FRIDAY 20TH MARCH 2020

Buhari Implements ECA Advice, Directs Repositioning of Economy Tells agencies to protect national infrastructure Omololu Ogunmade and Ogheneuvede Ohwovoriole in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday directed the repositioning of the economy,

in compliance with the advice of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), which admonished him to take tough economic decisions to redeem the gasping economy.

The president has also

instructed the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Ali Pantami, to work with government agencies to ensure full protection of critical national infrastructure.

At a meeting with the president in the State House on Tuesday, the PEAC had painted a looming negative impact that COVID-19 would have on the economy but swiftly added that Nigeria

could survive if it opts to work hard.

A statement yesterday in Abuja by a presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, revealed more recommendations

of the PEAC, adding that Buhari has commenced the implementation of the recommendations with an order for a review of the Continued on page 9

Five Leading Banks Reap Big from Savings Deposit Mobilisation...

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Friday 20 March, 2020 Vol 25. No 9111. Price: N250

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PRUDENTIAL PAYMENT SYSTEM...

General Manager, Enterprise Marketing, MTN Nigeria, Ms. Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka; Deputy Director (Inspectorate), NAICOM, Mr. Ajibola Bankole; Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Mazen Mroue; Chief Enterprise Business Officer, Ms. Lynda Saint-Nwafor; Chairman, Prudential Zenith Life, Mr. Jim Ovia; Director, Licensing and Authorization, NCC, Alhaji Mohammed Babajika; former Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe; CEO, Zenith General Insurance, Mr. Kehinde Borisade; CEO, Zenith General Insurance, Mr. Chuks Igumbor; and Chief Transformation Officer, MTN Nigeria, Mr. Olubayo Adekanmbi, at the launch of the Prudential Zenith Life Mobile Payment Service in Lagos... yesterday

Don’t Panic, We Can Overcome COVID-19, Buhari Tells Nigerians Pandemic cases escalate to 12, Italian index now negative FG, 16 states, FCT close schools Kano, Enugu, Port Harcourt airports closed Senate suspends public hearings, shuts public gallery President’s wife locks office, daughter on self-isolation WHO warns Nigeria, others of worst-case scenario US approves chloroquine for treatment Our Correspondents President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday called for calm among Nigerians as the scourge of COVID-19

is gradually spreading in the country, with four new cases discovered in Lagos State, bringing the toll to 12.

The president, in his first major intervention since the

index case, caused by an Italian, was uncovered on February 27, said the federal government and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) were competent to

tame the pandemic, which has forced the First Lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, to shut her office.

The office shut down, for two weeks, came after some

of her workers returned from a trip to the United Kingdom.

She also said her daughter, who returned from the UK, had gone into self-isolation despite not exhibiting any

symptoms of COVID-19.

However, despite Buhari’s assurance, Nigeria may be heading for a total lockdown Continued on page 9

APC Reconciliation Committee Begins Work, Receives 150 Memoranda... Page 8

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NEWS

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

Five Leading Banks Reap Big from Savings Deposit Mobilisation Net N4.2tn in one year; loan out N10.6tn

Obinna Chima The full year 2019 results of the five tier 1 banks have shown a significant shift towards savings deposit mobilisation as the financial institutions recorded 32 per cent growth in their savings deposits, which rose to N4.252 trillion, from the N3.208 trillion they realised the previous year.

The banks are Zenith Bank Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA), Access Bank Plc and FBN Holdings.

The development was attributed to the aggressive campaigns and reward schemes by the banks.

Also, the drop in the interest rate on fixed income securities has also made the banks develop strategies to remain dominant in the retail segment of the market.

A breakdown of the results compiled by THISDAY showed that Access Bank posted 195 per cent growth in savings deposits, from N267 billion recorded in 2018, to N789 billion in 2019.

The significant increase recorded by Access Bank was due to the bank’s merger last year with the defunct Diamond Bank.

Also, Zenith Bank’s savings deposits increased by 25 per cent to N614 billion, up from N492 billion the previous year.

FBN Holdings in the year under review posted 12 per cent growth in its savings

deposits, which hit N1.317 trillion in 2019, up from the N1.175 trillion recorded the previous year, just as the United Bank for Africa’s savings deposits climbed by 22 per cent to N855 billion in 2019, up from N702 billion the previous year.

Similarly, Guaranty Trust Bank posted an 18 per cent savings deposit growth of N676 billion in 2019, up from N572 billion the previous year.

Also, the five banks raked in a total of N18.887 trillion as customer deposits, their financial results for the year ended December 31, 2019, have revealed.

The amount represented an increase of 23 per cent, compared with the N15.365 trillion the commercial banks garnered in the comparable period of 2018.

This showed that the financial institutions have remained aggressive in their deposit mobilisation and are not impacted negatively by the incursion by some financial technology companies in the lending space.

According to the results compiled by THISDAY, the combined amount of loans disbursed by the five banks to their customers between January and December 31, 2019, increased by 25.7 per cent, from N8.475 trillion in the full year 2018, to N10.654 trillion as at the end of 2019.

Also, their total profit after tax also climbed by 7.3 per

NNPC: Market Forces will Compel Compliance with New Petrol Price

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has called for patience on the part of fuel consumers over the implementation of the new fuel pump price, which from yesterday dropped from N145 per litre to N125.

NNPC Group Managing Director, Mr. Mele Kyari, told State House reporters in Abuja that the force of competition would eventually, force down the price of petrol and it might be cheaper than the new pump price in a matter of days.

According to him, whereas NNPC stations have complied with the new pump price, eventual compliance by independent marketers would be gradual because they had bought the product at a higher price.

He said the marketers would want to exhaust their stocks before adjusting their pump price downward from N145.

He added that the force of competition would eventually force down the price and the

market would consequently correct itself.

He said: "As you are aware, this announcement was made just yesterday. Our pricing at NNPC stations, which will definitely recover our cost at N125, is the decision that the NNPC has made and we have adjusted our prices in our filling stations.

"What we also know is that private marketers have bought products above this price from the market, and we know this is a transition.

"The market will balance itself and as soon as they are able to get rid of their existing stock, the forces of competition will bring everybody to the right price and I believe that it is possible to get cheaper products in few weeks to come, cheaper than what you see today.

"Be assured everybody will rush to sell even at the N125 probably nobody will agree to buy because probably you will find cheaper products and we are very sure this will happen."

cent, to N607 billion in 2019, up from the N565.7 billion they made in 2018. Their total assets increased by 18 per cent to N29.039 trillion in 2019, up from the N24.623 trillion recorded in the comparable period of 2018.

A breakdown of the results released by the respective banks showed that Zenith Bank’s profit after tax rose from N193 billion in 2018, to N208.8 billion in the year under review.

It was the first Nigerian bank to cross the N200 billion mark.

Also, it secured increased customer deposits across the

corporate and retail space as deposits grew by 15 per cent to close at N4.26 trillion, while total assets increased by seven per cent from N5.96 trillion to N6.35 trillion.

In addition, the bank created new risk assets as gross loans grew by 22 per cent from N2.016 trillion to N2.462 trillion.

For GTBank, its audited financial results for the year ended December 31, 2019, showed that its loan book grew by 19 per cent, from N1.262 trillion in December 2018, to N1.502 trillion in December 2019, while customers’ deposits increased

by 11.4 per cent to N2.533 trillion, from N2.274 trillion in December 2018.

Also, its total assets closed at N3.759 trillion.

Access Bank's profit after tax also rose from N94.981 billion to N97.509 billion while total assets grew 44 per cent from N4.956 trillion to N7.146 trillion.

UBA’s audited results for the full-year ended December 2019, also showed that the bank’s total assets also grew by 15.1 per cent to N5.6 trillion during the year under review.

Its profit after tax rose by 13.3 per cent to N89.1 billion, compared to the N78.6 billion

recorded in 2018.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) recently said the banking industry capital adequacy ratio, liquidity and other prudential ratios have remained within desired levels, whilst the nonperforming loans’ (NPLs) ratio, in particular, reduced further to 6.1 percent as at end December 2019, from 6.6 percent at end-October 2019. “The key challenge for the bank will be to sustain this positive industry risk profile, notwithstanding continued growth in credit driven by the LDR policy,� the central bank had stated.

PROMOTING DIGITAL ECONOMY...

L-R: Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Muhammad Bello; President Muhammadu Buhari; Minister of Communications & Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami; and Deputy Chief Whip, House of Representatives, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, during the inauguration of the Communications and Digital Economy Complex in Abuja‌yesterday

House Investigates Non-inclusion of Waste PPPRA Opts for Full Management in NLNG Train 7 Project Deregulation of Petroleum Price as a consortium.

Udora Orizu in Abuja The House of Representatives has resolved to set up an adhoc committee to investigate the non-inclusion of waste management and sludge disposal in numerous projects by international oil companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance on the Need to Investigate the Non-inclusion of Waste Management and Disposal in the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), Train 7 Project,' sponsored by Hon. Yusuf Gagdi.

Presenting the motion, Adamu put the estimated cost of the project at $10 billion.

He said the Final Investment Decision (FID) for the NLNG Train 7 project had been signed, adding that the project is currently at the stage of sign-off by NLNG to Saipem, Chyoda and Daewoo (SCD),

However, the lawmaker expressed concern that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) did not cut across the two host communities of Finima and Bonny.

Gagdi said the EIA only covered NLNG industrial area and residential area, EPC's residential camp and project site.

He added that the project did not consider the treatment of sludge generated from industrial and human waste.

"The issue of industrial waste and sludge disposal by the IOCs and NOCs has remained a perennial problem, which has caused a lot of environmental hazards in our host communities. Human lives are threatened by the failure of these companies to comply with internationally accepted standards and subversion of Industry regulations," he said.

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Mr. Abdulkadir Saidu, yesterday disclosed that the pump price of petrol, will henceforth be determined by market forces.

He said with PPPRA’s current projection, the current price of N125 will likely stay till the end of this month.

Speaking yesterday in Abuja, Saidu, noted that price of the product will be largely determined by the international prices of crude oil. “What the new pricing regime is going to be doing is going to be looking at the actual market price. It is going to be a reflection of what the market is doing. “The way the market is going, this is N125 today; if by the end of March, the prices go below where they are today, then the Nigerian populace will be expected to pay less

than N125. It is going to be a reflection of what the market is doing in any particular period. “What we are trying to say is that going forward, the price will be a reflection of what the international market is doing.

Normally, crude oil price determines the product price that we pay. “Therefore, if the crude oil price moves, definitely, it is going to affect the price of petrol.

If it goes down, Nigeria will pay lower,� he said.

Saidu also took a swipe at the independent marketers for flouting the new directive to sell at the new modulated price and faulted claims by the marketers that they were not consulted before the review was undertaken. “Usually, this is not the first time that government has changed price in the country.

Any time there is price change, and there is tendency that these kinds of different positions will come up.

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APC Reconciliation Committee Begins Work, Receives 150 Memoranda Meets Tuesday as Edo factions give conditions for peace

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The National Reconciliation Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) set up by the party to reconcile all aggrieved members nationwide has received 150 memoranda on how to address grievances in the ruling party.

The committee, headed by former Interim National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, will also meet on Tuesday to work out modalities for the peace process with the crisis rocking the Edo State chapter of the party topping its agenda.

The two factions in the state chapter of the party have, however, given their conditions for peace.

Speaking to THISDAY yesterday, the Secretary of the Committee, Senator John Enoch, said the committee would be meeting next week to strategise on how to execute its mandate.

He stated: "The national reconciliation committee has received about 150 memoranda.

The meeting of that committee is going to take place on the March 24, next week. After that meeting, I believe we are going to have a chance to roll out what and how we are going to go about the work."

He noted that the opening of a factional secretariat of the party in Edo State has made the job of the committee more imperative.

According to him, “If there is anybody or any group of people that opened up another secretariat and all that, in the meantime,

it just brings to greater focus the great need for the work of the committee; that is what I can say. It makes the work of the committee more and more imperative.�

Asked which state the committee is going to begin its reconciliatory moves with, he said: "That is what I am telling you. I said we are having a meeting on the 24th and all these issues are likely to be attended to at that meeting. We haven't set out any procedure yet. The much we've done was to call for memoranda from the public."

The lingering crisis in the Edo State chapter of the party suffered a setback on Wednesday as a faction of the party believed to be loyal to the National Chairman of the party, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, opened a new secretariat.

The secretariat, which is less than two kilometres from the old secretariat of the party, was opened with fanfare and attended by party leaders and members.

After Oshiomhole got a respite from the grand plot to oust him from office, he had promised to reconcile his leadership style and in the spirit of reconciliation and extended the olive branch to all aggrieved members.

However, when asked by THISDAY if Oshiomhole would be extending the olive branch to the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, who he had been having a running battle with, the Chief Press Secretary to Oshiomhole, Mr. Simon Ebegbulem, said: "No comment."

Edo Factions Give

Conditions for Peace But the two factions of the party have given conditions for peace in the overall interest of the party in the state.

They said for the party to move forward, there was the need for all the warring factions to sheathe their swords.

While the faction loyal to Oshiomhole demanded the withdrawal of all cases in the court, the faction loyal to Obaseki told THISDAY that Oshiomhole should stop the recognition of the

Edo Peoples Movement (EPM), a pressure group within the party fighting Obaseki's second term bid.

The state secretary of the faction loyal to Oshiomhole, Mr. Lawrence Okah, told THISDAY that they had been preaching peace all the while because they knew the importance of a rancour-free environment.

Okah, however, said the constitution of APC was clear on the issue that involved court cases, adding that one of the ways to achieve this is for all

those that instituted the court cases to withdraw them to enable a conducive atmosphere for reconciliation.

He said going to court on internal party matters without first exhausting, the internal conflict resolution of the party was what triggered off the crisis.

He gave an example of the inauguration of a minority rule in the state legislature, adding that when the party decided to intervene, one of the parties involved went to court to stop any intervention of resolution.

Publicity Secretary of the faction loyal to Obaseki, Pastor Joseph Osagiede, said peace had always been a prerequisite for the development of any society to strive.

He said for them to embrace peace, Oshiomhole should stop the recognition of EPM. He explained that it was the recognition given to EPM that sparked off the crisis in the party, adding that this and other conditions must be spelt out for them to see before peace could return to the party.

TALKING POWER...

Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi (left), and his Lagos State counterpart, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during the National Economic Council meeting in Abuja‌yesterday

Lagos Explosion: Community Leaders Allege Bomb Blast Residents battle FG over ownership of land Chiemelie Ezeobi Community leaders in AbuleAdo area of Lagos State, where an explosion killed 21 people on Sunday, have faulted the government’s narrative that the explosion was caused by a ruptured pipeline, attributing it to a bomb blast.

The distressed residents of Soba community have also kicked against the recent moves by the federal government to take over the land that was levelled by the fire.

An additional corpse was recovered from the debris yesterday, bringing the official casualty rate to 21, a claim countered by the Soba Landlord/ Residents Association that said they lost 30 people, including the Board of Trustee (BoT) chairman, his wife and children.

Faulting the stance of emergency stakeholders, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the government, the Chairman of the Landlords/Residents Association of Soba, Chief Gani Adams, said the incident could not have been a pipeline explosion, given the magnitude of the destruction.

Adams, who spoke through Mr. Chime Umadim, said: “Contrary to the submission of the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr. Mele Kyari, that the blast was caused by some gas depots close to the pipeline right of way, an information that is totally false, with deliberate calculation to suppress the fact,

we are convinced that it was a bomb detonated on the pipeline, which caused the unprecedented blast and damage to lives and property. “Suffice to say that at no time has pipeline explosion caused the type of heavy blast that resonated far beyond the immediate communities such as FESTAC Town and Satellite Town to farther communities as Ijanikin, Badagry, Orile Iganmu, Surulere, Ijegun, Ejigbo and Oshodi to mention just a few, leaving behind at its wake shattered windows and roof of houses.�

The association also called on the federal and state governments to set up a high-powered factfinding committee to unravel the immediate and remote causes of the explosion, which they described as a national disaster. “It is indeed very unfortunate that we lost our board of Trustee (BoT) chairman, wife, children and over 30 others. We need help from the government to put our lives together,� it added.

The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), in a statement, also said the scale of destruction witnessed at Abule-Ado could only be likened to military grade explosions or aerial bombardment.

It charged the federal government to carry out forensic investigation of the immediate and remote cause of the explosion.

According to Head, Media and

Campaigns, Mr. Philip Jakpor, the team formed this opinion after visiting the scene to document impacts.

While demanding a forensic investigation to ascertain the true cause of the incident, Jakpor also called on the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide SanwoOlu, to immediately set up a special taskforce on pipelines security to prevent pipeline accidents in the state.

He said: “The Sunday morning blast occurred near the popular ASPAMDA market and Mechanic village in Abule Ado, Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area. The vibrations from the blast shook many parts of the state and were felt as far as Iba, Okokomaiko, Agege, Alimosho and Surulere, among others. “The Lagos government had earlier stated the incident was not in any way linked to pipeline vandalism but could not provide details on the cause of the incident but the NNPC insisted it was caused by a truck that hit some cylinders stacked in a gas processing plant located near the corporations’ system 2B Pipeline right of way. “The federal government should not be too casual to conclude that the incident was an accident, noting that the accounts of the NNPC on the real cause of the blast are unconvincing and raise some questions.�

Residents Battle FG over Ownership of

Land Meanwhile, the battle between the residents and the federal government began after the acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Mr. Umar Buntu, visited the site of the explosion and said the land belonged to the government.

According to Buntu, the federal government acquired the large expanse of land from Ojo Barracks to Trade Fair, including the Soba axis, in 1970.

While commiserating with the victims, he, however, noted that many of the buildings in the area had encroached into the government acquired land, making them illegal occupants.

He said: “The Amuwo-Odofin residents are claiming ownership while the government had acquired this land for a long time. “The land spread to the Ojo Cantonment up to Trade Fair but over time, the family (owners) was still selling to unsuspecting members of the public. “The government is coming back to take charge, a task force and the Lagos State government is going to help the federal government to sanitise this place after proper investigation have been done and decision taken. “Most of the land owners here did not buy from FHA and if they did, let them bring the title they have. They don’t have any title with us, we are not aware. “All along, while we have been coming here, the place kept

expanding and the family kept selling to unsuspecting members of the public and they don’t have anything to show for it.�

But in his reaction, the Baale of Soba, Chief Raheem Agbebeji, said the affected portion belonged to a family and not the government.

The Baale, who spoke through the family secretary, Alhaji Umaru, said: “Soba is not an illegal community. We were formally in Trade Fair Complex, but when the federal government came with trade fair complex, they shifted us here, which was part of our farmland we inherited from our forefathers. “The government compensated us for having to destroy our farmlands at Soba to build houses, after moving us here. “The truth remains that Soba town has been in existence for over 300 years and we have it in the government archives. We own even down to Barrack and Volks.

We have common boundary with Amuwo-Odofin. “There is a barricade by the NNPC, that is the boundary that we cannot cross and we did not cross. Last month, the army and NNPC even cleared makeshift houses and containers around that area.�

Joining the fray, the landlords’ association said they had legal documents backing their stay in the community.

Adams said they had been communicating with FHA to finalise the process of getting their certificate of occupancy,

before the tragic incident.

According to him, “Some of us have been here for over two or three decades, and we have met FHA on several occasions. “They have our master and survey plan, and they know we are living here. We are not aliens and we have been working hand in hand with them. We are not illegal occupants. “Our documents are intact.

They even delineated this place to us. They know we are here.�

However, as the death toll increased by one, the Director-General, Lagos State Environmental Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the additional body was brought out as the emergency responders were carrying out recovery and salvage operations on the incident site.

He said: “The teams continue to carry out recovery and salvage operations at the incident site. An additional body was retrieved today (yesterday), bringing the total number of fatalities to 21. “Four hundred and sixty eight people were displaced from their homes and 100 of them are now in the relief camp. Two are still missing. “Our help desk remains manned and our personnel are available to manage enquiries and arrange transfer to the LASEMA relief camp for those who have need of shelter and food. “We appeal for calm and urge members of the public to keep away from the scene. We will continue to provide updates.�

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PAGE NINE DON’T PANIC, WE CAN OVERCOME COVID-19, BUHARI TELLS NIGERIANS as the federal government, six more states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have shut down schools to curb the spread of the global pandemic.

The closure of schools by the six states– Enugu, Anambra, Benue, Niger, Ondo, Kano and the FCT- has brought the number of states that closed schools to 16.

Lagos, Kwara, Ogun and the North-west states of Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara had earlier announced the closure of schools in their domain.

The federal government has also directed the heads of federal institutions and principals of Unity Colleges nationwide, to as a matter of urgency close them down in order to curtail the spread of the pandemic.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also warned Nigeria and other African countries to prepare for the worst-case scenario as the virus continues to spread across continents.

But amid the gloomy situation, the president, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, urged Nigerians not to panic as the federal government is pulling all the stops to stop the spread of the disease.

He also took issues with the National Assembly, which accused him of complacency in tackling the pandemic, describing its stance as cheap and sensational.

He said: "In this regard, populist advocacies such as the one accusing the president of 'complacency' simply because he has not made a television address by ranking members of our respected parliament are cheap and sensational.

These are not the times for populism and cheap politics."

The president said Nigeria, like other countries of the world, was confronted with the challenge thrown up by the disease, adding that the government has already put some measures in place to whittle down its effects on Nigerians.

He listed some of the measures to include the travel ban placed on 13 countries

where the scourge is prevalent as well as stringent measures put in place at entry points into the country.

In addition, some agencies of the government and the media have also engaged campaigns on the necessity to maintain personal hygiene.

The president urged Nigerians not to panic because measures put in place to combat the disease are effective.

"Nigeria like every other country around the world is dealing with the unexpected and the unprecedented impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Muhammadu Buhari administration has taken some steps to mitigate the effects on the Nigerian people.

"To prevent the spread of cases imported into Nigeria, the president has already ordered the restrictions of travel from 13 countries, each with more than 1,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19. “Government has also suspended visas issued to nationals of these countries.

The restriction will take effect from March 21 and will remain until further notice.

While Nigeria delights in welcoming the world, the safety and protection of our citizens and land must take priority.

"The various agencies of government, including the media owned by the government, have embarked on vigorous campaigns promoting hygiene measures.

There are, currently, very stringent regimes of checks at the points of air and sea entry into the country. The effort Nigeria is making as is well known, has already received the commendation of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

"The Presidency wishes to assure Nigerians that the government is on top of the situation. There is no cause for panic. So far measures put in place are working efficiently.

What this country is doing has been recommended as a template.

"The President trusts the relevant ministers in his cabinet and the officials of the National Centre for

Disease Control (NCDC), who are providing him with constant updates and professional counsel. These officials have a track record of competence," the president said in the statement.

The statement, which highlighted the adverse effects of the disease on the economy, including the crash of the price of crude oil in the international market, said the president had consequently approved the reduction of the pump price of fuel by N20.

It also said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had announced a N1.1 trillion stimulus package for businesses affected by the disease, adding that interest rates for loans had been reduced from nine per cent to five per cent.

"The President instructed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to reduce the pump price of fuel. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a crash in the global price of crude oil, and the President decided that every Nigerian should benefit from this. Subsequently, the NNPC announced a 20 naira deduction, and the pump price of fuel has now been reduced from N145 per litre to 125 naira per litre.

"The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Monday announced a credit relief of N1.1 trillion to businesses affected by the pandemic. The Bank has also established a facility for household, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and announced a reduction of interest rates for loans from nine per cent to five per cent," the statement added.

Assuring Nigerians that the federal government would continue to update citizens with relevant information, the president said the government did not want to create fear in the minds of citizens as he rather pleaded for their cooperation with the government in the fight against the disease.

While pleading for obedience to instructions given

by NCDC, Buhari said a high level presidential committee constituted over the pandemic should be allowed to function

effectively.

The president also appealed to Nigerians not to politicise the situation and called for the collaboration of all and sundry with the government irrespective of political, ethnic and religious leanings.

"We do not want to create panic. But we will continue to update the Nigerian public with relevant information. We plead with every Nigerian to cooperate with the government in the fight against Covid-19 and obey all instructions from the NCDC. We have a highlevel Presidential Coordination Committee chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). This body should be allowed to carry out its duties.

"We also plead with Nigerians not to see this most peculiar of times as one to be politicised or seen as an opportunity to regurgitate grudges against the government or the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

North, South, East, and West – all Nigerians must unite to fight this plague, irrespective of religious or ideological affiliation," he submitted.

FG, States, FCT Shut Schools More states yesterday also teamed up with the federal government to battle the virus by rolling out measures to promote social distancing.

In Niger, the state government ordered the closure of all educational institutions in the state, including tertiary schools.

The closure, which starts from Monday, will last for 30 days.

A statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Ahmed Matane, also suspended all public gatherings.

The Anambra State Government has also banned all public gatherings and directed tertiary institutions to go on compulsory vacation.

According to a statement signed by the Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, the ban on public gatherings will commence from Monday while the closure of tertiary

institutions will commence from today.

He said: "Primary and secondary schools are mandated to go on compulsory break from March 27, 2020, while inter-house sports competitions are suspended till further notice.�

The FCT Administration has also directed the indefinite closure of all schools in the territory as a precaution against the spread of the virus.

The FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Aliyu, gave the directive in Abuja yesterday during a meeting with heads of Secretariats, Departments and Agencies (SDAs) under her supervision.

