons kidnapped by the terrorists have had their ransoms paid and freed through the efforts of the federal government, relevant security agencies and some international non-governmental organisations,” it said. CAN said it’s disheartening and painful that the government that freed Leah’s colleagues has not deemed it fit to secure her freedom, despite the fact that those in government have children or grandchildren of her age coupled with the fact that her father is a serving police officer. “The same fate is the sad narrative of the Chibok girls’ mass abduction since 2014 after initial freedom of few of them. We commended the government then for securing the freedom of some but since then, the rest have remained in captivity,” CAN said.

HONOUR FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICE…

L-R: Group Managing Director, Dangote Industries Limited, Mr. Olakunle Alake; former Group Managing Director, Dangote Cement Plc, Mr. Joseph Makoju; his wife, Mrs. Gladys Makoju; new Group Managing Director, Dangote Cement Plc, Mr. Michel Puchercos, during Dangote Cement Plc’s send-off party for Makoju after his retirement in Lagos…recently

House Magazine Will Curb Fake News, Says Buhari Adedayo Akinwale and Udora Orizu in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja stated that the Green Chamber Magazine unveiled by the House of Representatives would help curb the scourge of fake news and dis-information that has become the order of the day in the country. The President, who was represented by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji

Lai Mohammed, said prior to the birth of this magazine, information about the activities, including sponsored motions, passage of bills and committee assignments, was obtained mostly from reports in newspapers, the electronic media and the new media. He added that in some cases such information was distorted, leading to the poor perception of lawmakers and what they do. The President explained that the magazine would however correct any distortion and become the

authoritative voice of the House. He noted that access to correct information would not only furnish the image of the House, it would also illuminate the great work that members are doing in the House, including the enormous work that goes into the passage of a bill as well as committee duties. According to him, “This magazine is long overdue. But like the saying goes, it’s better late than never. Coming at this time, when fake news and disinformation have become an avalanche, it is a

most welcome innovation that I am sure will help counter the scourge of fake news and disinformation, especially as it affects the House.” Buhari noted that the magazine would be the authoritative source of anything that goes on in the House - motions being moved, bills being passed, national issues being discussed and constituency projects - the public would be better informed on the activities of the House, and this would in turn reflect in an improved public perception.

N1.2bn Tax Error Claim: FIRS, Ex-NBA President Consider Out-of-court Settlement The parties in a suit of alleged N1.2 billion tax error claims before the Tax Appeal Tribunal, Abuja yesterday agreed to explore an out-of-court settlement. The appellant and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Joseph Daudu (SAN), is challenging the alleged N1.2 billion error in his taxation by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). At the resumed hearing, the

counsel to the appellant, Mr. Adedayo Adedeji, tendered an application which contained the details of options of settlement. Adedeji, however, told the tribunal that the hearing could still go on if the respondent rejected the options of settlement thereof. He also confirmed the presence of his witness, an auditor whom the tribunal directed at the last adjourned date to appear before it to give evidence about the

appellant’s financial statement and be cross-examined. The tribunal Chairman, Mrs. Alice Iriogbe told the parties to key into the out-of-court settlement option and carry the tribunal along with their plans. She, therefore, adjourned to April 22 for a report of settlement or continuation of hearing in the event of a breakdown in the negotiation process. The News Agency of Nigeria

(NAN) reported that the appellant dragged the FIRS before the tribunal over an allegation of an error on assessments of his Withholding Tax (WHT), Personal Income Tax and Value Added Tax (VAT) for the period from 2010 to 2017. Specifically, he expressed dissatisfaction with the decision to assess him with respect to WHT and VAT in the sum of N1. 2 billion.

No Democracy Without Media, Says Gbajabiamila The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila said yesterday that the current democracy being enjoyed by Nigerians was the outcome of the sacrifice and struggle by the Nigerian media without which, it would have been impossible to have democracy in the country. The Speaker who spoke in Abuja at the unveiling of the of the Green Chamber Magazine and official lapel pin of the House of Representatives, paid glowing

tributes to the media for their sacrifice in being the current democracy to bear. The Speaker said “the country has long benefited from the work of dedicated media professionals; men and women possessed of incredible talent and abundant courage, who risked life and limb to tells stories that exposed malfeasance and abuse and held the powerful to account. “I can say with absolute confidence, that this our democratic settlement could

never have been achieved without the noble daring of the press. Those unsung heroes who understood the power of the written word and wielded it in passionate denunciation of the tyranny that sought to consume us all. “I am now, as I always have been, a passionate believer in the value of a free and unfettered press. I am also, am unrepentant advocate of quality and honest journalism. Today, there are others, who have themselves discovered

the power of the word to inform and enlighten, to motivate and inspire, and have continued in that noble tradition of holding the powerful to account. “They operate within a media environment that too often chooses instead to elevate the voices of charlatans, and digital arsonists who exploit the democracy of the internet to spread fake news for clicks and profit and in service of base agendas.”

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T H I S D AY ˾ FEBRUARY 20, 2020

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S

A S

MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

A T

REPO 2.50 % 3.25 %

CALL 1-MONTH

3% 6.50 %

F E B R U A R Y S & P INDEX INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY

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

1 4 , 2 0 2 0 S&P

501.80 % 0.27 %

1/4 TO DATE YEAR TO DATE

EXCHANGE RATE 4.29 % 4.29 %

N306.95/1US DOLLAR* *AS AT LAST FRIDAY

Quick Takes Airtel Lights Up Omishakin Community

The third episode of the A ‘ irtel Touching Lives’ was aired this week on nationalandcableTV.TheepisodefocusedonOmishakin,acommunity in Lagos State that has been without electricity for over 13 years. Due to lack of electricity, the community, in recent times, had experienced multiplesecurityproblemsashoodlumsswarmedtheenvironsinthedark, puttinglivesandpropertyatconstantrisk.Commercialwaterboreholes operatedbyindividualmembersofthecommunityalsofailedastheowners could not afford the resources to fuel generating sets. This resulted in untoldhardshipasthecommunitymembershadtowalklongdistances tofetchpotablewater. The episode showed members of the community as they narrate how theissueofelectricityhasbeenamajorsetbackontheirbusinessesand livelihood.TheepisodetwooftheA ‘ irtelTouchingLives’followedthestory ofColeEvans,a28-year-oldfitnesstrainerwhohadlostallhopefollowing atragicaccidentthatkilledfivepeopleonthescene. Colewasunabletopassurineastheaccidentlefthisurinarytractdamaged and also fractured his pelvis. He also had to endure the trauma of theincidentandsoonfellintoseveredepression. TheepisodeshowedCole’sjourneythroughrecoveryafterAirtelintervened by supporting him with N8 million for a corrective surgery in the United Kingdom.

TECNO Picks Talent Hunt Winners

STAKEHOLDERS’ FORUM

L-R: Advisor, Borderless Alliance, Caleb Omiyiola; Chairman, Lagos Chapter, All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria, Shakin Agbayewa; Assistant Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service, Kaycee Ekekezie; Vice President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr. Gabriel Idahosa; Director, Corporate Affairs, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Ambrose Oruche, and Consul General of Benin Republic, Posset Didier, during a Stakeholders’ Forum on Border Closure organised by the LCCI, held in Lagos...recently

Analysts Raise Concern over Planned Reversal of SIM Registration Policy Stories by Emma Okonji Analysts at Cordros Securities Limited have expressed concern about the recent directive issued by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami, to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to revise the policy on SIM card registration and usage. They firm noted that the directive if implemented, would have a neutral effect on telecoms companies’ earnings in the near-term, adding that there were also risks to the long-term earnings potential of the telecoms operating companies (Telcos). Pantami, had in the direc-

TELECOM tive, stated that the policy reversal was based on the need to combat the spate of insecurity in Nigeria. Assessing the minister’s directive, Cordros Securities stated that SIM card ownership limits were commonplace across the world, especially in developing countries. It however said with a three SIM limit, Nigeria would likely fall in line with Cuba, Lebanon and Singapore, adding that it was unclear if there would be exemptions for corporates with large numbers of SIMs registered, since revenues from corporates made up about 12 per cent of MTNs revenue

in 2019. Looking at the neutral impact and risks of the directive on telecoms business, the report stated: “We see the NIN stipulation as a risk to mobile money adoption and potential revenues expected to reach $889 million by 2023 for telcos, and financial inclusion targets of 95 per cent by 2024 for the government. “The unbanked population of about 60 million, which is the target of mobile money services, will be most affected by the NIN stipulation due to the significant challenges surrounding registration process.” The report further stated that the first directive was not new, with NCC stating this as far back as October 2019.

It however said enforcement had been weak, with customers still given the option of using any of the range of “National IDs” to register. The second stipulation, however, “is where our concern lies. Although the NIMC Act was passed in 2007, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the body in charge of issuing NINs and maintaining the database, was not established until 2010.” “Worse-still, the commencement date for the enforcement of the NIN was on 1 January 2019, six years after the initial SIM registration process ended. “This implies majority of all registered SIMs in the country do not have NINs Continued on page 24

Study: 91% of Africa’s Leaders Explore Data Analytics A recent study conducted by IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) in cooperation with Oxford Economics, has revealed that market leadership is most frequently attained when an organisation establishes a high level of trust in data from its customers, its own business processes, and across its partner ecosystem. To believe in the efficacy of such data, organisations must first gather data, which is key to business success, analyse such information through data analytics and make use of the results from the data analytics to make informed business decision. The idea of believing in

TELECOM data analytics, is the focus of the IBM’s 20th edition of its bi-annual C-Suite Study, titled: “Build Your Trust Advantage,” which polled nearly 380 Clevel executives across African countries, Nigeria inclusive, designed to examine how companies are achieving market leadership by emphasising trust in their use and sharing of data. The study stated that 91 per cent of leaders strongly believe data helps create a strategic advantage in strengthening their level of customer trust as well as their bottom lines. According to the study, through the quantitative and

qualitative surveys issued, it became clear there was a set of leaders – dubbed “Torchbearers” – that stood out as understanding that transparency, reciprocity and accountability are critical ingredients for earning trust among key stakeholders. This group was found to outperform peers in revenue growth and profitability, delivering 169 per cent higher results, as well as in innovation and managing change. The leaders were seen to have a deep understanding that building trust in customer relationships is a strategic imperative and work hard to earn and maintain it.

The study was said to be critically important at a time when consumers report more concerns than ever before in their willingness to share personal information. Analysing the study, the Director, IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV), Lan Fletcher, said: “Leading organisations that have put trust at the core of the way they use data with their customers are creating massive opportunities for greater success. Today’s businesses need to be able to earn trust from their customers while also trusting the data from their own processes Continued on page 24

SixpeoplehavebeenawardedwithN1millioninTECNO’s‘LightUpYour Dream,’campaign. Intherecentscholarshipawardduringthe2019AcadaFest,20students also became beneficiaries of scholarship worth N10 million. In line with this, they went out in search of campus ambassadors, and all three of themwon.Inall,sixfinalistsacrosscampusesfromdifferentregionswere chosen.InJanuary,thesefinalistscametogetherattheFederalCollege of Education, Akoka, Lagos, to have an experience of a lifetime. Asides performancesfromthesixfinalists,peoplewererandomlypickedfrom theaudiencetoshowcasetheirtalentsanddancers,rappersandlotsmore came on stage to wow the crowd. These talented students got goody bags while the winner of the segment got a TECNO Spark 4 courtesy HiOSinpartnershipwithTECNO. Palmplay,whoalsopartneredwithTECNO,shinneditshugebenevolence on Kareem Usman, a student from University of Ilorin after a segment that Palmplay sponsored. He was immediately presented with a letter ofpaidinternship! Also as a partner with TECNO Mobile, Malta Guinness supplied the audiencewithmaltdrinksthroughoutthecompetition. Theselectedjudgeswhomoderatedthecompetition,hadagreatarray oftalentstojudge.Therewasafreestylerapper,artworkartist,apainting artist,afashiondesigner,atotebagmakerandasinger.

Sanofi AfricaTech Challenge Ready

Sanofi, a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the lives of people worldwide, is calling on technology entrepreneurs andstart-upsinNigeriatoparticipateinits2020AfricaTechChallenge. VivaTechnology (VivaTech) is the biggest tech event in Europe. It gathers under one roof the brightest entrepreneurs, executives, investors, studentsandacademicstocollaborate,network,pitch,getinspiredand showcasetheirinnovations. In the past four years, this 3-day annual event has become the biggest gatewayinEuropeforinnovationactorsworldwide. AfricaTech is a lab dedicated by Sanofi atVivaTech to encourage open innovation by African technology startups. The AfricaTech Challenge initiative is part of Sanofi’s strategy to promote entrepreneurship and development in the health sector in Africa. This year, AfricaTech has announcedfourhealthchallenges: “How to support patients with a digital health book in order to access informationandmakedecision; howtohelphealthcaresystemsleapfrogfrommanualtosmartlogistics solutionatthepointofcare;andhowtoimprovefinancingandimpactof innovativehealthsolutionsinAfrica,andSanofiEspoirFoundation’schallenge onhowtoimprovematernalandneonatalhealthinsub-SaharanAfrica. Director, External Affairs at Sanofi Nigeria, Oladimeji Agbolade, said: “Weareinsearchofaffordableanduser-friendlysolutionsfromAfrican start-ups,withatleastaproofofconceptwithpositiveresults,inatleast onecountryinAfrica.“

“If we could through a multi-pronged approach, help small agro business solve their underlying problem of low economies of scale and simultaneously increase productivity, we will be increasing incomes for small farmers” CEO, Babban Gona Services,

Mrs. Lola Masha

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BUSINESSWORLD ANALYSTS RAISE CONCERN OVER PLANNED REVERSAL OF SIM REGISTRATION POLICY attached. Mandating that all SIMs are updated with the NIN effectively re-starts the entire SIM registration process from square one, especially if done in the same manner as the initial phase,” the report added. Part of the directive, which was signed by the Technical Assistant on Information Technology to the Minister, Dr. Femi Adeluyi, had stated: “This is in line with the Powers of the Minister as stated in Section 25(1) of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003- the Minister shall, in writing, from time to time notify the Commission or and express his views on the general policy direction of the federal government in respect of the communications sector. “The revision of the Policy was based on the feedback received from the security agencies following the successful revalidation of improperly registered SIM cards in September 2019 and the blocking of those that failed to revalidate their SIMs.”

STUDY: 91% OF AFRICA’S LEADERS EXPLORE DATA ANALYTICS and ecosystems, or they will quickly fall behind their peers.” While the study focuses on the need for transparency on how companies handle customer data, it also highlights the importance of trusting data that’s within an organisation. African leaders were found to take great pains to ensure that the data within their own walls is accurate and clean so they can leverage it to make the best-informed decisions on important business ventures, such as developing new business models and entering new or emerging markets. According to the study, 82 per cent of African leaders say they have deep trust in data to perfect the quality and speed of the decisions they make, while 79 per cent already extensively use data to develop new business models, and 85 per cent already use data to make informed decisions on entering new markets.

NEWS

FG Highlights Dangers in Use of Pirated Software Stories by Emma Okonji

email that you are not sure of the sender exposes your system and data to risks. Also, using pirated software should be avoided and we must update our software regularly to avoid being target of cyber criminals,” Pantami said. On his part, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, said the maiden annual cyber security summit was in recognition of the importance and centrality of collaborative efforts in the advancement of cybersecurity measures to provide precautions and protection of critical communications infrastructure.

According to Danbatta, “The event is designed to provide a platform for discussion on developing a joint coordination for incidence response for the communication industry, introducing cyber insurance, bridging the cyber workforce gap, strengthening national cooperation, exchange of information, and development of comprehensive strategies that will address the cyber security challenges confronting the communications industry in Nigeria.” Danbatta, stated that in addressing cybercrimes and boosting cyber security, techni-

cal measures and appropriate legal instruments must be put in place to enhance the resilience and integrity of ICT infrastructure and also to safeguard our activities in the cyberspace. While restating the Commission’s efforts towards ensuring that the internet is safe to use, Danbatta emphasised the role of education to mitigate the negative impacts of cybercrime. The EVC highlighted the measures being taken by the Commission to include: Collaboration with relevant stakeholders to embark on a nationwide cyber security

awareness; Establishmet of a Cyber Security Incidence Response Team (CSIRT) Centre; Collaboration with relevant security agencies in the development of the National Cyber Security Policy; Development of Technical Framework for the Use of Social Media Network in Nigeria, among others. Danbatta also informed the audience at the conference that the Commission would soon commence a multi-stakeholder process for the development of an Industry Wide Obligation of Minimum Cyber Security Provisions, which will apply to all operators.

The federal government has warned against the use of pirated software by Nigerians, and listed the associated dangers in such devices. The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, said this while delivering a keynote address at the recent Annual Cyber Security Conference organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Abuja. Pantami, however said government would continue to show commitment in strengthening cybersecurity in the country. According to the minister, the volume of money being lost to cyber criminals globally explained the government’s commitment to securing the country’s national telecommunications infrastructure through necessary technical, legal and policy initiatives. He affirmed that the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) unveiled by President Buhari last November was aimed at deepening access to digital services for a more efficiently and effectively run the economy. Accordingly, the minister, the sixth of the eight pillars of the NDEPS thematically focused on ‘Soft Infrastructure, conceptualised to improve the cyber security architecture in the country. “So, as we deepen access to digital services in the country, I have to say that people need to know that once they are online, they are exposed to L-R: General Manager, Direct Sales, Ntel,Anthony Iloh; Chief Operation Officer, Partner Mobile, Ifeoluwa Molokwu; Chief risks. Technology Officer,Olusola Akintola; MD/CEO, Ntel, Babatunde Omotoba, and CEO, Awesome Communications,Joshua Ajayi, “For instance, just opening an at the media launch of Partner Mobile’s EV1 Smartphone held in Lagos...recently PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT

PRODUCT LAUNCH

‘Upskilling Workforce Critical to Organisations’ Growth’ The Head, Innovation and Sustainability at Honeywell Group, Tomi Otudeko, has stressed the importance of training and re-training for organisations to be competitive in today’s digital transformation era. Otudeko, who spoke at a panel session during the recently held Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) Employment Summit in Lagos, said: “The best way of ensuring that the workforce

of an organisation does not become redundant in the advent of emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), is for organisations to adequately train its staff for the changes to come.” While speaking on the theme: “Jobs for the FutureLeveraging Technology for Job Creation”, she said technology presents new opportunities and also leads to new ways of doing existing jobs.