Also, the Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Abdullahi Candido, has directed all council's workers, except those on essential services, to remain at home for two weeks.

The Benue State Government has also directed the closure of all schools in the state as part of measures to prevent the spread of the virus to the state.

Briefing journalists after the state Executive Council meeting yesterday, the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Dennis Ityavyar, said all schools had been directed to conclude examinations on or before Friday next week and proceed on holiday.

The Enugu State Government has also directed public and private primary and secondary schools in the state to conclude all activities in their various schools and shut down on or before March 27.

Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State has also directed the closure of public and private schools across the state as part of precautionary measures against the threat posed by the virus.

A statement signed by the Commissioner for Education, Mr. Muhammad Kiru, said the indefinite vacation became effective from Monday.

The Ondo State Governor, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, also yesterday directed the closure of all primary and secondary schools as well as

BUHARI IMPLEMENTS ECA ADVICE, DIRECTS REPOSITIONING OF ECONOMY 2020 budget to reflect current realities in the oil sector.

He also instructed economic managers to prioritise the health sector infrastructure to respond to the threats posed

by COVID-19.

The federal government had on Wednesday announced its decision to cut the 2020 budget

by N1.5 trillion, reduce the oil benchmark to $30 per barrel and cut capital budget by 20 per cent.

The statement said: "President Buhari gave the directive after the 2nd Regular Meeting of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), which also recommended securitisation of government debt, design and the institutionalisation of a revenue stabilisation programme and the imperative of cutting the cost of governance at all levels.

"The president agreed with the advisory council on the need to prepare the country to take the necessary tough economic decisions, including embarking on a national agenda of stakeholder mobilisation - bringing the National Assembly, government organs, private

sector and civil society together around a programme to respond to the major challenges confronting the nation.

"Highlighting immediate and short-term measures to consider and implement in order to mitigate any adverse economic effects, the meeting reviewed the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential economic spill-over effects on the global and Nigerian economy."

It added that the president's meeting with the PEAC reviewed the state of the economy and noted its continued fragility and vulnerability to external shocks in spite of recent gains in output growth.

The meeting, it said, noted with concern, the changing economic fundamentals as manifested in a renewed cycle of rising prices and weaknesses in the external sector.

It also considered the imminent indirect effect of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Nigeria’s trading partners and the global economy, "with implications of a global recession that could

slow down Nigeria’s fragile growth and trigger exchange rate re-alignment."

Buhari Tells Govt Agencies to Protect National Assets Meanwhile, Buhari yesterday in Abuja directed Pantami to work with government agencies to ensure full protection of critical national infrastructure.

The president, according to his media adviser, Mr. Femi Adesina, issued the directive while unveiling the National Broadband Plan 2020–2025 at the inauguration of the communications and digital economy complex.

The president also inaugurated the digital innovation and entrepreneurship training, the Abuja Emergency Communication Centre and the National Emergency TollFree Number 112.

Buhari urged mobile network operators to ensure they achieve the targets set in the national broadband plan by giving special attention to un-served and underserved

areas while deploying their services.

The president expressed concern over the challenges faced by operators in the country, especially the vandalism of telecommunications equipment, but assured the operators of government’s commitment to ensuring that all stakeholders have a conducive environment to ensure the successful implementation of the broadband plan, which sought to boost broadband penetration as well as support the deployment of 4G across the country.

He described the inauguration of the Emergency Communications Centre and Toll-Free Number 112, as a demonstration of his administration’s resolve to keep Nigerians safe.

On Digital Nigeria Programme, the president described it as one of the federal government's key initiatives to empower innovators and entrepreneurs with required skills to thrive in the emerging digital economy.

He said the Communications and Digital Economy Complex

would provide a befitting coordinating centre for the new focus on the Nigerian digital economy.

Earlier, the president acknowledged that the dwindling price of crude oil has adversely affected budgetary projections and increased the sense of urgency to diversify the economy.

He, however, expressed delight that the projects inaugurated would enhance the development of the national digital economy, support efforts at diversifying the economy and aid the fight against corruption.

In his speech, Pantami described broadband penetration as a key tool in reviving the Nigerian economy.

The minister, while citing reports from World Bank and the World Economic Forum said 10 per cent broadband penetration in any country would improve its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by at least 4.6 per cent.

He quoted the Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, as saying that the country’s broadband penetration had increased to 38.5 per cent.

tertiary institutions in the state as from today until further notice.

The federal government too caught the bug and directed heads of federal tertiary institutions and principals of Unity Colleges nationwide, to as a matter of urgency, close down the institutions.

The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr. Sonny Echonu, said the decision was to protect students and pupils from the deadly scourge.

FG shuts Kano, Enugu, Port Harcourt Airports Besides the closure of schools, the federal government has also shut three international airports - Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano; Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu; and the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa.

A statement by the DirectorGeneral of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Capt. Musa Nuhu, said the three airports would be closed till further notice effective tomorrow.

He said the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos would still be opened but no flight from the 13 COVID-19 high-risk countries would be allowed into the country.

Lagos Records Four New Cases Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has recorded four new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Nigeria to 12.

However, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, has said the Italian index case has tested negative and will be discharged after confirmation by a second test.

He said the virus in his system has regressed and has gone to zero.

The Italian was first confirmed February 27 after he flew into Lagos February 25, and then visited Lafarge Africa Plc, Ewekoro in Ogun State.

The second COVID-19 case Continued on page 50

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COMMENT

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

ADAMS OSHIOMHOLE: REBEL WITH A CAUSE? Tony Ademiluyi pays tribute to the national chairman of the APC

C

omrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole burst into national consciousness in 1999 when he was elected President of the Nigerian Labour Congress. He had held several positions within the labour hierarchy previously, including the General Secretary of the National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria in 1982 - which was a preparatory ground for his eventual ascension in 1999 at the return to democratic rule.

He confronted the then Chief Olusegun Obasanjo-led administration with so much gusto and held it accountable with regard to the rights of the public sector workers. He ensured a better deal for his primary constituents by ensuring a 25 per cent increase in their emoluments and battled the demons of the frequent increase in the pump price of petroleum products by the Obasanjo-led government.

He was extremely popular and heeded the tempting call by his people in Edo to rescue the state from total collapse by contesting the state’s number one seat. After a one-year wrangling at the court, he became the governor and with his trademark Khaki outfit made popular in his NLC days, he assumed the toga of an action governor who was determined to right the wrongs of the previous administration.

He made giant strides in the field of education and sports development, making the Okpekpe race which was held annually something of a national monument. He also constructed numerous roads and opened up the inner roads while connecting them to the outer cities.

All good things come to an end says the popular artiste, Nelly Furtado and in 2016 the populist was forced by term limits to step down from office. He handed over power to his Chairman of the state economic advisory council, Godwin Obaseki and was penciled to hold a prominent role in the Muhammadu Buhari- led administration.

After the ousting of Chief John Odigie-Oyegun as the APC National Chairman, he succeeded him and also wanted to metamorphose into a political godfather by dictating to Obaseki on the day- to- day running of his government.

The latter responded by rebuffing his former benefactor and a full-scale war was declared on the erstwhile labour leader. He was

THERE IS THE NEED FOR PEACE IN THE APC IN HIS WARD AS IT MAKES NO SENSE TO BE A NATIONAL CHAIRMAN WITHOUT A STURDY BASE

suspended from his ward since November last year and got into hot water with some present and former governors over the way and manner he handled the 2019 general elections on behalf of the party.

Many of the governors wanted to see him ousted and tried to use the instrumentality of the courts to achieve that purpose. “Oshio baba� as some of his fans fondly call him fought back and a recent court injunction affirmed his chairmanship of the party, thereby stopping the bid of one Victor Giadom, a former acting national secretary to take over from him.

What really is Oshiomhole fighting for? He blocked the ambitions of Chief Owelle Anayo Rochas Okorocha to foist his son-in-law, Chief Ogwumba Uche Nwosu as his successor as well as that of Senator Ibikunle Amosun to impose Chief Akinlade as his chosen one. He ensured that peace came into the Rivers State APC even though the party couldn’t field a candidate for the last elections which made it a walk over for the second term bid of the incumbent Nyesom Wike. He expressed regrets at the loss of Bayelsa State to the opposition PDP at the eleventh hour and took personal responsibility for it, saying that due diligence should have been done to forestall it. He expressed grief at the loss in Zamfara and gave a rather belated advice on the way to have prevented it.

He’s dispute with his successor is simply because he wants to become an overlord, probably in the manner his ace backer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu holds sway as the Lord of the Manor in Lagos.

He forgot that the republican nature of the Edolites abhors such a practice.

Oshiomhole should for now be more concerned with the legacies he would leave behind. He should thoroughly reflect on what he wants to be remembered for and it’s not too late to begin to make amends starting from the home front. There is the need for peace in the APC in his ward as it makes no sense to be a national chairman without a sturdy base.

I saw the video of him dancing to the court judgment which could make a man half his age green with envy. There is the need for him to think beyond partisanship.

Ademiluyi wrote from Lagos and edits www.africanbard.com

NOT FOR THE LOVE OF ABUJA Those making noise over Governor Darius Ishaku’s stay in Abuja are mischievous, writes Bala Dan Abu

T

he dust being generated by the current visit of Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku to Abuja must have come to those who have bothered to subject the facts of the case to critical examination as a big surprise. It is a perfect example of making a mountain out of a molehill. A lot of views expressed including newspapers opinions and comments were largely biased, most of them anchored on sentiments sponsored by the political opposition in Taraba State. I find this obvious conspiracy to mislead the public very disappointing and disgusting.

For example, the opposition politicians in Taraba State and their collaborators outside the state have been busy counting the number of days the governor has stayed in Abuja. They have also emphasized the fact that he has not handed over the instruments of office to his deputy while being silent on the fact that the governor commits no constitutional infringement with his stay in the Federal Capital City.

Of course, the reason for the governor’s stay in Abuja, as rational and cogent as it is, doesn’t matter to those who are on this “crucify him� mission. There has been no effort on the part of these power- seeking bigots to show sympathy for the governor’s medical condition. Maybe, empathy is not part of opposition politics in Nigeria. How sad!

For the sake of those who do not know, there is nowhere in the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended) that limits the number of days a governor can spend outside the state he governs. It only states in Section 190(1): “ Whenever the governor is proceeding on vacation or is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, he shall transmit a written declaration to the speaker of the House of assembly to that effect, and until he transmits to the Speaker of the House of Assembly a written declaration to the contrary, the Deputy Governor shall perform the functions of the Governor as acting Governor.�

For emphasis, power can only be transmitted to the deputy governor on two conditions, that is, when the governor proceeds on vacation and when the governor is unable to perform the functions of his office. None of these two conditions is applicable in the present case

of Gov Ishaku. He is neither on vacation nor incapable of performing the functions of his office. The man who has visited several embassies, presided at the sensitization meeting on the Mambilla Hydro project and received numerous visitors including journalists cannot be said to be incapable of performing the functions of his office. The leg injury he sustained from a domestic accident has not in any way incapacitated Governor Ishaku. This is the truth which the opposition politicians in Taraba State do not want the public to know.

To achieve that, a section of the Nigerian media was conscripted into the conspiracy to label Ishaku as a run-away governor. When the case of constitutional abuse against the governor failed them, they devised the theory of a non-existing tension in Taraba State and attributed it to Ishaku’s absence. But none of the reports sited any sign of the so-called tension in Taraba State. The public was treated to stories on Ishaku’s stay in Abuja that were hollow, devoid of information that could substantiate the scenario of tension that the journalists sought to create.

A lot of people couldn’t helped ask how anyone talk of tension in a place where everybody is free and going about their normal duties without let or hindrance, where there are no security threats and breaches, strikes and protests. Those who have paid attention to happenings in Taraba State and who are not seeing things through the heavily politicized lenses of the opposition politicians, will say that there is no tension of any sort in the state. In fact, the period of Ishaku’s absence has been the most peaceful in the state since the conclusion of the 2019 general election in March last year. There has been a drastic reduction in kidnapping, banditry and interethnic clashes and killings. Even the roads in Southern Taraba, particularly, Takum-Wukari, Takum-Katsina-Ala and Wukari- Makurdi which became known as the axis of killings and kidnapping after the elections, have since become safe again. This is largely a product of the effort of Gov Ishaku, the man that is being blackmailed by politicians and their hired trumpeters. Do I still need to remind these killjoys masquerading as opposition politicians that all these were achieved by Governor

Ishaku from Abuja?

While in Abuja, Gov Ishaku vigorously campaigned for help from local and international bodies towards security of lives and property as well as the socio-economic development of Taraba State. Ishaku visited the offices of the World Bank to seek its intervention in some of the projects and programmes of the state government. At the Japanese Embassy in Abuja which was another port of call for the governor, the ambassador promised to send a team of Japanese experts to study first hand, the request of Governor Ishaku for assistance.

Gov Ishaku also received and hosted several ambassadors and dignitaries at the Taraba House, Asokoro – Abuja where he resides.

The governor’s traducers have also been asking why he is not back in Taraba State if his condition of health is not as bad as has been created in the minds of the public.

The answer is simple. The governor publicly admitted sometime ago that he had suffered a domestic accident which affected one of his legs. He said so during the Mambilla project sensitization meeting in Abuja. During that event, he walked unsupported into and out of the venue. There are video clips of that event and others in which Gov Ishaku had participated while in Abuja. All these are a proof of the incontrovertible fact that the governor is healthy enough and capable of performing the duties of his office. And that he is, indeed, performing the duties of his office.

The other point to emphasize is that while an ailment may not be serious enough to prevent a governor or anyone for that matter from performing his duties, it could still be troublesome and inconveniencing to the sufferer. In such case what do you do? Ignore medical attention and allow the ailment to get worse? Certainly not.

Governor Ishaku’s condition, though not serious enough to affect the discharge of his duties as governor still requires the attention of specialists in Abuja in order for him to recover fully and quickly. The best he can do in these circumstances, and which he is already doing with the greatest sense of responsibility and commitment is to pay attention to his duties while also receiving the attention of his doctors.

Governor Ishaku has ensured that gover-

nance does not suffer while he is in Abuja.

And it has not suffered. The state is at peace.

In fact, the state has never been so much at peace in the past couple of years as it is today.

During the period also, the state government commenced the dualisation of the Airport Road in Jalingo. The dual carriage way project which comes with an overhead bridge is the first of its kind in the entire North East geo-political zone. All other road projects embarked upon by the administration are going on smoothly.

Educational institutions in the state also received new sets of instructional materials. Only a few days ago, the news of the new WAEC results for Taraba State students hit the news waves bring a lot of joy to education managers in the state. The state scored 84.74 percent. This represents the number of students from the state who passed with five credits and above in the examination. That puts Taraba State ahead of all the states in the North. The statistics of Taraba State students who passed with at least five credits and above has progressively increased since Ishaku became governor.

While the Governor is in Abuja, civil servants and their retiree counterparts are receiving their salaries promptly. More than 3,000 new people were recruited into the civil service. Only last year, 3000 teachers were employed. This is besides the over 4,000 woen and youths taken out of the unemployment queue through government’s skill acquisition programme .

It is time to let the public know that much of the noise being made about the Governor’s Abuja trip is a product envy and bad politics. Politicians in the opposition camp are still leaking the wounds of their defeat in March 2019. Whatever they are saying about the visit is a product of their frustrations.

Governor Ishaku is not in Abuja for the love of Abuja. He has good reason to be here. He is very eager to return to Jalingo and he will do so in no distant time. But he should do so in good health. That is his wish and the wish and desire of the people of Taraba State for him. And I believe that God will grant our wish and desire on this matter soon.

Dan Abu is the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity

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EDITORIAL THE ABULE ADO TRAGEDY It is yet another avoidable tragedy

L

ast Sunday’s multiple explosions at Abule Ado in Amuwo Odofin local council of Lagos State was yet another avoidable tragedy. At the last count, some 20 people, including a family of four, some students of Bethlehem Girls College, their principal, and two other staffers, reportedly having morning devotion, lay dead.

Many others were seriously wounded. The extent of physical damage was bewildering. The series of explosions and fires, said to have been triggered after a truck hit some gas cylinders stacked in a gas processing plant near the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s 2B Pipeline’s Right of Way, consumed over 50 cars, dozens of residential houses and businesses. “I must confess I have not seen anything of this magnitude,” said Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu after inspecting the scene. “It’s like a war zone.”

Even though the details of the accident are still being awaited, it is safe to say that the disaster is yet another attestation PIPELINES OWNED AND to the prevalent laxOPERATED BY THE NNPC ity and inadequate ARE INCREASINGLY EASY surveillance on the SOURCE OF PAINS AND pipeline corridor across the country.

CHEAP DEATHS It is a failure to enforce building codes and safety standards. In view of repeated pipeline explosions in various parts of the country over the years and tragic situations that followed, the nation ought to have come up with strategies aimed at containing the menace.

We are worried that pipelines owned and operated by the NNPC are increasingly easy source of pains and cheap deaths. From Arepo in Ogun State, to Ijegun in Lagos, and then Osisioma in Abia, the tales of pipeline fires from NNPC’s facilities are numerous. Countless lives had been lost while property, including that of the corporation,

had also been consumed and wasted. Documents from the corporation showed it spent over N112 billion in 2016 to repair vandalised pipelines. A year earlier in 2015, some N103 billion was spent by the corporation to also fix vandalised pipelines. Yet, the problem persists. In the past decade, more than a trillion naira that could have been used to develop the health or education sector was expended on repairing pipelines.

O 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 HEAD, COMPUTER DEPARTMENT PATRICIA UBAKA-ADEKOYA

rdinarily, if we live in a society where the government views human lives as sacred, places like Abule Ado, Ijegun, Abule Egba and other places with the presence of such deadly pipelines ought to be provided with maximum security. But various incidents of this kind had been investigated in the past with hardly any redeeming effect.

Constrained by this unending menace and costs to the nation, we hope the outcome of the investigations into the Abule Ado tragedy will be made public. Besides, we will suggest that the corporation should carry out a comprehensive study of the integrity of NNPC’s pipelines across the country to ascertain the level of their operational credibility.

And in tune with modern pipeline management trends, it should commission and deploy standard processes to monitor and guard its pipelines from potential intrusion.

Most importantly, the NNPC should aim at cultivating the cooperation of pipelines host communities and villages where pipelines pass through, to help it identify and deal with intrusions on its lines. We believe that when local communities are genuinely part of the process of securing pipelines, incidents like the Abule Ado tragedy or indeed the vandalism of pipelines in some cases, will be reduced to the barest minimum.

Whatever the outcome of the final investigation, people must be made to pay for their dereliction of duty - which has caused human lives and property.

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2020 ASYEAR OF HUMILITY

O

n December 28, 2019, Nigerian Prophet TB Joshua declared that 2020 would be the “year of humility”, adding that “God will humble us with our challenges such as affliction” (https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6aJLBVG96c).

The events engulfing 2020 thus far have indeed attested to the reality of that declaration.

Today, Nigeria joined other African nations such as Ghana, Kenya and South Africa in banning travel from several of the world ‘superpowers’ – including USA, UK, Germany, China and France – over the coronavirus outbreak.

To wax lyrical, humility means when an antelope is telling a lion not to come to his domain - and the lion obeys the directive of the antelope. Who would have imagined a situation where African nations would ban all visitors from such countries wielding ‘superpower status’? A brief foray into history reveals multiple occasions where nations such as USA would impose travel bans on certain African nations – but today the case is vice versa. The roles have been reversed! None can deny this is indeed a humbling situation.

And what is the cause of such drastic actions? The affliction of coronavirus! The

disease has spread worldwide, led to crippling economic repercussions and resulted in entire countries virtually grinding to a halt in a ‘lockdown’. However, as the world grapples to deal with the panic and fear erupting in the wake of the virus, the country where it initially broke out has almost returned to normal!

Chinese health officials have announced that in Wuhan, the original epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, only one new case of the disease was confirmed!

It is pertinent to point out that on February 29, 2020, Prophet TB Joshua boldly declared that a shower of rain would fall in Wuhan, China “to wipe away all fears of the unknown” – after which rain fell for that entire week, despite it not being known as the rainy season. Since then, cases of the disease have dramatically fallen to the point where Chinese health experts predicted the entire region would be free from coronavirus by the end of March 2020.

On the contrary, see what is happening in the nations where the coronavirus did not even start. Such events remind me of the Biblical principle revealed in Mark 6:4 - a prophet has no honour in his own continent, his own town.

Sadly, such is the case today!

Tawia Acheampong, Accra, Ghana

THE DANGER OF CORONAVIRUS’ COMPLACENCY

I

hope you have read the empirical study recently published by Imperial College London.

Their study concluded that between 1.2 to 2 million people may die in USA. Their study also argued that over 500,000 people may also die in UK. If appropriate actions are not taken immediately.

Italy is paying dearly for her mistake in undermining the impact of coronavirus on her healthcare system. They assumed that they have all it takes to deal with the virus but the opposite happened.

Now Italy is in bad shape. Indeed, when you compare Italy population to that of China you will notice that more people have died in Italy than in China.

Besides the number of people with daily coronavirus infection are more in Italy than in China: Stunning. Just imagine what will happen if Nigeria goes through what Italy is going through today, it will be devastating.

All hands must be on deck to advise

the federal government to act now and act fast. Without a doubt Nigeria has absolutely terrible health care infrastructure. Moreover, the current hard economic situation would have been the reason preventative measures should have been taken immediately.

If the current healthcare emergency we have in other countries happens in Nigeria from where will the money come from?

Donors agencies that Nigeria relies on wont be available to assist as each country is under serious financial stress due to coronavirus outbreak. In fact, WHO has declared coronavirus as pandemic.

It is crazy to think that Nigeria will wait for such a long time to close her borders to those coming from the affected countries.

Besides they are not coming here to invest at the moment. Moreover, the overall last quarter Foreign Direct Investment in Nigeria is nothing to celebrate. Other major African countries did much better than Nigeria in terms of FDIs in the last quarter.

Dr Innocent Okpanum, Abuja

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POLITICS

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

Fifty-six Cheers to Ugwuanyi Louis Amoke, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State praises the system of administration deployed by the governor on his birthday

H

e is no less a child of providence. Attaining 56 years of age on March 20, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State is certainly the man of the moment for so many obvious reasons.

With his unique disposition to life, the governor has come a long way navigating with peacefulness, humility, caring, compassion, vision, hard-work and the fear of his beloved God. He has carved a niche for himself as an outstanding leader whose approach to handling issues remains unbeatable and enduring.

The governor’s birthday is the first after his inauguration for a second term in office following his overwhelming reelection by the people of Enugu State. He won with an unprecedented 95.54 percent of the votes cast, the highest in the history of the country and this is symbolic and yet another opportunity to appreciate God, through acts of charity, for his mercy and kindness.

To this great man of faith and goodwill, compassionate in uplifting the downtrodden and resolute in entrenching peace and good governance in the state, the anniversary, is as always, people-centered and a boost to continue to serve with the fear of God and render selfless service to the state and humanity.

It is on record that Gov. Ugwuanyi’s penchant for the wellbeing of the people, especially the needy and downtrodden in the society, has been unequalled and a great source of strength.

In ensuring peace and good governance in Enugu State, the governor in spite of the nation’s security and economic challenges, has continued to make sacrifices and work round the clock to sustain the state’s enviable peaceful atmosphere and enhance the delivery of service to the people at every level of the state.

As an unassuming leader, Gov. Ugwuanyi is at peace with everybody; he relates and interacts with both the high and the low; he listens, tolerates, accommodates and cares; and most importantly, fears and serves God, faithfully. He has no enemy and always pays the ultimate price for peace to reign. The governor is one who delights in the joy of his people and shares in their grief as well.

Gov. Ugwuanyi also delights in addressing grey issues that are paramount to the wellbeing of the people, especially the lowly and long neglected who had hitherto been denied the dividends of democracy.

His administration’s widely cherished rural development policy, which has provided the veritable platform to address the hydra-headed imbalance between urban and rural dwellers in terms of distribution of amenities, indeed, caused a spontaneous revolution that brought about massive infrastructural development in the rural areas.

The state government’s grassrootsdevelopment initiative has, therefore, ensured a systematic concentration of infrastructural developments more in the rural areas that were hitherto in dearth of amenities, helplessly. The special attention to rural areas, where the majority of the people reside, was borne out of the governor’s vision to give every citizen of the state a sense of belonging.

It is on record that Ugwuanyi’s administration has profusely invested huge resources in developing the rural communities, concentrating development projects in the remote villages to create more urban centres for socio-economic growth.

In this regard, communities such as Amurri and Ogonogoeji in Nkanu West LGA, Eha-Amufu in Isi-Uzo LGA, Ukpabi-Nimbo-Ugbene Ajima-Eziani in Uzo-Uwani LGA and Akpugoeze in Oji River LGA, that had not experienced state

government presence for many decades, have been remembered with one development project or the other.

The sum of N3.4 billion was appropri-

ated in the 2020 budget, for the establishment of a Small/Medium-sized Industry in each of the 17 local government areas of the state, at an average sum of N200

More Twists in Anambra South Francis Okafor writes on the latest twist in the unfolding drama for who represents Anambra South Senatorial District

T

here is a rule of law which states that someone bringing a lawsuit against another and asking the court for equitable relief must do so in a sincere manner.

However, some people still go ahead to file false suits against individuals and organisations and sometimes, they still get away with it after their pure intention to mislead the people and judiciary.