She said: “Our processes are increasingly automated and this has led to a change in the expectation from our millers. Our milling staff are continuously being trained and have adapted to these changes, working seamlessly with processes that are driven by technology. “Today’s leading organisations are deploying solutions that will automate their business, reduce turnaround time and make business delivery

consistent. The workforce needs to be willing to learn and be innovative in their value addition to their organisations. Embracing technology gives room for people to learn new skills.” Participants at the session agreed that there was need for a change in our education system to ensure it provides the requisite skills, both technology and soft skills, needed by the next generation. They were of the view that

organisations also need to change their business models so as to stay competitive for the future as skills are evolving at an accelerated rate. Other panelists at the session included, Country Manager, Tek Expert, Lars Johannisson; Partner, Experience Centre and Emerging Technologies at Price Waterhouse Copper (PwC), Olufemi Osinubi; and Managing Director, Future Software Resources Limited, Nkem Begho.

Firm to Boost African Startups with $100,000 Entrepreneurship Fund Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Senior Correspondent

Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents

Chinedu Eze (Aviation) Eromosele Abiodun (Maritime) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafo (Energy) Reporters

Nume Ekeghe (Money Market) Nosa Alekhuogie (ICT)

Carbon has set up a $100,000 Pan-African fund to address the lack of funding and support holding back budding tech entrepreneurs on the African continent. Carbon’s Disrupt fund, will invest up to $10,000 per start-up for five per cent equity and give access to Carbon’s API, allowing investees to leverage Carbon’s growing customer base and innovative technology platform, to get to market faster. Acknowledging that its success was dependent on the growth of the tech ecosystem, Carbon expects the initiative to spark more collaboration and further investment that should drive

growth across the ecosystem. With this, Carbon is now accepting applications from companies with operations in Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Egypt. Startups looking to apply for the fund must have a functioning product, post revenue and looking to operate in multiple countries. The fund has a wide investment mandate but target sectors include insurance, health, education which have not seen as much investment as the fintech space. More than 50 per cent of startup funding on the continent in 2019 went to fintech firms1, despite the abundance of op-

portunities that exist in other sectors. Carbon’s Disrupt fund has been developed to tackle this head on, making it easier for entrepreneurs across all sectors to access the funds and get support they needed to establish their solutions and achieve their business objectives. The fund will also provide mentorship, access to Carbon’s customers and payment platform, as well as office space in Carbon’s Lagos offices. Announcing the initiative, the CEO and co-Founder of Carbon, Chijioke Dozie, said: “Common investor wisdom is to stay in your market and dominate. This assumes that

you are expanding on your own but we believe that by collaborating and partnering deliberately, Carbon and other tech companies can scale faster and build more enduring platforms. “There are many excellent companies across the continent looking for the kind of scale Nigeria offers and we are excited to partner with them to provide the support and financial investment they need. “We are equally excited to expand beyond Nigeria and Kenya by working with a new generation of innovators across the continent and sharing our experience to tackle common

obstacles to growth.” Another Co-founder of Carbon, Ngozi Dozie, added: “The investing environment for early stage startups has improved in recent years. However, a key issue for most startups that has not been addressed is the cost of customer acquisition. “A lot of money is spent on acquiring customers, mainly via social media, when a more collaborative approach among tech companies could be more efficient. “Our fund will enable this collaboration, allowing others to market to our customer base and vice versa, a win-win for everyone.”

T H I S D AY ˾ FEBRUARY 20, 2020

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ANALYSIS

Data as Africa’s New ‘Blood’ The importance of data and data analytics as projected by global economies, are beginning to unfold in Africa, writes Emma Okonji

I

n 2017, The Economist had declared that the world’s most valuable resource was no longer oil but data. Since that declaration in 2017, global economies are finding new ways to make the best use of data generation and data analytics in making informed decisions that will propel economies and businesses, in line with emerging technologies that are evolving. Africans are beginning to see the importance of data generation and data analytics, even though research has shown that so much of untapped data sit on the African continent that needs to be harnessed for the proper use for various decision making. Data protection and privacy regulation in most, or even all, African countries are often less mature – particularly when compared to the European Union (EU’s) General Data Protection (GDPR) regime. As such, economies on the continent present both risks and opportunities when it comes to data. At the recent Africa Technology Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, tagged” ‘Africa Tech Summit Kigali, Rwanda, focus was on data protection and privacy regulations, as well as digital transformation in Africa. At that summit, one of the delegates stated that data was, in fact, Africa’s “new blood” rather than the “new oil.” The summit recognised data as the lifeblood for Africa’s pursuit for competitive advantage, as panel discussions were centred around how best to generate data, analyse data, use data, and protect data, having declared that data is Africa’s ‘new blood’ as against the old narrative that data is the ‘new oil’ for Africans. In one of the panel sessions at the summit, the Director, Business Development in charge of Middle East and Africa at Microsoft, Mark Ihimoyan, discussed how Microsoft had in 2019, opened its first data centres on the continent through new cloud regions in Cape Town and Johannesburg. According to him, “Microsoft’s goal is to accelerate global investment in Africa and create greater economic opportunities for businesses based in Africa.” Also, the Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer for GE Africa, Patricia Obozuwa, shared insights from the GE Lagos Garage, a hub for advanced manufacturing skills development focused on building the next generation of Nigerian entrepreneurs. Interventions like this are playing a critical role in building the capacity of human capital on the continent. The CEO and Founder at ARED, a renewable energy startup, Henri Nyakarundi, spoke about some of the challenges that entrepreneurs and investors face in Africa. These include the process of accessing capital. ARED has sought funding to help it scale out of Rwanda into Ethiopia, Senegal and the Ivory coast this year with it planning to do so through the flexibility and agility offered by a licensing model. Fintech players like OPay and Flutterwave, who attended the summit from Nigeria, reflected on open banking regulations coming to Africa. Data as new blood According to a senior marketing and business development professional and member of the board at the African Foundation for Development, Boko Inyundo, the wider industry conversation around Africa and tech was summed up by a delegate’s observation that data is Africa’s “new blood,” particularly in relation to inherent risks around big data. The delegates noted that organisations leveraging large consumer data sets could be seen by those same consumers

in all industries, to roll in a financial accounting package as a one-stop solution for all business requirements. With the arrival of cloud technologies and the increasingly larger scale of data aggregations, the requirements of end-users are changing. Going through standard reports and legacy tools is no longer an option for regional enterprise end-users, according to the views of the Regional Vice President Sales, Africa and Middle East at Epicor, Mr. Monzer Tohme. According to him, endusers want dashboards that give them an instant view of their company position from all different angles. From collection to sales, to product performance, per region, per sales person. They need that sort of analysis on the spot, and at any time. This is where mobility now plays a big part in making data analytics available. But in all of these, there is need for data safety and protection.

as effectively taking their blood, only to sell it right back to them through tools designed to exploit their data at scale. Africa’s “new blood” does run the risk of being ‘contaminated.’ Global cybersecurity firm Dark Trace presented a keynote with case studies showing how the company’s‘Enterprise Immune System’ and ‘Antigena’ technologies have detected and responded to previously unidentified threats against enterprise clients operating in Africa. Cyber risk repeatedly came up as a critical issue. Partner at IKM Advocates from the office of DLA Piper Africa in Kenya, William Maema, noted that many African countries have no specific cyber legislation. For the few jurisdictions where cyber laws exist, there is a general lack of awareness about the importance of investing in cyber resilience through preventive measures, incident response and post-incident remediation. The result, according to the summit, “is a conducive environment for cybercrime in Africa.” The summit, however, advised that corporates, governments and investors must, as a matter of urgency, should design and implement governance structures to protect them and their

The processes themselves have gone from clunky and non-intuitive tools, driven only by the IT department, to a truly modern era of self-service. This self-service approach to data analytics is starting to bear fruit. It does, however, come with some challenges

directors; deploy tools to assess risk and comply with evolving regulatory requirements; refine sound corporate policies and strategies to create and maintain a culture of security; and implement responsible supply-chain and vendor risk-management techniques and contract support. The African market, no doubt, is witnessing a maturation of data analytics into an independent, intuitive technology. It is becoming integral to the way people work, moving away from the predominant use by only a select few, towards a tool that is utilised across the entire organisation. According to Managing Director of Softworx, Jane Thomson, in the future, a greater embedding of analytics is expected, integrating its value into the rest of the enterprise applications, instead of running it as a separate function. “This embedding will be fostered with increased movement to the cloud, as organisations that have not yet invested in data analytics infrastructure can now do so without incurring the traditional start-up costs. Over the last five years, data analytics processes have greatly evolved. The processes themselves have gone from clunky and non-intuitive tools, driven only by the IT department, to a truly modern era of self-service. This self-service approach to data analytics is starting to bear fruit. It does, however, come with some challenges,” Thomson said. “For data analytics, truly to be part of the work, it must be made available to the entire business. To this end, tools are becoming available to greater parts of the enterprise. This results in more discussion about the data itself, not only the analytical tools, both around the boardroom, and the water-cooler. Data is the source, it is the element that is most important,” Thomson added. Reports on data analytics Historically, enterprises in the region have relied on reporting tools as the basis for taking business decisions. These tools assess historical data and produce summaries in standard views and standard formats. The next phase was to move reporting summaries into dashboards using graphical coloured tools to highlight alerts, trends, summaries for business. Another historical trend, a decade ago, was for enterprises

Nigeria’s data protection and regulation In order to be at par with developed economies of the world, coupled with the need to protect data of Nigerian citizens, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), had in January last year, issued the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR), which seeks to safeguard the rights of natural persons in Nigeria with respect to the processing of their personal data. NITDA subsequently issued the NDPR Draft Implementation Framework in July 2019, with the objectives to safeguard the rights of natural persons to data privacy; foster safe conduct for transactions involving the exchange of personal data; prevent manipulation of personal data; and to ensure that Nigerian businesses remain competitive in international trade through the safe-guards afforded by a just and equitable legal regulatory framework on data protection and which is in tune with best practice. The regulation defines “Personal data” to mean any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person, which could include one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person. This according to NITDA, would include a name, an identification number, address, a photograph, an email address, bank details, posts on social networking websites, medical information, IP address, among others. NITDA insisted that the NDPR would apply to natural persons residing in Nigeria or residing outside Nigeria but of Nigerian descent. The NDPR comes with fines on breaches, which include up to two per cent of annual gross revenue or N10 million for data controller with over 10,000 subjects; up to one per cent of annual gross revenue or N2 million with data controller with less than 10,000 subjects. According to NITDA’s framework, the NDPR would apply whenever media organisations collect, use or keep any information about a living person , even if it’s not ‘private’. The NDPR specifically tasks the media practitioners to uphold accountability and foster the objectives of the NDPR. Although the NITDA Data Protection Regulation (NDPR), which is modeled after the European Union Data Protection Law, seeks to protect data collection, processing and administration in order to foster safe conduct for transactions involving the exchange of personal data, among other objectives, some Nigerians have criticized the NITDA’s NDPR, insisting that what Nigeria needs is data protection law and not data protection regulation document.

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Terragon Launches Partner Mobile Unveils New Smartphone Proprietary Software Stories by Emma Okonji

Terragon, a data analytics and marketing cloud company, has launched a customer data software in Africa, while partnering top brewer in Nigeria to deliver personalised brand experiences to customers. Through an aggregation of online and offline data as well as predictive scoring, the proprietary software, powered by data science and machine learning will help top fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands accurately target people across channels and devices. In order to enrich experiences while providing insight about difficult-to-source consumer data, the partnership with brewer will also generate measurable outcomes for consumers. Terragon has evolved from being a mobile ad network and broad digital media agency to enterprise software business that leverages artificial intelligence and data science to deliver connections at scale for mobile-first markets. Terragon CEO, Elo Umeh, while explaining the nature of the partnership, said: “Our journey and past experiences arm us with the assets and competencies a highly differentiated data analytics company requires. This is why in an age where everybody has a computer in his or her pocket, we have built a product that is software-driven, offering

leading brands an enterprise tool to identify, engage, interact and measure in realtime what customers are doing.� According to him, “The growing majority of the population presents a significant opportunity for beer consumption in Nigeria. Partnerships such as these help to find answers to questions of identity, needs and motivation for customercentric brands both online and offline. Terragon will therefore support the beer industry and other key verticals, through partnerships such as this, to deliver very personalised experiences for their portfolio of brands.� Umeh further said that the growing competition between consumer brands was driven by fast-changing social behaviour and products designed to help leading organisations achieve higher returns. In a world where business growth is limited by the superficial understanding of the customer across channels, deep, personalised insights that enhance customer experiences could be the game changer for big brands. “This is the gap that Terragon fills in a way no other data company in Nigeria can. To achieve this, after years of research in Nigeria and India, Terragon has built a proprietary software stack, for which patents have also been filed,� he added.

Partner Mobile, a smartphone brand, has launched the Evolution 1 (EV1) smartphone into the Nigerian market. The new device, which was unveiled at a media launch in Lagos recently, is compatible with 4G Long Term Evolution (4G LTE) network, and was designed to run on ntel’s 4G LTE network and other telecoms network that are 4G LTE compliant. Speaking on the launch of the new smartphone, the Chief Technology Officer, Partner Mobile, Olusola Akintola, said he was confident that the new smartphone would delight smartphone users,

considering its stylish design, which comes with Artificial Intelligence (Al) Triple camera, quality and pricing. “The device runs on Android 9 pie operating system and comes with face and fingerprint sensors, water resistant features, ground-breaking innovations in display, camera and performance,� Akinlola said. According to him, “Among other features, the phone comes with a triple camera and a flash form a square design, the overall appearance exhibits wonderful relationship between geometry and aesthetics incisively and vividly from the proportion of segmentation, geometric curves and other aspects. It shows the

geometric aesthetics. The whole architecture is romantic, classy and absolutely fashionable.� He stated that the “5MP front camera, the background blur effect will no longer make phone users afraid of all kinds of scene-stealing. It equally comes with beauty algorithms supports, specific to beautify details of face, skin, eyes, to diminishes appearance of blemishes.� The Chief Operation Officer, Partner Mobile, Ifeoluwa Molokwu, said: “The launch of EV1 into the market today signifies our unrelenting efforts to introduce to the market value-for-money products in order to satisfy our customers. EV1 is a reliable phone that

will surely satisfy the customers who have been looking for a phone that will suit all purposes.� She added that the new smartphone “is distinctively manufactured to meet today’s smartphone market and at an affordable price, so consumers can do more of what they love with smartphone.� In furtherance of its commitment to making quality smartphones and boosting smartphone penetration in the country, Partner Mobile also unveiled its partnership with ntel, Nigeria telecommunications provider, that will provide data bundle of more than four Gigabytes for free to buyers of the smartphone.

DATA ANALYTICS FORUM

L-R: Head Sales, Arit of Africa, Ijeoma Okereafor; Lead Consultant, Redington Nigeria Ltd, Mr. Girish Kumar; Sales Lead, West Africa Business Application, Redington Ltd, Kalyana Sundaram; General Manager, West Africa, Redington Ltd, Mr. Sunil Zarekar; Senior Sales Lead, Automation Anywhere, Mr. Tunji Aina; General Manager, Sales, Arit of Africa, Ayodele Afeniforo, and Head, Network, IT Infrastructure and Communication, Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), John Paul Attueyi, during the Data Analytics event held in Lagos...recently

Firm Increases Presence in Africa Spectranet, Zenith Insurance Introduce Modem OleumTech, provider of wire- bring significant value to less industrial automation the various industries we Protection Plan and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, has announced its channel partnership with Tranter IT for providing sales, distribution, and application engineering for the entire OleumTech product line in Nigeria. Tranter IT is a technology service provider with an established presence in all 36 states of Nigeria with over 400 employees, of which 270 are engineers. The Tranter IT team offers a wealth of knowledge and technical expertise, having a proven track record in serving the oil and gas and IoT industries in the country. “OleumTech is proud to partner with Tranter IT and its network of trusted technology experts to promote our robust portfolio of platforms and products. As we continue to expand our global footprint, we believe Tranter IT and subsidiary, IoT Africa,are uniquely positioned for success,� the company said. Speaking on the importance of the partnership, Tranter IT CEO and Executive Chairman, Mr. Lare Ayoola, said: “Combining their best-in-class technology with our technical expertise provides a powerful and synergistic combination which will undoubtedly

provide IoT services to. Tranter IT enables digital oilfield, which is the installation of sensors at every stage of oil production and transportation to give the end user greater visibility over their oilfield.� “Our partnership with OleumTech will revolutionize the Oil and Gas industry by providing highly advanced intrinsically safe wireless transmitters featuring lowpower telemetry solutions to the oil and gas industry. OleumTech serves the entire Oil and Gas value chain, from upstream operations through midstream operations to downstream applications in chemical plants and refineries which has radically transformed how data is gathered in the field.� “Tranter IT is the exclusive distributor of OleumTech devices in Nigeria and based on experience, knowledge and expertise has the capacity to deploy and execute projects relating to IoT in Nigeria,� Ayoola added. Senior Vice President of Global Strategic Initiatives, Brent McAdams, said: “We are delighted to announce this partnership with OleumTech, whose pedigree and reputation in the oil and gas and manufacturing markets is exemplary.�

Spectranet, in collaboration with Zenith Insurance, has launched a protection plan called SpectraSure, designed to protect spectranet modem against theft and damage. Speaking at the launch ceremony, which held recently in Lagos, the Managing Director, Spectranet, Ajai Awastchi, said the partnership was borne out of the need to ease the pains of customers against eventuality. Awastchi assured stakeholders that replacement would be made to the customers once confirmed within four days, and at no cost. He also noted that the initiative would deepen the

penetration of insurance in the country as so many people have turned blind eyes to its imperativeness. According to Awastchi, “SpectraSure is a new device from us covered against damage, accident and theft for one year. It is a beautiful thing that technology has helped us to get to this extent of control. Each equipment has identity and there is a certificate attached to it. “The penetration of insurance is really low for some strange reasons, but with the device protection plan, things you believe might not happen, eventually end up happening.