Recently, a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Kubwa, Abuja, gave a judgment against Ifeanyi Ubah, the senator representing Anambra South senatorial district, ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Sen. Ubah and issue a fresh certificate to Obinna Uzoh.

The order was given in the suit filed

by Mr. Uzoh challenging Mr. Ubah’s victory on the grounds that he (Mr. Ubah) allegedly presented a forged National Examination Council (NECO) certificate to INEC. The senator, however, approached the court to set aside the judgment on grounds that he was neither given fair hearing nor served with the court process and hearing notice in the suit before the court delivered the judgment against him.

The judge thereafter ordered a stay of execution on December 4, restraining Senate President Ahmad Lawan from swearing in Mr. Uzoh, pending the hearing and determination of the motion challenging the verdict.

Though, INEC and the National Examinations Council (NECO) had long confirmed that the NECO certificate of Ubah was authentic and that he was the duly nominated candidate of his political party, the YPP. The people of Anambra and beyond are patiently watching with keen interest, more dramas are unfolding.

The Federal Government has filed a six-count charge against Obinna Uzoh, Anani Chuka, Eziafa Enwedo, Aroh Ifunanya and Faith Samuel over allegation of forgery of court documents and judgement.

The charge marked FHC/Abj/ CR/78/2020, stated that the accused persons allegedly forged court processes and judgment in a cloned suit No.CV/3044/2018 at the FCT High Court Kubwa to remove Senator (Dr.) Patrick Ubah from office as the duly elected senator representing Anambra South Senatorial district.

The criminal charge followed investigations by the Nigerian Police Force, which unearthed the fraud, involving several judicial staff, lawyers and litigants.

The charge filed by the police alleges that all the processes filed in the said suit were forged including the judgment and that the purported filing fee receipt which was originally dated 25th September 2019, was mutilated to read 19th October 2018.

The suspects are alleged to have mutilated the court register and cloned Suit No. CV/3044/2018, which was allotted in 2018 to S & M Holdings Limited vs person unknown filed on the 17th of October 2018, and affixed Suit No. CV/3044/2018 to Anani Chuka vs Ifeanyi Ubah & Ors. The suspects were also alleged to have forged the assignment directive of the Chief Judge of the FCT High Court to purportedly assign the matter to Justice Kawu.

A letter written by the office of the Chief Registrar of the FCT High Court confirmed that the filing of the cloned Suit No.CV/3044/2018 was done on 25th September 2019. The date of judgment in the suit, 11th April 2019, predates the actual date of filing the suit.

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

million per LGA. While all these were going on, the Ugwuanyi administration through its urban renewal drive has equally ensured provision of critical infrastructure, beautification and upgrade of facilities in the urban areas, while restoring Enugu city to its original master-plan. The state government in its 2020 budget also captured the construction of the Enugu first ever flyover and completion of the International Conference Centre (ICC), among other legacy projects, to enhance the status and socio-economic potentials of the state capital.

On the whole, about 600 kilometers of road across the state have been covered so far by Ugwuanyi’s administration.

This is in addition to remarkable achievements in other sectors of development such as security, state workers’ welfare, education, health, empowerment, investment promotion, agriculture, Judiciary infrastructural transformation, among others.

Only recently, the state workers trooped out in their numbers and marched through the streets of Enugu to the Government House, in jubilation, to thank Ugwuanyi for being the first governor of the state, since the inception of democracy in 1999, to pay them the minimum wage without rancour.

The jubilant workers, who were led by the state leadership of the prganized labour, sang solidarity songs and displayed banners/ placards with inscriptions such as: “Enugu State workers say Thank You His Excellency for the new minimum wage”, “Gburus, Enugu workers say Thank You for regular payment of salaries”, “Gburus, thank you for giving us new minimum wage without stress”, “Thank you for regular payment of monthly pensions”, “Gburus, you are a pacesetter”, “Gburus is our man.”

They told the people’s governor that the workers were surprised and elated to receive their salary alerts during the weekend reflecting the new minimum wage in line with the agreed consequential adjustment chart.

According to them, “today is a special day in the history of Enugu State. This is because there is no worker in Enugu State that did not benefit from Ugwuanyi’s alert, and that is why we are singing now”.

Narrating other numerous interventions of the governor towards the welfare of the state workers, such as the 100 units of onebedroom flats for civil servants between grade levels 01-10, regular payment of salaries and pensions and the payment of 13th month salary, the workers pointed out that “It’s instructive that Gov. Ugwuanyi was recording such feats at a time when many states could not pay their workers’ salaries”.

Speaking at the event, the state chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Nigeria, Comrade Benneth Asogwa maintained that the state workers marched to the Government House to let the world know that “it is because you have been able to turn the history positively as far as minimum wage is concerned in Enugu State”.

According to him, “we want to also tell them (the world) that what we are doing today is significant because in the past, whenever minimum wage was being expected, it was always negative. Then, we would mourn from, maybe, New Haven to our Secretariat crying and shouting.

Then, you would see all Enugu in pains.

But today, we have come to Government House, smiling”.

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T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY MARCH 20, 2020

19

PERSPECTIVE

Music, Curves, and Ideas for Ayo Animashaun at 50 Ayeni Adekunle pays radiant tribute to Mr. Ayo Animashaun, owner of HipTv and one of the successful entrepreneurs in the entertainment industry

I

can’t remember how I got introduced to Soji Dehinde.

But it was he who in turn introduced me to a couple of gentlemen who would go on to become friends, brothers, and supporters as I tried to find my feet in the late 90s and early 2000s. I’ve shared before, of how he introduced me to the comedian and master of ceremonies, Tee A, when I was to debut Youths Awards for Excellence in Music (YAFEM) in 1998.

It was that same year that I had the pleasure of being acquainted with Ayo Animashaun courtesy of Soji Dehinde.

Soji passed on a few years later, but Animashaun and I have remained in touch, becoming friends, brothers, collaborators, and everything else.

When I met him in 1998, he was 28 years old, three years into his business HipHop World Magazine, and a celebrity in his own right. Everyone called him Nigeria’s youngest publisher and he had such larger than life image that it was a big surprise and disappointment when I got closer and realized he was just a struggling young man trying to make sense of the chaos called Lagos.

I should know. I was a regular guest in his Olusosun-Oregun one-bedroom BQ before he was evicted. I spent many nights with him sleeping in his Sahadatu plaza office off Allen Avenue, buying meals on credit, running from creditors, seeing assets confiscated, dragging his reluctant Volks Wagon beetle around Lagos and Kwara, and struggling to pay designers and printers to work on the magazine.

I was studying Microbiology at the University of Ibadan, but I had a passion for media and entertainment. Meeting Soji Dehinde, Ayo Animashaun, Tee A, Dayo Asaju, Ayo Oshun, Nseobong Okon-Ekong, Efe Omorogbe, Wale Oluwaleimu, and many more in those early days played a huge role in how I eventually turned out.

Take Animashaun: he gave me free unrestricted access to his home and office and resources. It was during one of the many weekends in his house I first saw and learned how to use a computer – teaching myself PageMaker, MSWord, Corel draw, etc. It was through him I met most of the early big names of the time – including the Plantashun Boiz, Dele Momodu, Kunle Bakare (who would later become my employer), and so many others.

I would come from school every weekend and stay anywhere he was staying. Of course he would be unable to fund my return trip to Ibadan. But a visit to Dele Momodu always did the job: Bob Dee would give us enough cash to take me back to school and carry Animashaun for a week or more.

I was not alone. Before he was 30, Animashaun was already a magnet for the entire pop and HipHop culture in Nigeria. His songbook, and later magazine, captured the imagination of young people around the country; and he became one of the most influential figures of a terribly misunderstood youth culture. So, it was not surprising that many of us were drawn to him: Efe Omorogbe, Anthony Anifite, Bayo Omisore, Solomon Dare, Loknan Dombin, Innocent Idibia, Augustin Ahmedu, Olusegun Babatunde, Ayo Oshun, Goke Oludare, Tosin Ogunderu, Matthias Aragbada, Olamide Adedeji, and so many more.

He was born Tajudeen Ayodele Animashaun on March 17, 1970 to a Christian mother Fatima Ajibike Animashaun, and a Muslim father Kehinde Sanni Ani-

EPISTLES of ANTHONY KILA

Medical Road of Victims to Villainy Anthony Kila

mashaun (1938 to 1988) of Popo Aguda, Isale Eko, in Lagos. The family lived in Ilorin where he first fell in love with music and entertainment, alongside other shenanigans he got into with friends like Femi Opawoye, Dotun Adeboyejo and others. But it was while he was studying for a national diploma at Kaduna State polytechnic that he went big with his passion, running campus clubs, creating and distributing songbooks, and spreading the gospel of hip hop.

He became so successful I’m not sure he went back for his HND or his diploma certificate. He became so successful he left home to come to Lagos and pursue a bigger dream.

In Lagos, he found a home in FAME Weekly magazine, under the guidance of Sikiru Olakunle Bakare and Femi Akintunde-Johnson. But he was squatting in such remote places around Lagos island and Abule Osun, that he ended up spending most nights sleeping at the Fame office in Ikeja.

Colleagues would mock him for sleeping in the office; for being so audacious as to think he could attempt to become a magazine publisher; or for not being Lagosian enough.

He was young, ambitious, and promising. He was also getting fairly known through his weekly music column aptly titled Hip Hop World, inside FAME magazine. But he was also broke, homeless, frustrated, and tired.

It was time to give up.

Should he go back home to Ilorin where his late dad owned an estate and other businesses? Should he go back to school? Maybe forget about media and publishing and get another job?

He decided he’d keep going. It wasn’t a difficult decision to take because his bosses at the time believed in him and used their relationships to get newsprint suppliers, and printers to transact with him on credit. The rest, to apply the overused cliché, is history.

He published the debut edition of the magazine with Michael Jackson on the cover, in 1995. And he hasn’t looked back. HHW magazine was the leading music magazine in Nigeria for over 20 years, and since ceasing publication, no other journal has stepped in to take up the space it left. And then he launched Hip TV, first as a weekly 30-minute magazine show, before becoming a full channel on DSTV and GoTV. And then he set up HipHop World Awards (since rebranded as The Headies), which interestingly is also the only surviving Nigeria only music honours event.

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

Dear Dr. Francis Adedayo Faduyile In the mind of most people, you as the President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) preside over the apex body of medical practitioners in Nigeria. It can be jokingly said that you are the Dr. of doctors in Nigeria.

You should therefore not be surprised that after the recent decisions of some doctors across the country to go on strike, you (as their Dr. and President) are getting an epistle about the medical road to villainy addressed to you.

A quick look at facts and events.

On Tuesday 17th of March, media outlets broke the news that the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), FCTA chapter, has announced its decision to go on indefinite strike. The announcement, it was reported, was duly signed by its president, Roland Aigbovo.

My late Papa had a saying; “Bad things spread easily,” to his point, about 24 hours after the announcement of the Association of Resident Doctors, Abuja, the Association of Resident Doctors in Gombe State too announced that they too were going on indefinite strike, the Gombe doctors decision, just like in Abuja was announced by their own President Dr. Saidu Alhassan.

We do not take delight in stating the obvious but it is worth noting here that these decisions to strike were taken while people from all over the world and from all walks of life were and are still thinking of how to deal with the pandemic popularly known as Coronavirus. As a matter of fact, an authoritative Nigerian online paper noted that the Abuja decision was announced barely an hour after the third case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Lagos.

In a bid to ameliorate a bad event, the doctors made things worse and almost made some of us cry out of anger and shock because the doctors

In a bid to ameliorate a bad event, the doctors made things worse and almost made some of us cry out of anger and shock because the doctors said, “they deliberated extensively on the health threat posed by the Coronavirus scare, their work conditions, and patient care before arriving at the difficult decision.”

said, “they deliberated extensively on the health threat posed by the Coronavirus scare, their work conditions, and patient care before arriving at the difficult decision.” It would be a treat to read the minutes and notes of these doctors’ deliberations.

The reasons for these strikes are that of money and status.

Abuja President, Roland Aigbovo, said decision to embark on indefinite strike is a result of the failure of the FCT administration to pay them their basic salaries for more than two months. Gombe President said the doctors proceeded on strike after 11 weeks of inconclusive negotiations with the government and that his members are facing challenges among which is the refusal of the government to upgrade house officers on internship.

Clearly, there is a lot wrong with our system, for a society that turns doctors (and teachers) to beggars or needy people is a society that does not understand nor care about what is good for the society. Nobody should be owed salaries, but we must loudly say shame on any government owing doctors (and teachers) salaries. We the people should also be ashamed of ourselves for letting doctors be ill-treated. We should all accept that we are all guilty for allowing those charged with taking care of our health and grooming our future to become victims of indifference and disdain of government.

Should we then allow our doctors to because of pain and need or the recklessness of our government pass from victims to villainy? Heavens forbid!

Dear Dr, you have some difficult tasks at hand, besides stepping forward to tell government and we the people those simple and difficult but all necessary things to do; you also have to for a greater good, be tough on your colleagues.

You need to remind all your doctors that if a dog bites you it is not sane to bite back the dog. The silly evil of our people and government cannot and should not be allowed to be a reason for you to lose the nobility of your role and vocation. We shall not spare you the Hippocratic oath, but we shall not dwell on it. Just remember it and if need be, read it again once in a while.

You also really need to sit down and think about how to get back the respect that your job deserves and ponder on why and how you lost it.

We say lost it here, because growing up, your job used to be in the list of the top three career any child wanted to be. It is not enough to blame others and to say politicians or public administrators have ruined things.

It is important to find out how it was allowed to happen.

The societies in which doctors are not toyed with are not made of saints.

The trick is simple, doctors make sure they are respected; mind you, they do so rarely by striking.

Dear Dr. Faduyile as we await your intervention, here is a tip for you, rather than moving from victim to villainy, guide your doctors to stoically take the road to becoming heroes.

Painful yes, but the road to success is not by elevator. With Coronavirus, the world is watching, and you need to ask yourself if you can speak to the world for one minute, what would you say? We are on strike?

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FRIDAY MARCH 20, 2020 •T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ MARCH 20, 2020

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

A S

A T

REPO 9.17 % 10.08 %

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

7.50 % 9.75 % 11 %

M A R C H S & P INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY MONTH-TO-DATE

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

1 3 , 2 0 2 0 451.69 % -0.79 % -13.95 %

S & P INDEX 1/4 TO DATE -6.13 % YEAR TO DATE -6.13 %

EXCHANGE RATE N306.95/1US DOLLAR* ̩

Quick Takes Turkish Airlines Adopts Safety Measures

CLOSING GONG CEREMONY

Head, Listing Business Division, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Olumide Bolumole (left), presenting a replica of the closing gong to the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Red Star Express Plc, Sola Obabori, during the closing gong ceremony to commemorate the success of the company’s rights issue and listing of additional shares at the NSE in Lagos…recently

COVID-19: Nigerian Passengers Stranded as UAE Nullifies Existing Visas Chinedu Eze Nigerians who travelled to Dubai and other areas in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are now stranded following the cancellation of their existing visas while they were en-route to the Middle East country.

THISDAY learnt that following the announcement of countries banned entry by UAE due to virus, which included Nigeria, the country had stated that it would stop issuing visas to countries from March 17, but did not indicate that subsisting visas would be cancelled.

But THISDAY gathered that Emirates airlifted Nigerian passengers on Tuesday and arrived Dubai 4:00 am Nigerian time on

AVIATION Wednesday, but on arrival they were informed that their visas were cancelled.

Also many passengers travelling to Dubai via Sharjah on Air Peace flight received SMS alert that their visas had been cancelled after boarding their flights.

On Sunday the UAE issued a statement naming some countries, which passengers with their passports would not be allowed to enter the Middle East nation and Nigeria was included even though the country has recorded few COVID-19 patients, while countries with high spread were included in the countries whose citizens are allowed by

the Emirates nation.

The countries not banned included Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece and Hong Kong.

Others included Hungary, Island, Ireland, Italy (from Rome only), Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Netherland, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Sam Marino.

Other countries are Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Vatican, United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Travel expert and organiser of Akwaaba African Travel Market,

Ikechi Uko told THISDAY that he was surprised that Nigeria was excluded from countries allowed for its citizens to travel to Dubai because of the virus, noting that in 2019, Nigeria gave Dubai the highest growth in tourism and so far, the country has not recorded a high number of coronavirus cases.

“I cannot understand why Nigeria was targeted because in 2019, it gave Dubai the highest growth in tourism arrivals and in 2020, countries that have very high cases of coronavirus were allowed to continue travelling to the Emirates, but Nigeria was banned,” he said.

Continued on page 22

Inland Waterways: FG to Remove Wrecks, Concession Onitsha, Baro Ports Eromosele Aniodun In recognition of the importance of the nation’s inland waterways will play in its bid to diversify the economy from crude oil, the federal government has commenced the removal of wrecks, water hyacinths and other impediments to the free flow of movement in the vast water ways.

Also, the government will proceed with the planned concession of Onitsha, Baro and other river ports across the country for efficiency.

The Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Dr. George Moghalu, disclosed this in a chat with newsmen in Lagos

MARITIME shortly after a meeting with stakeholders.

The NIWA boss expressed deep concerns over the increasing spate of boat mishaps, warning that the authority would urgently take steps to reverse this trend.

The agency, Moghalu added, has stepped up its statutory safety regulations to curb this trend.

He added that NIWA as Nigeria’s apex agency for regulating the inland waterways is also not comfortable with the huge dumping of plastics, especially those used for the packaging of foods and drinks into the lagoon.

The plastics, he stated, constitute danger to safe navigation adding that the agency may sponsor a bill to the National Assembly to outlaw use of plastics.

The MD also disclosed that most of these accidents happen either early in the morning or at night, warning that the authority might be compelled to ban boat operations in the early hours of the day and at night due to poor visibility that could lead to accidents and eventual loss of lives.

Meanwhile, THISDAY gathered that while this is being worked out, the authority has commenced strict registration and licensing of boat operators in the country with the

proposed introduction of automated systems as well as issuance of stickers for easy identification of duly registered boats and operators.

THISDAY investigations also showed that in addition to directing its area offices across the nation to impound rickety boats and those without navigational aids, the authority is concluding plans to commence massive enlightenment campaigns at relevant jetties and loading points for the passenger boats.

The sensitisation, it was further gathered, would focus on the boat passengers on the need to ensure that the operators adhere strictly to all Continued on page 22

TurkishAirlineshassaidithascontinuedtoprioritisesafetymeasures tominimisetheeffectsandspreadofCOVID19.

Theairlinesaidinlinewiththeguidelinesofbothlocalandinternationalcivil aviationauthorities,allitsplanesaredisinfectedwithsubstancesapproved bytheWorldHealthOrganization(WHO)andaircraftmanufacturers.

All surfaces passengers come in contact with go through extensive cleaningprocessesbyadedicatedspecialhygieneteam.

“We have taken extra measures since the beginning of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic to minimise both its effects and spreading.Ourforemostprioritybeingthesafetyandwell-beingofour passengersandcrewmembers,”astatementontheairline’sWebsitereads.

Itstatedthatatthepointofboarding,crewmembersmonitorpassengers whilewelcomingthemonboardandthroughouttheflight.“Inthecase of a passenger showing symptoms of the disease, the passenger in question undergoes a medical check with the directives of the host country’shealthauthority.

“Duringflights,thecabinairisrepetitivelypurifiedwithhospital-grade High-efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters. The filtration system constantlydisinfectstheairofanyharmfulsubstanceintheairduring flights.

“Allpassengersarealsorequiredtocompletethepassengerself-reporting formdistributedbytheFederalMinistryofHealth,”itadded.

Furthermore, it explained that items such as forks, spoons, glasses and plates used during meals, are also disinfected asides the regular washingroutine.

“Allfabricsanddevicesusedonboardgothroughanextensivecleaning processandarereplacedwithfreshsetsforeachflight.

Since the epidemic, the airline said it has increased the number of facemasks, disposable gloves, sanitizers, and other disinfectants on itsfleetofaircraft,”itadded.

European Carriers Suspend All Flights

Pan-European budget carrier Ryanair has become the largest carrier in Europe to indicate it may suspend its services in the light of travel restrictionstocounterthecoronaviruspandemic.FlightGlobalreported that European carriers have over the past week been announcing increasinglylargecutintheirservices,ascountry’stightentheirborder controls.Anumberhavecalledahalttoflightsaltogetherforthecoming weeks - or will just operate a few flights to accommodate returning nationals. Ryanair, Europe’s biggest airline by passenger number in 2019, had already warned it expected to park the majority of its fleet overthenextweekto10daysastheimpactofthecoronavirusescalates, andcouldsuspendallofitsservicesforAprilandMay It stated that from March 18th until midnight March 24th, the group wouldshutdownoperationsonfour-fifthsofitsroutes.

Itexpectsthatafter24March,“mostifnotallRyanairGroupflightswill be grounded”, with the possible exception of a few key routes, mostly betweentheUKandIreland.”AirMaltahadearlierannounceditwould suspendallflightsfrom20March.

EIAlSendsStaffonLeave Israeliflag-carrier,El,Alhasput5,500personnelonunpaidleaveuntilthe endofMay,followingthecuttoitsnetworkinthefaceofthecoronavirus crisis.ElAlemployssome6,350staffoverall.AccordingtoFlightGlobal, ElAlhasbeenholdingtalkswiththeIsraeliministryoffinanceregarding governmentsupporttothecarrier,eitherthroughcreditorothermeans, tohelpitcopewiththeimpact.Theairlinesaidthereisnocertaintyover theextentofstatesupport,whichmightbeobtained.ElAlfurtherstated thatitspassengerservicesschedulehasbeen,“significantlyreduced,” andadjusted,followingafallindemandandoverseasrestrictions.

Banks Offer Relief to Borrowers

Kenyan banks will allow personal borrowers who get into difficulties due to the new coronavirus pandemic to extend their loans for up to a year, the central bank governor said on Wednesday. The East African nationhasfourconfirmedcasesoftheCOVID-19andthegovernment hasimposedmeasuresaimedatreducingitsspreadsincludingbanning publicgatheringsandclosingschoolsindefinitely.

“We don’t want this health crisis to become a financial crisis,” Reuters quoted the governor, Patrick Njoroge, to have told a televised news conference.

Small and medium enterprises who encounter difficulties will also be allowedtorestructuretheirbankloansatnocost,headded.

“Please, in all we transmit to the general public, let us know that 30,000 travel agents job is at risk, businesses worth billions are on the verge of collapse” President, National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA),

Bankole Bernard

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T H I S D AY ˞ Ͱ͎˜ Ͱ͎Ͱ͎

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

COVID-19: NIGERIAN PASSENGERS STRANDED AS UAE NULLIFIES EXISTING VISAS

Rivers Port Set to Receive First RoRo Vessel

The President of the National Association of Nigeria Travelling Agencies (NANTA), Bankole Bernard, told THISDAY that he did not understand the criteria, which UAE used to ban some countries when many of the nations with high record of coronavirus were allowed.

But the lead consultant on aviation desk at the Etimfri International Limited, Amos Akpan, told THISDAY that the decision to ban Nigeria despite the fact that the country did not have high case has to do with the premium value UAE has for its borders and its citizens and shows the level of responsibility the government takes to protect its citizens.

He said Nigerians should stop overseas travel and maximise the opportunities offered by technology to manage their businesses. “There is no need for anybody to plan to travel across borders now. This means whether you close borders or restrict travels or not, we should not travel. Closing the border is strictly a security and protective actions by states as their primary responsibility.

Efforts by the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to improve vessel traffic to the Eastern Ports has continued to yield returns as the Rivers Port, Port Harcourt is expecting its first Roll on/Roll off (RoRo) operations in the next couple of weeks.

The first Roro Vessels, to berth in the history of the Rivers Port is scheduled to depart the United States of America this month and arrive Port Harcourt in April.

Roro vessels are usually loaded with automobiles.

The NPA in a statement by its General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, Jatto Adams, described the development as a milestone in the history of Rivers Port and the whole of the Eastern Ports.

The introduction of RORO operations, he stated, would in no small measure increase the revenue base of Rivers Port in particular and NPA as a whole.

According to the NPA, “The achievement is traceable to intentional commitment and landmark reforms that the current management of the NPA has instituted towards ensuring that all ports in Nigeria become optimally functional. “Steps taken by the Authority include: the introduction of ten Per cent (10 per cent) discount on harbour dues on some

INLAND WATERWAYS: FG TO REMOVE WRECKS, CONCESSION ONITSHA, BARO PORTS the required safety standards including provision of life vests before they board any boat in order to reduce the carnage on the nation’s waterways.

Speaking further, the NIWA boss disclosed that the authority has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a private firm for the provision of quality and standardised life vests for boat passengers, which will be distributed to the registered and certified boat operators as part of the sensitisation programmes.

He disclosed that the authority was upping its regulatory support in terms of ensuring that only standard boats and duly certified and registered operators are allowed to operate as well as clearing the waterways of weeds, plastic wastes and removal of wrecks, adding that NIWA may approach the National Assembly for a bill to outlaw the use of plastic containers to package foods and drinks in the country.

Group Business Editor

ĂŒĂ“Ă˜Ă˜Ă‹ Ă’Ă“Ă—Ă‹ Capital Market Editor

Goddy Ogene

Comms/e-Business Editor

Ă—Ă—Ă‹ Ă•Ă™Ă˜Ă”Ă“ Senior Correspondent

Ă‹Ă’Ă?Ă?Ă— Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ĂŒĂ™Ă–Ă&#x; (Advertising) Correspondents

Ă’Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂŽĂ&#x; äĂ? (Aviation) ĂœĂ™Ă—Ă™Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă? ĂŒĂ“Ă™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă˜ (Maritime) Ă‹Ă—Ă?Ă? Ă—Ă?ÔÙ (Finance) ĂŒĂ?ĂœĂ? åÙÔÓ (Insurance) Ă’Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă—Ă? Ă•Ă‹Ă?Ă™Ăœ (Energy) Reporters

Ă&#x;Ă—Ă? Ă•Ă?Ă‘Ă’Ă? (Money Market) Ă™Ă?Ă‹ Ă–Ă?Ă•Ă’Ă&#x;ÙÑÓĂ? (ICT)

Stories by Eromosele Abiodun

categories of cargoes berthing at the eastern ports, the dredging of Escravos Channel in Warri, the deployment of equipment and machinery to improve operational efficiency, constant engagement with stakeholders towards achieving industrial harmony and peaceful co-existence, conversations with shipping companies, which saw the deployment of flat bottom vessels to Calabar.

“Working with the Nigerian Navy, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Port Police Command to combat crimes on the nation’s waterways as well as engaging with the Federal Ministry of Works to ensure the rehabilitation of roads access to and from ports in the region. The management assures of its commitment to ensuring that all ports in Nigeria operate at maximum capac-

ity to the advantage of all Nigerians.�

The NPA had last year approved a 10 per cent discount on harbour dues in all concessioned terminals at the Eastern ports.

The discount, it stated, was part of efforts to increase patronage of the Eastern ports. According to him, ports that will be affected by this initiative are Calabar, Rivers and Delta Ports.

They said the discount

only applies to harbour dues payable by the following types of vessels/cargoes, “Container vessels with at least 250 TEUs; General cargo vessels with at least 16,000 tonnes; combo vessels with at least 16,000 tonnes; and RORO vessels with at least 250 units of vehicles. “These discounts shall not apply to vessels coming INBALLAST (empty); vessels calling at private jetties; and vessels calling carrying liquid bulk.�

INTERACTIVE SESSION

L-R: Director, Database/ ICT, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Aliyu Edogi Aliyu; Director, Compliance CertiďŹ cation and Monitoring, BPP, Ishaq Yahya, and Director General, BPP, Mammam Ahmadu, at a one-day interactive session with procurement oďŹƒcers in Abuja...recently

NLC May Halt Shipping Companies’ Operations The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) may declare a state of emergency on Nigerian shipping companies and force their operations to a standstill following their refusal to engage the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) in a meeting on how to increase workers’ remuneration.

In line with laid down procedure, the NLC has directed the MWUN, to issue a 21-day ultimatum to the Shipping Association

of Nigeria (SAN) to convey a meeting with the union and negotiate their workers’ welfare.

In a statement issued on behalf of the union and signed by Mr. Abdullahi Eroje, the union said it has reported the matter to NLC after exhausting all legal and social means to get members of SAN to a round table discussion with representatives of MWUN in order to find redress to the inhumane, deplorable

and slavish conditions her members are subjected to in their various work place. “Having consistently ignored our myriad calls: Shipping Association of Nigeria and its members have conducted themselves in a manner which perpetually keeps our members in the Shipping Industry in penury and pain: in most cases they have been stagnated on one salary structure for over twenty years, worst wage structure, anti-union

activities, burdensome tariff regimes and so on. “They have formed themselves into lodges above and impervious to our National laws breaching every rule of industrial relations thus, engendering a failure in our social partnership where existed at all,� it stated. “We have reported the Shipping Association of Nigeria (SAN) to the Nigeria Labour Congress, our National Labour Centre,

which has directed that in the interest of industrial peace in the shipping industry in Nigeria, albeit, Maritime Sector that the SAN convene a meeting in the next 21 days with representatives of the Union. “Please note that in the event of SAN’s noncompliance, the union will be constrained to declare a state of emergency in the Shipping sector Nigeria,� the statement stated.

WACT Receives Maersk Line’s First Direct Service Ship The West Africa Container Terminal (WACT), has received Maersk’s first direct service containership from Far East to the Onne Port in Rivers State.

The gearless ship named KYPARISSIA with a capacity of 4,800 TEUs and brought to Onne Port by Maersk under its FEW3 service, is the first Maersk vessel to visit Onne Port without first calling at any port in Lagos.

The Commercial Manager of WACT, Noah Sheriff, said: “The long awaited FEW3 service, which is a direct service from Far East into East Nigeria has started, and we are here to witness the first call. “With our Mobile Harbour Cranes operations, we are positioned to handle such

gearless vessels calling our facility. The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) initiative to bring larger vessels into other ports is aligned with our Phase 2 terminal upgrade project, which will see our number of Mobile Harbour Cranes and other container handling equipment increased by third quarter of this year. “It Is important to note that this new service will call WACT Onne weekly, coupled with the benefit of a short transit time for cargo coming from Far East. This is a product many customers have been asking, and we at WACT shall ensure that we turn these vessels around quickly.�

The East Nigeria Manager of Maersk Nigeria Limited, Madam Chibuzor Ejiofor,

said the ship call was historic and would benefit the businesses in eastern Nigeria. She said, “We need to create awareness to the coming of KYPARISSIA not because she’s one of the largest vessels that ever called Onne, but she is the first Far East vessel that will be calling Onne without calling Lagos ports. “Not to impact the Onne based customers or cargo destined for eastern Nigeria so much, Maersk decided to put Onne on a direct service from Far East, That doesn’t mean that Maersk doesn’t call Lagos. We are still calling Tin Can and Apapa but that is on another service altogether. “We now have a service that comes all the way from the Far East to Onne without

calling Lagos. So, for Onne based customers, I think that’s something to be really attractive as it adds value to your business. You can get your cargo on time directly from Far East without adding 30 days of Lagos waiting time. You can turn around your money, your products and that’s why we are here just to recognise this unique offering to our customers.�

The Port Manager, Onne Port, Ismaila Al-Hassan, who was represented at a brief reception for the gearless vessel by the port’s Traffic Manager, Prince Zhattau, described the direct Maersk service to the port as a welcome development as it will help in decongesting Lagos ports.

WACT has been handling gearless vessels, which

previously could only be handled at the ports in Lagos, since 2019 after spending USD14 million in its Phase 1 upgrade to acquire modern cargo equipment including two Mobile Harbour Cranes, 14 specialised terminal trucks and two reach stackers. The investment brought high operational efficiency and set WACT apart from other ports in Nigeria.

WACT said recently that it is set to deploy new cranes consisting of three additional Mobile Harbour Cranes (MHCs) to bring the number of MHCs at the terminal to five; acquire 20 Rubber Tyre Gantry Cranes (RTGs) and three Reach Stackers in its Phase 2 upgrade within the next 18 months.

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T H I S D AY ˞ Ͱ͎˜ Ͱ͎Ͱ͎

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

NDLEA Intercepts Man with 3.5kg Tramadol Oluchi Chibuzor A 51-year-old man, Usman Hassan Ramadan, carrying a 3.5 kg of powdery form of Tramadol tablets has been intercepted at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, on his way to Dubai.

The officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at airport, Makia special command, Kano, made the arrest as the man who claimed to be an ex-soldier from Borno approached screening point.

In a statement made available to THISDAY by the Public Affairs, Jonah Achema, it revealed that the new method was a

new trend adopted to traffick illicit substances.

The statement said Ramadan was arrested at the outbound screening point on his way to board Ethiopian Airline to Dubai. It also said he had stuffed his luggage with black and white polythene bags containing a powdery substance which upon inspection by officers and men of NDLEA turned out to be grounded Tramadol tablets.

According to the statement: “Initially, the suspect claimed he was carrying elubo a local yam flour but later confessed that he had to grind the tramadol tablets in order to deceive

security operatives. “He claimed to have sustained injuries during the civil war and that he needed Tramadol at all tries to relieve him of the pain,� the statement stated.

Also speaking, the NDLEA Makia Commander, Mohammed Ajiya, said the case of powdery Tramadol was strange to the Command. “We have made seizures of Tramadol severally but that it now comes in powdery form calls for extra vigilance. It means drug merchants are never short of ideas. No matter what, we will continue to beat them to their antics.�

Living Life at 40,0000 Feet above Sea Level

Air Cargo Essential in Fight against COVID-19 The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said air cargo is essential in the fight against COVID-19. IATA stated that air cargo is also instrumental in transporting food and other products purchased online in support of quarantine and social distancing policies implanted by states.

The association and its members continue to support governments in their efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Since the crisis began, air cargo has been a vital partner in delivering much-needed medicines, medical equipment (including spare parts/repair components), and in keeping global supply chains functioning for the most time-sensitive materials.

This has been done through dedicated cargo freighter operations, utilization of cargo capacity in passenger aircraft and with relief flights to affected areas.

The dramatic travel restrictions and collapse of passenger

demand have severely limited cargo capacity. IATA calls on governments to take urgent measures to ensure that air cargo will be available to support the global fight against COVID-19. “Over 185,000 passenger flights have been cancelled since the end of January in response to government travel restrictions. With this, vital cargo capacity has disappeared when it is most urgently needed in the fight against COVID-19. “The world’s fleet of freighter aircraft has been mobilized to make up this capacity shortfall. Governments must take urgent measures to ensure that vital supply lines remain open, efficient and effective,�

Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO said.

IATA has suggested that governments must see air cargo as an essential part of the fight against COVID-19 and exclude air cargo operations from any COVID-19-related travel restrictions, to ensure life-saving medical products

can be transported without disruption, ensure that standardized measures are in place so that air cargo can continue to move around the world with minimal disruptions and exempt air cargo crew members, who do not interact with the public, from 14-day quarantine requirements Other actions to be taken would include supporting temporary traffic rights for cargo operations where restrictions may apply and removing economic impediments, such as overfly charges, parking fees, and slot restrictions to support air cargo operations during these unprecedented times. “Air cargo carriers are working closely with governments and health organisations around the world to safeguard public health while also keeping the global economy moving. Today, as we fight a global health war against COVID-19, governments must take urgent action to facilitate air cargo. Keeping cargo flowing will save lives,� de Juniac said.

NIRSAL Partners AFAN to Empower Smallholder Farmers James Emejo in Abuja The Managing Director/Chief Executive, Nigeria IncentiveBased Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), Mr. Aliyu Abdulhameed, has said the agency will work with the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) to implement key policies aimed at empowering smallholder farmers and lifting them out of poverty in line with the objectives of the current administration.

Speaking at a meeting with the newly elected executive members of AFAN, led by its President, Mr. Farouk Rabiu Mudi, on agriculture financing, the NIRSAL boss said the association will be instrumental to the successful implementation of the NIRSAL Agro-geo Cooperatives Concept, which was recently launched to among other things serve as panacea to solving issues of smallholder farmer financing, risk management, link to market and how to lift them out of

poverty.

He added that under the agro-geo cooperatives model, the agency intended to organise about eight million farmers on about four million hectares through 16,000 agricultural geo-cooperatives.

But he said millions of farmers are still engaged in subsistence agriculture adding that “there is no way they can connect with the modern 21st century agricultural supply chain to service the industrial market, including the domestic and export market if we don’t uplift them out of their business as usual methods of doing agriculture�.

Abdulhameed said: “And to do that we need to leverage equipment capital, technology capital, brain power capital and more importantly finance capital.

And we know that the CBN is doing its optimum best to ensure that farmers get the necessary funding at low cost to ensure farmers get what they need.

He said NIRSAL will work with AFAN to “structure these

farmers, organise them and make them visible to finance because as they are today scattered in villages and hamlets, nobody knows them- finance does not know them, the market does not know them.�

He said a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will soon be signed between both parties to further strengthen their collaboration, stressing that as the apex farmers association in the country, working with AFAN was “the smartest way of reaching the majority of the farmers.�

On his part, Mudi also expressed his association’s confidence in the ability of NIRSAL to develop agriculture, describing the agro risk management agency as credit to the sector.

He said the partnership will stimulate a revolution in the sector and economy in general, noting that NIRSAL had achieved so much within a short period of time particularly facilitating over N100 billion into agriculture.

L-R: Emirates Cabin Crew, Magdalene Odigie; Emirates Regional Manager West Africa, Afzal Parambil; and Managing Director, ParknShop/Spar Nigeria, Mr. Prakash Keswani; during Emirates Wine Tasting event held in Lagos

Chinedu Eze Every moment counts in a lifetime and every moment one lived never comes back. This may be the philosophy behind the desire to make flight operations cozy for air travellers.

Depending on what you can afford, the level of comfort you get is determined by the class of seat you have bought.

Airlines literally transform aircraft cabin into a home for first class and business class passengers and in long-haul flights flight crew usher them to new haven during the duration of the flight.

THISDAY learnt from Emirates that stocking wine for passengers at the upper class is not off the cuff decision taken by airlines on the go, but a deliberate plan decided by connoisseurs and airline’s well trained staff that specialise in matching choice wine with the taste of the passengers.

Recently, Emirates feted selected guests and journalists to its wine- tasting event in Lagos, where the airline captures showcased how passengers’ taste buds are satiated with the choicest wine in-flight.

Emirates Airline’s Wine Ambassador, Victor Dituro, said the airline has invested over $1 billion in wines from 2006 till date and has about seven million bottles of wine within its seller in France. “Some of the wines will be ready for drinking in 2036 to 2037. So imagine that we have wine that we will take for 15 years from now.

We focus in wines from all round the world. “Our Sommeliers select specifically; the wines we will put in the aircraft. Dom PĂŠrignon is one of the champagnes, which we are presenting. Emirates has a long lasting relationship with Dom PĂŠrignon for about 29 years. “They allow us to have access to one of

In every aspect of our business, our aim is to provide the best experience for our customers and we have curated a wine programme that is reective of that promise.

We are proud of the fact that our wine lists are comparable to what you might ďŹ nd in a top restaurant in the best cities around the world

their most prestigious wines. It is a prestige for the company and our customers love it and they are happy to have such a luxurious product in our cabin and when they fly with us they are happy,� Dituro explained.

Dituro, who doubles as first class crewmember for Emirates said the airline invested so much in wines because it believes that it is not easy for people to have access to such rare wines in the world. “We believe that our customers support the company a lot and they deserve the best. We believe that wines are luxurious product that people can have on board and the company doesn’t hesitate to implement whatever is the best for our customers, they deserve it,� he said.

Emirates Regional Manager, West Africa, Afzal Parambil, said at the event that wine on each route are carefully selected to complement the menu and include exclusives found only on Emirates.

Parambil said Emirates team of wine connoisseurs builds direct relationships with some of the world’s most prestigious vineyards to handpick and secure the most exclusive and rare wines for our customers. “We serve 80 different champagnes, wines and ports on our flights on an average day in all classes across our international network. We source our wines from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and USA. “We choose wines that are versatile, which means they are easy to pair with the wide range of meals on our menus. In just a few moments, we will give you a taste of this pairing experience,� he added.

Emirates Airline said it serves Dom Perignon champagne in its First Class Cabin and the choice of what to serve is whichever vintage is most common at that time. “In every aspect of our business, our aim is to provide the best experience for our customers and we have curated a wine programme that is reflective of that promise. We are proud of the fact that our wine lists are comparable to what you might find in a top restaurant in the best cities around the world. “Emirates invests heavily in its cellar and has established a robust wine programme in the last 10 years. At the heart of Emirates’ wine strategy is its unique approach to purchasing exceptional Bordeaux wines en primeur. “Emirates’ own team of wine connoisseurs has built direct relationships with some of the world’s most prestigious vineyards to handpick and secure the most exclusive and rare wines for its customers. Emirates launched the Emirates Vintage Collection, which is a selection of fine wines, which have been stored for up to 15 years in our cellars,� Parambil said.

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T H I S D AY ˞ Ͱ͎˜ Ͱ͎Ͱ͎

Measures against COVID-19 As countries close their borders, restrict flights in order to stop the spread of COVID-19, Chinedu Eze writes that the measure, though effective, has paralysed flight operations

BA Aircraft

Turkish Airlines

M

any governments have locked down their borders and restricted flight operations as in order to contain the spread of the pandemic, coronavirus, known

as COVID-19.

Frightened by the records of the spread and number of deaths, nations rose to adopt very stringent measures against the disease, which economic experts project would bankrupt world.

Records show that the cases outside China have surpassed those inside it and Spain now has the fourth-most cases in the world. The central Chinese city, Wuhan that was the former epicenter where the viral illness was first detected in December was down to just one new case

by Tuesday.

The latest World Health Organisation (WHO) figures list 173,000 infections globally and 7,000 deaths.

Countries from Canada to Switzerland, Russia and Malaysia and European countries announced new restrictions on the movement of people across their borders.

Only China, Italy and Iran have more infections than Spain, where the number increased by roughly 20 per cent, to 9,191 and fatalities rose to 309, according to the Spanish Health Ministry.

It switched to a new reporting system, so the actual number may be higher.

African Countries CNN reported that as at Tuesday, 27 African countries had recorded only 347 coronavirus cases, according to the World Health Organisation on Monday. Four countries: Egypt, Algeria, South Africa and Morocco account for more than half of the novel coronavirus cases on the continent. Seven people have died from Covid-19 in Africa four in Algeria, two in Egypt and one in Morocco.

Ghana has barred entry for all travelers, except Ghanaian citizens and permanent residents, who have visited a country with at least 200 recorded cases of Covid-19 in the last 14 days, effective on March 17. There will be a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine for anyone entering the country, travel advisory from the West African nation has stated.

On March 15, the Kenyan government announced the suspension of all travellers from countries that have reported COVID-19. Only Kenyan citizens would be allowed into the country with self-quarantine or government-designated facility and this measure is in place for 30 days and all who arrived within the last 14 days must self-quarantine,� officials added.

Morocco also suspended all flights to Algeria, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain as well as passenger ferry services.

The government also shut down the land borders with Ceuta and Melilla, the autonomous Spanish territories on the coast of Morocco.

Travelers arriving in Morocco, “will be asked to fill out a health questionnaire on arrival and may be subject to temperature and other screening,� according to officials.

Also on March 14, the Namibian government announced that it would be suspending inbound and outbound flights from Qatar, Ethiopia and Germany for 30 days.

In the same vein, on March 15, President Ramaphosa of South Africa declared a national state of disaster and announced that all travellers who had entered South Africa from high-risk countries since mid-February would be required to present themselves for testing. Additionally, any foreign traveller who has visited high-risk countries in the past 20 days will be denied a visa. As of March 16, 35 out of 53 of the country’s land ports of entry will be closed, as well as two of its eight seaports.

Urgency The battle to contain the coronavirus reached new urgency on Tuesday, as more governments locked down borders and ordered new closures and restrictions.

Records showed that cases outside China have surpassed those inside it and Spain now has the fourth-most cases in the world. The central Chinese city that was the former epicenter where the viral illness was first detected in December was down to just one new case yesterday.

The latest World Health Organisation (WHO) figures list 173,000 infections globally and 7,000 deaths.

A surge of patients in Madrid’s hospitals also fueled worries across Europe of what lies ahead. “There is no easy or quick way out of this extremely difficult situation,� said Prime Minister of The Netherlands Mark Rutte in the first televised speech by a Dutch premier since 1973. “Countries from Canada to Switzerland, Russia and Malaysia and European countries announced sharp new restrictions on the movement of people across their borders. “Only China, Italy and Iran have more infections than Spain, where the number increased by roughly 20 per cent, to 9,191 and fatalities

The potential impact of the virus to our economy and security is unquantiďŹ able and we need the immediate response of restricting travel into the country by allowing only entry points in order to minimise the spread of the virus

rose to 309, according to the Spanish Health Ministry. It switched to a new reporting system, so the actual number may be higher.�

Reports indicated that China’s Wuhan, former epicentre, reported one new case. The central Chinese city that was the former epicenter, where the viral illness was first detected in December was down to just one new case Tuesday.

As the pandemic expanded its reach, China and South Korea were trying to hold their hard-fought gains. China is quarantining new arrivals, who in recent days have accounted for an increasing number of cases, and South Korea starting tomorrow would increase screenings of all travellers arriving from overseas.

Although there have not been restrictions on air travel among African countries because many countries in the continent have not recorded up to 200 cases of the coronavirus, except Algeria and Senegal that have high toll, but measures taken by the region’s states would adversely affect flight operations.

CNN reported that Africa has so far recorded relatively few coronavirus cases compared to the rest of the world, but governments across the continent are taking no chances as they race to stop the spread of the virus on their shores.

Sudan has sealed off all seaports, land crossings and airports.

Restriction and Palliatives However, the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has called for the restriction of entry points to two airports for international flight operations. It listed Lagos and Abuja as the only airports where inbound flights should be processed.

In statement signed by its Chairman, Captain Nogie Meggison, AON also called on the Ministry of Aviation to take a cue from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) by directing the various agencies under its supervision to immediately put in place and extend critical palliative measures to Nigerian airline operators in order to reduce the burden of colossal loses they have suffered and continue to suffer from the impact of the virus on air travel. “The Central Bank of Nigeria has issued a statement acknowledging the adverse impact of the virus on the global and Nigerian economies and announced a moratorium of one year on all principal repayments of intervention loans effective March 1, 2020; reduced interest rates from 9 to 5 percent per annum for one year; and created a N50 billion targeted credit facility to cushion the impact of the virus on businesses. “Similarly therefore, we use this medium to call on the aviation agencies through the Federal Ministry of Aviation to follow the same path by taking action to support domestic airlines that are the drivers of our national economy,�

AON said.

The operators said Nigerian airlines are suffering heavily from the impact of the Coronavirus, as the passenger numbers have dropped drastically and “our overheads remain the same on many fronts and even increasing significantly on other fronts. Like we all know

Nigerian airlines trade in Naira but we do our business in Dollars and the Naira has come under pressure since the Coronavirus pandemic.�

AON urged the agencies to help the airlines by immediately streamlining the over 32 multiple charges given to airlines which are mostly double billing, stating that government should also bear 100 per cent cost of disinfecting all aircraft for this period and provide thermal scanners and hand sanitisers as well as mobilise more manpower and training of Port Health personnel at the nation’s local airports to encourage more people to travel. “What we are asking for is not unprecedented.

For instance, in the United States of America, airlines are seeking a $50 billion bailout. As part of its response, an Emergency Stimulus Package was passed by the US Senate and House and they reduced interest rates to 0.25 per cent. “Also, the bill granted their airlines tax credit for their losses during the pandemic.

Our government can do the same; therefore, by granting the above stated reliefs to Nigerian airlines as a way of assisting them during this very difficult time to recover from their losses. “The potential impact of the virus to our economy and security is unquantifiable and we need the immediate response of restricting travel into the country by allowing only entry points in order to minimise the spread of the virus,� AON said.

Losses Travel expert and organiser of Akwaaba African Travel Market, Ikechi Uko said COVID-19 would reset the world and give birth to a new way of travelling after its devastating effect on the global economy. “There will be complete reset of everything as we know it today after the coronavirus. Air travel will suffer. Air travel is what joins the world together, but there is going to be space adjustment. People will begin to do things differently. Things like globalisation and all the related issues will change. Coronavirus will reset the world. “This is why restriction is necessary because even domestic airline operations would have its implication in case of the spread. This is because the states are not ready in terms of medical system. Already there is growing panic and soon we will stop social events like wedding, burials, parties and promote social distancing in order to stop the spread of the disease,� Uko said.

However, The Economist has noted that the most affected industry globally by the coronavirus pandemic is air travel. “But the speed and depth of the nosedive which airlines have taken is nevertheless breathtaking.

In a memo to staff on March 13th, entitled “The Survival of British Airways�, the carrier’s boss, Alex Cruz, spoke of ‘a crisis of global proportions like no other we have known�. “Most of the industry should pull through if the situation lasts one or two quarters. Any longer, and the future of air travel could be altered for good,� the magazine reported.

25

T H I S D AY ˾ MARCH 20, 2020

BUSINESSWORLD

MARITIME

Task Before New NIMASA Board The new leadership at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency has issues such as the disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund, the elusive Category ‘C’ International Maritime Organisation seat, cessation of cabotage waivers, worsening pirates’ attacks, to deal with, writes Eromosele Abiodun

Jamo

T

he uncertainty over the leadership of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) following the expiration of the tenure of the former Director General, Dr Dakuku Peterside has been put to rest. This followed Peteriside’s formal handing over to the new head of the agency, Dr. Bashir Jamoh.

Before the hand-over, there were conflicting reports in the media over the appointment Jamoh by President Muhammadu Buhari raising fears of uncertainty in the agency. But as stakeholders were struggling to know the true position of things, officials of the agency sent out notice informing all concerned that the change of leadership will take place as speculated.

There is no doubt whatsoever that Peterside made giant strides at the agency.

However, even the most perfect institutions in the world require constant innovations to stay on top of their game. As stated by staff of the agency during the handover ceremony, the challenge for the new management is to surpass what the last management was able to achieve.

Luckily for Jamoh, he has been at the agency for over 32 years and knows how things are done there. Also, he has very competent hands in members of the board and staff of the agency.

For stakeholders in the industry, they are eagerly waiting what steps the Jamoh regime will take to resolve the three most pressing issues that the Peterside’s administration was unable to tackle.

The first and most important one is the issue of maritime security-the unending pirates attacks and abductions in Nigeria’s waters. Peterside was close to deploying the maritime security assets that the federal government invested $270 million in when he was removed.