So once it is established that it is a genuine case, it would be replaced within four days. “The premium is being given free of charge. There is no cost implication to the customers,� Ajai said. The General Manager, Zenith Insurance, Kehinde Borisade described the partnership as the coming together of technology and insurance. Borisade said the partnership came at the right time as the day to day activities of the customers largely depend on internet; hence, the tendency for the device to be stolen or damaged. “For us, it is an historic day

for the partnership. Spectranet is a leading technology while Zenith Insurance is a leading day insurance. You can imagine the partnership. Internet has become a normal part of our day to day lives. We feel that it is an opportunity for spectranet to spread around the country in order to attain sustainability of the product. It is all about the customers. It is about alleviating loss or damage that may happen to the product. It is amazing how technology can be used to transform the lives of Nigerians. Ours is to alleviate that kind of challenges that may affect the customers,� Borisade said.

MDXi Introduces Microsoft Stack Cloud MDXi, MainOne’s data centre subsidiary, will tomorrow at the Nerds Unite 2020 Forum in Lagos, unveil the local offering of Microsoft’s Azure Stack to its customers as part of its ‘Managed Cloud Services.’ The Stack platform provided in partnership with Microsoft and HPE will be unveiled at MainOne’s 5th annual gathering of customers, partners and tech professionals, called Nerds Unite. With the introduction of the local offering of Microsoft’s

Azure Stack services, MDXi will be the first data centre in Nigeria to offer the Cloud service commercially to customers in Nigeria. This latest Cloud offering by MDXi into the Nigerian market, will reinforce MainOne’s leadership positioning in the cloud market, enabling the company to offer its customer a broader suite of cloud solutions. The offerings range from managed cloud deployment on public and private cloud services in the MDXi data centre,

to management of offshore deployment on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Azure, in addition to Express Route services that enable secure, reliable communications to cloud services offshore. Showcasing at the launch will be some of the benefits of MDXi’s Azure Stack in processing in-country data and applications thereby reducing customer latency to under 10ms and resulting in better experiences for end users. The demo will also

showcase cost effective data storage solutions that allow businesses meet all their data sovereignty requirements with locally domiciled infrastructure. The new Cloud services platform will offer enterprises and businesses the choice of a scalable, flexible computing platform to enable them to migrate critical applications from legacy technology to modernized and more efficient technology without having to go offshore.

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Masade-Olowola: Social Entrepreneurship Crucial for Economic Transformation A Member, Board of Directors, Global Reporting Initiative, Amsterdam, and Chief Executive Officer CSR-in-Action, Bekeme Masade-Olowola, in this interview speaks on the role social entrepreneurship plays towards the sustainable development of any economy. She also speaks about ways to harness entrepreneurship opportunities within the continent. Hamid Ayodeji presents the excerpts:

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the government creates avenues for educating our people on good values so that we have good representation wherever we go.

hat does it take to be a successful entrepreneur? There is no straightforward answer to that question, especially in a country like Nigeria. However, I believe that certain attitudes increase the probability of success in any enterprise. These include adaptability, consistency, and foresight. Entrepreneurship is a leadership crash course. You have to constantly evolve and do things that will increase your credibility and reliability with your stakeholders. Also, I believe that while it is necessary to hire people to do things that are not in your core expertise, you also need to be very versatile and know something about a lot of things.

How would you describe the role of social entrepreneurs in enhancing economic activities in the country? Social entrepreneurship is crucial to the development of the economy. Social entrepreneurs recognise social problems and use entrepreneurial principles to organise, create, and manage ventures to solve them. In doing this, they create and sustain social values that lead to increased economic development in the society. Social entrepreneurs also help improve general welfare of the society by tackling social problems such poverty, inequality, climate change and unemployment. The social entrepreneur is a smart optimistic who contributes to the economy by taking on economic inequality, thereby stimulating even economic development. With the increased incorporation of sustainability as a business strategy these days, more businesses are actually becoming social enterprises adding that consciousness to their whole new paradigm for management, which considers a business less as a “company� and more as an “institution,� integrated into the social fabric of society. How do social entrepreneurs identify social needs? There are various ways to identify problems. The most important thing is that a social entrepreneur is committed to solving problems. However, access to research and information in one’s area of focus will help a great deal, because there are some problems you may like to address but would find someone else is already addressing it. I usually identify a need while attempting to meet another need. For instance, we developed the Community Engagement Standards as a tool for promoting peace in extractive communities having organised the Sustainability in the Extractive Industries (SITEI) Conference when in the course of creating sustainability reports for companies, we discovered that there is a conversation gap between critical stakeholders in the extractive industries including the oil companies, their host communities and the government. Today, we’ve had seven SITEI conferences attended by key representatives of government, extractive companies and their communities. How has the journey been so far and what has been your key driving force thus far as a Nigerian social entrepreneur and a member of the Board of Directors of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)? As a social entrepreneur, the road has not been totally smooth, but the journey has been interesting. I started CSR -in-Action in 2010 because there was a challenge that wasn’t being addressed – managing institutional impacts. And so I thought to establish a movement for good business and government citizenship and collective action. When I started, people told me our society was not ready for it, but I was persistent. I had lived in the UK with its 169 indicators for measuring performance of local councils and I was adamant that we have a structure for doing same in Nigeria. There has been a lot of highs and lows but gradually,

What are your projections for this year? For the country, I would say a lot of things are uncertain at the moment, sadly. However, having access to information can give some certainty to a lot of seemingly uncertain things. Inflation is already on the increase. However, the economy is expected to regain its growth later in the year with increased activity and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). I foresee a lot more growth in the agricultural space and this space where government can also shore up expertise for entrepreneurs to have more access to exporting goods.

Masade-Olowola

the idea of incorporating sustainability as a corporate strategy is seeping into Nigeria’s business environment. The GRI is the world’s leading sustainability impact measurement and reporting standards body, it is based in Amsterdam. I was appointed to the board in October 2018, as the first person from West-Africa and the youngest person thus far. I was humbled and elated by this appointment because it indicates that the world is beginning to notice the work that we have done and our contribution to the improvement in sustainable practices in the region and in Nigeria, specifically. We had identified reporting as an effective way of upping sustainability performance and had decided to push that agenda of our own volition and without thought for pecuniary benefits from any third party. I believe that is the crux of our successes, adopting a Blue Ocean Strategy through innovation and differentiation and just staying true. I remain convinced that Africa is ripe for advancing and embedding sustainability practices. Look at the extractive industries, for instance, only a few years ago, most oil and gas companies did not take their sustainability reporting seriously because it didn’t immediately affect the bottom-line. But with sustained advocacy, we were able to convince organisations to see more clearly the need for responsible and sustainable behaviour if they will compete, survive and even excel on the local and global scale. We were also able to create a Community Engagement Standards, a framework that will yield improved relationships through better engagement practices between companies and their host communities. What initiatives do you think the government can implement to support entrepreneurs? Businesses are usually very innovative and yet vulnerable in the early stages. This is why entrepreneurs need support to help sustain and grow their businesses. Most businesses are SMEs when they start, which means they are usually limited in capital, so government can make funding schemes more accessible. Access to funding also needs to be more

flexible, especially loans. The requirements for credit facilities for start-ups need to be lower, especially if the business and its owner(s) have been properly verified, whilst making provisions to protect financial institutions from losing their funds. Besides capital, entrepreneurs also need training and concessions from the government, as well as tools that will facilitate the ease of doing their business. Government needs to make it easier and more transparent to do registrations and obtain licences. I know a lot is being done along this direction but more needs to be done, especially fast-tracking registrations from bodies such as SON, NAFDAC, CAC, etc. I think that business-to-business networking opportunities are also very vital for start-ups. What sort of impact can the AfCFTA have on the development and sustainability of enterprises and entrepreneurs in Nigeria? The African Continental Free Trade Agreement is perhaps, the most revolutionary inter-country initiative in Africa’s history. The agreement, which was recently signed by Nigeria, links 54 African countries together to facilitate more efficient trade across border. The agreement initially requires members to remove tariffs from 90 per cent of goods, allowing free access to commodities, goods, and services across the continent. With the AfCFTA, innovation will flow easily across borders. Nigerians will trade directly with South Africans and vice versa. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa estimates that the agreement will boost intra-African trade by 52 percent by 2022. This initiative presents a great opportunity for Nigerian entrepreneurs as the interchange of ideas will boost their businesses. It will also expand the market available for their products and ideas. Expect Nigerian entrepreneurs to conquer new grounds and explore new frontiers. The downside is the usual job issue as we typically do not like to go for blue collar roles, but that would mean that we are likely to dominate other markets. We are not called the giant of Africa for nothing. Big ideas and vibrant people come from Nigeria. With the AfCFTA, new avenues have been created for these vibrant people to showcase their big ideas. It would be nice if

How vital is access to capital towards establishing a successful enterprise, and how best do you think entrepreneurs can overcome this factor as some consider it a challenge? Capital is very important, but it is not the most vital factor in establishing a successful enterprise. I believe that before seeking capital, an entrepreneur needs to establish important relationships with her stakeholders and be able to earn people’s trust depending on the type of business that needs to be done. After gaining trust, it will be easier to raise capital. Whilst capital is needed in order to purchase assets and maintain their operations, there are many businesses that can be started with just a laptop and business cards, and maybe a website. Since capital is difficult and expensive for small businesses, it is particularly important for small business owners to determine a target capital structure for their firms. The capital structure concerns the proportion of capital that is obtained through debt(borrowing) and that obtained through equity(investments).Again, this is dependent on the kind of business being considered. I always discourage loans unless particularly necessary. For instance, I struggle to understand why a service business that does not deal in finance would require a loan to start off. For social entrepreneurs, there are a number of funding opportunities in Nigeria and abroad set up for various purposes and supported by the government and international organisations. Some are in form of investments while some are grants and they have various eligibility criteria. But to access those funds, one needs to start small and prove themselves in little before aspiring to convince another entity to part way with their hard-earned cash. Financial efficiency is an important factor in getting capital as people will not want to invest in you if you don’t have a proper record of your finances and if you are not seen as prudent with money. Accomplishing great results require the right team so, what approach did you take towards ďŹ nding yours and how did you build the team? I can assure you that one would not achieve much without the backing of an efficient and dedicated team working with me. What has worked for me has been having young, vibrant, inspirational people on the team. The challenge with such a team is that they are easily lured by the seemingly greener grass on the other side, especially as we are pace-setters in the space. But that is something that I have resolved to use as a strategy because what that means is that we have CSR-in-Action alumni across diverse sectors and it means that our name and vision spread far. In all the things we do; whether it’s creating reports, organizing conferences, or setting up a radio show, my team have also been dedicated to the cause because I try to go for people with a certain value system. They call me The Galvaniser, and I take that as a compliment.

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BUSINESSWORLD

PERSPECTIVE

Girls Not for Sale Hope Eromosele

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n the dark days of slavery, the Benin Kingdom was one of the few territories in the southern part of Nigeria where slavery did not thrive with the active collaboration of the locals, especially kings and chiefs. Instead, the kingdom was known for its stout refusal to participate in what was then the common practice of selling indigenes out to Europeans for the ultimate journey into slavery. It should therefore be considered an irony of history that the two states that probably incorporated the Benin Kingdom of old – Edo and Delta states – are today arguably the headquarters of modern slavery in Nigeria, which is just but part of a global problem. Most media reports on Nigerian girls trafficked virtually on a daily basis out of the country with promises of lucrative jobs, who, but who end up parading the streets of major European cities as prostitutes or, at best, employed in menial jobs with little or no pay, indicate that many of them are from those two states. Many of the girls who are regularly being brought back to the country from Libya are often from Edo and Delta states. This should be a matter for concern not just for the governments and stakeholders in those two states, but also for Nigerians as a whole. While victims of trafficking suffer the physical and psychological pain of being traded in the booming international slave market with dehumanising experiences that may include death, the exercise helps to paint a picture of the country in a manner that is anything but complimentary. While it is true that many of the girls were trafficked out of the country and into prostitution, they were deceived into believing there were decent jobs awaiting them overseas, many of them got to Europe and ended up becoming commercial sex workers. What is required is a more holistic approach to fighting the evil of human trafficking that targets young girls who are

taken out of the country with promises of lucrative jobs abroad, which do not exist. There must be a collective resolve to send out a loud and clear message that girls are ‘Not for Sale’ in any guise. This exercise would involve all stakeholders including parents, guardians, community and religious leaders, as well as other young women working hard at earning a living in various fields of endeavour. There is no denying the fact that the economic situation in the country has driven many Nigerians up the wall, with some barely managing to make ends meet. The situation has forced many young men and women to seek lives outside the country as better alternatives, apparently based on the mistaken belief that the grass is always greener on the other side. However, despite the inclement economic weather in Nigeria, there are many reasons

the country remains the better choice for young girls who are daily being deceived into believing there is paradise in Europe. Nothing compares with the freedom of moving about in your own country without any fear of molestation and discrimination on account of race, colour and gender. The point must be made that the situation in the country does not in any way make young girl’s commodities for sale. That is the narrative the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) is working to promote through the launch of the ‘Not for Sale’ campaign. The campaign is aimed at inspiring and empowering young girls, especially in Edo and Delta, to achieve success in their communities without having to put their lives on the line to go abroad in search of better lives that do not exist. Stories of young girls from those two states who have succeeded

in rising above their (sometimes unpleasant) circumstances through sheer determination, diligence, and hard work should be enough inspiration for others who may be dreaming of an Eldorado in Europe. There are thousands of girls from Edo and Delta states resident within and outside those states, with so many in Lagos and other big cities like Port Harcourt, Abuja, Kaduna, Kano and virtually all over the country who have excelled in many worthy pursuits of career and entrepreneurship including hair dressing, tailoring/fashion design and catering. They prove that girls from these parts of the country are no less enterprising than those from other regions. Their successes should thereby drive home the point that girls do not have to be sold as commodities to achieve any so-called success. This effort by NAPTIP aims to encouraging girls, particularly from the Edo and Delta states, to believe that if their kith and kin can ‘make it’ (the Nigerian parlance for succeeding) despite the economic hardship in the country, then there is no girl of adult age that cannot succeed in any decent and legitimate human undertaking of her choice. NAPTIP (The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons) launched a movement in Nigeria called Not for Sale, which aims to inspire, empower and enable young women in Edo and Delta states to build a successful future at home in Nigeria. Approximately 80 per cent of Nigerian women who take the dangerous journey overseas end up being trafficked and forced into prostitution. Edo and Delta states are where most victims come from. We want to help women in those states to find success on their own terms, and not pay the terrible price paid by so many who looked for success abroad. The campaign shares the stories of young women who have found success at home, promoting these across TV, cinema, radio, outdoor, Facebook, digital, events and PR -Eromosele, a lawyer, lives in Lagos

Investing in Disposable Plates, Cups Manufacturing Plant Godwin Uba

Moving piston plasticizers forces the material through a nozzle into the mould. Different kinds of moulds are used to produce different plastic products. The extruded material is cooled and is taken off by means of suitable devices designed as to prevent any subsequent deformation. The theoretical analysis of production technology of plastic products remains the same, but they differ only in terms of time consumption per output, weight and structure morphology. The plant in mind has production capacity of 4000-4, 500 plastics cup per two shifts per day of 5,000-6,000 plastic plates per day. This may be packed in dozens for sales. Appointed distributors would be needed for products distributions and sales.

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lastics products such as household plastic items, gift items, plastic cups, toys, seats, tables, bags etc are daily consumables. The demand is very high that the available producers in the country cannot satisfy the market. Apart from local buyers, the entire ECOWAS sub regions rely wholly on Nigerians for their plastic wares. This is not surprising because all the raw materials for production of quality plastic products are locally available and at affordable prices. In this investment profile prospective investors are educated on how to invest successfully into this lucrative venture putting all the necessary inputs into consideration such as technical, marketing, operational and financial requirements into consideration Plant & machinery One of the economic efficiencies of measuring the mechanical productivity of plant and machinery of a firm, or a proposed venture, is not only a function of its life expectancy, rate of depreciation, energy consumption per unit of output, but also adoption of a simple plant to produce different quality products. The plant in mind is capable of producing four varieties of plastic products of desired sizes. What is needed involves fixing different molds into the injection moulding plant. Competition Survey findings have revealed that, most Nigerian industrialists and project promoters are not fully aware of these economic efficiencies of injection moulding plant. The few numbers of firms and industries utilizing injection-molding plant that can only produce single plastic product can justify this belief. It implies that the plant in mind would produce different products to meet seasonal demand. This means if there is any project to

Disposable plates and cups be considered for implementation in terms of production multiplicity of plant at all, plastic plates, cups, bowls and spoons production should be the one. Raw material The major raw materials required are thermo-plastics of high fluidity such as high-density polyethylene and others. The beauty of this project is that both the injection moulding plant and raw materials are available locally, which signals the easiness of sourcing both the fixed and variable inputs. Location Theoretically, this project may be sited in any state in the federation without location constraint of raw material procurement. Project implementation involves acquisition

of factory house, purchase and installation of plant and machinery, recruitment of appropriate personnel and other accessories. Projected cost of establishment The initial cost of the project is estimated to be N25, 800, 000 only as shown below. The project can be scaled down depending on many factors that will be discussed with prospective investors. Technical feasibility The production technology of plastic products is simple, though mechanical. The materials suitable for injection molding are thermo-plastics of high fluidity. The granules are introduced through a hopper, into the cylinder in which they are heated, above their softening pint, by means of a heating jacket.