Stakeholders are anxiously waiting for what plans the new management has to tackle the menace. Another pressing issue for Jamoh is the disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF), a fund that Peterside promised to disburse severally, but failed to implement.

The other most pressing issue for Jamo is the Cessation of Carbotage waivers. Above all, the elusive International Maritime Organisation (IMO) category C seat has to be delivered

by Jamoh.

The last but not the least is the deep blue project, which one can actually say has a connection with the first three highlighted above. Will Jamo succeed in tackling these critical issues in record time? Only time will tell.

The Assurance As stated earlier, Jamoh resumed duty last week as the sixth DG of NIMASA since the merger of National Maritime Authority with

Ofodile Joint Maritime Labour Industrial Council to form NIMASA. Jamoh, who is the immediate past Executive Director, Finance and Administration, at the agency, promised to hit the ground running.

He lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for believing in merit, continuity and expertise in making appointments.

“First and foremost I want to appreciate President MuhammaduBuhari and his team for finding me worthy of this appointment. It simply shows the President believes in continuity and the need to ensure that technocrats are given opportunities to serve under his leadership,” he stated.

Jamoh assured stakeholders of his unwavering dedication to the progress of the industry, adding that the maritime sector offers a major platform for economic development.

He promised to build on the successes achieved by the outgoing Executive Management, which he had been part of in the past four years.

Jamoh, who is currently President of the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria (CIOTA), holds a Ph.D from the University of Port Harcourt, specialising in Logistics and Transport Management. He also has a Master’s Degree in Management from Korea Maritime and Ocean University, Post Graduate Diploma in Management Sciences

The first and most important one is the issue of maritime securitythe unending pirates attacks and abductions in Nigeria’s waters.

Peterside was close to deploying the maritime security assets that the federal government invested $270 million in when he was removed

Ochei from Bayero University Kano, and a Diploma in Accounting from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.

The author of the maritime reference book, “Harnessing Nigeria’s Maritime Assets; past, present and future,” Jamoh is well grounded in the maritime industry with over 32 years of both professional and technical experience in the sector and has an exceptionally close working relationship with stakeholders in the industry.

Ochei is an Engineer and Lawyer. He was a 2019 All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Delta State. Ochei was elected Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly’s 5th Assembly in 2011, a position he held till 2015.

Offodile is a Lawyer, author and politician. He was first elected into the House of Representatives in 1999 to represent Awka North/South Federal Constituency of Anambra State and was re-elected in 2003. Upon his re-election in 2003, Offodile was appointed chairman of the Public Petitions Committee. He graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) with LLB (Hons) 1987, attended the Nigerian Law School in 1988 and obtained a post graduate Diploma in Business Administration from UNN in 1994.

Stakeholders’ Expectations Stakeholders in the nation’s maritime industry believe Jamoh’s appointment will bring development to the industry especially because of his vast knowledge of the maritime sector.

Speaking to newsmen in Lagos, the immediate past President of Nigerian Shipowners Association (NISA), Aminu Umar praised Buhari for the appointment, adding that Jamoh has a good understanding of the maritime sector.

Umar, who called for industry support for Jamoh said his presence in the management team of Dr. Dakuku Peterside meant he would continue from where the immediate past administration stopped.

According to him, “I wish him all the best as we all know, he is a veteran an insider and he is also a veteran in transport Administration because he is the president of CIoTA so, it is a better day ahead for the maritime industry.

“With his appointment, the presidency has put a round peg in a round hole and it is very different from bringing an outsider that is someone who will start learning the industry but Jamoh has been in NIMASA for so long and as part of the management team of NIMASA under Peterside.”

Also speaking, the former President, Shipowners Association of Nigeria (SOAN), Greg Ogbeifun, described the choice of Jamoh being an insider as a good development for the industry.

“It is a rare opportunity to have somebody

who has been in the system over a couple of decades, who has seen it all both the bad and the ugly and does not need to be tutored on what the agency mandates are. This is the first time a true insider is being appointed as the DG and that to me is a very good development. He definitely will have his own strategy on how to deliver on the mandate.

“I am very comfortable with his appointment.

Jamoh is somebody who has taken his time to develop himself career wise going by his profile. It means that he does not only have the practical experience or the field knowledge, he is also updating himself with the current industry requirement,” he said.

On his expectation from the new NIMASA DG, Ogbeifun urged Jamoh to ensure the timely disbursement of CVFF and also use his wealth of experience to build indigenous capacity as well as address challenges of maritime security in Nigeria’s maritime domain.

A member of the Steering Committee of the Nigerian Shipowners Association (NISA), Taiwo Akinpelumi, who also hailed the appointment of Jamoh, said he is a round peg in a round hole given his years of experience in the industry.

He urged him to use his appointment to foster greater collaboration with industry stakeholders to redirect the industry towards greater heights.

He said: “I consider the appointment of Jamoh to be in order. Apart from having been in the system for so long, he has some requisite credentials that qualify him to occupy the position. Such as but not limited to; his years of experience in the maritime industry, his academic qualifications, his author of some books and papers on some maritime related issues, and most importantly, willingness to come onboard to implement stakeholders’ agenda in the industry.

“I believe his tenure will be for the stakeholders. And you can’t agree less with me that a robust engagement of stakeholders will be one of the major catalysts to the growth and development of a veritable maritime industry.”

On his part, Chairman, Port Consultative Council (PCC) Otunba Kunle Folarin said: “We are glad that an insider has been considered for the office of the DG because the industry has been pushing for a long time that an industry person rather than only politicians be considered for the office of the DG, which is highly sensitive in the areas of maritime administration and policy.”

Also, Anambra State Government expressed appreciation to Buhari for appointing Chudi Offodile as an Executive Director in the new NIMASA board.

The Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. Don Adinuba, said: “Offodile is eminently deserving of the appointment. He is, in fact, worth everything in gold.”

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Giving Women a Voice Reinforcing Footprint in Food, Beverage Industry

Dayo Aderugbo

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t the Gender Equality and Women’s Leadership for Sustainable World conference last year, the President of the 73rd session at the United Nations General Assembly, Fernanda Espinosa GarcÊs, made a striking remark on women’s involvement in achieving global sustainable development.

In her comment, she had said: “We have no hope of realising the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development without the full participation and leadership of women. This is an obvious point to make, but it is, sadly, one that we cannot repeat enough.�

This statement is not only accurate because of its attribution to the UN General Assembly but because the world has continued to show that it is not fully prepared to support the advancement of women in driving realization of the SDGs and also as change agents leading some of the world’s most important industries.

From an international standpoint, the 2019 SDG Gender Index’s global findings show that “The world is furthest behind on gender equality issues especially related to public finance and better gender data (SDG 17), climate change (SDG 13), gender equality in industry and innovation (SDG 9) and very worryingly, the standalone ‘gender equality’ goal (SDG 5).�

The index goes on to reveal that even Africa’s biggest nation, Nigeria, with a score of 46.1 per cent was among the 10 lowest scoring countries by an overall index score. However, while this looks like a slow step in the process, we see a pattern in sight for women to play active roles in these sustainability areas.

For us as women, we make up a huge part of the world’s overall population and have in the last few years began to benefit from the economic and social progress that the growing battle for women empowerment have continued to trigger.

Looking at the MDG Monitor, it observed that if and when we fulfil the gender equality SDG 5 goal by 2030, poverty and hunger cases will reduce significantly and by the end of the century, more of the world’s third countries would have become fully developed.

During the Rio Declaration in 1992 which emphasised on how the full participation of women is essential for sustainable development, gender equality champions, the UN Women continues to use each year’s International Women’s Day to advocate for the advancement and success for women globally.

This year’s #EachForEqual theme takes an in-depth view into each one of us as individuals and why gender equality must remain utmost priority.

In some of the work we do at Standard Chartered, we have an unwavering pursuit to uplift the everyday woman to improve livelihood because we trust in the multiplier effects a woman brings to both her family and communities. We started the Future makers program for example, where we are using education as a tool to tackle inequality and promote greater economic inclusion.

With this program, we aim to have raised $50 million by 2023 to enable us empower the next generation of women to learn, earn and grow through training modules that focuses on employability, education and entrepreneurship.

In areas such as gender equality (SDG 5), reduced inequalities (SDG 10), quality education (SDG 4) and decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), we have put in place a combination of sports and life skills training called The Goal, for over 200,000 girls in Nigeria.

This training is geared towards building confidence and knowledge for women to attain leadership positions and lead them in the right path. The Goal project started in 2011 with only 4 schools in Lagos and has since expanded to 21 schools in Lagos, Oyo and Abuja. with five training modules such as, ‘Be Money Savvy’, ‘Be Yourself’, ‘Be Healthy’, ‘Be Empowered’, and ‘Be Independent’.

Due to the financial responsibility associated with the ‘Be Independent’ module, this was taught only to girls between the ages of 18 – 24 years who were old enough to understand entrepreneurship and employability which also forms a part of the three core pillars we believe women can be empowered at Standard Chartered.

Also, in June 2019, we launched the Women- in-Tech program aimed at providing support to women entrepreneurs and help them in raising seed-funding. We identified that women entrepreneurs sometimes experience difficulties in accessing resources and we decided that the Women-in-Tech program would through its activities support gender representation and diversity in technology and ICT generally to ensure readiness and provide a gateway to a pool of resources.

When we look at this topic holistically, to achieve sustainable development, women require a supportive environment that has no obstruction to equal contribution, women being recognized as policy decision makers and the introduction of initiatives that can drive productivity for women.

We see this era as a time for organisations and government to continue to concern themselves with women empowerment in the advancement of SDGs. Like the Head of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo said some time ago, “If you don’t know where to start with SDGs, start with women and girls, everything else will fall into place�.

Hamid Ayodeji

T

he manufacturing sector and particularly the food and beverage sub-sector remain crucial to every economy of the world and the realities in Nigeria are not different. In recent years, the performance and contribution of these category players to the Nigerian economy has grown in value and relevance.

Data from the World Trade Organisation states that Nigeria ranks as the largest food market in Africa, with significant investment in the local industry and a high level of imports. The food and beverage sector is estimated to contribute 22.5 per cent of the manufacturing industry value, and 4.6 per cent of the country’s GDP. Prior to the 1980s, production capacity of local farmers was somewhat sub-optimised, with little or no investment in local production or local sourcing of raw materials.

Employment and other inherent economic potentials of the food industry were also untapped and sub-optimally leveraged.

The economic recession following the global fall in oil prices in the early 1980s has been credited to opening up the local manufacturing sector in Nigeria.

The subsequent economic “austerity� rise saw a recorded decline in inflow of foreign products, which in turn led to a sharp surge in the prices of imported goods.

With obvious economic realities, indigenous businesses across multiple sectors sprang up to fill the gap with locally produced quality goods to meet consumer needs. Amongst the sectors that have recorded tremendous growth since then is the Food and Beverage sector, which has been enabled by growing local investment over the years.

Chi Limited and the Nigerian Footprint In 1980, Chi Limited was set up with the vision of local production of goods and products to meet the needs of Nigerian consumers. According to the company, the aim was to provide locally relevant products for consumers. The vision hinged on leveraging local natural resources, where available, to provide high quality, nourishing beverages for the Nigerian population while benefitting communities by creating jobs for the local population.

To achieve this objective, Chi Limited pioneered heavy investments and drove innovation across the value chain of Juice, Dairy and Snacks products in Nigeria. Through this, the company quickly established itself as a lead campaigner for quality, healthy, and nourishing homegrown brands whilst driving local economic development and growth.

To emphasise its commitment to local content, the company has consistently man-

aged its brands for sustained local appeal through its “Be Nigerian, Buy Nigerian� strategy, thus projecting it as a Nigerian brand of international quality.

Over the last 40 years, Chi Limited has steadily emerged a “giant of force and reckoning� in food and beverage manufacturing by revolutionising the industry. It is safe to say that many Nigerians have encountered or directly consumed one or more of the various brands from Chi Limited. As a matter of fact, it is very likely that every Nigerian family of the over 190 million population has continues to experience at least one of the company’s brands every day.

Such brands include Capri-Sun, the number one children’s fruit juice worldwide, which is also currently the largest selling fruit juice drink for children in Nigeria with clear market leadership. The company’s flagship brand, Chivita 100% Fruit Juice is also one of the market leaders locally and occupies visible presence in several African markets where the product is currently being exported to. In the snacks category, Chi Superbite, Beefie Beef Roll, Beefie Meatpie, and Chi Classic Cake are also competing favourably.

Beyond the market leadership of its brands, the company is also at the forefront of technology and packaging innovation in the industry. The use of the Tetra aseptic packaging has afforded the company the unique opportunity of providing all its juices, yoghurt, evaporated milk, and drinking milk products in a clean, hygienic and safe packaging format.

Its strong distribution network Food and beverages are fast moving consumer goods. Therefore, availability at every point of purchase is critical to enable any brand achieve presence, appeal to consumers and gain leadership. A pervasive store presence is one area where the company has excelled in the last 40 years having successfully established a distribution network in virtually all locations that surpasses that of its competition.

A recent report by Euromonitor International said Chi Limited captured a larger market share through its strong distribution network and merchandising activities. The company has invested heavily in a distribution network that ensures its products are available to consumers all across Nigeria.

This strategy has created huge employment opportunities for thousands of Nigerians who are currently employed in the Sales force and many thousands more along the value chain.

Indeed, writing Nigeria’s food and beverage industry growth story will be incomplete without reference to Chi Limited and its game-changing exploits of the industry over the last 40 years.

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COVER

AMVCA 2020: Celebrating Africa’s Film and Television Creatives The seventh edition of the 2020 Africa Magic Viewers’Choice Awards held last Saturday in Lagos with much fanfare and critical acclaim. CHIEMELIE EZEOBI and MARY NNAH capture the glitz and glamour as African creatives got recognition for their exceptional work and contribution to the movie and film industry in Africa in the past year The African Magic Viewers’ Choice Award (AMVCA) 2020 has come and gone but the euphoria will linger for a long time to come, especially for the winners. Popularly referred to as the African Oscars, the event which took place at the Expo Hall of the Eko Hotel and Suits, Victoria Island, Lagos, was also broadcast live on all Africa Magic channels on DStv and Gotv.

With its reach spanning across Africa, the AMVCA has created a phenomenal and im-

pactful platform for the celebration of icons in the film and television industry, up and coming industry stars as well as the fans, who keep the industry alive.

This year, which is its seventh edition, was not different as Africa’s top movie stars and filmmakers contended for honours in various voting and non-voting categories in recognition of their exceptional work and contribution to the movie and film industry in Africa in the past year

Red Carpet Hosts: Toke Makinwa and Ebuka Obi-Uchendu This year, the duo of Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and Toke Makinwa, held sway as red carpet

hosts as they interviewed the glamorous stars and guests that came for the award.

Glitz and Glamour

Award Hosts: Amina Abdi Rabar and IK Osakioduwa The show was hosted by Nigeria’s IK Rabar. It was a smooth transition for the Osakioduwa and Kenya’s Amina Abdi duo.

Aside from creating an avenue to appreciate Africa’s outstanding talents in the movie industry, the glitz and glamour at the seventh AMVCA was second to none.

Celebrities, fans, socialites and many big names in the movie industry turned out in their numbers to partake in a night of glamour.

Most celebrities turned up at the event looking magnificent. With the men looking dapper, to the ladies in their ball gowns, high slit dresses, the dramatic and demure, most of them stood out. For the ladies, this year was the year of slits as some ran all the

way through to their hips.

Interestingly, a handful of the celebrities whose attires were flamboyantly made with various ornaments to make them appear extraordinary actually came with helps who held on to the tails of their dresses as they walked around. This was to avoid the dresses sweeping the floor, as well as to prevent other guests from stepping on them.

In all, it was indeed an occasion where celebrities let their hair down for the night.

However, while many got praises for the attire they wore, many others got knocks.

Headline Sponsor: Amstel Malta Number one premium malt drink, Amstel Malta was the headline sponsor of the biggest film award show to come out of Nigeria, AMVCA. Leading up to the awards, now in its seventh edition, Amstel Malta, delivered on its promise of giving fans an exclusive front-row action to the AMVCAs. The brand kicked off in-store activations across major shopping outlets, surprising shoppers with the most coveted front-row tickets to the AMVCAs. There were more exciting pre-awards activities lined up, next on the list being a sponsored segment hosted by Dakore Egbuson on ‘The Spot’ - a light-hearted, bare-all interview programme - where movie fans connected to their favorite AMVCA nominated actors and actresses, Popular radio personality, Gbemi OlateruOlagbegi (Gbemi O-O) was the host in yet another fun pre-award activation; fans who were able to guess the titles of the AMVCAnominated movie soundtracks and scenes

played on radio, won branded gifts. Fans were also able to follow in-the-moment, front-row action, live from the AMVCAs on Gbemi O-O’s twitter handle.

Speaking at the event Aminah Jagun, Senior Brand Manager, Amstel Malta, said; “Just as the AMVCA has, over the years, stayed true to its promise to support and celebrate outstanding achievements in Film and Television in Nollywood, Amstel Malta has also been a principal supporter for the growth of cinema and Theatre Arts.�

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COVER AMVCA 2020: CELEBRATING AFRICA’S FILM ANDTELEVISION CREATIVES PERFORMANCES AMVCA 2020 was a star-studded celebration of not only African film and TV talent but African fashion, as well as homegrown musical talent and featured amongst many others, live performances from African music icon Innocent ‘ 2 b a b a ’ Idibia and talented vocalists Mercy Aghedo, Adeniyi Timilehin Adeola and Ighwiyisi Jacobs.

WINNERS

Best Makeup Category -Lilian Omozele Paul (God Calling) Best Costume Designer – Dimeji Ajibola (Ratnik) Best Picture Editor – Tosin Igho and Byryan Dike (Elevator Baby)

Trailblazer Award: Swanky JKA Jidekene Achufusi, also known as Trailblazer award at the AMVCA 2020 Swanky JKA, was the winner of the sponsored by Amstel Malta

Best Sound Editor – Cristina Aragon (Living in Bondage) Best Lighting and Designer – Cardoso (God Calling) Best Cinematographer – John Demps (Living in Bondage) Best Documentary – Beverly Naya (Skin) Best Soundtrack – Larry Gaaga and Flavour (Living in Bondage) Best Writer – Asinogu Nicole and CJ Obasi (Living in Bondage) Best Indigenous Language Swahili – Raveet Sippy Chadha (Subira) Best Indigenous Language Hausa – Muhammad T. Finisher (Tuntube) Best Indigenous LanguageYoruba –Yewande Famakin (Alubarika) Best Indigenous Language Series Igbo – Victor Iyke (Nne) Best TV Series Drama/Comedy- Anis Halloway (Truth) Best Short Film or Online Video – Bola ‘Enigma’ Akanbi (Thorn) Best Multichoice Talent Factory Film – Promises (East Africa) Best Movie Southern Africa – Dalitso (Abraham Kabwe) Best Movie East Africa – Plan B (Sarah Hassan) Best Movie West Africa – Living in Bondage (Steve Gukas)

Best Overall Movie: Living in Bondage Living in Bondage was the winner of Best Overall Movie at AMVCA 2020, also

winning a cash prize of N1million from Amstel Malta.

Industry Merit Award – Peter Igho Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or TV Series – Gloria sarfo (The Perfect Picture: 10Years Later) Best Supporting Actor in a Movie or TV Series – Pascal Tokodi (Disconnect) Best Actress in a Comedy – Funke Akindele (Moms At War) Best Actor in a Comedy – Chibunna“Funny Bone�Stanley (Smash) Best Actress in a Drama – Toyin Abraham (Elevator Baby) Best Actor in a Drama – Timini Egbuson (Elevator Baby) Best Dressed Male – Mike Edwards Best Dressed Female – Mercy Eke Trailblazer Award – Swanky J.K.A Best Director – Ramsey Noah (Living in Bondage) Overall Movie – Living in Bondage

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COVER AMVCA 2020: CELEBRATING AFRICA’S FILM ANDTELEVISION CREATIVES Best Dressed Awards: Mercy Eke and Mike Edwards Emerge Winners Mercy Eke and Mike Edwards, former reality TV stars were announced best dressed at the AMVCA. A new category was created for the 2020 edition of AMVCA for best-dressed celebrities and the criteria for this category were to be on the red carpet from 4-6 pm as well as take photographs at the official booth provided for the event.

The two lucky BBNaija housemates did not only receive plaques for this category, but would also get N500,000 worth of fashion items.

The event, as usual, gave celebrities the opportunity to rock the red carpet in their best costume. Mercy wore two outfits for the event while Mike stunned viewers with just one outfit, which garnered them the awards.

Mercy Eke first rocked a sleeveless, three-layered blue and silver dress styled

by Swanky Jerry that caught so much attention. She had on a wave-like short hairstyle that highlighted neckline so elegantly. She complemented that with slight blue earrings and nude makeup that didn’t divert attention from her dress.

Mike Edwards, on the other hand, showed off the British royalty with his ruffle-sleeved shirt and a velvet tuxedo, portraying a perfect gentleman with his looks.

At the end of the night, Mike Edwards was adjudged to be the worthy winner among the best dressed men at the event whilst Mercy Eke was awarded ‘Best Dressed’ woman as their fans obviously voted vigorously for both Pepper Dem housemates, ensuring their favourite celebrities did not go home emptyhanded.

It was the first time ever that guests would be awarded for turning out in resplendent fashion ensembles at the AMVCAs. The award category was sponsored by Amstel Malta andwinners were voted for by fans on Africa Magic’s Instagram page following a shortlist by the AMVCA Style Council.

Amstel Malta’s Fan Reporter Hits AMVCA Red Carpet with her Favourite Stars In line with its promise to give fans exclusive access to the AMVCA, Amstel Malta granted exclusive front row seats and backstage access to their Fan Reporter Bamishe Orafidiya, the winner of the fan reporter contest, at the 7th edition of (AMVCA).

The fan reporter contest was a highly competitive Instagramvideo-entry style challenge that had a host of aspiring red carpet reporters trying to prove their viability.

The entry call began in February and the winner was announced on March 10.

Bamishe’s Fan Reporter experience kicked off as soon as she arrived at the event venue.

After getting lightly dolled up, she officially began her reporting duties with a series of heartwarming, vlog-style interviews, where she caught up with celebrities and award nominees like Toni Tones, Swanky JKA, and Dakore Egbuson as they glammed up for the red carpet. Following this, she took a break so as to get ready for the red carpet herself.

Dressed in a barely sweeping, off-shoulder red dress designed by Bandela, and even more stunning make-up, she spent the red carpet session speaking with and to guests, nominees and top industry players in the ranks of Timini Egbuson, Kemi Adetiba, Toyin Abraham and Blossom Chukwujeku. The fan reporter spent the

rest of the night networking and enjoying what was nothing short of an iconic award night. Talking about the experience, Bamishe who is a final year student of Covenant University and an aspiring OAP with Hebron F.M, considered it an opportunity to live out one of her wildest dreams which was precisely what she needed to give her career a boost. “I never imagined that I would be interviewing some of my favorite

T.V stars,� she said. “I feel very lucky and excited to have been chosen. Amstel Malta literally gave me a lifetime opportunity on a platter of gold. It’s heartwarming to know that my career is about to take a positive turn and I am looking forward to doing more from here on.� she continued.

The Fan Reporter challenge was one of the many initiatives created

by Amstel Malta to bring fans closer to the event.

OPPORTUNITY TO RELIVE AMVCAS THIS WEEKEND For those that missed the 7th edition of the AMVCAs, you can still catch up on all the exciting moments including the red carpet extravaganza, performances, and emotional award acceptance speeches on the following channels on DStv and GOtv: Africa Magic Showcase (DStv 151): AMVCA Red Carpet

Saturday, March 21 at 1pm

AMVCA Live Show

Saturday, March 21 at 4pm

Africa Magic Family (DStv 154 & GOtv 2): AMVCA Red Carpet

Saturday, March 21 at 2pm

AMVCA Live Show

Saturday, March 21 at 7pm

Africa Magic Urban (DStv 153): AMVCA Red Carpet

Saturday, March 21 at 4pm

AMVCA Live Show

Sunday, March 22 at 10:30am

About AMVCA Since its launch in 2013, the AMVCA has become the biggest stage to celebrate African talents in film and television. The AMVCA is an annual event by Multichoice and Africa Magic, which recognises and honours film and television talents across the African continent. Winners often emerge through votes by members of the public.

Tagged, Africa’s premiere television and film industry event of the year, now in its seventh edition, the show has grown even bigger with top contenders from across the continent vying for honors in the voting and non-voting categories.

According to Channel Director, Africa Magic Channels, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, the AMVCAS present an avenue to celebrate another year of excellent work by African talents in film and television.

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NEWS

Medplus CEO, Joke Bakare Lends Voice to Gender Equality Stories by Mary Nnah The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day, “Each for Equal�, emphasises the role of every member of society in achieving collective liberation and lifting others up with a firm belief that “we can actively choose to challenge stereotypes, fight bias, broaden perceptions, improve situations and celebrate women’s achievements�.

It also denotes that collectively, we can help create a gender-equal world.

As the annual International Women’s Day is celebrated, women round the globe also celebrate their outstanding achievements – in the social, health, economic, cultural, and political spheres of society – and by so doing, spotlight those who have taken giant strides and left the world better than they met it.

International Women’s Day has become a global movement celebrating unity and strength.