Implementation There are two markets for plastic products; the domestic and foreign markets. Households in general, canteens, industries, hospitals, clinics and hotels form the domestic market, while the neighboring West African countries constitute the foreign markets. The market viability shows that plastic plates, cups, bowls and keg are cheaper and durable when compared with sister glass products with high price disadvantage, and their fragility. More so, the cross elasticity of demand for plastic products shows a perfect elasticity of substitution for glass products in all ramifications of their uses. For profitability 4, 000 plastic cups are assumed per day. Given 250 working days per annum, 83,333 dozens of plastic cups would be produced per year. Assuming a conservative price of N100 per dozen, N5, 499,978 would be annual gross revenue. In view of the above theoretical facts and figures, this project is strongly recommended for investment. -Uba can be reached via 08034494437

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Enhancing Palm Oil Production Oluchi Chibuzor writes on factors required to stimulate palm oil production in the country

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he drive to achieve backward integration in the agricultural sector, led the country to introduce the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) in 2015. The initiative was to create a linkage between anchor companies involved in processing and small holder farmers (SHFs) of the required key agricultural commodities. This, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, was a renewed focus by the central bank to support improved growth in the agriculture and manufacturing sector in Nigeria. According to him, the initiative was clearly in line with the federal government’s determination to diversify the revenue base of the economy away from its over reliance on crude oil. Among the focus agricultural produce under the ABP was oil palm. In the 50s, Nigeria was a world leader in oil palm cultivation. Then, the country was controlling about 43 per cent of global oil palm market, and the produce then accounted for about 15 per cent of the country’s total exports. Today, the nation has shifted from a global player to an import dependent nation, even as it strives to meet its local demand, a situation experts say was worrisome. Recognising the negative impact of neglecting a critical sub-sector within the agricultural value chain, Emefiele, last year said despite the availability of over three million hectares of farmland for palm oil cultivation, production remains low at two tonnes per hectare, relative to a global benchmark of 25 tonnes per hectare. He also said today, Nigeria is a distant fifth among leading producers of palm oil and barely produces up to three per cent of the global supply of palm oil, with an estimated production of 800,000 metric tonnes of palm oil, while countries like Malaysia and Indonesia produce 25 million and 41 million tonnes of palm oil respectively. Emefiele, had put the country’s total domestic palm oil demand and consumption at 2.5 million while local production capacity is only 1.25 million metric tonnes. According to him, the strategic potential of the agricultural sector and its value chain in an economy, if well harnessed, could boost rural employment generation, ensuring food security and foreign exchange conservation through reduced imports. The apex bank governor noted that of particular interest to all the stakeholders should be how to improve the country’s oil palm industry, adding that oil palm is an important tree crop with immense economic importance as its products are important source of affordable edible and non-edible oils for domestic and industrial uses. However, despite its potentials, Emefiele expressed concerns about the challenges facing the Nigerian palm oil industry. He said the palm oil industry’s further growth and contribution to the national economy were being threatened by inadequate local production and continued reliance on imports. Giving some backgrounds on the recent developments in the oil palm sector in Nigeria, he explained that the journey to revive the oil palm sector began with the discovery that over $500 million of the country’s scarce foreign exchange was being expended on the importation of palm oil to meet identified the demand gap of 1.25 million metric tonnes. “Faced with this stark reality, the CBN decided to intervene with a view to changing the narrative and in line with the ambitious attempt to reposition agriculture as the mainstay of the Nigerian economy. Furthermore, in our bid to restore the country’s pre-eminent status as the third global net exporter of palm oil, the Central Bank of Nigeria on 23rd June 2015 included palm oil and palm oil products alongside

Palm produce

other commodities on the exclusion list of items not valid for foreign exchange at the Nigerian Foreign Exchange window. “The dwindling fortune of the industry has been attributed to myriads of factors that accumulated over the years, which were mainly attributed to the neglect of the agricultural sector in the wake of the oil boom, which has been exacerbated by the inherent structural deficiencies and potential risks associated with agribusiness in Nigeria. It is hard to believe that the country’s global market share in palm oil production fell from about 43 per cent in the 1960’s to just about two per cent currently,� the CBN had governor said. Meeting ABP objectives The broad objective of the ABP is to create economic linkage between smallholder farmers and reputable large-scale processors with a view to increasing agricultural output and significantly improving capacity utilisation of processors. Other objectives include increasing banks’ financing to the agricultural sector, reducing agricultural commodity importation and conserve external reserves. Others include increasing capacity utilisation of agricultural firms, creating new generation of farmers/entrepreneurs

The dwindling fortune of the industry has been attributed to myriads of factors that accumulated over the years, which were mainly attributed to the neglect of the agricultural sector in the wake of the oil boom, which has been exacerbated by the inherent structural deďŹ ciencies and potential risks associated with agribusiness in Nigeria

and employment, deepen the cashless policy and financial inclusion, reduce the level of poverty among smallholder farmers, assist rural smallholder farmers to grow from subsistence to commercial production levels. This, experts said was a welcome development even as they argued interest rate under the N220 billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Fund (MSMEDF) is not favourable to small-holder farmers in the palm oil sub-sector. Speaking with THISDAY, recently, a board member, National Palm Oil Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN), Henry Olatujoye, said the modalities of the disbursement of the loan and the high interest rates are not in favour of farmers. He argued that considering that farmers do not have any other source of income during the gestation period coupled with high cost of production makes it impossible for the nation’s vision of overtaking some countries in CPO production. This, he said, making reference to Emefiele’s statement that, “our ultimate vision is to overtake Thailand and Columbia to become the third largest producer over the next few years.� Olatujoye said: “I have been saying this for a long time, but let me say it because of Nigerians: we have said it at several forums that the CBN rate will not favor oil palm plantation development.� “There is no need to beat about the bush. We say the border closure is a good thing but we are not a beneficiary,� he said The group had earlier said the importation and illegal smuggling of palm oil was making local producers lose $500 million annually. Iyare Harrison, a palm oil farmer with about five hectares in Benin, Edo State, said presently he has about two hectare producing for him, and hopes to expand more as soon as resources becomes available for land acquisition and farm design. He also said the greatest issue affecting his business was collateral. According to him, “We were thinking that BVN would serve as collateral for ABP, but unfortunately they are not coming with that now, as our cooperatives do not get information about the schemes on time. “The issue of relationship between farmers and financial institutions is imperative to the success of the programme as most of them are far from the farmers, alongside the unit of CBN responsible with coordination. “We have gone for the training and are trying to get all necessary documents and technicalities in place,� he revealed. Social Intervention Olatujoye noted that palm oil sector

intervention should be seen as a social security investment for economic growth and employment generation. He argued that small-scale farmers should be given free improved seedlings and other production incentives like land clearing, and linked up with large-scale processors as part of the integrated approach to developing the economy. Olatujoye added that in Malaysia and Indonesia it is their government that give them seedlings, land and other forms of incentives. “Our ministries of Agric are not doing anything, they are just using land to build houses, structures and nobody is interested to release land for plantation,� he noted. He stressed that operators were facing lots of challenges, which he listed to include land, inputs, finance, quality seedlings, and low data collection. “In Nigeria we do not know who is planting; who has planted, harvesting and not harvesting. It is a big challenge and we have said that government should take not only palm oil, but most of tree crop planting as a social intervention programme,� he added. On his part, Harrison, advised government agencies like the Nigeria Custom Service to continue to discourage smugglers. “One of those things needed to stop the importation of oil palm into Nigeria is the sincerity on the part of government agencies. If we say oil is coming from Malaysia, who is patronising them? where is entry route to the country?� he queried. Olatujoye, had noted that that the country’s estimated production is between 1.7 million and 1.8million metric tonnes, while average consumption level stands at 2.4 million tonnes annually, which gives a deficit of about 700,000 to 800,000 tonnes that are still sourced from other countries. He said the present administration has been taking proactive measures to promote local content of the industry, stressing that government should enforce strict compliance against smugglers that are finding ways to sabotage government’s effort. But the latest information from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) for Africa from January to December 2019, showed that Nigeria was the top importer of MPO in the SSA region with 287,000 MT up by 18.4 percent. “Despite being the largest palm oil producer in West Africa with an estimated production of 1.1 million MT in 2019, Nigeria still needs to import from Malaysia, Indonesia, and other West African countries in order to fulfill its domestic requirement of about 2.4 million MT annually. The bulk of Nigerian MPO imports are in the form of CPO/CPL 80 percent for its refineries.� Harrison, who agreed that the business has witnessed a surge, however explained that if properly driven the sector would trigger several opportunities that would encourage other investment options in the value chain. “Our oil processing plants should be more affordable and industrialised as you cannot cook red oil in fire and expect that industry would take it. “Many industries want CPOs that is organic in nature, farmers use pesticides without considering measurement, use fertilizer without good agricultural practice and agronomic standard practices. All these affect our palm oil industry. “Smallholder farmers in the palm sector should be incentivised and there must be farmers’ engagement as it is in the cocoa industry.� “So many industries depend on the local product for raw materials in their industries. The list is countless with so many of Nigerians youths working at factories where noodles, detergent, vegetables oil, and Cosmetics are made. Government should give us inputs, improved technology and give farmers good training.�

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THURSDAY FEBRUARY 20, 2020 •T H I S D AY

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 20, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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IMAGES

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Photo Editor ÌÓÙÎßØ ÔËÖË Email ËÌÓÙÎßØ˛ËÔËÖË̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙ×

L-R; Chief Financial Officer, Asharami Synergy, Adesoji Ogungbesan; Lubricants Sales Manager, Seun Yussuf; MD/CEO, Moroti Adedoyin-Adeyinka; Chief Operating Officer, Foluso Sobanjo and Chief Technical Officer, Lekan Ogundowole during the launch of Asha Engine Oil Product by Asharami Synergy in Lagos...recently abiodun ajala

L-R: Director, Africa Corporate Network, The Economist, Herman Warren; Partner/Head of indirect Tax, Baker McKenzie, Stockholm,Virusha Subban; Partner, International trade practice group, Baker McKenzie, Johannesburg, Kerry Contini; Partner/Global chair, international commercial and trade, Baker McKenzie, Stockholm, Mattias Hedwall; and Senior Partner, Templars,Olumide Akpata, at the Africa Trade Roadshow organized by Baker McKenzie in collaboration with Templars, in Lagos...recently etop ukutt

L – R: Head, Strategic Transformation, Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria (SCBN), Aderogba Taiwo; Head Retail Banking Nigeria (SCBN), David Idoru; CEO, Educare, Alex Onyia, and Head, Business Banking (SCBN), Benjamin Dike, at the signing ceremony of the Bank’s partnership with Educare in Lagos...recently

L-R:Associate Director, Andersen Tax, Mr. Chinwendu Enechi; Africa Head of Tax Controversy, Maersk Transport and Logistics, Mr. Sebastine Odimma, Associate Director, Andersen Tax, Mr. Adeyemi Adediran;Partner/ Head, Transfer Pricing, Andersen Tax, Dr. Joshua Bamfo;Chairman, Committee of Finance Experts, NECA,Mr. Richard Ayibiowu; and Director, Tax Policy, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Gabriel Ogunjemilusi,at the enlightenment session on the new finance act organised by Andersen Tax in conjunction with NECA in Lagos...recently etop ukutt

L-R: Business Unit Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability Director, Coca-Cola West Africa, Clem Ugorji, Senior Special Adviser (SSA) to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Princess Adejoke Orelope Adefulire, Secretary to the Lagos State Government (SSG), Folasade Jaji and the Honorable Commissioner of Health, Lagos State, Professor Akinola Abayomi at the inauguration of newly installed medical equipment at the Alimosho General Hospital under Coca-Cola’s Safe Birth Initiative in Lagos ...recently

L – R: African Region Director, Society for Petroleum Engineers, Wumi Iledare; Founder/Managing Partner, Sefton Fross, Olayemi Anyanechi; Chairman, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Bank Anthony Okoroafor and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Bitrus Nabasu during the panel session on In-Country Value at the Nigeria International Petroleum Summit (NIPS) held in Abuja... recently

L-R:Group Finance Director, Enpee Group, KLM Rao; Head, Financial Institutions, RMB Nigeria, Seyi Soetan; CEO, Agro Allied Resource Processing, Madhuka Khetan; Head Supply Chain, Agro Allied Resource Processing, Niraj Purswani; Senior Trade Finance Transactor, Tosin Olatunji and Finance Executive, Indorama Eleme Petrochemical Limited, Afeez Rabiu at the GTR West African Trade Conference sponsored by Rand Merchant Bank in Lagos... recently

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T H I S D AY ˞ ˜ Ͱ͎˜ Ͱ͎Ͱ͎

L-R; Acting Corporate Director, Guinness Nigeria, Jacquelyne Yawa; Managing Director, Baker Magunda; Sustainability Manager, Titilola Alabi and Director, lnternational Premium Spirit, Reserve and Modern Trade, Adebayo Alli during the presentation of Guinness Nigeria 2018/2019 Sustainability Report at the Guinness Nigeria/Media Engagement Session in Lagos...recently abiodun ajala

L-R; Representative of President Muhammadu Buhari and Hon. Minister of State for Health, Senator Adeleke Mamora, FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello and the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar at the opening ceremony of the 60th AGM of the West Afrian College of Surgeons in Abuja...recently

L – R: Founder/ CEO JSK Consortium/Convener Viser X, Janet Adetu; Life Coach and Wellness Mentor, Lanre Olusola and Founder & CEO, Dzigbordi Consulting Group, Dzigbodi Dosoo during a coaching master class organised by ViserX in Lagos....recently

Director General Edo state Liason oďŹƒce in Abuja , Mr. Felix Osagie (R ) presenting certiďŹ cate to the new elected President of Association of Edo Indigenes in Abuja ,Chief Odiase Osagie at the Inauguration ceremony in Abuja...recently GODWIN OMOIGUI

L-R: Lagos State Coordinator,National Cooperative for Commercial and Industrial Agriculture (NACCIA), Engr. Babatunde Ajisafe; Lagos State Chairman/Supervisor for Agric and Agric Forum, Hon. Femi A. AďŹ kuyomi; South West Regional Director, NACCIA, Rev. Akintunde Abraham and Patron, Otunba Fatai Olukoga,during the inaugural seminar for the stakeholders of Naccia at Ifako-Ijaiye LGA, Council Area in Iju, Lagos...recently KOLAWOLE ALLI

A Cross Section of the Lord’s Chosen Christmatic Revival Ministries members worshiping during ‘’Sorrow to Joy’’ crusade in Lagos.. recently

ETOP UKUTT

T H I S D AY ˾ ,FEBRUARY 20, 2020

34

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

ÜÙßÚ ÏËÞßÜÏÝ ÎÓÞÙÜ˝ ÒÓÏ×ÏÖÓÏ äÏÙÌÓ ×ËÓÖ chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, Tel: 08038901925

Tackling Malnutrition through Exclusive Breastfeeding While over two million Nigerian children are suffering from malnutrition across the country, stakeholders believe exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life can help reduce the prevalence. Ayodeji Ake writes

B

reastfeeding is essential, it saves lives, improves women’s and children’s health and boosts intelligence and lifelong productivity. Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life without water, infant formula, or any other liquid or food, keeps the child healthier and stronger. According to the 2017 United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) report, early moments matter for every child, with particular reference to promotion of exclusive breastfeeding, and the call on employers to provide six months of paid maternity leave, which a lot of private organisations are yet to comply. However, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention 183 and recommendation 191 also recommended that women should be provided with daily breaks or a reduction of work hours to breastfeed their children. It also calls for the provision of breastfeeding facilities under adequate hygienic conditions at or near the workplaces. While noncompliance of this recommendations and report shot-up malnutrition cases in the country, Alive and Thrive, a global nutrition initiative, managed by Family Health International (FHI 360), designed to save lives, prevent illness and ensure healthy growth of mothers and children, embarked on a-three-years programme designed to demonstrate rapid improvements in Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF), sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Recently the Alive and Thrive team embarked on a two-days field trip in accompany of the media to meet with key stakeholders at some selected project venues in Lagos State. Speaking during the visitation to the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, the State Health Education Coordinator, Mrs. Shola Hassan noted that exclusive breastfeeding should be observed in the first six months of life, and that after which, nutritional supplements can be given along with breast milk. She said: “Most of the challenges that we encounter are on the part of the mothers and health workers. Sometimes, they feel the breast milk will not be enough for the child. We have a lot of sensitisation to do for people to change their behavior so that we can overcome all those challenges. “After six months, we always want them to give their babies diet that will be rich in protein for the baby to grow, because in as much as they are still going to be giving the breast milk, the complimentary diet also has to be adequate. Sometimes mothers don’t give them the required nutritional supplements that they are supposed to take along with breast milk. “That is why we have asked them to visit the clinic so that the health workers can take them on demonstration classes to know what to give the babies after six months. More so, awareness is ongoing to overcome the challenges,” she said. The Chief Nutrition Officer, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Mrs. Taiwo Fadairo, confirmed the IYCF initiative has gone a long way in reducing cases of malnutrition in the state. Although, according to her, most career women who work in private organisations do not practice exclusive breastfeeding. She said some learned mothers claim they do not have the time for exclusive breastfeeding. “Those who work in the bank do not have the three months leave, not to mention six months that the state has acknowledged. With that, a lot of them do not practice exclusive breastfeeding. Aside that, when they start complimentary

Exclusive breasting can address malnutrition

feeding, they go for tin foods and at times, leave the children in the care of housemaids and nannies who are not knowledgeable able healthy feeding for babies,” she said. Visit to the Traditional Birth Attendant In Agege Local Government area, Kofoworola Clinic is a household Traditional Birth Attendant facility. During the team’s visitation to the facility, the Director of the facility, Mr. Jimoh Bashir who doubles as the Secretary General of TBAs in the local government, expressed enthusiasm to be part of the drive against malnutrition. He noted that as a trainee under Alive and Thrive IYCF imitative, he has had wide knowledge of colostrum (first breast milk immediately after birth) and six months of exclusive breastfeeding without water. He said: “We have been working with Alive and Thrive for two years now. We have been trained on how to help women on exclusive breastfeeding, most especially the importance of colostrum. “Before we joined Alive and Thrive initiative, we have been doing a lot of things that are not proper. But when we were trained we have heard a broad knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding. They trained us on exclusive breastfeeding from zero day to the sixth month without water. Before now, when a mother gives birth, we immediately put glucose in water and give to the baby. “Some uses the Islamic recitation written on a plank into water and give to the baby, Christians brings their ‘Holy water’ and we give to the baby. We thought all these are spiritual protections for the baby. We never bothered about colostrum which is the first immunisation for the baby,” she said.