It is a reminder to reflect on how far they have come and the necessary action required for breaking the barriers around gender inequality.

As we contend with the brunt of a world fractured by gender inequality perpetuated by patriarchal institutions that are designed in ways that deplatform the gaze, experience, and agency of the woman, it is important not to forget the ones who continue to raise the bar – the ones who flip the script and are empowering other women to be active participants on the global stage.

Interestingly, Chief Executive

Medplus CEO, Bakare

Officer of Medplus Pharmacy, Mrs. Joke Bakare, has joined the rising number of Nigerian female pioneers who are building on the progress of those who have come before them in fields populated and powered by men. She has created countless opportunities for women through her company and other personal platforms.

For Bakare, Medplus Pharmacy was created to bring medications and beauty products closer to everyone through retail stores with qualified specialists and certified products. “As a young mother, I personally experienced the challenges of contemporary retail as it regards healthcare when I had to go miles away from home to get prescribed medications at

pharmacies that were staffed by lay workers who were not qualified to sell medication to patients. “My fears combined with the mass proliferation of fake drugs, the abuse of prescription medication through selfmedication and recreational use compelled me to do something about it. “There were many options available to me, but founding a company that would ensure that people can get prescribed medications from trained medical professionals as quickly as possible seemed the most straightforward solution�, Bakare recalled.

Medplus Pharmacy is currently Nigeria’s leading health and beauty retailer, with over

50 operational stores spread out in strategic locations across the country. The diverse range of products and a commitment to quality instilled by its founder’s leadership has positioned Medplus as an all-round wellness partner.

Bakare, who is herself a renowned pharmacist is deeply invested in not only a revolutionising the pharmacy and healthcare in Nigeria but is actively working to make safe, affordable healthcare and beauty products available to Nigerian homes and women in general. One of her womenfocused initiatives was a partnership with Pfizer, Sanofi, MG Ross, and PharmacyPlus to conduct free blood glucose tests for the public, especially women, in Medplus stores across the country in 2017.

The aim of this project was to promote the importance of affordable and equitable healthcare access for all women at risk or living with diabetes, on World Diabetes Day. She has also in the past supported several female events in order to promote the welfare of Nigerian women. These include the Adara Foundation, a nonprofit social enterprise that focuses on empowering women for self-actualisation; supporting, promoting and documenting African art; and advancing education in Africa, where she supported with free health checks and drugs.

In honour of over 300 phenomenal women who work at Medplus, Bakare hosted an exclusive breakfast meeting for her female employees on International Women’s Day this year.

Foundation Provides Free Eye Service, Eye Glasses to Community Over 100 indigent patients of Awoyokun, Onipanu, Lagos State, benefited from free eye service and got free eye glasses during a medical outreach organised recently by a nongovernmental organisation called, Stop Hurting People Foundation.

The one day programme, which incidentally extended to the second day, due to the large turnout of people, witnessed screening and treatment of eye related issues; provision of free eyeglasses and tutorials on prevention and management of diabetes, among others.

A patron of the Foundation and General Overseer, Winning Power International Ministries Apostle Kenneth Chukwuemeka, who explained that Stop

Hurting People Foundation is a charity arm of the ministry, said the exercise was basically to deal with eye issues. “We have Optometrists and ophthalmologists on ground to attend to people with eye issues and we have one hundred brand new glasses to give out for free to those who need eye glasses�, he said.

Speaking further, Apostle Chukwuemeka who happens to be husband to Mrs. Eunice Iferi-Chukwuemeka, the woman behind the initiative, explained why the foundation decided to embark on eye screening and provision of eye glasses. “We thought about the fact that a lot of people have eye issues but can’t visit the hospital

because in most cases, they don’t have money for neither the test nor the glasses, so they wait for too long and only go to hospital when it is already too late. So, this particular outreach is basically to help people who can’t afford it�, he said.

He explained that the cost for each patient was what an average Optometrist will charge when one goes for an eye test and to get an eye glass if you need one, adding, “we just paid for that from our own pocket. “In terms of the cost, I told my wife who is the president of the foundation, to find a way for others to be part of it in terms of the expenditure because the bill is always on me. And because she has a heart for the

less privileged, she would just come to me and plead. And when you can see the pains she feels and the empathy she has for these set of people, you can’t but help�.

Speaking on the driving force behind the charity work, the brain behind the initiative, Mrs. Iferi-Chukwuemeka, said, “I have been through seasons in my life which makes me understand that sometimes, people react to things as a result of what they pass through. “A very pleasant person can turn sore because of a situation she has passed through.

So, the passion for people in pain is what basically drives me daily. It is also to make sure that whatever I suffered nobody suffers such“.

BIC Honours Nigerian Artists

BIC Art Master

BIC, a world leader in stationery, lighters, and shavers, recently honoured Nigerian artists who were among the top 10 submissions of the BIC Art Master competition.

Artists Jamiu Hassan, Oscar Ukonu, and Eze Tulugo Ebuka were celebrated at a special ceremony that was held in Lagos recently in the presence of BIC West Africa management, VIPs, as well as members of the media.

The BIC Art Master competition was first held in South Africa in 2017 and following its success, it expanded to include all African countries in 2019.

The competition saw 5,242 entries submitted by more than 2,400 artists from 47 African countries on the competition’s dedicated website BICArtMaster.com. Over790 pieces of artwork were submitted by 344 Nigerian artists last year.

The BIC Art Master champion, Benin artist Fatou Aboudou, was selected by a jury of experts for his half-man half-lion portrait ‘Black Lion’ and was awarded the grand prize of USD1,000 USD (N362,500) and a personalised gallery to showcase his artwork.

The competition’s champion was selected by a panel of experts including Ghanaian artist and sculptor, Enam Bosokah; professor and designer, Hein Liebenberg; renowned artists and interior designer, Valerie Manouvrier; professional curator and art advisor, Herve Mikaeloff; and avid art enthusiast and collector and member of BIC’s founding family, Geoffroy Bich.

Jamiu Hassan’s creative piece, Ethiopian Tribe, was ranked as number five. Blue Boy by Oscar Ukonu showed a true mastery of technique and was ranked sixth while Eze’s Tulugo Ebuka’s colorful artwork, Ojuelegba, (the hustler), ranked in seventh place.

In addition, Nigerian artist, David Olatoye, was selected as BIC Art Master Africa’s ‘Lucky Influencer’, for being a top supporter of the competition and posting about it on social platforms using the #BICArtMaster hashtag.

Commenting on the success of the competition, Guillaume Groues, Area Development Manager- West Africa, said: “We are delighted with the response we received from artists around Africa, particularly Nigeria. We were very impressed with the quality of work and the talent we’ve seen throughout this competition. �The work presented by the Nigerian artists are truly remarkable as they showcase creativity and a master of technique, and we congratulate them on being among our top 10 submissions.

BIC has a longstanding history with art, and we are proud to have established a platform that helps recognise and shed a stronger light on artistic talent in Africa.�

Ikorodu -based Jamiu Hassan who ranked fifth in the competition said it was his parents that encouraged him to take part in the competition.

He was inspired to use BIC pens from the works of some of his Instagram mentors because he wanted to be like them.

Since he started using BIC pens, he confirmed that he truly enjoys it as an art medium.

Oscar Ukonu, a Lagos-based architect and artist who placed 6th in the competition, said that his field of study, architecture, and arts overlap to a great extent, with art playing a leading role in sharpening his architectural designs.

Barge Operators Appeals Customs Ban on Barging Chiamaka Ozulumba The Barge Operators Association of Nigeria (BOAN) has appealed to the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) to revoke the immediate ban placed on barging to avoid impeding trade and increasing gridlock around port communities.

NCS at the weekend accused the barge operators of diverting containers to illegal warehouses from seaport terminals without approvals from the management.

In a press briefing, BOAN

refuted the allegation, stressing that barge operators do not deliver containers at any warehouse.

Addressing the issue, BOAN President Edeme Kelikume said their operations strictly involved the movement of containers from one terminal to another designated terminal where the owners carry them.

He explained that before any container was loaded in a barge, such a container must have been properly screened and cleared by all agencies

involved who are usually issued approvals.

Kelikume said they were surprised to see a message circulating on social media on the ban of their activities, which was later confirmed by some of their members who were stopped from operating at the Apapa and Tincan Island ports on Monday.

He reminded the NCS that such actions were against its core mandate of facilitating trade as it would lead to port congestion and thereby force

importers to explore other options.

He disclosed that BOAN members within a year, evacuated over 300,000 TEUs of import containers excluding empties which represented about 25 per cent of total TEU recorded in the country.

Explaining why their operation was birthed, Kelikume recalled it was as a result of recommendations reached during meetings of the Presidential Committee on Apapa gridlock which found out that over 600,000 trucks moved in

and out of the ports.

Imagine having over 600,000 trucks moving in and out of the ports? The economy is currently facing multiple challenges of sudden crash in oil prices, impending devaluation of the naira and trade disruptions occasions by the global COVID-19 outbreak, “Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is also battling to reduce vessel waiting times and drive port decongestion. It is therefore imperative to call upon the leadership of the Nigerian Customs Service to

immediately reverse this circular and engage with critical stakeholders on how to address their concerns. “We enjoin members of BOAN and other stakeholders to maintain calm and await the prompt reversal of this circular by the Nigerian Customs Service. “We further thank the management of Nigerian Ports Authority and all other critical stakeholders for the support of the barging industry and growth of the Nigerian economy,� he added.

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E-TRENDS

MUSIC SHOWBIZ

‌Your weekly entertainment delight

NOLLYWOOD

AMVCA Returned with More Trumps

VANESSA OBIOHA writes that despite the fear of COVID-19, the seventh edition of the AMVCAs had more trumps than flops

Swanky JKA wins AMVCA trailblazer award

T

helasttimetheAMVCA held in 2018, there was no COVID-19 or Naira Marley. People were not worried about the Marlians and their immoral culture or scared of contacting the deadly disease that has thrown countries in disarray. But on Saturday, March 14 when the awards returned after a one-year break, the fear of the global pandemic was palpable.

Celebrities who graced the event seemed to have two things in mind: steal the spotlight and stay safe. But the latter was an arduous task for many. In a society where friends are greeted with hugs and handshakes, the fear of COVID-19 called for more creative ways to exchange greetings.There were the wave, the hip bump, elbow bump, foot bump and namaste greeting. There were times when the camaraderie was so infectious that the celebrities threw caution out of the window.

However, the organisers ensured that there were an abundance of hand sanitisers and tissues.

Though Nigeria is not badly hit by the virus which has led to postponement of major sporting and entertainment events across the globe, conscious efforts were taken by the organisers MultiChoice Nigeria to ensure that the environment was safe for guests.

The screening started from the pedestrian gate of Eko Hotel and Suites,Victoria Island where the glamorous event took place. Before they could access the main hall of the event, they were once again screened and handed sanitisers and tissues.

At the main ceremony, COVID-19 had its moment. Big Brother Naija former contestant Sir Dee coughed during the presentation of the Best Indigenous ďŹ lm in Hausa. He told the audience not to be scared that he drank sanitisers all day.

The seventh edition of the AMVCAs returned with more trumps than ops. Despite its abrupt end, the show cemented its position as the most glamorous event that celebrates the continent’s creative talents in the ďŹ lm and TV industry.

The show didn’t veer too far from its usual script.There were the opening cultural performances, the witty monologues, the emotional ďŹ rst-timers speeches, the tributes to lost souls,

and of course, the musical performances.This year, 2Baba got the glamorous guests on their feet with his medley.

The major difference at this year’s event was the cheerful audience. Unlike the last edition where laughter was served in little doses, the Nollywood stars who graced the event were an enthusiastic mix. They cheered for winners and gave a standing ovation for those who deserved it. They actively participated in the show.

Perhaps, the hosts IK Osakioduwa and Amina Abdi Ramar’s wit and charm did the magic. Both media personalities exuded great chemistry on stage.Though Amina was quite a fast talker, she managed to match the speed of IK’s wit. Their exuberance set the pace for the night such that when IK returned to perform a monologue with singer Cobhams Asuquo, they left many in stitches.

From addressing issues of xenophobia, the duo played with homophones such as fraud and Frodd, a former Big Brother Naija contestant. They also yabbed AY and his ‘Merry Men’ ďŹ lm while wondering why the anti-graft agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) didn’t lock up singer Naira Marley to avoid the Marlian culture. The woke youths on Twitter were not spared, the duo advised them to hug a transformer.

Serving these jokes with music, IK couldn’t resist the temptation to extol praises on his girlfriend for seven years of hosting the show, actress Genevieve Nnaji. He talked about his affection for her while praising Nollywood veterans. For IK, two groups of people fall into this category.There were the Kanayo.O. Kanayo, Nkem Owoh and Pete Edochie who have aged with time, and the other actors like “Kate Henshaw (with her six pack), Richard Mofe-Damijo, Monalisa Chinda (with her fresh face) and the chief of all Ramsey Nouah,� who don’t look their age.

He told the audience that Nouah ďŹ nally revealed the secret of his youthful look in the movie ‘Living in Bondage: Breaking Free’.

Calling the movie Nouah’s autobiography, he said“we all know why they look so young.

They drink blood.�

He would later serenade Jemima Osunde who came on stage with Peruzzi’s ‘Majesty’, saying that“she is ďŹ ne like 12 people.â€?

IK’s mimicry and sarcasm arguably, was

the major highlight of the show.

Also, the introduction of the Best Dressed guests added to the frenzy. Celebrities arrived very early at the awards to take part in the competition which was judged by the public.

Donning glittering and elegant attires, they strutted the red carpet, posed in the photo booth which was later uploaded to the Instagram page of the awards for the public to judge. There were stunning pieces from Sharon Ooja, Venita Akpofure, Ifu Ennada who wore a COVID-19 inspired ensemble, Denola Grey, and Mike Edwards and Mercy Eke who took home the fashion awards for the night.

The Big Brother Naija ‘Pepper Dem’ season winner Eke got the audience buzzing when she came to receive her award. Donning a high slit piece that exposed her rear part, Eke’s dedication of the award to the Supreme One fetched her loud murmurs.The audience were not buying her religious speech. In their estimation, God will not approve her dress.

Of the 31 awards given out at this year’s event,‘Living in Bondage’, took home the most awards.The movie which earned 11 nominations took home seven awards including Best Overall Movie and Best Director for Nouah and Steve Gukas. It is the ďŹ rst AMVCA win for Nouah who was absent at the event.

The sequel to the classic 1992 movie also fetched a ďŹ rst time win for Larry Gaaga who composed the soundtrack of the movie.Charles Okpaleke, the executive producer of the movie and media personality Ebuka Obi-Uchendu received the award on his behalf. An excited Ebuka told the audience that he and Gaaga hailed from Okija, a town in Anambra state. “I’m so proud of my heritage. Nobody considered Gaaga an artiste but he has changed the game signiďŹ cantly,â€?he enthused. ‘Elevator Baby’ which earned six nominations fetchedTimini Egbuson his ďŹ rst AMVCA in the Best Actor in a Drama, Movie/TV series category. His sister Dakore Egbuson-Akande presented the award to him.To pundits, having Dakore announce the winner in the category that was open for public voting made the award suspicious. Dakore acted like she knew the winner before she opened the envelope.

Nevertheless, her brother’s win was well applauded.

The movie also fetched Toyin Abraham a Best Actress in a Drama trophy.

It was also a big night for Funke AkindeleBello who won in the Best Actress in a Comedy category. The elated actress reminded the excited crowd she is winning in that category for the fourth time. ‘God Calling’, one of the movies with the most nominations only took home two awards: Best Lighting Designer and Best Make-up.

Quite a few expressed their disappointment that Kemi Adetiba’s ďŹ lm,‘King of Boys’ didn’t win any award despite having seven nominations.

For the ďŹ rst time, a male actor received the Trailblazer award. Swanky JKA, the ‘Living in Bondage’ actor took home the award. He praised God before regaling the crowd that he had written his acceptance speech in 2014.

He was however cut off before concluding his speech.

It was a moment of pride for veteran TV producer Peter Igho who took home the Industry Merit Award. He was accompanied by his sonTosin Igho who also won the award for Best Picture Editor.

The night was also marked with emotional moments. Actress Beverly Naya who won the Best Documentary for her ďŹ lm‘Skin’dedicated her award to“every little girl that has a dream They said let’s stop Beverly Naya but here I am today.â€?

CJ Obasi who won Best Writer alongside Nicole Asinugo for ‘Living in Bondage’, was represented by his mother who danced joyously on stage. Asinugo said she had always dreamed of the moment.

Comedian Funny Bone couldn’t express his delight on stage after winning the Best Actor in a Comedy. He was halfway in his speech when he told the audience that he recently lost his mother. Choked with emotions, he left the stage in tears.

Clinching the Best Indigenous Film in Igbo language,Victor Iyke said he was unprepared for a win but came in his full regalia. He dedicated the award to his mother.

For ďŹ rst time winners of the new MultiChoice Talent Factory ďŹ lm award, words couldn’t express how they felt.The East Africa Academy Hub took home the award for their movie ‘Promises’.

With the AMVCAs this year, the organisers gave fans a show to revel in.Viewers can watch the repeat this weekend on the various Africa Magic channels on DStv and GOtv platforms.

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ETRENDS

iREP Postpones 10th Anniversary Celebration

Participants at iREP Documentary Film Festival

With the growing concern over the spread of COVID-19, the organisers of iREP International Documentary Film Festival announced the postponement of the festival.

In a statement signed by the Executive Director and Cofounder, Femi Odugbemi, the organisers while commending the loyalty for their long standing partners and international collaborators said that the inability of their resource persons and guests outside of Nigeria to attend the festival “is quite unfortunate, and moving the festival to a later date when we

might all be able to celebrate the 10th anniversary of iREP Film Festival together, is a good course of action�.

This year marked the 10th anniversary of iREP which was conceived by Odugbemi,Jahman Anikulapo and Makin Soyinka.

The trio are responsible for the growth of young documentary ďŹ lmmakers in the continent. The grand celebration was initially scheduled to take place from March 19-22. “We have constantly followed global developments on COVID-19 and have been monitoring appropriate sources for accurate

and up-to-date information, and we believe our decision is the responsible thing to do, more so as we are expecting guests from Europe and America.�

The postponement comes as more social events are being cancelled all over the globe.

The Louvre Museum in Paris already shut its doors, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival which usually records huge crowds postponed this year’s event to October. The Met Gala, the iconic fashion event recently announced the postponement of the show. Tribeca Film Festival

also postponed the festival indeďŹ nitely.

In Nigeria, though few cases of COVID-19 have been recorded, conscious efforts are being taken to curb the health crisis. “Going forward,�the statement continued, “We would continuously monitor the situation and evaluate the risk actively. A new date would be communicated to the public very soon. We recognise that this is a challenging period globally, much as we are committed to the arts, we are equally committed to the safety of our guests, staff and our country�.

New Film ‘Strain’ Tackles Sickle Cell Disease Iyke Bede

With a global decline in the number of sickle cell disease (SCD) cases, this genetic disease continues to see a rise in countries like India,The Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nigeria. All three countries collectively account for 90 percent of global cases, with Nigeria having the highest frequency.

Actively driving the conversation on SCD awareness and education is Verte View Entertainment. Bolstered by its collaboration withThe Sickle Cell Foundation of Nigeria, this relationship has birth‘Strain’, a ďŹ lm positioned to affect positive change in individuals from all walks of life on the subject of SCD. Under the direction of Uduak-Obong Patrick, the script took a 17-month period of research on the subject to develop in order to reveal context for billed actors to assimilate.

Veering away from documentary style of ďŹ lmmaking usually employed to reveal

data and facts on health issues as this one, ‘Strain’ adopts a feature ďŹ lm format to help viewers connect with the actors’ emotions whilst gaining an education in the process.

Inspired by true-life events, the story plot centres on a family discovering and coming to terms with the episodic crisis their child suffers from SCD.This ultimately sets off a chain of reaction that reverberates within the family, extended family, and the community at large.

Although not a new topic in the healthcare landscape, Patrick reiterated on the need to constantly inform the masses to heed precautionary steps. “The movie is very close to my heart, and it is apt that we are projecting such stories in a time when there is so much information out there, but people make the same mistake all over, and again,�he concluded.

To bring the script to life, revered Nollywood acts Alex Usifo, Bimbo Akintola, and

Gloria Anozie-Young were commissioned to play pivotal roles. Also, on the line-up of acts are Okey Uzoeshi, and child actors Kosi Ogboruche and Sapphire Ekeng. It also introduces to the silver screen Shushu Abubakar, a former sales consultant, in a lead role. Currently in post-production, the ďŹ lm is expected to hit cinemas in the second quarter of this year. On her part, producer Oluwatoyin Adewumi,hints what distribution pattern the production team will adopt to ensure that the project’s reach is ampliďŹ ed to get to its target audiences. “One of the things we noticed during the research was that we saw people from low background come into the sickle cell foundation for treatment. And when you see such people, you know that there is a lot around ignorance, even around poverty, for them to not be able to take care of these children after birth. One of the things we are trying to do is take this beyond the cinemas.â€?

What to Watch This Weekend As the gospel of social distancing continues to reverberate around the world, we have compiled a list of ďŹ lms you can watch on TV or Netix to keep you entertained while the global pandemic is being contained.

Cable Girls: If you are into feminism and woman power, this Spanish TV series is a good place to start. The series follows the lives of ďŹ ve women who work in the Spanish ďŹ rst national telephone company in Madrid in the 1920s. Each one of them has their own baggage.Through the eyes of the narrator Lydia Aguilar (also Alba Romero), the series depicts how these women navigate Cable girls friendship, love and social injustices against women.You can watch the four seasons of from unpopular climes.The Philippines ďŹ lm the show on Netix. industry is one that has not enjoyed much Can’t Help Falling in Love:The good thing global spotlight despite their burgeoning about Netix is that you can watch movies growth.‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’is a beauti-

ful Filipino romantic comedy starring the country’s popular love team, Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo. Bernardo plays Gabriella who is about to get married to her successful boyfriend. It is good news for her mother. Unfortunately, Gab is already married to a total stranger. She hardly recalls the event. The arrival of the marriage certiďŹ cate sets her on a mission to trace the mysterious ‘husband’ and annul their wedding before her ďŹ ancĂŠ gets wind of it. However, meeting the charming Dos (Padilla) proved more difďŹ cult than anticipated. This feel good movie is a must-watch.

Other ďŹ lms to catch on Netix include‘Toy Boy’,‘The Stranger’,‘Alakada Reloaded’and ‘Love is Blind’

ULTIMATE LOVE UPDATES WITH VANESSA

Whose Ex is Coming Tonight?

Apart from nomination tension, love guests also have to worry about the ex-party. None can tell whose ex will be paying them a surprise visit on Friday night.

Arnold’s ex visit last week put his relationship with Bolanle in an awkward place. His ex, an outspoken young lady minced no words when she told him to choose between him and Bolanle.

Convincing Bolanle that she is the only love of his life proved hectic. However, after Bolanle received a lovely message from a relative and saved by Aunty from possible check out this weekend, Bolar seemed to have their ship sailing smoothly again such that they shared their future plans with Aunty during their session. Arnold is thinking of moving out of his mini apartment to a larger one. He is hoping that Bolanle would consider moving in with him.

As the ex party holds tonight, we are waiting with bated breath to see whose ex will be crashing the party. Perhaps, an ex of Obichukwu. The young man was treated to a romantic dinner by his beau, Ebi, this week. With the help of fellow love guests, Ebi used the dinner to express her undying love for Obichukwu. “I’m unapologetically in love with you,�she tells Obichukwu, confessing that she has given up on love and never regarded a man’s role in her life until Obichukwu came along. She even composed a love song for him and went down on her knees to apologise for her attitude towards him lately but Obichukwu, being the caring man, rejected such gesture. He told her sternly that the only time she should only kneel for God. Perhaps,Theresa should get an ex visit.

She didn’t take it likely the last time her partner got an ex visit. The young lady spent most of her time this week worrying over the negative vibes from love guests they nominated. Despite Iyke’s attempt to calm her nerves, she is uncomfortable with the way some people treat her. What better way to calm her nerves than to have an ex attend the party tonight?

It will be nice to see how Jay will react if Nkechi gets an ex visit. The couple have had a smooth sail until recently when the issue of religion and celibacy sprang up. Jay doesn’t believe in going to church every Sunday. His philosophy is being good and kind. Nkechi ďŹ nds his attitude towards church disturbing. Being a Catholic, she believes the family should always attend church together. Jay’s decision to allow her to go to church with their future children is not an option to her. She is also not comfortable with Jay’s curiosity on how many sex partners she had in the past.

These issues are giving the pretty damsel headache. Who knows, an ex visit will probably make Jay realise the precious gem in front of him.

What about Chris Adanna? Will her veneer of calmness crack if ChrisVille gets attention from someone else? Par-

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POTPOURRI

Accolades as Indigenous Firm Clinches Local Content Award Mary Nnah An indigenous firm, MG Vowgas Limited has continued to receive accolades over the award it clinched at the just concluded Nigeria International Petroleum Summit (NIPS).

The firm won the award in the “Local Content Company of the Year� category which was contested by several companies doing business in the country.

The award is coming on the heels of its building a specialised air boat that has the capability to move on land and on water.

Called air ballistic boat, the river craft has features that can be fitted with arms and ammunition that can fire in any military operation on land or sea. The engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) firm which is the operator of the Mount Zion Fabrication Yard in Port Harcourt, Rivers State was lauded for the strides it has made since it started operation in the heart of the oil and gas rich-Niger Delta region over a decade ago.