Visit to a private facility In another visitation to Christ Living Spring Apostolic Ministry (CLAM)’s Soteria Hospital, one out of the 490 private hospitals registered under Alive and Thrive, Matron Margret Olufunmilayo said IYCF can curb malnutrition in Nigeria. “We started this hospital in May 2015. The vision was about mother and child nutrition. We have been trained and as a midwife, when a child is been giving birth to, within the first hour we ensure they take colostrum. We ensure they feed on breast milk unless the mother is sick and on admission. “Right from antenatal we prepare our mothers. We give them breast and nipple massage to ensure the baby grips well. We made the mothers know that the colostrum comes out between the first and the third days. We have a WhatsApp platform for the mothers where they can ask questions and we also check on them to know how they are faring. “So far so good, the response has been good because the mothers are doing well. We teach them to mind what they take when breastfeeding because excess sugar intake is not good. We teach them different diet. One main challenge is the relatives. They may mislead the woman to give their baby water instead of breast milk,” she said. Visit to a government facility Also at the Dopemu Primary Health Centre, its representative, Dr. Akintayo Akintoba said the facility has recorded successes on exclusive breastfeeding, which was achieved through twosteps communication using traditional leaders, market women and community leaders as a point of contact to an achievable grassroot campaigns.

One of the community influencers, Mrs. Adetutu Ogunniyi, a volunteer, also told the team that educating mothers on exclusive breastfeeding was important. She said: “We have been training about breastfeeding guidance. we go to pregnant women to teach them what to do during pregnancy and after delivery what they should do immediately they give.” Speaking on challenges, she said some mothers ignore exclusive breastfeeding as a result of poverty, and not having enough to eat for themselves. “Some mothers complain they don’t have money to prepare food. When you see some children, it will be obvious they are not feeding well. It is when a mother feeds well she will be able to breastfeed a child well. Some just clamour that they want the government to give them food and money. But we make them realise the government isn’t the one that impregnated them. We educate them that before they get pregnant they must plan very well. At times, I give them stipend to work things out,” she said. A nursing mother in the community, Mrs. Yusuf Rofiat, who gave birth to twins explained it wasn’t easy to practice exclusive breastfeeding but that with determination and assistance of her husband, it was achievable. Another nursing mother, Mrs. Victoria David, also testified that exclusive breastfeeding has helped in ensuring her children were healthy. “I have three children. I did exclusive breastfeeding for them. When I was told exclusive breastfeeding helps babies a lot, I then decided to give it a try. And today, I am enjoying the benefit,” she said.

T H I S D AY ˾ ,FEBRUARY 20, 2020

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NEWS

Ikeja Electric Donates Medical Equipment to Ikorodu General Hospital Peter Uzoho Ikeja Electric Plc has donated an ultramodern phototherapy machine and clinical supplies to the General Hospital, Ikorodu, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities towards improving healthcare. At the presentation held at the hospital recently, Ikeja Electric’ team comprising staff from the headquarters in Ikeja and Ikorodu business unit presented the items to the management of the hospital in Ikorodu. Speaking during the presentation of the equipment, the company’s Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), Mrs. Enobong Ezekiel, expressed the disco’s unwavering commitment to positively impact lives and give back to the society. Ezekiel said: “Ikeja Electric is a customer centric organisation and it means that we are also committed to ensuring

that we make impact on communities where we operate; that is why we are here. Today is significant to us too, as the entire world is celebrating love. For us at Ikeja Electric, our theme this year is ‘Clean Love.’” While commending Ikeja Electric, for the gesture, the Medical Director, General Hospital, Ikorodu, Dr. Olufunmilayo Bankole said: “As a hospital we are elated to receive the phototherapy machine. We are happy that we have other organisations who like to partner with government to make healthcare service in Lagos State much better than it is currently. “That phototherapy machine will serve in treating children with Jaundice. And we believe that if we are able to treat more people, we will be able to have a better healthy life. We congratulate Ikeja Electric. This is a noble cause.”

World Bank to Boost Nigeria’s Investments in Human Capital, Economic Transformation Martins Ifijeh The World Bank has approved six projects to support Nigeria’s development priorities, including improving immunisation, enabling a stronger business environment for the private sector, expanding the digital economy to promote job creation, and increasing public and private sector capacity on governance, social and environmental safeguards. In a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday, the President, World Bank Group, David Malpass said

Nigeria was central to the World Bank Group’s mission of tackling extreme poverty, adding that the bank has carefully targeted its support on high impact projects as the country works to tackle corruption and lift 100 million of its people out of poverty. The Country Director, World Bank Nigeria, Shubham Chaudhuri said: “These projects focus squarely on delivering better services for Nigerians: ensuring that children are immunised and sleep under mosquito nets, building better roads especially in rural areas, and providing Nigeria’s poorest citizens with

a unique identification that will make social safety nets and services more effective.“ The approved programme of support in fiscal year 2020 comprises; Immunisation Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services, Nigeria Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project, Nigeria Digital Identification for Development Project, among others. The country director said the Immunisation Plus and Malaria Progress intervention will strengthen health systems to deliver effective primary health

care and improve immunisation, malaria control, and child and maternal health in selected states. “Among key results, the project aims to broaden vaccination coverage, increase the percentage of children under five who sleep under insecticide-treated nets from 28 to 41 per cent, and improve the percentage of women who receive post-natal check-ups from 47 to 55 per cent. The project is financed under concessional terms through an International Development Association (IDA) credit of $650 million.

‘D-8 Health, Social Protection Programme Will Unlock Nigeria’s Health Sector Market’ Kuni Tyessi ÓØ ÌßÔË Following the signing of country partnership agreement between Nigeria and the D-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation, for the hosting of the Health and Social Protection (D-8 HSP) program office in Abuja, the Secretary General of the D-8, Ambassador Dato’Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari said the gesture by the Nigerian government will attract investors and help unlock the huge market potential in the health sector. Meanwhile, on January 21, 2020, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the D-8 signed a country partnership agreement which highlighted Nigeria’s support for the establishment of the programme office, in line with global best practices and standards which includes provision of office accommodation, guarantee of security and extension of diplomatic privileges. At the signing, the secretary general reaffirmed the commitment of the D-8 to promoting health and social protection for citizens of D-8 member countries, stating that the programme was designed to accelerate progress especially in the context of SDGs 1, 2, and 3 which are critical indicators of improving health and living standards. “I am happy to inform that the health and social protection programme has been structured in such a manner that resources will be leveraged from within the group, the strong supporting the weak, thereby reducing reliance on donor aid” Dato’ Ku Jaafar said. The HSP according to Dato’ Ku Jaafar will support Member States to improve access to essential health services, improve

quality of care, governance and human resource for health, prevent non communicable diseases and provide social protection. “Through the HSP programme we hope to unlock the market potential in health amongst Member States from which resources will be leveraged to fund the key intervention pillars of health, nutrition and poverty” Dato’ Ku Jaafar said. The Secretary General also spoke on the D-8’s 10th summit which is scheduled to take place in Dhaka, Bangladesh later in the year where a new road map and plan of action for the actualization of the organisation’s targets will be launched. In his remarks, the Minister of state for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada, commended the D-8 for the laudable initiative to promote health and support human capacity development for D-8 member countries He added that it will be a great benefit for Nigeria as a member of the D-8. The Permanent Secretary of Nigeria’s Ministry of Health, Alhaji, Abdul-Aziz Abdullahi Mashi said there is no short-cut to development without investing in the people, hence, coupling health and poverty alleviation. He said he is hopeful that the D-8 initiative will support the ongoing efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s health system. The D-8 Member Countries include Bangladesh, Egypt, Nigeria, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey. The Organisation has a combined population of over 1.1 billion people and covers an area of 7.6 million square kilometers which constitutes five per cent of the total world land area.

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Bydow Pharmacy, Mrs. Adenike Adenuga; Chairman St. Racheal’s Pharma, Mr.Akinjide Adeosun; and Guest Speaker & Head, Contact Center, FCMB, Miss. Vivien Agu, at the St. Racheal’s ‘Business For Life’ discourse held in Lagos recently

Bauchi Commends EU-UNICEF for Providing N50M Upgraded PHC Facility Segun Awofadeji ÓØ ËßÍÒÓ The Bauchi State government has applauded the European Union (EU) and United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) for handing over the upgraded and rehabilitated Primary Healthcare Centre(PHC) in Lere, Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of the state, which cost over N50 million. The government particularly appreciated the EU-UNICEF for their support in improving healthcare delivery services in the state, saying that the gesture has added value to governance

and improved the health of the people of the state. THISDAY reports that 40 years after it was commissioned by the administration of late former Governor of defunct Bauchi State, Abubakar Tatari Ali, the dilapidated Primary Healthcare Centre in Lere, Tafawa Balewa LGA was upgraded and rehabilitated by the Development Partners, UNICEF -EU. The state Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed made the commendation recently at the official handover ceremony of the PHC to the state, adding that it was upgraded by UNICEF

with funding from EU under the Maternal, Newborn Child Health and Nutrition Project. Represented by the Chief of Staff, Dr Ladan Salihu, the governor stated that since the inception of the administration, the government has placed high priority on the provision of healthcare delivery in the state, particularly in the area of partnership with development In his remarks, the UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, Mr Bhanu Pathak said that UNICEF was working with the state government to improve healthcare system considering that health

sector was the key priority area of the administration of the governor. Pathak who said the health facility was upgraded at the cost of about N40 million, stressed the need for all hands to be on deck so as to achieve the set objectives. The Executive Chairman of the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (SPHCDA), Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed said the governor has approved the sum of N10m each for the control of Lassa fever, and routine immunisation exercise scheduled to commence across the state.

Healthcare Companies Must Strive to Outlive Founders, Says Adeosun Martins Ifijeh Chairman, and Chief Executive of St Racheal’s Pharma, Mr Akinjide Adeosun says pharmaceutical and other corporate healthcare organisations in Nigeria must outlive their founders to be able to expand and become global entities. Welcoming participants to the quarter 1, 2020 ‘St Racheal’s Business for Life’ discourse organised by the company for healthcare personnel and decision makers in Lagos recently, Adeosun regretted that most healthcare companies in Nigeria often collapse as soon as their founders die. This, he said, has prevented

growth of the industry and expansion beyond the boundaries of the country. “Of course, we have few exceptions like St. Nicholas Hospital that is still running excellently even after the demise of the founder. But the number of such institutions is too few, compared with multinationals like GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, or even Shell and Total which have been running for over 100 years. “The difference between the way multinationals are run and the way local companies here operate is that governance, institutionalising of policies and processes, talent management, succession planning and

all those soft skills that are required to ensure that the companies exist way beyond their founders are lacking in the Nigerian eco-system. “That is why we have taken it upon ourselves to organise the ‘St Racheal’s Business for Life” initiative. We recognise that we will not be achieving our mission of improving life expectancy in Africa through the availability of top-quality affordable drugs alone, so we are looking at the business that will take care of the patient. “We want to help local healthcare companies with soft infrastructure that they require to be institutionalized

and be able to run for a very long time.” Adeosun noted that the theme for the discourse : “Excellence in Customer Care”, has been designed in line with previous lectures in the ‘Business for Life’ series which focused on Business values, etiquette, running a profitable enterprise and human resources. In her presentation, the Head, Contact Centre of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Miss. Vivien Agu, noted that healthcare companies, like, any other business, could grow and sustain their business by delivering services exceptionally beyond customers’ expectations.

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T H I S D AY ˾ ,FEBRUARY 20, 2020

HEALTH

Infrastructural Revolution at University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital ancillaries for plastic surgeries and related treatment of burns. At completion, it would add 70 new beds to the present hospital bed pool.

Goke Akinrogunde My trip to Maiduguri, Bornu State, North-east mid- December 2019 was a case of severally rescheduled trip that was not to be over the last seven years since the idea was first mooted sometimes in the year 2012. This idea of a “working visit” to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), Maiduguri, came aftermath of an edition of my then weekly column (Health Matters) in THISDAY. I had written on the rare feat of intervention radiological procedures (as alternative to major surgeries) performed at UMTH and pioneered by an Interventional Radiologist at the Hospital, Dr Ahmadu Ahidjo, the then Head of Radiology Department at the hospital. Thus the intention was to go to Maiduguri and witness the live procedures done. Unfortunately the intended 2012 journey could not to be for many reasons; chiefly among these was the fact that no sooner that the arrangement for the visit was consummated that Bornu State was locked-down by the military authorities - end of preparation. The Target: 1200 plus beds and more at UMTH Fast-forward, October 2019. I ran into Professor Ahidjo at the Medic West Africa - the biggest Medical Exhibition in the West Africa sub-region. Ahidjo has now been appointed the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital in August 2018, just before then he was Provost, College of Medicine, University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID). Naturally, the idea of working visit to Maiduguri request came up but now primarily to witness and assess the infrastructural development on-going at the Teaching Hospital. The convergence of this development, I was told, is to transform UMTH to become the biggest health facility with the largest amount of hospital beds in Nigeria, and by extension, West Africa. At present, UMTH has some 600 beds and according to the CMD, by the end of the present phase of infrastructural development (before 2020 ends) a little over 600 beds would be added, taking the total beds in hospital to over 1200 beds. That is a record in the making above the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, which presently seat at the top in Nigeria with close to 1000 beds at the moment. In ruin; There is Architecture Notwithstanding the ruins occasioned by insurgency in Bornu, UMTH, on 10 December 2019, the first day of my visit, had numerous construction works going on in the hospital. These include architectural edifices - the new Trauma Center, the Burns Center, and the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) General Out-patient Building, all near-completion and adjoining the periphery fence by the hospital’s main gate. Also there were construction works going on the buildings adjacent and opposite the hospital’s administrative block; these are the new Institute of Child Health and the Physical Rehabilitation Centre Buildings respectively. Driving round the hospital complex was

NHIS-GOPD Building University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital is the health provider for some 22,000 enrolees on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) list. The reality of such a huge number of enrolees (still growing) and the pressure it puts on the existing general out-patient department (GOPD) gave rise to the idea of a separate GOPD for NHIS patients to fast track the services the hospital render to this category of patients. The 3-floor building with multiple consulting rooms, adjoining lounges and observatories would certainly shelve a lot of weight off the ‘main’ GOPD department.

through the ongoing internal roads construction, some 2.7 kilometers, being executed directly, at no cost to the hospital, by Federal Ministry of Works; this is first time internal roads are been constructed since the hospital was commissioned by 2nd republic president, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, July 1983, 36 years ago. Further assessed were ongoing construction works at the new Brachytherapy Center (for cancer treatment), the new hostel block of the School of Nursing, UMTH and newly constructed accommodation block that housed the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC) and the Deputy CMAC (clinical). Aside the aforementioned construction works; there was on-site assessment of five 500kva electrical diesel generators attached to the water treatment plant and the newly constructed four Aquifer Bore Holes. Other new generators also functions as part of the effort to maintain 24 hours power supply to the hospital vital centers: operating theatre, kidney center, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), oxygen generating plant, high dependent unit, Accident and Emergency, Radiology Center and the Mortuary. These are commendable marks for Prof Ahidjo-led management team in less than 18 months of the appointment as the CMD UMTH. It is indeed an attestation of a thorough selection process for the office carried out by the Hadi Okashatu-led Board of UMTH, who conducted the process that produced the new CMD of UMTH in August 2018. Where Does the Funds Coms From As to how all the aforementioned projects are getting done in such a synchronised manner, wondering where the funds are coming from; knowing that this is way off the hospital’s budgetary allocations for capital projects. On this, Ahidjo made references to the support and

encouragement from the Hadi Okashatu-led Hospital Board and “the power of advocacy at other levels”; a case of thinking out of the box. And without his mentioning, I should add that it is also a case of using what you have to get what you need and converting a disadvantaged situation to an advantageous position. In other words, it is a case of leveraging on the sympathy elicited from the reality of the insurgency-caused ruins of the north east, especially of Bornu, to create an infrastructural revolution in the largest hospital in Northeast Nigeria. Trauma Center with roof top Helipad The four floor mega-trauma center building is an exception to the usual; an advocacy-yield specially-funded edifice. If completed and commission hopefully by the end of the 1st quarter of 2020, it will have multiple operating theatres for immediate surgical intervention for trauma cases; radiology suites for ultrasound, X-ray, CT-scan etc; patients wards; consulting rooms and mini-laboratory. To cap it up, situated on the roof is the fortified Helipad segment for patients-conveying helicopter to land, where an adjoining elevator would convey the trauma patients to the lower floors for onward transfer to the theatres and the wards. Simply put, the trauma centre is envisaged as a ‘hospital within the hospital’, where all the required for effective treatment of trauma patients are available as a one-stop centre. The new trauma complex would add 150 new beds to the hospitals pool of beds. Burns Centre The burns centre was 60 per cent completed during the visit and is a direct project of the North East Commission. It is sited just beside the Trauma Centre and is conceived to cater exclusively for burns patients. It is projected to be equipped with modern theatre and other

Institute of Child Health The institute of Child Health building is a three floor massive structure to house everything about child health: consulting rooms, children wards, neonatal section, consultant offices, lecture room, residents’ lounge, research laboratories etc. It is a bold move to expand the hospital paediatric beds from 64 beds (same since the hospital was commissioned) to 150 beds when the project is completed later in the year. Physical Rehabilitation Center - ICRC Project and others The N1.3 billion physical rehabilitation centre being built and to be equipped by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is situated by the hospital’s physiotherapy department; at completion later in the year, it will expand the physiotherapy, physical rehabilitation and occupational therapy capacity of the teaching hospital tremendously. It would also add a whopping 100 beds to the hospital’s beds pool. Also in the collective of giant strides ongoing in UMTH is the Stroke Center designed for modern management of stroke patients - from primary phase of care to tertiary phase of stroke and related ailments care. At completion the stroke center would add another 150 beds to the hospital’s total. In the same vein, other wholesome contribution to the hospital’s expansion project are the revived Kidney Center and the Drug Rehabilitation Center which when completed will add 100 beds and 70 beds respectively to the hospital’s pool to bring the total amount to 1,200 plus beds, over 100 per cent increase to the existing capacity. This coordinated integrated hospital patients capacity expansion project, ongoing at University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital under the Prof Ahidjo-led management, is clearly awesome and it is one’s hope that it gets to fruition, get well maintained and raise the bar of centre of excellence for patients’ care, catering for the present generation and those yet unborn. And the verdict From the Board members, management team, staff unions and students: so far, Prof Ahmadu Ahidjo has not disappointed.

NHIS Proposes Establishment of National Health Insurance Commission Onyebuchi Ezigbo ÓØ ÌßÔË The management of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has said that it is working to effect an amendment to the Act setting up the fund to transform it to a health insurance commission. According to NHIS, the amendment bill before the National Assembly which has passed the second reading is seeking to make health insurance mandatory and to get all in the formal and informal sectors at the national, state and local council level to be part of it. Speaking to journalists during a retreat organised by the NHIS, state health insurance scheme and other key stakeholders in Nasarawa state, the Executive

Secretary of NHIS, Prof. Mohammed Sambo said that unless the law setting up the agency is amended to strengthen and expand its scope it cannot lead to the achievement the much desired universal health coverage. The move by the NHIS came just as one of the key stakeholders, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said that there are indications that the operations of the health insurance scheme is becoming more transparent and accountable. NLC president, Comrade Ayuba Wabba who was at the retreat alongside his counterpart from the Trade Union Congress (TUC), said that being transparent is one of the best ways to

engender confidence and trust of the public that would in turn increase the subscriber base. Speaking on the amendment of the NHIS Act, Mohammed said that the present law permits NHIS to register federal civil servants and a few private sector individuals who voluntarily subscribe to the scheme. Sambo who gave number of workers presently covered by the health insurance scheme as 3.5 million said the situation has not only tied the hands of the NHIS to a few segment of the Nigerian populace but has limited its impact as well. He said: “Under the mandatory insurance scheme everybody will join and then you have the money coming

from the public sector, from the private sector and you have contributions coming from persons that are rich. With that kind of funding, you can now begin the journey towards achieving universal health coverage. “So the law is to be amended to reflect that which will even convert the NHIS to a commission and when that commission is established and its mandate based on compulsory health insurance then everybody will then subscribe”. Sambo also said that with the expansion of the scheme, it would attract a large pool of fund, which will in turn lead to cross-subsidization. “The rich will subsidise the poor, and there is a tendency

you will have a surplus fund with which you will use to give and create subsidy for those who cannot pay,” he said. Mohammed said retreat is to bring all the actors under the health insurance scheme to come together to create a platform that will enable us move towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Information about health insurance scheme is very poor. He said that the workshop tried to bring on board all the stakeholders, “the national and state health insurance scheme under the platform that we have created, and will be called ‘health insurance under one roof’. The Executive Secretary noted

that under the new plan, there will be a very good central coordinating system whereby it will possible to get aggregate of all the numbers of enrollees that have joined the NHIS in Nigeria. Also speaking on the effort to forge a common front, the Executive Secretary of the Osun Health Insurance Agency and the Chairman of Forum of Chief Executives Officers of State Insurance oordinator of the states health insurance schemes, Mr. Niyi Odunyi said that having a health insurance under one roof became necessary due to the various fragmentation, lack of coordination and operational disunity in the health insurance industry.

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 20, 2020 • T H I S D AY

37

38

T H I S D AY ˞ ˜ Ͱ͎˜ 2020

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Coronation Merchant Bank Foresees Stable Naira in 2020 Obinna Chima The Head of Research, Coronation Asset Management, Mr. Guy Czartoryski, has predicted a stable naira exchange rate against the dollar this year. Czartoryski, said this in a presentation titled: “Year Ahead 2020: Re-risking the Financial System,� he delivered at a breakfast session organised by Coronation Merchant Bank in Lagos, yesterday. According to him, in the long-term, the naira depreciates against the dollar in line with the difference in inflation between the two currencies. He noted that over the years, trying to stop the naira from depreciating had proven to be a forlorn activity. “We believe the CBN will keep the exchange rate at close to N362.50 to a dollar for most, if not all, of 2020. But the effect will be to add pressure on the naira as its fair value slips against the dollar. “The recent history of the naira versus dollar exchange rate shows that 20 per cent over-valuation of the naira, in terms of fair value is associated with devaluation. “Such a level may be reached during 2021, but the risks of this happening in 2020 are low, we

believe. The immediate cause of naira devaluation (as opposed to long-term driver) is unsatisfied demand for dollar and resulting depletion of forex reserves at the CBN, as we observed in 2016,� Czartoryski explained. However, he pointed out that a gross forex reserve level of $30 billion or less would be dangerous, saying it would restrict the ability of the CBN to supply dollars to the forex market. He explained that management of forex reserves is linked to the CBN’s setting of market interest rates. “Currently, Nigeria has a dual interest rate system with the CBN’s open market operations (OMO) bills available only to banks’ proprietary books and to foreign portfolio investments (FPIs). “The later accounts for a significant proportion of the CBN’s $38 billion forex reserves. If the CBN cannot sell sufficient OMO bills to foreigners in early 2020, then this could, in our view, present challenges to its forex reserve management and dispute the current N362.50 to a dollar exchange rate,� he said. Czartoryski said the result of OMO bills’ sales to FPIs in January and February 2020,

would provide an important indicator of whether the CBN’s forex reserve management was succeeding. Foreign investors may find OMO yields (currently 14.92% per annum) attractive, but could be deterred by the recent decline in liquidity in the OMO market, he argued. “Oil prices look set to trade above $60 barrel per day in most of 2020, in our view. With the potential to sooth investors’ fears about Nigeria’s outlook. “Continued OPEC cut led by Saudi Arabia are supporting the forward curve which prices oil (Brent) at $62 barrels per day. “Our core thesis is that portfolio investors (both local and international), are confident about Nigeria’s prospects when oil prices (Brent) are close to $60 barrels per day or above, and unhappy when oil prices fall below this level. “2019 was a case in point, when markets were generally happy with Nigeria’s profile, but responded negatively to oil falling to $56 barrels per day in early August – net outflows of US dollars from the reserves of the CBN rose that month, as did domestic interest rate around that time.

CustomsEngages Stakeholders on N140.2bn Revenue Target for Onne Port Ernest Chinwo iĂ˜ Ă™ĂœĂž Ă‹ĂœĂ?Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂž The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Area II Command yesterday engaged stakeholders on how to meet the N140.2 billion revenue target given the command by the management of the NCS. This was just as the stakeholders made up of mainly port operators and regulators listed the deplorable state of the East-west Road and the absence of scanners at the port as some of the obstacles to the realization of the target. Addressing the stakeholders, Customs Area Controller of Port Harcourt Area II Command, Onne Port, Comptroller Aliyu Galadima Saidu, said the increase in the revenue target was as a result of the impressive performance of the command last year. He stated that the Command generated a total revenue of N107,336,142,823.59 last year, an increase of N11,642,640,87.26 (12 per cent) above the N95,712,502,149.33 target for the year. He said the Command had to interface with stakeholders on how to overcome challenges and meet the target set for the command by the management

of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS). He said the gathering offered the opportunity for collective critical study, sharing of ideas, peer review of organisational findings and experiences towards boosting the efficiency of the command. He stated: “Area II Command Onne Port was given a revenue target of N140,202,000,000 for the 2020. We are not only optimistic about meeting the target; we hope to surpass it through hard work, honesty and dedication to work and above all with your support.� “Customs is responsible for a wide range of duties, which include suppression of smiggling of prohibited items, border and hinterland protection, collection of revenue and accounting for same for the government, trade controls and facilitation, preventing money laundering and capital flight profiling, intellectual property rights protection as well as consumer protection. “We have a duty to further facilitate movement of legitimate goods, improve system documentation and enable all stakeholders key into change mantra agenda of the Comptroller General of Customers. In view if the above, the Command has decided to

engage the stakeholders in regular meetings and in-house training at the operational level.� However, after deliberations, the stakeholder in their resolution stated that the East-west Road leading the port was in a deal0portable condition and would constitute a huge obstacle to the realisation of the target especially since there was no rail line to the port. They noted that while the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, had promised a rail link to the port, nothing has been done to actualise that in the foreseable future. They therefore appealed to the Federal Government to expedite action on the completion of the East-west Road to help the port attain its optimum. They also called on the Federal Government to install scanners at the port to ensure quick examination of containers and reduce the time spent in the clearance of goods. The stakeholders in the meeting included the NCS, Nigerian Ports Authority, the Police, West African Containers Terminal, clearing and forwarding agents, shipping lines, and other operators.

NBCC Organises February Breakfast Meeting The Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) is set to host its February Breakfast Meeting in Lagos, today. Facing constraints on public resources and fiscal space, while recognising the importance of investment in infrastructure to help the economy grow, the federal government is increasingly turning to the private sector as an alternative additional source of funding to meet the funding gap. With a panel discussion on

the importance and risks of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) by the speakers, the breakfast meeting seeks to explore ways to ensure that PPPs are as profitable in reality as they are on paper. According to a statement, the forum would be attended by members of the business community, government institutions and stakeholders in the PPP sphere. Speaking on the theme “Public-Private Partnerships

- How to Make it Work in Nigeria,� are Lamin Manjang, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria; Kunle Elebute, Senior Partner, KPMG Nigeria & Chairman, KPMG Africa; Engr Chidi Izuwah, DG Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission and Yomi Omomuwasan, MD/CEO Lekki Concession Company. The NBCC Breakfast Meeting is Sponsored by Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria and KPMG Nigeria.

Head of Programme, GIZ - SEDIN, Dr. Detlev Holloh (left), and Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, during a courtesy visit to the Governor’s Office by GIZ SEDIN, an enterprise entirely owned by the Germany government, in Abeokuta...recently

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 ÍŻÍś Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $56.68 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $57.24 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations. The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), Oriente (Ecuador), ZaďŹ ro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela) SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

39

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ Ͱͮ˜ ͰͮͰͮ

MARKET NEWS

Anyaoku Calls for FG’s Utilisation of Capital Market to Fund Infrastructure Goddy Egene Former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku has joined stakeholders calling on the federal government to utilise the Nigeria’s capital market to develop the economy. Worried by the high level of infrastructure deficit and inadequacy of government financial resources, many stakeholders have been calling on the federal government to

raise long term funds from the capital market to finance infrastructure. Addressing the Principal Officers of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS) during courtesy call to him in Lagos, Anyaoku explained that governments in developed economies utilise the capital market to fund infrastructure projects. According to him, all tiers of government should take advantage of long term investment opportunities in

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

the market to raise long term fund for development projects. Besides, Anyaoku applauded the recent move by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in collaboration with the Bankers Committee to leverage Public Private Partnership (PPP) approach to bridge infrastructure gaps. Specifically, the partnership was expected to commence with construction of four roads, details of which are still hazy. Anyaoku, noted that there

S E C U R I T I E S MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

was a growing need for the federal government to mobilize private capital through the market to raise long term fund for infrastructure development. “ The capital market has important roles to play in the national economy. The managers of the capital market and the operators play pivotal roles. Developed countries did not just develop on the basis of government funding alone, but participation of the private sectors. I am happy that the CBN

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

is collaborating with Bankers Committee on how to fund the huge infrastructure gap in PPP. Many big companies in Nigeria are performing below average because of lack of resources. The resources provided by the government is inadequate. There is a need for mobilisation of private capital to enable the companies operate optimally,” he said. Anyaoku warned against Nigeria’s adoption of common currency in the West African region saying

O F

it was too early and should not be rushed. He explained that it took European countries many years to achieve common currency and the management of fiscal policies of the member countries must be studied. In his remarks, President and Chairman, CIS, Mr. Adedapo Adekoje said the visit was in recognition of Anyaoku’s service to Nigeria and to seek his participation in the Institute’s activities as an elder statesman.

1 9 / 0 2 / 2 0 2 0 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

40

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

United Capital Posts N4.9 billion Profit, to Pay N3 Billion Dividend Goddy Egene

share, will be paid from the Shareholders’ funds grew to N4.97 billion profit after tax (PAT) N19.59 billion, from N15.83 billion in 2018. The board of directors of United recorded for the year. In the audited results, United Commenting on the results, Capital Plc, an investing banking firm, has recommended a dividend Capital Plc posted a revenue of Group Chief Executive Officer of of N3 billion for the year ended N8.598 billion in 2019, compared United Capital, Mr. Peter Ashade December 31, 2019. The dividend, with N9.26 billion in 2018. PAT said: “In spite of the challenging which translates into 50 kobo per rose by 15 per cent from N4.34 operating environment that was billion to N4.97 billion in 2019. experienced in 2019, United A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager. investment vehicle that allows both small and Investors with similar objectives buy units of the large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg. Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their that willl generate their desired return. investments. The assets are divided into shares that An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, GUIDE TO DATA: etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 18shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the Feb-2020, unless otherwise stated.

Capital Plc group have been We expect an appreciable growth able to consistently improve in in our revenue as we roll out its performance recording a 15 our various strategic initiatives per cent increase in PAT and for the year 2020.” earnings per share. This increase According to Ashade, going was driven majorly by the growth into 2020, the focus of the in our net interest margin, fees company would be to execute and commission as well as an strategic imperatives targeted efficient tax management strategy. at strengthening its business to 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.

customer model and scale up activities to drive growth across all subsidiaries, aggressively drive its assets under management to sustainably increase annual fee income, as well as the establishment of innovative cost containment mechanisms through effective budgeting.”

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 0.90 0.91 7.56% ACAP Income Funds 0.76 0.76 33.97% 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 7.08% AIICO Balanced Fund 2.47 2.52 0.35% 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 6.22% Anchoria Equity Fund 101.93 103.06 1.09% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.18 1.18 3.39% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 15.58 16.05 1.72% ARM Discovery Fund 351.28 361.88 1.69% ARM Ethical Fund 30.14 31.05 3.64% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 6.86% 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 99.42 100.12 3.48% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 5.98% 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 1.97 1.97 17.43% 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 0.08 0.06 7.86% Paramount Equity Fund 12.52 12.31 -1.70% Women's Investment Fund 111.72 112.55 1.11% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 7.00% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 104.03 104.58 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 113.50 114.15 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 N/A N/A N/A Coronation Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 N/A N/A N/A EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B N/A N/A N/A EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 1,323.21 1,324.32 2.49% FBN Balanced Fund 149.73 150.89 1.98% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 6.64% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 120.36 120.76 0.94% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 121.03 121.43 1.00% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 126.74 128.35 -2.61% 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 8.03% Legacy Debt Fund 3.69 3.69 1.00% Legacy Equity Fund 1.14 1.16 0.63% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.09 1.09 0.57% 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 N/A N/A N/A Coral Income Fund N/A N/A N/A FSDH Treasury Bills Fund N/A N/A N/A GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.26% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 118.58 119.12 10.44%

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 6.31% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.25 2.28 4.52% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 10.10% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 140.70 141.22 12.75% 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 1.19 1.22 2.41% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,115.48 1,115.48 1.56% 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 9.67 9.77 -1.33% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 4.09% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.40 1.43 14.66% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.54 12.64 10.99% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 7.06% PACAM Equity Fund 1.14 1.15 PACAM EuroBond Fund 105.67 107.59 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 135.07 137.87 8.26% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.02 1.02 1.52% 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 3.30% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 210.33 210.33 0.90% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.88 0.89 2.81% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 273.87 273.95 1.26% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 154.92 156.64 3.03% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 6.04% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,674.15 7,756.30 2.77% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.16 1.16 0.84% 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 1.20 1.22 -0.15% United Capital Bond Fund 1.76 1.76 1.49% United Capital Equity Fund 0.69 0.71 -1.22% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 6.80% United Capital Eurobond Fund 112.91 112.91 0.91% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.09 1.10 0.31% 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 10.40 10.56 1.36% Zenith Ethical Fund 11.66 11.81 0.54% Zenith Income Fund 23.04 23.04 3.65% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 5.46%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

3.45 120.09 52.41

3.45 120.09 52.41

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

9.23 95.19 74.23

9.33 97.23 75.63

5.96% 2.94% 0.70%

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

3.58 5.00 12.82 11.61 176.99

3.62 5.08 12.92 11.81 178.99

0.90% -15.23% 5.58% 11.63% -5.69%

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.