The Group Managing Director of MG Vowgas Limited, Mr. Godwin Izomor disclosed

The Group Managing Director, MG Vowgas Limited, Mr. Godwin Izomor (3rd from right) anked from left by the Technical Director, Mr. Douglas Steiner; Business Development Manager, Mr. Eugene Echenede; Head of Administration, Miss Miriam Tubo; Head of Personnel, Mr. Nelson Izomor and the Fabrication Manager, Mr. Kaka Wisdom at the event

that besides the state-of-theart facilities that can handle various types of jobs in the oil and gas industry hitherto carried out outside the shores of Nigeria, the firm also has the required manpower to carry out its various operations.

One of the players in the oil, gas and maritime industries, Mr. Lawrence Nwachukwu said indigenous companies like MG Vowgas Limited should be encouraged by

the government to meet the yearnings and aspirations of Nigeria and Nigerians.

Nwachukwu argued that if indigenous firms are supported by the government and its agencies, they would be in a position to provide the much needed employment opportunities for many Nigerians presently roaming the streets for non-existing jobs. “If in its own little way, this

company can do this, imagine what it will do if it is given the desired support by the government. “I can tell you without any fear of contradiction that not only MG Vowgas Limited but other firms would be in a position to address the numerous challenges posed by unemployment in the country.

It will also address the issue of insecurity in the country.�

Firm CreatesTechnological Solution for Nigeria’s Financial Industry Rebecca Ejifoma A new technology firm, TigerWit, has reaffirmed its commitment to providing technological solutions to Nigeria’s financial industry with its global trading app platform on forex, gold, silver, oil and indices.

The firm divulged this in a media release issued at the weekend through its Head of Marketing, Africa, Mr. Adetayo Kennedy. “We are a financial technol-

ogy founded with the aim of bringing technological solutions to the financial industry through our global trading platform,� Adetayo said.

He noted further that TigerWit is focused on forex, gold, silver, oil and indices offering everyone the opportunity to speculate, buy or sell commodities across global financial markets. “The financial industry has been plagued with distrust more often than not and defaulters get away with most

financial crimes. However, TigerWit’s app is built on the very prudent and reliable blockchain technology.�

According to the marketing head, every transaction can be queried and questioned, adding that transparency is the order of the day at Tigerwit.

Some of the features TigerWit has include: copy trading where new traders can just copy trades of experienced and seasoned traders. “This is a new feature that has revolutionalised the currency

trading space�, Adetayo expressed.

Having been operating for five years now in the United Kingdom, Indonesia, China, and Nigeria, TigerWit reassured Nigerians of its transparent technology built on blockchain technology. “Your ability to make money off this 24-hour currency market has been placed in your hands with a very simple app available on both iOS store and Playstore.�

Onyeka Onwenu, Others Champion Women on Equal Leadership Role in Nigeria Rebecca Ejifoma While forging ahead as the modernist vanguard for women, the AB Microfinance Bank has pulled together female heavyweights like music icon, Onyeka Onwenu and others to give the Nigerian women the tool to thrive in leadership roles as women seek for 50 per cent participation in policies that influence their wellbeing.

This was their quest at the AB Microfinance Bank conference to commemorate the International Women’s Day 2020 on the theme, ‘Each for Equal; an equal world is an enabled world’. Among the speakers were: AB Microfinance Bank Ambassador and musician Onwenu; Independent Executive Directors of AB MicroFinance Bank, Mrs. Modupe Ladipo; Associate Professor at UNILAG, Olusoji George; and the Branch Manager in AB Microfinance Bank Nigeria, Ms. Laura Madukamuo.

For Ladipo, Women’s International Day is a good

day for “us to take stock of where we are, what progress women have made and then set some actions and steps for what we need to do to close the gender gap�. “In terms of leadership as the world economic forum global gender index indicated, Nigeria is not doing well on the sub-index of political equality.

There is a lot of work needed to be done in that space.�

Meanwhile, she described the Nigerian woman as enterprising. “Women are enterprising in economic opportunities We are growing. We have one of the largest numbers of women business owners across Africa. Although we are doing great things, we just need a bit more to help us excel on a global basis�.

While women keep agitating for equality globally, the executive director frowned at the low representation of women in the house of representative and senate. “There is a very low representation of women.

That is where we are. We really need to do a lot of work�.

Driving home her point,

Ladipo said it is by having women in NASS positions that women would be able to come up with policies that directly influence and would directly support women in achieving their economic, academic goals and their health and safety.

She said: “There was no subindex where Nigeria is at par.

Men and women should be at par. We are 50 per cent of the population�.

Ladipo expressed strongly that women needed to work on all aspects and took good note of the UN sustainable goal five – gender equality – think through what some of the action points coming out of that are, and how we want to measure some of the steps we are taking to ensure we are on track. Indeed, gender equally is a global issue and must be addressed with real intent by the Nigerian government and all arms of government. She urged: “Women should support other women in position, not using derogatory remarks.

It is okay to have an ambition.

You are not more or less of a woman because your have

those aspirations. Aspirations are not gender specific.�

With a rigid penchant to achieve gender equality across the country, AB Microfinance Bank is doing the talk. It has a larger number of female staffers than male. Ladipo added: “We are contributing very adequately to gender focus�.

She encouraged the bank still: “The only part we are not really contributing significantly in that area is the board. I’m the only female on the board. Besides this, I give AB microfinance bank a star.�

Now, the ambassador of the bank, Onwenu called on all women to dream big. “If you have a dream and it does not scare you, it is not big enough.

Wake up. Be curious. It will help you. Perhaps not today but in the future�. According to the human right activist, women are multidisciplinary. “They work in offices and homes. They are the organisers. Women are advisers, comforters, teachers, cooks, community workers and they achieve it all.

Cleric Applauds T.B Joshua’s ‘Mind-blowing’ Prayer Mountain Kayode Fasua in Abeokuta A Christian leader in the Ado-Odo Otta/Ifo zone of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Ogun State, Apostle Gbenga Awosanmi, has commended the founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Prophet Prophet T.B Joshua T.B Joshua, for finding the courage to act on divine instruction, in the establishment of “a massive and mind-blowing prayer mountain� in Ikotun, Lagos.

Awosanmi, who is General Overseer of C&S Church, Ogo Ireti unit, Iju-Aga in Ifo Local Government area, said from all indications, the prayer mountain, “an architectural wonder constructed on an expanse of wetland, swamp and ocean�, could not have come into being through human imagination.

Besides, he said the mountain, which has started attracting Christian pilgrims from all over the world, would go a long way in bringing about unity among Nigerian churches, even as he stressed that “soon, the spirit of denominationalism will disappear among Nigerian Christians�.

Speaking with THISDAY shortly after his church’s anniversary at the weekend, Awosanmi said, “On the New Year Eve when the mountain was consecrated for people’s use, I was there and I testified to how people who came from different parts of the world were made comfortable to have quiet time with God. “Such a man of God who conceived such a great idea, committing huge resources to establish a massive and mindblowing prayer mountain� deserves to be canonnised,� he said.

He added that at the new prayer mountain established by the SCOAN, natural scenery, as it is witnessed in the Israeli environment, where Jesus Christ was born, pervaded the vast arena. “There are animals like antelopes and sheep, and birds like peacocks and geese, while the SCOAN also rears fishes for distribution to the poor, apart from having guest houses of tasteful standards,� he recalled.

He reminded that the Prayer Mountain was where Joshua began his church ministration way back in 1995, noting that such a place is symbolic.

Awosanmi, however, urged for unity in the Christian community, stressing that the ongoing unification process going on in the Cherubim and Seraphim Church’s household is a welcome development. “When the process of unification in C&S is completed, we must all submit ourselves to whatever decision is reached and make sacrifice by foregoing some titles as would be prescribed, for the sake of Christ,� he urged.

Nigeria Tech Hub Hosts Lagos Tech Meet-up Ugo Aliogo The UK- Nigeria Tech hub in partnership with TechCircle has hosted stakeholders to discuss emerging developments in the Nigerian tech industry in Victoria Island, Lagos.

According to a statement made available to THISDAY by the organisation, the event provided a platform for guests to share ideas and discuss the importance of collaborations to grow the digital economy.

The statement also noted that the event was a platform for stakeholders to discuss on how to drive local contents and key strategies pivotal in helping the tech ecosystem in the country to scale up to global standards.

The event which had in attendance over 40 tech industry-heads, founders and entrepreneurs present, provided new insights, connections, and ideas for guests.

Speaking at the event, the Co-founder Piggyvest, Odun Eweniyi, said, “This event was great, you can get caught up in work and there are not many avenues to connect with other founders on the same journey as you. I would love to see efforts go into startups in funding andadvisorysothenascentecosystemcouldhaveachancetogetby.�

Also speaking at the event, the Country Director for the UKNigeria Tech Hub, Honey Ogundeyi, revealed the organisation’s satisfaction with the success of the Lagos Tech Meetup, supporting entrepreneurial activity, adding that strengthening the Nigerian technology ecosystem is a core focus of the organisation.

Headded:“AsNigeria’stechsectorcontinuestothrive,generating more than 10 per cent of the country’s economic output - the UKNigeria Tech Hub is committed to providing the UK’s significant expertise in ecosystem building, start-up investment and digital skills to Nigeria’s burgeoning tech sector.�

The Executive Director, TechCircle, Oo Nwoye, expressed satisfaction with the attendance of 40 key decision-makers in the Nigerian tech industry at the meet-up.

He hinted that relationships are key components for the tech community to thrive, “thankfully, the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub agrees with this and has worked with TechCircle to put this first edition together of the Tech Meetup�.

ARepresentative from Flutterwave, GbengaAgboola said: “This is a great avenue for people network and meet others outside of their space. I hope partnerships will be built from here and this will help grow the Nigerian tech ecosystem.�

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ART WEEKEND

‌For pure art enthusiasts

COVID-19 Threat and the World of Arts

With the World Health Organisation’s call for social distancing to stem the tides of infectious diseases, YinkaOlatunbosun writes on the shrinking impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the Arts and Cultural space Lagos, Africa’s most populous city is the hub of cultural life-abuzz with cinema and theatre productions, music concerts, book reading sessions, art festivals and exhibitions. Typically, the calendar is not busy until March when the first major film festival, I-Represent International Documentary film festival takes place. On Tuesday, March 17, art enthusiasts received a shock when the organisers announced that this event has been postponed indefinitely for the sake of COVID-19 threat. This elicited mixed reaction from the art community, many of whom are informed about the current data on COVID-19 outbreak in Nigeria which as at press time had three confirmed cases.

Many considered this to be relatively small against the figures recorded in many European countries. The reality is that some of the expected participants from other countries may not be able to attend due to restrictions on non-essential travels. Even if they can travel, the risk of bringing to Nigeria- a little more than the love for film-is high.

Worldwide, museums and galleries had been shut to the public. In France, the Louvre in Paris announced on March 14 that it would close indefinitely. The MusÊed’Orsay and MusÊe de l’Orangerie are among the other major institutions that have also closed.

In Germany, Art Cologne, the oldest art fair in the world, announced its postponement of this year’s edition until November.

Initially set to kick-off from April 23 to 26, with some 170 galleries participating, art fans seek alternatives as Berlin’s state-run museums have also announced closures.

In United Arab Emirates, ArtDubai has postponed its 2020 fair, which was originally scheduled for late March. A new opening date has not been set.

In Italy, the worst hit country in Europe in this COVID-19 pandemic is undergoing a nationwide quarantine. The Raphael show at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome opened on

An inside view of an Italian museum

Wednesday but closed down on Sunday, March 8, after the Italian prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, declared that all museums, together with major heritage sites, such as the Colosseum in Rome and Pompeii archaeological park near Naples, is shut until April 3. Rome’s Raphael exhibition, which marks the 500th anniversary of the artist’s death, had sold over 70,000 tickets sold ahead of its highly anticipated opening.

Museums are facing closures across the country, including the Vatican Museums, Galleria Borghese in Rome, and the Uffizi in Florence. According to Artnetnews, Private museums, such as the Fondazione Prada in

Milan, and the Pirelli HangarBicocca, which had reopened after a week’s enforced closure, and have now shut again. In Venice, François Pinault’s private museums, the Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Doganaare also closed, and all events have been cancelled.

Also in the United States of America, Metropolitan Museum of Art became the first major New York institution to announce that it would close temporarily in an attempt to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19.The Dallas Art Fair in Texas said that it would postpone its 2020 edition, which had been scheduled from April 16–19.

While social life cannot be totally grounded at the moment, the art world is going virtual in response to the threat of COVID-19 on our economic life. For instance, Art Basel Hong Kong presents more than 2,000 works online with an estimated value of $270 million. Such virtual buying experiences may be the way forward for the art market, given current recommendation on public gatherings. Also, films and books may spike in patronage as many who are unable to socialise seek indoor entertainment.

Indeed, a harsh new economic reality looms forthousands of artists and art workers.

Jazzville Boss Unveils Down2Music, Set WDS Day Concert for March 21 Yinka Olatunbosun The Founder of Jazzville, a famous music hub of the 90s in Lagos, Muyiwa Majekodunmi has unveiled an initiative to advocate for the rights, inclusion and well-being of persons living with Down Syndrome.

Christened Down2Music Foundation, the initiative was designed to address some of the challenges of living with Down Syndrome particularly in the area of education, healthcare, work and livelihood, recreation and leisure as well as participation in public life.

The unveiling ceremony was held on March 12 at the former site of Jazzville in Onike, Lagos amidst culture buffs and musicians. Down2Music Foundation is the brainchild of Majekodunmi whose talented 32-year old son lives with Down Syndrome.

As a former administrator at the Down Syndrome Foundation, Majekodunmi has worked extensively in the disability space, facilitated events and designed music as therapy for his son. His son, Olumakinwa is a percussionist who has performed with the likes of Seun Olota, Ed Keazorand Segun Adefila. According to Majekodunmi, there are countless other persons living with Down Syndrome who are yet to find a voice or get a career in a discriminatory society. “There is a lot of discrimination, ignorance and stigmatisation associated with living with Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome is not a disease. It’s not Coronavirus. It’s a condition that one is born with. My son was born like that and I’m very proud of him.

If you see anyone with Down Syndrome, you should never look down upon them,�

Majekodunmi said during his opening remarks.

He gave further insight into why Down2Music Foundation was established and

An inside view of an Italian museum

the journey towards inclusion advocacy. “Down2Music Foundation is established to encourage and promote artistic talents in children. “My son BJ is a fantastic percussionist.

The reason why I have invited Ade Bantu and Seun Olota is that I am trying to get them to get more people like BJ to play with them. BJ is already playing with Seun Olota from time to time. “Beyond that, we intend to collaborate with other institutions like the Down Syndrome Foundation and get them involved

in the programme. BJ can talk but he is limited. There are many of them who are non-verbal. We have to be their advocates,� he said.

The Afro-fusion performing artist, Seun Olota was also a former Jazzville performer, whose band was the last in-house band before it was shut down. Olota had worked with persons living with disabilities and spoke on the initiative as an example of arts in education and advocacy. “There are parents who seclude their kids from public interaction. The truth is that

we all have areas where we can do well,�

Olota said.

For the Nigerian-German musician and Founder, Afropolitan Vibes, Ade Bantu, this path towards inclusion had been existing in other climes. Citing anexample in an encounter in Hamburg, Germany, he had told the audience of a band full of persons living with Down Syndrome. “I know people who hate people with disabilities. I know families that kept such children in darkroom that you would never know that they had such situation,� Bantu revealed. He expressed his willingness to work with persons living with Down Syndrome who possess music skills. “I really look forward to this and to see how we can create more awareness through popular culture. But with popular culture especially with music, we can get a lot across and that is what I look forward to. Our creativity is endless,� he said.

Another cultural advocate at the event, Pascal Ott saidhis days with the French Cultural Centre brought him close to influencers in the music community.

As a teacher at the French International School, he used to visit the Down Syndrome Foundation at Surulere and he is very familiar with how arts has been a very useful tool in achieving inclusion goals for persons living with Down syndrome.

A video trailer shot by Timothy Olawoye titled “I am X21� was screened at the event for the audience to have a taste of the beauty of an inclusive film production.

On March 21, the former Jazzville arena in Onike, Yabawill be lit with a mini-concert to mark the World Down Syndrome Day which has as theme “We Decide.� It is the first of its kind from Down2Music Foundation and it is tagged “Unveiled, Unplugged and Unleashed.�

36

T H I S D AY ˞ Ͱ͎˜ Ͱ͎Ͱ͎

with DR. KEMI AILOJE Info@lifelinkfertility.com; Ă?ĂŒĂ?Ă“ĂžĂ?Ë? lifelinkfertility.com 08033083580

BALANCED NUTRITION TO ENHANCE FERTILITY (Part 2)

t 7JUBNJO $ Improves hormone level and fertility in women. Improve sperm quality, motility and protect sperm from DNA damage, thus reducing the chance of miscarriage andchromosomal problems in children.

t %BSL -FBGZ 7FHFUBCMFT Contain iron, folic acid, vitaminB2 and vitamin E and are packed with minerals, enzymes, chlorophyll, antioxidants and vitamins essential to healthy fertility. Examples include spinach, pumpkin. t 'SVJUT Contain vitamin C, flavonoids and a variety of antioxidants. Fruits are the foods highest in antioxidants. Remember that antioxidants are heat sensitive, so to get their benefit, eat your fruit fresh, ripe and raw. t 'JTI BOE 4IFMM 'JTI possess vitamin % PNFHB [JOD TFMFOJVN WJUBNJO # BOE Coenzyme Q 10(CoQ10). Muscles clam, etc. are some of the most nutrient dense foods we can eat, providing an abundance of essential fatty acids. r 'VMM 'BU 0SHBOJD 6OTXFFUFOFE :PHIVSU While low fat diary diet can be a fertility blocker, full fat yoghurt is an excellent protein source for fertility. Protein based amino acids are the building block for healthy cells in the body. :PHIVSU DPOUBJOT QSPCJPUJDT UP TVQQPSU IFBMUIZ vagina flora (vaginal infections can put a real damper on fertility efforts)

'PPE TPVSDFT Abundant in plant and fruits including red pepper, broccoli, cranberries, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, and citrus fruits like orange, apples etc. t 7JUBNJO %: This is needed to create sex hormone necessary for ovulation and hormonal balance.

'PPE TPVSDFT Eggs, fatty fish, diary, cod liver oil, can also be gotten by sitting out in the early morning sun for at least 15-20minutes daily. t 7JUBNJO &: improves sperm health and motility, also protects eggs, sperm, DNA from damage by free radicals.

Food sources:Almonds, spinach, papaya, dark leafy green vegetables, sunflower seeds, olives. t *SPO Women who do not get sufficient amount of iron may suffer lack of ovulation and possible poor egg health which can inhibit pregnancy at a rate of 60% higher than those with sufficient iron stores.

'PPE TPVSDFT Lentils, spinach, pumpkin the building block for cells in the body. Animal seeds (raw), beans, beef, dark leafy vegetables and vegetable sources of protein in appropriate quantities are recommended. like pumpkin leaves, bitter leaf, water leaf. t 'JCFS Assist the body in getting rid of excess oestrogen and xenohormones in the system and &TTFOUJBM 'BUUZ "DJET 1SPUFJOT 'JCFST r 0NFHB BDJET IBWF CFFO TIPXO UP IFMQT UP keeps your digestive tracts functioning properly. regulate hormones in the body, increase cervi'PPE TPVSDFT Cooked whole wheat, banana, cal mucus, promote ovulation, and increase CMPPE åPX UP UIF SFQSPEVDUJWF PSHBOT 0NFHB apples,strawberries etc. contains 2 acids (DHA AND EPA) that have *NQPSUBOU 'PPET 4QFDJmD GPS 'FSUJMJUZ been shown to lower many forms of diseases. r "WPDBEP 1FBS 5IFZ BSF SJDI TPVSDF PG QMBOU sterols, as well as monounsaturated fats which 'PPE TPVSDFT: Flax seed, walnuts, fishes (sardines, salmon, our local Titus fish) shrimps, etc reduces inflammation. It also helps in balancing t 'BUT Saturated fats and cholesterol are also oestrogen, supports the body’s natural ability essential for fertility. Cholesterol is a precursor to produce progesterone critically for ovulation to all hormones produced in the body includ- and healthy pregnancy. t 4BMNPO 5IJT à TI IBT QMFOUZ PG 0NFHB ing progesterone. Just make sure it is from the fatty acids which have been proven to provide right foods regular blood flow to the reproductive organs.

Food sources: Coconut oil, grass fed meats, It regulates prostaglandin which is involved in fish, nuts /seeds and avoid hydrogenated oils hormonal production. t 1JOFBQQMFT This juicy fruits are loaded with and vegetables oil cooked at a high heat. t 1SPUFJO: Eating healthy amount of protein Bromelain an enzyme which acts as pain reliever, from a wide variety of sources is an important anti-inflammatory, anti-coagulants, this properpart of a healthy fertility diet as amino acids are ties allows it to functions as natures Aspirin

causing increase blood flow to the womband QSPNPUJOH JNQMBOUBUJPO :PV TUBSU DPOTVNJOH pineapple after confirming ovulation or after an embryo transfer if you have done an IVF. t :BNT This African delicacy is rich in vitamins A and C which acts as strong antioxidants preventing oxidative damages to both eggs BOE TQFSN :BNT BSF BMTP CFMJFWFE UP CF SJDI in phytoestrogen and a form of natural progesterone. This helps to regulate the oestrogen and progesterone balance necessary for ovulation.

For fertility purpose it should be best eaten in the first half of the menstrual periods. t 8BMOVUT walnuts are significant source of 0NFHB ) BOE 0NBHB GBUUZ BDJE BOE IBT played significant role in the improvement of sperm vitality, motility and morphology. Studies have shown that walnut consumption can lower chromosomal abnormalities in male sperm. t /VUT BOE 4FFET $POUBJO PNFHB [JOD BOE vitamin E. They possess essential fatty acid and zinc, sensitive to heat and can be destroyed if overcooked. The best nuts and seeds for vitamin E are sunflower seeds and almonds. The best seeds and nuts for iron are pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds.

'00%4 50 "70*% t 4VHBST: Refined Sugar, soda and pasteurized juices such as bottled apple juice, orange juice and other bottled juice can throw off your blood sugar levels and negatively affect your immune system and hormonal balance. Also avoid any processed/refined and artificial sugars. Some alternatives are Stevia, honey and maple syrup. t $BGGFJOF "GGFDU your hormonal balance, increase your chance of miscarriage and prevent you from ovulating. t 4PZ GPPET Lnown to contain estrogen mimicking properties. It is best to avoid processed soy foods such as soy milk, soya burgers, soya protein powder, soy chips, soy meats and soy cheeses to avoid a negative impact on your hormones. t 'BU 'SFF 'PPET Food which is altered to be reduced in fat or fat free is highly processed and can also be high in sugar. Always chose the food as nature intended, full fat diary is one example that was shown in a study (human reproduction) to increase fertility over the fat reduced options. Fat is what our body need to produce hormones.

Eating a natural fertility diet is advised for everyone regardless of fertility issues, age, time, money and location. We all eat so why not do it in a way that supports your fertility and general healthy living.

Amazing Talents Inter House Sports Competition Thrills Pupils, Parents Rebecca Ejifoma The second edition of the Amazing Talent Schools inter house sports competition won’t be forgotten so easily. As pupils dressed in red, blue, green and yellow sport wears for the exciting funfair competition that Friday morning, it was obvious they would defy the indecisive weather.

While each house expressed its skills in the march past from one end of the Chrisland College fields at Idimu, the proprietor of the TDIPPM .S &EEJF 0EJWXSJ BOE IJT FOUPVSBHF received their trays of special gifts and garlands to adorn his neck.

The Chairman, Mr. Lucky Arhere, a chief, described the sport activities as magnificent, as he applauded the children’s delightful performances. “From this, I think a lot of talents can be discovered, monitored and developed�.

According to him, there is a lot of correlation between sports and education. “Education is not complete without sports. A child who does well in academics can also do well in sports�.

Noting that in the past parents didn’t encourage their children to go into sports, Arhere added, “Now, sports is a big business. People MJLF 0LPDIB 0MJTFI ,BOP BOE PUIFST NBLF a lot of money more than professors. In fact, they employ professors. “They are into good business and contribute a lot to the economy.

That is very important. They give back to the society more than a lot of people who are into purely educational activities.�

The pupils during the inter house sports

The chairman expressed that Amazing Talent School is a good and growing school. “It lays a very great foundation for the children. If you build a house on a good foundation, the house is likely to stand for a long time and that is this school doing for them both academically and sports�.

"DDPSEJOH UP UIF QSPQSJFUPS .S 0EJXSJ XJUI the outbreak of the notorious and devastating $07*% BGGFDUJOH FWFSZ BTQFDU PG NBO T MJWFT

as a school, they preach hand washing.

He continued: “We have continued to nudge the children to observe all basic hygienic practices, as well as inculcating the regular hand-washing routines, even as we strongly believe that God is our shield.�

The proprietor, however, implored parents to pay as much attention to sports as they do to academics. “We live in a world that has gone diverse. Let us continue to support and

sponsor them both in their regular academic pursuit and their sporting exploits�.