41

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 20, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

INTERNATIONAL

Despite Rising Death Toll, WHO Declares Progress in Fight against Coronavirus Says Egypt’s case tests negative The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday hailed “tremendous progress” in the fight against the deadly new coronavirus since it emerged in China in December. It also announced that the first case of the deadly virus in Africa which was announced last week has tested negative. “We are making tremendous progress in a short period of time … trends are very encouraging but we are not at a turning point yet,” said Richard Brennan, WHO’s regional emergency director, at a press conference in Cairo. The death toll from the COVID-19 virus jumped past 2,000 on Wednesday, almost all of them in mainland China where 74,185 cases of infection have been confirmed. Egypt’s health ministry announced last week the first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in Africa, a foreigner whose nationality was not revealed. In a joint statement with Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population on Wednesday, the WHO noted that the person had shown a “negative” response upon further testing. “After 48 hours of being

admitted to the isolation unit in the hospital, further PCR tests revealed a negative result for the carrier of the COVID-19 virus who tested positive last Friday,” the statement said. It was not immediately clear why the patient tested negative in the latest polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, a widely used method to determine the presence of infectious agents. A senior WHO official insisted to AFP on Wednesday that the negative results of the patient, who remains in quarantine, still do not make the continent free of the disease. She said that other carriers of the disease could be present in other countries without necessarily being detected. During the conference, WHO officials reiterated that even though the foreigner had not shown any symptoms of the virus, the person is still being monitored and has not been released. John Jabbour, WHO’s Egypt director, told AFP that “we are making sure that Africa is still free of the disease except for the case in Egypt”. Slamming misinformation on social media, Brennan noted “there is no evidence it (the virus) was

produced in a lab or as a biological weapon”. In response to Chinese efforts to contain the virus, he said that Beijing “has really thrown its weight behind the outbreak” and that reports of concealing the severity of the disease are “frankly unwarranted.” Deep trade links with China and often overstretched healthcare systems have raised concerns about the capacity of African countries to respond to an outbreak. Meanwhile, WHO has announced that the first coronavirus case in Africa has tested negative. Egypt’s health ministry had announced last week that the first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in Africa, a foreigner whose nationality was not revealed. In a joint statement with Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population on Wednesday, the WHO noted that the person had shown a “negative” response upon further testing. “After 48 hours of being admitted to the isolation unit in the hospital, further PCR tests revealed a negative result for the carrier of the COVID-19 virus who tested positive last Friday,” the statement said.

...China President Xi Asks for Protection of Medical Workers China’s President Xi Jinping called Wednesday for greater protection of medical staff fighting the new coronavirus after the deaths of prominent doctors sparked national anger at the government’s handling of the outbreak. At least seven medical workers have died from the virus, while 1,716 have been confirmed as infected, most at the epicentre of the epidemic in central Hubei province where hospitals have dealt with a huge influx of patients. Staff have faced shortages of masks and protective bodysuits, with some even wearing makeshift

suits and continuing to work despite showing respiratory symptoms, health workers have told AFP. Xi said China must “strengthen efforts to relieve the stress of medical workers, provide them with daily necessities, arrange time for their rest and give them encouragement”, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Liu Zhiming, the director of Wuchang Hospital in Hubei’s capital Wuhan, died Tuesday, more than a week after the death of whistleblowing ophthalmologist Li Wenliang in the same city

prompted nationwide mourning and calls for political reforms. A paper published by China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention said an additional 1,300 health workers may have been infected but have yet to receive a diagnosis. Xi said China must ensure medical teams in Hubei and Wuhan “carry out work in a safe, orderly, coordinated, effective and swift manner”, Xinhua reported. The deaths of frontline medical workers “reflected doctors’ humane and majestic spirit”, Xi said.

Critics Slam UK Post-Brexit Immigration Plans Britain’s government on Wednesday faced a backlash over its new post-Brexit immigration plans, which are designed to cut “cheap labour from Europe” in favour of high-skilled English speakers and boosting the homegrown workforce. Critics of the proposed points-based system, due to start on January 1, 2021, said the new measures could cause staff shortages in sectors heavily reliant on foreign workers. Health and social care, construction, hospitality and food, and drink firms could be worst affected, warned the Confederation of British Industry, which represents employers. Industry and unions also voiced fears about the lack of provision for low-paid workers, including in agriculture, where seasonal

workers would not meet new thresholds. “Firms know that hiring from overseas and investing in the skills of their workforce and new technologies is not an ‘either-or’ choice - both are needed to drive the economy forward,” said CBI director-general Carolyn Fairbairn. But interior minister Priti Patel dismissed suggestions of a negative impact on the UK economy, urging businesses to plug any shortfalls with local hires. “It’s about time businesses started to invest in people in this country,” she told Sky News television. “We have over eight million people - that is 20 per cent of the workforce - aged between 16 and 64 that are economically inactive right now.”

The plans, which Patel called “firm and fair”, are the biggest change to immigration policy in 50 years and will go before parliament, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson has a comfortable majority. They were billed as “taking back control” of Britain’s borders and reducing immigration — both key demands of anti-EU campaigners in the divisive Brexit debate. Effectively, the new measures will make it easier for more qualified, English-speaking workers to get visas, and harder for low-skilled migrants to do so. But the Conservative government was accused of failing to assess the economic impact, even after a report that said it would have “zero effect” on boosting the homegrown workforce.

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Senate Asks GSM Operators to Refund Drop Call Money to Customers Deji Elumoye and Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Senate yesterday took a swipe on the activities of GSM operators in the country and gave them thumps down for failing to provide the required quality services to their teeming customers. The upper chamber also canvassed for the approval of N1.1 billion for the establishment of Civil Defence Academy for the training of civil defence personnel. The chamber noted that 70 percent of the personnel lacked requisite training. Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, criticised the GSM operators when he opened a

public hearing to investigate telecommunications network operators in the country over increasing rate of drop calls. Lawan asked the GSM operators to refund any money that was paid on drop calls to subscribers. He said: “The drop calls shortchange consumers. To me, it’s a very serious issue and we have been with it as far as I can remember. We have been shortchanged for a long time. We consider this development unacceptable. “We mandated our committees to thoroughly investigate the issue of drop calls. This is in the interest of the people we represent and those who only come to Nigeria

either for tourism or business or whatever. What happens in Nigeria in terms of the attitude and behavior of the service providers hardly happens anywhere in the world. Maybe the time has come

for us to reject it,” Lawan said. He also accused the regulatory authority, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), of not doing enough to check the sharp practices

by the service providers. “NCC will have to sit up. Sometimes, it is either inept or it is simply flowing with the service providers. So we want to see a situation that this public

hearing will provide a way out to save us as Nigerians,” Lawan said, adding that the time has come to say “if you can’t perform, get out of the country.”

Nasarawa Police Arrest 12 Suspected Kidnappers of Perm Sec Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia Nasarawa State Police Command said yesterday day that it has arrested 12 suspects in connection with the kidnap of the Permanent Secretary of the state Ministry of Works, Jibrin Giza. This was even as the command also arrested and paraded 35 suspected kidnappers and armed robbers, recovered seven AK 47 riffles, seven locally made pistols/ guns, two motor vehicles and two motorcycles yesterday. The permanent secretary was in the early hours of Sunday kidnapped by unknown gunmen at his residence in Shabu, a suburb of Lafia. However, Nasarawa State Commissioner of Police, Bola Longe, confirmed that the kidnapped permanent secretary has regained his freedom in the early hours of yesterday when he was released by his abductors at Duduguru village, about 10 kilometres from Lafia, along Makurdi road.

The commissioner told journalists that when the permanent secretary was kidnapped, “the command created four rescued teams that the permanent secretary must be rescued alive, and they went to all those places where human and technical intelligence were pointing irresistibly that that is where we could locate him.” “Consequently, we put pressure on the kidnappers and arrested five people between Nasarawa Eggon and Shabu area. Then technical intelligence pointed that they were at the back of the Federal University, Lafia, and towards PHCN service centre and there we arrested seven other suspects. “When the kidnappers knew that there was no escape route, they abandoned the permanent secretary around Duduguru area and disappeared. But we are still on their heels monitoring them through technical and human intelligence and we will get them,” he vowed.

UNVEILING NEW AMBASSADOR…

L-R: Group Non-Executive Directors, Tingo International Holdings, Mr. Derrick Randall; Dr. Onyekachi Onubogu; Group Chief Executive Officer; Mr. Dozy Mmobuosi; former presidential aide, Mr. Reno Omokri; Chief of Staff, Mr. Rory Bowen; and Group Executive Director, Tingo International, Mr. Wale Adebayo, during the unveiling of Omokri as Brand Ambassador of Tingo Mobile, at the Nasdaq in London…recently

At 85, Akintoye Calls for Sober Reflection on Nigeria Yoruba Leader and a Historian, Prof Banji Akintoye, has called for a sober reflection on Nigeria. Akintoye made this call during a reception held to mark his 85th birthday at the Secretariat of the Yoruba World Congress in Lagos. Though ebullient and pleased to see leaders of various Yoruba groups affiliated with his Yoruba World Congress, Akintoye was quick to clarify that he had no intention to celebrate or throw party for his 85th birthday. He declared: “I was at home receiving some family members and friends when our Secretary General, Prof Anthony Kila, summoned me to a meeting at the secretariat and I came to

meet all this. Well, all I can say is thank you very much.” When asked why he did not want to hold a party? Prof Akintoye answered: “There is an ongoing tradition that started close three decades ago in which I celebrate my birthday only every Ten years and the Yoruba communities in the United States have a sort of exclusive rights over that celebration the next one will be in five years’ time if God spears me. So, there is no big celebration today.” He added that he was not in a very festive mood because of the conditions of the country even though there were more than enough reasons to thank God

for a being hale and healthy after seeing over eighty-five years in this world. The celebrated historian is worried and unhappy about the Nigeria of today: “When I think of what we had in mind for this country, our lofty ideas and the great steps we took at least in the western region under the leadership and of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and we compare the country to where we are today then you will see why I am not happy. “I look at the state of security or rather insecurity. I consider prospect of our youths. I look at our education and health facilities and other infrastructure. I see too many of our people in abject

poverty and I want us to have a sober reflection on what is going on the country. People are sad and unsafe; the future is not looking bright for too many of young our people.” He also stated the need to rethink this Nigeria because “the way it is so far does not seem to be fit for purpose. We need to change things. We need to review how we want to live together as a people in order to come up with a clear, fair and effective country. “I want everyone in Nigeria to have a sober reflection on the country, to ask real and questions about our security, health, education and standing in world.”

A United Kingdom based mobile telephony company, Tingo Mobile, has named former Presidential Spokesman and Bestselling Author, Mr. Reno Omokri, as its global brand ambassador. Tingo Mobile, which has plans to launch its services in America, also nominated Omokri as a brand ambassador because his identity as a global citizen that toured the world in 2019 tied in with the company’s mission

to bring mobile telephony and e-money solutions to people and communities across the globe. Speaking at the unveiling of Omokri as Tingo’s brand ambassador at the Nasdaq composite’s office in London, Co-founder of Tingo Mobili, Mr. Dozy Mmobuosi, said the passion and commitment Omokri has shown by visiting 37 nations in one year, at his own expense, just to promote charitable causes he believes in is admirable and

tied in with the Tingo Mobile vision. The vision, according to Mmobuosi, is that “nobody is beyond the reach of Tingo Mobile, irrespective of their station and status in life. Our mission is to provide mobile telephony services and e-money solutions to people around the world, no matter how remote and inaccessible their location may be.” Omokri has also been appointed into the Advisory

Board of Tingo International Holdings, Inc, (TIH) and would be projecting the company on his continuing global travels, where he meets with world leaders and community groups to promote freedom and peaceful coexistence. TIH is a Delaware, United States of America, incorporated holding company, that is expected to debut on a major United States of America’s stock exchange in Q2, 2020.

Amnesty, NIDCOM Seek FG’s Intervention over Nigerian on Tingo Mobile Unveils Reno Omokri as Brand Ambassador Saudi’s Death Row Adedayo Akinwale and Udora Orizu in Abuja Amnesty International (AI) and Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) have appealed to the House of Representatives and the federal government to intervene and call on the Saudi Arabian authorities to release Suleiman Olufemi, a Nigerian sentenced to death in the country at a closed trial in 2005. Olufemi was among the 13 Nigerian men arrested in September 2002 in Saudi Arabia in connection with murder, and was sentenced to death. They made the appeal yesterday during an interactive session organised by the House Committee on Diaspora in Abuja. The Country Director Amnesty International Nigeria, Mrs. Osai Ojigho, said Olufemi is innocent and was tortured and made to put his finger prints on the confessional statement in Arabic. She said the defendant only realised what the statement was about when he got to court, and

unfortunately for him at that time, he wasn’t given access to legal representation or consular assistance. Ojigho lamented that there’s lack of transparency on the part of Saudi authorities, saying Saudi Arabia doesn’t repent when they want to carry out an execution. According to Ojigho, “Amnesty International has been working on this case since 2002 and we are aware of the issues around this case, and particularly, among all the defendants who were released in 2017, one of them died in prison. The 13 Nigerians were tortured; unfortunately, Olufemi, who was the youngest among them, was the first person to crack under torture, and was the first person to put his finger prints on the confessional statement in Arabic. It was only when he got to court that he realised the statement he admitted to having hit the police officer on the head, and unfortunately they were not provided with any legal representation.

LAPO Empowers 1.2m Nigerians with Health, Social Services Lift Above Poverty Organization (LAPO) improved the socioeconomic and health conditions of 1,257,297 community members across the country with her innovative services in 2019. A breakdown of the figures indicated that 274,929 persons were reached with direct services in target communities while 976,368 were empowered through information, communication and enlightenment materials.

Similarly, the financial subsidiary of the organisation, Lift Agricultural and Rural Development initiative (LARDI) supported 129,637 rural farmers with the sum of 10,936,270,300 during the period under review. The figure represents 49 per cent increase over the sum of 7,342,503,550 disbursed to the beneficiaries in 2018. The Executive Director of LAPO, Sabina Idowu-Osehobo, who stated this while reviewing the activities of the organisation during the period

expressed satisfaction with the performance. She restated LAPO’s commitment to improving the lives of community members and building the capacity of women to challenge harmful sociocultural structures and processes that limit their progress and enjoyment of good life. Idowu-Osehobo said social and health empowerment programmes have always been an integral part of LAPO’s poverty reduction

efforts, insisting that no meaningful development can be achieved without the inclusion and involvement of women in the development process. She said the organisation delivers innovative health, social empowerment and financial services to target beneficiaries and expressed gratitude to LAPO Microfinance Bank Limited and other organisations that have been part of the history and success story of LAPO over the years.

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Coronavirus: New Research Places Nigeria Among High Risk African Countries A new research has revealed that Egypt, Algeria, and South Africa are at high risk of suffering from the deadly coronavirus, while Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sudan, Angola, Tanzania, Ghana and Kenya will all need support to detect and handle imported cases of the epidemic. The Lancet medical journal, in a report released yesterday, said that the three African countries were at particular risk because of higher levels of travel and trade

with China, where the COVID-19 virus first arose. Egypt’s health ministry announced last week the first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in Africa – a foreigner whose nationality was not revealed. “African countries have recently strengthened their preparedness to manage importations of COVID-19 cases,” said the author of the study, Dr Vittoria Colizza, of France’s Sorbonne University.

These include temperature screening at ports of entry, recommendations to avoid travel to China and improved health information provided to health professionals and the general public. However, she said “some countries remain ill-equipped” to deal with the threat and more needed to be done with surveillance and rapid identification of suspected cases, patient isolation and

Amotekun Bill Scales First, Second Reading at

Ondo Assembly The bill for a law to establish the Ondo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun’ Corps 2020 was yesterday committed to the state House of Assembly Committee on Security. This followed a robust debate on the benefits of the bill when passed into law. The Clerk of the House, Mr. Bode Adeyelu had earlier read a letter from the executive on the need to establish the security agency in order to assist in maintaining law and order across the state. The Speaker of the assembly, Hon. Bamidele Oleyelogun, who commended other lawmakers for cutting short their recess for the second

time, to attend to state matters, urged them to give the bill the desired attention in view of its benefits to the people. The Majority Leader of the assembly, Hon. Jamiu Sulaimon Maito noted that the bill when passed into law would assist in reducing social vices in the state. He then moved a motion for a debate on the bill in view of its enormous importance to the welfare of the people. All the lawmakers who spoke appreciated the proactiveness of the South-west governors, which culminated in the emergence of the Amotekun security network. They noted that the dwindling security situation across the country called for a localised

security network that is familiar with the terrain and people in the mandate area. The lawmakers stressed the need to extend the security network to the riverine area of the state through the purchase of speedboats to facilitate surveillance by Amotekun corps. Oleyelogun noted that the worsening security situation over the years in the country, particularly the South-west prompted the emergence of the Amotekun security network. He said: “Our region which was once admired for peace and safety is gradually being eroded by bandits who wasted innocent lives an property daily.”

contact tracing. “While almost three-quarters of African countries have influenza pandemic preparedness plan, most are outdated and considered inadequate. Fortunately, Egypt, Algeria and South Africa have “the most prepared health systems in the continent”, the report said. The new findings are from a modelling study estimating the preparedness and vulnerability

of African countries, as well as their likelihood of importing COVID-19 cases from China. Algeria, Ethiopia, South Africa and Nigeria were included in the 13 top priority countries identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO), based on their direct links and volume of travel to China. China is Africa’s leading commercial partner with high

volumes of travel between the two locations. However, some African countries simply do not have the resources, including beds and quarantine premises, the study warned. “Crisis management plans should be ready in each African country, and involvement of the international community should catalyse such preparedness,” said Colizza.

ASUU OPTIMISTIC ON AMICABLE RESOLUTION OF DISPUTE WITH FG The Vice Chairman of ASUU, FUOYE, Dr. Habibat Adubiaro, said the adoption of IPPIS would short-change many members and do a lot of disservice to the university education. “The issues surrounding the IPPIS and UTAS as well as 2009 agreement are being handled together by our national body with the federal government and the directive given had been that we must resist IPPIS, by not registering for it. “The level we are in FUOYE is that ASUU members say no to IPPIS and on UTAS proposal we stand,” she said. She discountenanced the widespread impression that a large number of ASUU members in FUOYE had registered for IPPIS as directed by the federal government.

“That impression was wrong. Less than eight per cent of our members registered for it. Recently, the national body of ASUU came to FUOYE and a very large number of our people attended the meeting convened. “Those who registered for IPPIS were majorly staff who just got converted from non-teaching to teaching,” she stated. Adubiaro added that ASUU has not foreclosed negotiations with the federal government, saying the ongoing talks with the federal Ministry of Education will resolve the issues. THISDAY had reported that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) was awaiting the approval of the Minister of

Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, to finally suspend the release of the funds for the payment of salaries of workers of tertiary institutions who have not enrolled on the IPPIS. The Director of IPPIS at the OAGF, Mr. Olusegun Olufehinti, had in a recent correspondence to the minister, requested an approval to halt further release of funds for January salaries of the federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. However, the university lecturers received their January salaries. But a source at the OAGF had informed THISDAY that approval was still being awaited from Ahmed before the stoppage could be implemented.

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THURSDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Anthony Joshua Visits Sagamu, Spotted at Akarigbo’s Palace Duro Ikhazuagbe World heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, was on a short visit to his birthplace, Sagamu in Ogun State yesterday. The British boxer who regained his heavyweight titles from Mexican Andy Ruiz last December in Saudi Arabia was spotted at the Palace of the Akarigbo of Remo in Sagamu at about 1pm. Although details of his visit remain sketchy as there was no official statement from the palace on the visit of their illustrious son, Head of the Anthony Joshua Supporters Club in Sagamu fondly known as Mr Naira, confirmed the presence of the boxer to reporters. On Tuesday afternoon, picture of Anthony Joshua trended on the social media with him displaying his new

Nigerian NIM identity card. He was flanked by two unnamed officials. There was also no mention of where he was registered and presented with the identity card. That first created the speculation that the heavyweight boxer was likely in the country on a private visit. On January 18, Anthony Joshua presented his World heavyweight boxing belts to the President Muhammadu Buhari in the United Kingdom. Joshua’s visit to Buhari was well celebrated in the local media with the picture of the gangling boxer fully postrated before the President in typical Yoruba son greeting of an elder. The ‘Dobale’ picture also trended on the social media for days with thousands of comments eulogizing him for not forgetting his Yoruba ancestry despite fighting as a Briton.

Anthony Joshua was born in Watford to a Nigerian mother, Yeta Odusanya and a British father of Nigerian and Irish descent, Robert, in 1989.

He made his debut alongside his cousin, Ben Illeyemi, who is also a professional boxer, in 2013. According to reports, Joshua

spent some of his early years in Nigeria and was a boarding school student at Mayflower School in Ikenne. He was said to return to the

United Kingdom when he was 12 years old. His father’s family name is popular in Ijokun, Sagamu area of Ogun State.

NFF: Bitrus Bewarang Remains Technical Director The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has stated that Mr. Bitrus Bewarang remains the Technical Director of the football –governing body, and that at no time has the body called for applications from candidates for his position, not to talk of appointing anyone into the post. “This clarification becomes necessary against the background of wide-circulating but totally misleading reports of the appointment of Mr. Daniel Amokachi, a former Super Eagles captain and coach, as head of NFF technical department,” Chairman of the NFF Technical and Development Committee, Alhaji Yusuf Ahmed Fresh, said in Abuja on Wednesday. “The NFF has been bemused by this unfounded story, which no doubt must have embarrassed Mr. Amokachi himself.” Yusuf Fresh, who is also member of the CAF Technical and Development Committee, commended President Muhammadu Buhari, for appointing Amokachi as ambassador of Nigerian Football, saying that “Mr. Amokachi richly deserves this appointment as someone who served our dear nation meritoriously on the field of play as a player and coach.” NFF’s Director of

Communications, Ademola Olajire, added that “while the NFF does not and will not foreclose the possibility of a major role for Ambassador Daniel Amokachi in the federation in the future, the truth is that presently, such an appointment has not been made. “Ambassador Amokachi no doubt deserves all the regard and respect befitting his new role as an ambassador. He should not be dragged into needless controversies such as this. The NFF, once more, enjoins the generality of the media to retain the important work ethic of fact-checking and verification, and beware of empty wildfires lit by obscure online cells that lack any iota of credibility.”

Bitrus Bewarang has been clarified as the Technical Director of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)

‘NPFL: Enyimba, Rangers Win Rescheduled Matches in Aba, Enugu Enyimba defeated Kwara United 2-0 in a Match-day 13 rescheduled Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) clash in Aba yesterday to climb to the fifth spot of the country’s top-flight. The victory now lifts Enyimba to join the title contenders following five straight wins, which put behind them the disturbing start to the season. The defending champions, who found themselves in the relegation zone up till recently, have risen to No 5, six points behind leaders Plateau United and having three games on hand. Stanley Dimgba got on the

scoresheet as early as the fifth minute while Victor Mbaoma sealed victory with a goal five minutes to the end. In another Match day 11 rescheduled game player in Enugu yesterday, Rangers struggled to edge Kano Pillars through a 75th goal by Chinonso Eziekwe. That result lifts the Flying Antelopes out of the bottom four, where Warri Wolves now feature. Like Enyimba, Rangers also have three outstanding matches that can further improve their fortunes in the 20 weeks old season.

Anthony Joshua flanked by residents and some military personnel outside of the Palace of the Akarigbo of Remo in Sagamu...yesterday afternoon. PHOTO: Punch

Obaseki Seeks Increased Private Investment in Sports to Tackle Insecurity, Unemployment Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has called for an increased private sector investment in sports development, noting that the move will complement the state government’s efforts in tackling insecurity, unemployment, illegal migration and other social vices in the society. The governor said this while declaring open the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM), in Benin City, Edo State capital on Tuesday. Represented by his deputy, Rt. Hon. Philip Shaibu, Obaseki noted that investment in sports development is crucial for job creation and wealth generation that would make youths self-reliant, adding that governments alone cannot

continue to support sports. Obaseki who advocated that 10 per cent of private sector’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) be invested to support sports development, noting, “The private sector must come and drive sports in Nigeria. They must begin to advertise products through sports. Our sports needs urgent attention to compete with the leagues in Europe, as well as in athletics. “For us in Edo, we are ready to collaborate with the private sector so as elevate sports to a greater height. Government alone cannot run sports; we need the private sector to help drive our sports economy.” The governor added, “Sports is being used to preach against illegal migration, human trafficking and to curb social vices in our society.” He called for more attention on female football, noting

that sports have evolved overtime with more women doing excellently, noting, “Edo Queens have been doing greatly in the NWFL. The club did not get the kind of support Bendel Insurance got but they maintained stability in the women’s league. We therefore decided that Edo Queens and Bendel Insurance must be at par in terms of wages.” The Chairperson, Nigeria Women Football League, Aisha Falode, thanked the governor and his deputy for their open demonstration of love for women football in Nigeria. Falode said the state-owned Edo Queens Football Club is the only club known in Nigeria and Africa where the players earn the same pay as their male counterparts in Bendel Insurance FC. She called on other clubs to

emulate the step taken by the Edo State Government. Falode also urged the state government to assist the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in celebrating 30 years of women football in Nigeria and by extension Africa. In a goodwill message, the representative of the NFF President at the event, Emmanuel Ibah, lauded the Governor Obaseki-led government for its contributions to sports in the country. Ibah commended Governor Obaseki for the massive reconstruction work at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City. He appealed for proper funding of the national women league, noting that good sponsors would make the women’s league the envy of other countries across Africa.

Heineken Set to Break New Grounds with UEFA Euro 2020, Others Aside the ongoing ‘Better Together’ campaign of the UEFA Champions League, Heineken has also unveiled some of its exciting plans for the year, including the plans for Euro 2020, Formula 1 and James Bond “No Time To Die” Movie premiere. The announcement was made at an exclusive media event hosted on Tuesday at the Heineken House in Lagos where for the first time, members of the public got the chance to take a tour of the upgraded facility. In attendance were A-list celebrities, journalists, and elite personalities from across various industries. It also unveiled plans for

the fashion season, which is set to see the brand throw its weight behind platforms such as the Lagos Fashion Week and Design Fashion Africa. Speaking at the launch event, , Portfolio Manager – International Premium Brands, Nigerian Breweries Plc Sarah Agha, spoke on what to expect over the next 10 months. “Every year, Heineken sets the bar for unique, unforgettable consumer-facing campaigns. This year, we have no plans to rest on our laurels. “Last year, we brought the Legend, Carles Puyol, as part of our Unmissable campaign and we delighted fans with a three-day Champions League trophy tour. Our efforts across

various industries also saw us sponsor the Design Fashion Africa platform as well as the Lagos Fashion Week. “In 2019, we also sponsored the prestigious Lagos Open tournament. However, all of those are just the tip of the iceberg. This year, we are extending our brand footprint across even more platforms. Kicking off with our customary sponsorship of the biggest sporting tournament in the world, the UEFA Champions League. “Following up with this will be the James Bond “No time to die” movie premiere, and for the first time Heineken has built on its successful association with UEFA by signing a further

sponsorship agreement to become the Official Beer Partner of UEFA EURO 2020. “With the Nigeria Fashion calendar commencing in April this year, Lagos Fashion Week, as well as our sponsorship of Design Fashion Africa is also set to make a huge come back to delight fashion enthusiasts. “This year, for the first time ever, we also intend to dial-up our sponsorship of Formula 1 in Nigeria with the Formula 1 Sundays happening here at the Heineken House. Fans of the iconic auto-racing sport will get the chance to experience the magic of the Grand Prix. It’s an exciting time for us and our consumers and we can’t wait to get started,” She said.

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MISSILE Sanusi to Northern Leaders “We have been saying this for 20 to 30 years. If the North does not change, the North will destroy itself. The country is moving on. The quota system that everybody talks about must have a sunset clause” – Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, expressing concerns about the rising waves of poverty, insecurity and illiteracy in the North.

OLUSEGUNADENIYI THE VERDICT

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olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

A Nation of Marlians!

rom the killings of innocent villagers by Katsina State bandits to the abandonment of more than 600 corpses in a Delta State hospital, life has become very cheap in Nigeria. Demoralised by what I see around me, I thought it was going to be another of those weeks of doom and gloom. But it was not until four friends visited me yesterday afternoon that I made up my mind to let things pass this week. I had asked if any of them could offer me an idea on what to write about. The first suggestion was a big No. I definitely was not going to write about the turf battle in Aso Rock that has pitched the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd) against the Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari. I know both men very well, though my decision has nothing to do with my relationship with the duo. Monguno was Commander, Guards Brigade under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua so we worked together and Kyari was on THISDAY editorial board (which I chair) before his Aso Rock assignment. It is a measure of the lack of discipline under this administration that senior officials of state have for years been squabbling in the public arena without President Muhammadu Buhari calling anyone to order. I have highlighted some of these issues in the past, including the open confrontation between men of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and State Security Service (SSS) operatives on the streets of Abuja. That is aside the unprecedented letter the then SSS Director General, Mallam Lawan Daura wrote to the Senate to counter the presidential nomination of Mr Ibrahim Magu as EFCC Chairman. In April 2018, following the receipt of the Senate ‘Report of the Ad Hoc committee on investigation of the arrest episodes of Tuesday 21st November 2017 among officers of EFCC, NIA and SSS’ dated March 2018, I wrote a column titled ‘A National Security Endangered’. After raising critical questions, this was my conclusion: “When added to inter-agency squabbles between the military and the police—whose men have become easy targets for extermination by armed robbers and sundry hoodlums—we are face to face with the precise reasons why our national security is today in tatters. What is baffling to most observers is how President Buhari has allowed the institutions of national security to be freely carved up into clashing and competing private fiefdoms of ambitious and lawless chieftains who have carried their fights into the public arena. Tragically, it is this dysfunction between the security agencies and the unhealthy rivalry among their heads that has led to the current state of general insecurity in the country.” While the president should understand that his laidback approach to leadership is not working and those leaking national security memos should be fished out and sanctioned, I would rather not comment on this issue for now. The friend who

Naira Marley

sought my view on the ‘Roforofo fight’ in Aso Rock understood the point I was making and apparently so did the others. They nodded their heads in agreement before a second asked, “What about this issue of the Supreme Court usurping the powers of the electorate to dictate who becomes governor in a state?” When I frowned, he added: “Let me explain. The popular election of David Lyon as Governor of Bayelsa State was upturned not because he did anything wrong but because his deputy used multiple names in his certificates? Is it worth voting again in Nigeria when five people could just sit in one courtroom and decide on who becomes the governor of a state regardless of who the people voted for?” As I shook my head again, the others joined in prevailing on me to address the issue. I explained that I am actually doing rudimentary research on the issue of the court and elections in Nigeria for a piece I intend to write within the next few weeks. I told my friends to wait for the column which would deal with the issue comprehensively. Just when I thought I had satisfied them, the third said: “I know this is not a trending issue but it is something that I believe you should educate some of us on because it makes no sense. Like the convicted former governor Joshua Dariye of Plateau State who completed his tenure at the Senate in prison and earned his full entitlements, the Senate is saying the same applies to the former Abia State Governor Orji Uzor Kalu. Why would the National Assembly not declare vacant the seats of people convicted of criminal offence and are serving terms? Does it make sense to be paying criminals from our public treasury? That is something you should write about,” he said in a commanding tone. I explained to my friends that there is nothing in the Constitution that empowers the Senate to declare Kalu’s seat vacant. In the United States, from where we borrowed our presidential system of government, the way it is dealt with is the application of moral burden. When lawmakers are

convicted in that country, and in many others, they resign or are forced out, when the law does not explicitly dictate that they lose their office. For several months, I followed the case of Congressman Duncan D. Hunter who eventually resigned from office, leaving vacant a seat in a constituency he and his father, Duncan L. Hunter, had represented for nearly 30 years. Accused of spending $250,000 of campaign funds for personal use and falsifying federal campaign finance filings to cover up the thefts, Duncan eventually pleaded guilty. At the height of the controversy, American commentators had decried a situation in which the only way to get the seats of any member declared vacant is to secure a two-thirds vote as “there is no law requiring removal of a Congressman convicted of crimes, even if the member is imprisoned and unable to cast votes”. In the case of Hunter, Miriam Reftery specifically wrote last June: “…as long as Hunter remains in office without resigning or being formally expelled, his staff can legally continue to handle constituent casework, such as helping constituents who have problems with federal agencies,” even while he is serving terms. So, despite being convicted and now serving terms, Kalu, like Dariye before him, may choose not to resign his seat, since his colleagues would never vote him out. The issue here is whether it is right to deny the people representation on account of personal misfortune? In other climes, once convicted of crimes, public officials resign. Since that is not yet the case in Nigeria, we should not blame Kalu and others for earning jumbo salaries, even from behind the bars! I was about to see off my friends when the fourth one who had not said anything since they arrived finally spoke: “Let me post to you something that has been circulating on WhatsApp. It is titled, ‘Did Naira Marley initiate anyone into a cult?’ Maybe you can write about it.” I laughed almost hysterically. Naira Marley. Why would I comment about Naira Marley? Despite protestations, my friend drew his handset and posted the piece to my mobile phone. Like all WhatsApp posts, I don’t know whether it is a real life story or someone made it up, even though it had a byline. It reads: “I am just coming from my daughter’s school right now. Their principal called me around 9am this morning to report to school over an emergency. I panicked and drove over only to be told that my 15 years old daughter and most of the girls from her class and other senior secondary classes are to be suspended for being members of a female secret cult. They were about 25-30 girls, all kneeling down with their hands up. I was shocked and I asked for further explanations. The head teacher said that a teacher who was disciplining late comers found out that one of the girls had her pant inside her school bag and on further investigation, it was discovered that she wasn’t wearing any. When she was flogged and interrogated further, she confessed

that she was a member of the Marlian cult in school and that part of their rules was that they must not wear pant to school on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I was shocked. The head teacher told me that she was flogged some more until she mentioned all their members from SS1 to SS3 and unfortunately, my daughter who is a born again child of Zion was involved. The devil has succeeded and my daughter has entered cult! I was handed her letter of two weeks’ suspension and shame nearly killed me. The daughter of an elder and deaconess, I battled hard to hold my tears. I had to bring her home and God in heaven knows that I will beat that Marlian cult out of her today and her father will finish the work when he comes home this night…” At a point I stopped reading the post and shrugged my shoulder so my friend got the message: I wasn’t interested in discussing Naira Marley. But after they left, I could not but reflect that the issues they raised capture, in a casual sweep, the connecting thread to the institutional, moral and ethical morass in which we are caught as a nation. While everyone is screaming ‘insecurity’, very little effort has been made to engage the root causes at the level of ideas and institutional collapse. We run a presidential system which presupposes an overall national chief executive. But what we have are enclaves of power working at cross purposes. To worsen matters, there is also an attendant collapse of the moral and ethical basis of our society, as depicted by the story of the high school girl caught in the Marlian web. Now, you hear of traditional rulers throwing punches at meetings attended by senior police officers! At this most difficult period in the life of our nation, we need leaders in all sectors and across all spheres—religious, traditional, political—who will step up to bring us together. What we have instead are people who exploit our differences with their polarizing rhetoric, essentially for personal gain. It is therefore no surprise that this leadership vacuum is being increasingly filled by all manner of fringe and freakish fellowships like the Marlians and an assortment of cults and gangs. The only way to stop the virtual unravelling of our political and social order and restore a measure of sanity is through a vigorous reassertion of presidential power in a manner that entrenches discipline in Aso Rock and unites the country.

El-Rufai @ 60

Even the most implacable foes of the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, would concede that he is one of a few public servants in Nigeria today who believes in the primacy of ideas. And in every assignment he has handled in the public space, he has distinguished himself. At 60, I wish him many more years in the service of our country.

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