Indeed, the pupils – both current and alumni – expressed their talents in match pass, athletics, filling the bottles, filling the baskets, picking the balls.

0UIFST XFSF HFUUJOH SFBEZ GPS TDIPPM TBDL race, lime and spoon and slippers race, old pupils race, relay race by invited schools, staff race. Parents were made to participate in races and match passes, too.

T H I S D AY ˞ Ͱ͎˜ Ͱ͎Ͱ͎

37

EVENTS

City of Stonecrest Mayor to Grace Startups Africa 2020 Mary Nnah

L-R: Chairman Heirs Holdings,Tony O Elumelu; CEO Smooth Promotions, Ayo Animashau; Mr. Kemi Pinheiro SAN and Chief Press Secretary to the GovernorofLagosState,GboyegaAkosileatthe50thbirthdaycelebrationofAyoAnimashaunandlaunchofthecelebrant’seponymousfoundation in Lagos...recently

L-R;MarketingandBusinessDevelopmentManager,El-LabMedicalDiagnosticandResearchCentre,JaneOkpala;LaboratoryDirector/ChiefExecutive Officer, PrinceElochukwuAdibo;Best graduating Student,Histo-Pathology and Immuno Chemistry, Victoria Idowu and the Marketing Executive, ElLabMedicalDiagnosticsandResearchCentre,TayoOgundowoleduringthepresentationofcashawardstobestgraduandsattheInductionceremony of Medical Lab Science Graduates of College of Medicine, University of Lagos...recently

L-R:Initiator,MalariaEradicationProject,PrinceNedNwoko;MinisterofFCT,AlhajiMohammedBello;andSenatorAlimoduSheriff,duringNed’sproject team courtesy visit to the minister’s office in Abuja...recently

The Mayor of the City of Stonecrest, Georgia, USA, Jason Lary has been scheduled to be in Lagos, Nigeria as a keynote speaker at the Startups Africa 2020 conference for female entrepreneurs holding in March 27 and 28, 2020 in Lagos.

The event themed “Unleashing the Power of African Female Entrepreneurs� is a two-day business conference targeted Mayor of the City of Stonecrest, Georgia, USA, Jason at improving, inspiring and Lary empowering over 2000 female entrepreneurs in Africa.

In his acceptance letter, Mayor Jason Lary said, “I am honoured to participate in this incredible event. I truly believe in women empowerment. I have honoured many women for their outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the city of Stonecrest and beyond.â€? Lary expressed his happiness to be in Nigeria for the conference adding that his vision for women through the “Mayor Lary’s Udemy Skills Challengeâ€?, to empower in Africa aligns with the operating pillars of The Startups Africa and Felix King Foundation. Speaking further on his eort towards lifting African American women, the Pan Africanist, he said, “We assist women in launching as entrepreneurs in a partnership project through Allen Entrepreneurial Institute (AEI), which is a business incubator division called the AEI startup factory. And I see a huge opportunity for African female entrepreneurs in this space.â€?

Another top-tier speaker to join the Startups Africa’s conference 2020, is the current Nigeria’s Minister for Women Aairs, Mrs. Pauline Tallen. The minister will deliver keynote address at the conference. Other speakers include Arese Egwu, the author of the ground-breaking novel, The Smart Woman, Mira Mehta, CEO of Tomato Jos and Jerey Williams-Edem, a Sales growth expert and life coach. The conference is aimed at bringing together over 2,000 female African start-up and scale-up entrepreneurs, world class mentors, business experts, investors, government leaders and the media to support and encourage female-led businesses. According to the convener of The Startups Africa, Dr. Felix King Eiremiokhae, Founder of Felix King Foundation, Mayor Lary is an Africanist and will be bringing huge entrepreneurial knowledge to the conference, having involved in series of the entrepreneurial activities in the City of Stonecrest, Georgia, USA. Eiremiokhae said, “We are hopeful that Mayor Lary’s visits to Nigeria will open doors of opportunities for women entrepreneurs in Africa. “One of the objectives of this programme is to facilitate the growth and success of women-led businesses by providing them with pitching, training, and mentorship and networking opportunities.â€?

The conference is designed to unite female startup entrepreneurs in all stages of business development, exposing them to topics and subject areas in branding and marketing; networking and business strategy as well as organisational structure and access to market.

Participants will acquire new knowledge on actionable strategies to build and grow world-class businesses.

The event will feature keynote addresses, top-tier speakers, masterclasses, expert discussions, training by Dr. Jacqueline Mohair, the chancellor of TIUA School of business, Georgia, USA and a business-pitching session where the winners with revolutionary ideas will win up to $10,000 in seed funding and exposure to world’s Venture capitalist such as Faster Capitalist, UAE. The Startups Africa conference is an initiative of Felix King Foundation, a not-for-proďŹ t organisation that helps African women through dierent entrepreneurial support programs and ideas that create opportunities for a better community.

Lawrence-Nemi Family Loses Matriach

The death has occurred of Lady Winifred Andze Owubokiri LawrenceNemi (Nee Kisob) of Amadi-Ama Village in Port Harcourt City Local Government of Rivers State.

A devout Christian and an estate developer, Lawrence-Nemi died at the age of 82. She passed unto the Lord on February 18, 2020.

In a statement signed by the family, her body will be laid to rest on Saturday, March 21, 2020 in her residence in Amadi-Ama. According to the statement, her mortal remains will be removed from Ashes to Ashes Mortuary, former Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital BMSH, Port Harcourt by 7am.

Her body will lie in state at Sir Lawrence Nemi estate, Amadi-Ama by 7.30am. By 10am, a requiem service will be held in her honour by the Knights of St.Christopher’s and the Blessed Virgin Mary and Ladies of St. Christopher’s.

Funeral service will hold at Bethal Church, Amadi-Ama by 11am, while the interment will commence immediately at her residence by 12.30pm.

Entertainment of guests will take place at the Community Secondary School, Amdi-Ama by 1:30pm.

She is survived by children, grandchildren, and a host of other relatives.

IncomingDistrictGovernor,RotaryDistrict9110,RotarianBolaOyebade,(fourthfromright)flankedbyDistrictRotaractrepresentativesforRotary year 2020-2021 during the DistrictTeamTraining Seminar in Lagos...recently

T H I S D AY ˞ Ͱ͎˜ Ͱ͎Ͱ͎

38

METRO

‌Your city life in print

Okowa: a Governor and His Many Firsts

Okowa

Ken Umukoro In a bold move that caught many by surprise, the Delta State Government last week introduced the use of body cameras and use of breathalysers for officials of Delta State Traffic Management Authority (DESTMA). Typical of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s inimitable style, it was done without the fanfare that should typically herald such a novel introduction. Not even Federal agencies like the Nigeria Police, Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, or any state traffic and anti-crime agency has been able to achieve this. Delta leads the charge courtesy of the far-sightedness of Okowa.

This latest feat by Governor Okowa solidifies his profile as a pacesetter and serial pioneer. The benefits of the body cameras are many. Several studies conducted by international anti-crime and community-oriented policing agencies including the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) - a global police research and policy organization and a provider of management services, technical assistance, and executive-level education to support law enforcement agencies – attest to this.

It is the consensus that videos captured by body cameras help protect police officers and citizens against false accusations, claims of misconduct, or abuse. Such videos increase transparency and accountability of officers and, in some cases, help prevent and de-escalate confrontational situations between law-enforcers and the public.

According to Navy Commander Azubuike Idah (Rtd), the Director-General of DESTMA. “the body camera acts as a deterrent for all drivers in the state who may be tempted to violate the traffic law, provides documentary evidence during a traffic stop, and protects all parties involved against false accusations, assault and overzealous actions of DESTMA officers.� He reiterated that the introduction of these devices will “reduce violent confrontations, reduce assaults of DESTMA officers, hold DESTMA officers accountable for their actions and increase public trust. It will also help us provide safe roads for all road users in Delta state while refining the attitudes of DESTMA officers when dealing with the general public.�

The introduction of the Body Cameras and Breathalyzers is just one among a

DESTMA offcial administering Breathalyzer on a motorist

series of firsts by Governor Okowa. Upon assumption of office in 2015, like a welltooled surgeon adept at his trade, he wasted no time in introducing a workable health insurance scheme with the establishment of the Delta State Contributory Health Commission in February 2016. By that singular act, Delta State became the first State in the country to launch Universal Health Coverage. As at December 31, 2019, no fewer than 677,071 persons had enrolled in the scheme. As a medical doctor, he understands the need for a functional health insurance scheme that would not only bear the tag of insurance scheme but one that practically delivers its objectives as a buffer against poor healthcare delivery common across the nation.

In 2019, Okowa created the Ministry of Technical Education, a novel ministry specifically to drive his wealth creation and innovation-oriented policy of technical and vocational education. The ministry is overseeing the revolutionary acquisition of technical skills across the technical col-

The introduction of the Body Cameras and Breathalyzers is just one among a series of ďŹ rsts

by Governor Okowa... the body camera acts as a deterrent for all drivers in the state who may be tempted to violate the trafďŹ c law, provides documentary evidence during a trafďŹ c stop, and protects all parties involved against false accusations, assault and overzealous actions of DESTMA ofďŹ cers

leges and vocational centres in the state.

Majority of graduates of these colleges and skills centres have already established themselves as techpreneurs, creating wealth and employing people.

Another first is the creation of the Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency (DSCTDA). The impact of the agency headed by a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Onyemaechi Mrakpor, a people-friendly advocate for Affirmative Action has been outstanding. Through the agency, the glory of Asaba and environ is being restored.

The city of Asaba was once the colonial capital of the Southern Nigeria Protectorate.

Then, it had all the trappings and lustre of a city with a busy port and rich repository of goods and services. It was founded in 1884. Between 1886 and 1900, it hosted the then popular Royal Niger Company (which later became UAC) owned by the British authorities to facilitate trade and export of goods to England. But Asaba lost much of its glory during the war when it became the epicentre of one of the most gruesome pogroms in human history.

Okowa is restoring that glory and allure.

The governor has complemented the Asaba makeover with the establishment of the Warri-Uvwie and Environs Special Area Development Agency (WUEDA). This agency is another first from Okowa’s collection of many firsts. Headed by Ovuozourie Macaulay, a former Secretary to the Delta State Government under the administration of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, the agency has the clear mandate to re-model Warri and environs through a comprehensive clean up and urban-renewal mechanism that would entail environmental sanitation exercise, demolition of shanties, illegal structures and caravans erected along the major roads and unapproved areas.

Warri is the commercial capital of Delta State. To ensure that Warri and its environs remain beautiful and habitable enough to attract investors, Okowa has charged the agency to restore the grandeur of the environment. The restoration has begun.

Delta is Nigeria’s hatchery for sports. The best of the nation’s athletes, footballers and other sports icons have come from the state over the years. Okowa has since upped the ante. Aside maintaining a strong production line of outliers in sports, Delta is now the preferred destination for sports tourists.

T The Stephen Keshi International stadium in Asaba remodelled by Governor Okowa an and named after the late Stephen Keshi, a sc scion of Delta who became Nigeria’s most su successful and most cosmopolitan footballer an and manager has become the Mecca of sp sporting p activities and the preferred choice of sports tourists.

Ever since the reconstruction of the Keshi St Stadium, it has played host to several inte ternational and national sporting events in including the African Senior Athletics C Championship (Asaba 2018). The champ pionship scored some landmarks worth ce celebrating. With about 800 athletes in atte tendance, the highest in the history of the ev event, 46 events competed and a record 52 co countries in attendance, the highest in its 39 39-year history, Asaba 2018 fit into Okowa’s ca cap of many firsts. It was the first time that D Delta State would host an international ev event of such magnitude, attracting the p presence of Mr. Sebastian Coe, President of th the International Association of Athletics F Federations (IAAF). and other respected sp sports icons and dignitaries.

The stadium has also hosted international fo football matches including friendlies and W World Cup qualifiers involving Nigeria’s Su Super Eagles among several national sports fe feasts including the final of the Aiteo Cup. N Never in the history of Delta has there be been such profound manifestation of sports to tourism.

It speaks eloquently to the vision and d dynamic leadership of a man who came to office fully prepared.

Truly, Okowa is a man of many firsts.

H He is the renaissance man. Leadership w watchers in the state attribute his trail bl blazing strides to many factors. To some, it it’s because Okowa fully understands the n need-gaps in the state he has served for d decades starting out as Local Governm ment Secretary and later Chairman. His m metamorphosis in the state public service w which has seen him hold the positions of Commissioner (thrice), Secretary to the C Government, Senator representing Delta G North and now as Governor, they say, N lends him to back-to-back knowledge of le the needs of the people. Others attribute th his pacesetting record to the Governor ’s h tr trademark no-holds-barred commitment to an any cause he believes in and his personal value of selflessness as the best form of v se service.

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T H I S D AY ˞ Ͱ͎˜ Ͱ͎Ͱ͎

LIFE

Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi: 56 Cannons for a Pacifist Samson Ezea

C

all him a man of peace or peacemaker, describe him as humility personified.

Call him voice of the voiceless, address him as the father of the oppressed and downtrodden, call him a man of many parts; prudent and astute leader. Call him water because he has no enemy. You are absolutely correct and right, because by his antecedents and trackrecord, he perfectly fits into these names and attributes.

He is indeed an enigma of sort; grassroots leader and a selfless politician with a difference. A bridge builder and humanist, who never looked back catering for the people, especially the needy.

Born fifty-six years ago, precisely March 20, 1965, into the modest and cultured family of Mr David and Mrs Veronica Ugwuanyi, of Ohom Orba in the present Udenu Local Council Area of Enugu State during the lenten period.

He was christened Lawrence and was also given Igbo name-Ifeanyichukwu, meaning that nothing is impossible with God. A name that is meaningful, philosophical and symbolic and spiritual in all ramifications. A name that has lived with him and has continued to manifest in all his endeavours till date.

Who is this unique personality? He is no other person than Rt. Hon. Ifeanyichukwu Lawrence Ugwuanyi, the workaholic, accessible, pacific and people’s governor of Enugu State who clocked 56 years today.

Ugwuanyi just like his siblings, was brought up in a God fearing way. He is clothed with humility, taciturnity, intelligence, honesty and diligence.These virtues remain his greatest assets and strengths. Growing among his peers, he shone like a star both in academic and extracurricular activities during his primary, secondary and tertiary education pursuit.

His exemplary leadership quality began to manifest early in his life as a secondary school student at the prestigious St. Theresa College, Nsukka, where he was outstanding in character and learning. After his secondary education, he secured admission into the Nigeria’s foremost university, University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) where he obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance and M.Sc. degree in Marketing majoring in Public Relations. In his quest for deep and wider knowledge, he moved further to acquire MBA degree in Finance and Accountancy from Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT). While his colleagues scrambled for white collar jobs, within and outside the country upon graduation, Ugwuanyi, who had always believed and preferred working for and with his people for the common good of all, picked a job at Premier Brokers Limited, a prime insurance broking firm in the Southeast zone owned by the five states of the zone and African Continental Bank (ACB) now defunct.

After many years of excellent performance, he rose to become the Chief Executive Officer of the Premier Broking Firm. In 2002, he became the 16th president of the Rotary Club of Emene, Enugu. It was at this point that his leadership qualities and exceptional philanthropy, especially to the downtrodden and the less privileged in the society came to public fore. Without hesitation and in appreciation of his rare philanthropy, the people of his town, Orba, in an elaborate traditional ceremony conferred on him the title of Dunu Gburugburu 1 of Orba, meaning the man of the people. Satisfied with his exploits and track record in public and community service, Ugwuanyi’s people beckoned on him to offer himself for political office. His foray into the murky water of Nigerian politics commenced with his quest to serve as chairman of his local council area, Udenu. Despite losing the opportunity to political intrigues and backbitting, Ugwuanyi remained undaunted and focused in his political pursuits, banking on God and his people’s support and prayers.

Ugwuanyi

In 2003, true to Ugwuanyi’s belief, expectation and hope, the political opportunity came calling.

He won the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to contest for Igbo-Eze North/ Udenu Federal Constituency seat. He overwhelmingly won the election and his constituents enjoyed his quality representation. He was rewarded and appreciated by his people with reelection in 2007 and 2011, making him the longest serving House of Representatives member in Enugu State before 2015 general elections.

While in the House of Representatives, he moved so many motions and initiated some people-oriented bills. He also chaired and co-chaired some many committees,including Marine Transport committee which he chaired for eight consecutive years.

Following his philanthropy, performance and antecedent, while in the House of Representatives for more than a decade, Ugwuanyi’s desire to contest for Enugu State governorship seat on PDP platform in 2015 received massive support and accolades across the state. He won the PDP governorship ticket, contested and won the governorship election in Enugu State in 2015. Unfortunately and for the first time since 1999, his party PDP lost the presidency to the All Progressives Congress APC in the same election.

On assumption of office, Ugwuanyi was not perturbed by the change in the political equation at the centre. In the face of the obvious daunting financial challenges occasioned by the country’s recessed economy in 2015, Ugwuanyi first sought the face of God and handed over the affairs of the state to Him. He faced his job with utmost diligence, equanimity and fear of God. Knowing that nothing could be achieved in an atmosphere of crisis and insecurity, Ugwuanyi’s administration aggressively embarked on peace and security initiatives. First, he reached out to Enugu people, which include the opposition members, youths, elders, religious leaders, women and politicians, asking them to join hands with him in moving the state forward.

He reminded them that elections were over and the wellbeing and peace of Ndi Enugu remains paramount. Initially, not many believed and took him serious until he convinced by his actions and inactions that is sincere and genuine in his approach. With this, people’s support for his administration increased tremendously because they saw in him a man who can sacrifice anything for peace to reign. Ndi Enugu, irrespective of status, tribe, religious or party affiliation, had wholeheartedly joined hands with his government to move the state forward.

That was how and why Ugwuanyi was able to reconcile the political heavyweights in the state, who have been at each other’s throats over age-long political differences. That is why once estranged political allies, enemies and friends are talking to each other in Enugu today. This was not possible before Ugwuanyi assumed office in 2015. Ugwuanyi is an apostle of peace and peace has continued to reign in Enugu under his watch like never before.

In the area of infrastructural development and appointments, Ugwuanyi’s administration has equitably and sincerely distributed and allocated them without minding whose ox is gored or compromising quality, competence or standard.

His penchant for youth inclusion in governance is unparalleled. This, he has demonstrated by the number and quality of youths he has appointed into his government. Many youths were also elected chairmen and councillors in the recently concluded local government election in the state.

Across the 450 autonomous communities, three senatorial zones, 17 local government areas and 260 electoral wards in the state have felt the impact of Ugwuanyi’s administration one way or the other. If it is not by appointment, it is by development project and others. No group or individual or community is excluded in the business of governance in the state especially at the grassroots level.

Even with the heightened insecurity across the country, Enugu has remained one of the most peaceful states in the country. This is because of the people’s support and Ugwuanyi government’s massive investments in the area of security.

Apart from rejigging and repositioning the state security apparatus for optimal performance, it was Ugwuanyi’s government that first introduced and commenced the Forest Guard model in the country with the recruitment and equipping of 1700 personnel to work as Forest Guards in the sttate. Other states across the country are implementing the same model today.

The state, despite not being an oil producing state or ranks high in the monthly federation allocation has become a reference point in financial and human resources management, courtesy of Ugwuanyi’s prudence, fiscal discipline and transparency.

Massive infrastructural development have been taken to the rural areas where people have been neglected and abandoned for years. That was how people of Amuri, a sleepy town close to Agbani in Nkanu West Council Area saw and are enjoying for the first time an asphalt road in more than100 years of their existence. Also ongoing now is 26.6 km Ukpabi-Nimbo-Ugbene Ajima- Eziani road in Uzo-Uwani Council Area.

The road is the second asphalt road in the entire council area since its creation. Today, the list of rural and urban roads constructed and being constructed by Ugwuanyi’s administration is endless. Ugwuanyi administration has continued to maintain the basic infrastructure it met on ground and has at the same time built so many new ones to complement them. His government employed more street sweepers which has helped Enugu to remain the cleanest state in the country.

Under Ugwuanyi’s government, Enugu State’s Internally Generated Revenues has improved significantly and the state has performed creditably well in the Ease of Doing Business. While some of Ugwuanyi’s colleagues often globetrot in search of foreign investors that never come, Ugwuanyi has only travelled to overseas twice since he became governor in 2015. He is always around in the state, doing his work diligently. Despite this, investors have been coming to invest in the state because of its peacefulness, Ugwuanyi’s remarkable achievements and good economic policies.

Ugwuanyi by his leadership style which is result-driven has proven that leading a state without much resources is not a rocket science as some of his colleagues have always made Nigerians to believe. He is a governor of many feats and firsts. His popularity has soared and still soaring high within and outside the state, testimonies of his goodness and startling performance abound.

Among the workers, pensioners, security agents, religious leaders, artisans, downtrodden, majority residents, visitors and others, Ugwuanyi’s government is popular and acceptable, because of its good governance and people-oriented programmes.Apart from paying workers salary every 23rd of the month and 13 month in December, his government has promoted workers as at when due. His government has rebuilt, built and equipped more 500 schools, recruited more than 4000 teachers

an provided conducive environment for and te teaching and learning especially in rural ar areas that have been abandoned for too lo It was for this reason and others that long. fo national dailies-The Sun, Independent, four Va Vanguard and Leadership, independently fo found Ugwuanyi worthy of honour in 2018 w different and unprecedented awards at with th same time, after painstaking assessments the of his steady and sterling performance.

Th awards were first of its kind to any These go governor in the southeast region, if not the en entire country since 1999.

Even in the face of his remarkable pe performance in office and the myriad of ac accolades that have continued to pour in an trail it, Ugwuanyi is not resting on his and oa or being carried away. He has remained oars hu humble and focused on his job.

In his humble nature, Ugwuanyi at the pe of his reelection campaign in 2019, he peak pe personally went to the grassroots to solicit fo votes from traders in markets, artisans for on the streets, and residents at their homes.

H was massively and overwhelmingly He re reelected with 95 plus votes which many sa as a referendum on his first term persaw fo formance.

After his reelection for second te on March 9, many had thought that term he will change his style or slow down his pe performance rate, but reverse is the case.

Ju few months to his one year in office in Just hi second term, it is the same Ugwuanyi his of 2015, the same work rate, commitment an sincerity. Nothing has changed. and The ease, peacefulness and massive vo of which Ugwuanyi was reelected votes fo second term speak volume of his perfor fo formance, popularity and acceptance by th people in the state. It is a clear indicator the of the renewed confidence and trust the pe people had in him to steer the ship of the sta in next four years. It has also shown state th Ugwuanyi is not only at home with that hi people, he is accessible by them and his of assistance to them in time of needs and w wants.

The coincidence of Ugwuanyi’s reelection la year with that of his birthday and the last Le Lenten period was an eloquent testimony of God’s presence in his life and plans for hi higher leadership responsibility in the ye ahead. It is divine and a continuous years fu fulfilment of God’s agenda in a good man’s lif which no man or evil can stop. life While it is expected that his family membe friends and well-wishers will roll out bers, dr drums today to celebrate him amidst fanfare an razzmatazz, Ugwuanyi will in his usual and m manner, philanthropy and religious belief ce celebrate his birthday in a low key at th orphanage homes and homes of the the el elderly and the less privileged. Adding va value to this year celebration, the pet pr project of Ugwuanyi’s amiable wife, M Monica Ugwuanyi, Ugo’s Touch Mrs of Life Foundation has collaborated w with Dr. Chukwudi Abraham Nneji H Hospital Organisation, Germany to offer on week free medical outreach across the 17 one co council areas in the state. The free medical m mission which commenced on March 16 la lasted between 8am- 4pm daily.

His Excellency, birthday is a new start, a fresh beginning and a time to pursue ne endeavours with new goals. Trudge new on with confidence and confidence, you ar a very special person to your people. are M today and all your days be amazing, May pr prosperous and fulfilling as you sincerely an selflessly serve humanity. True to your and na name Ifeanyichukwu, Nothing Will Pass G in your life.Hurray and many more God re rewarding years ahead, the indefatigable lea leader at 56. r&[FB XSJUFT GSPN *OEFQFOEFODF -BZPVU &O &OVHV

40

FRIDAY MARCH 20, 2020 •T H I S D AY

41

T H I S D AY ˞ Ͱ͎˜ Ͱ͎Ͱ͎

Setting Up Toilet Rolls, Serviettes Production Plant Godwin Uba

who may want to have additional income and as di-investment. You can set up the project at the back of your compound for your children (young school leavers) to manage and fully employed.

This project can be established by anybody. Those that are already into Toilet roll production can comfortably integrate these products into their existing plant.

Location/project location This project can be located in any part of the country (both rural and urban settings). However, it is advisable to set it up where there is electric power supply.

The space requirement is very small.

A spacious three (3) bed room flat can comfortably accommodate the production machines, the administration/sales unit and the packing of the finished goods. It is always better to get a more spacious place to put the raw materials.

L

ooking carefully into the year 2020 budget presented by the federal government, much attention was paid on how to encourage local manufacturers, local industrial developments and agriculture.

Any investor into any of these sectors will benefit from various government incentives. Any type of manufacturing engaged by individual or groups of individuals or corporate organisations will go a long way in contributing towards the growth of the nation’s economy. It will generate employment opportunities and add to GDP. The purpose of this write-up is to educate and encourage potential investors on the commercial viability and profitability of tissue paper/serviettes production.

Most Nigerians consume toilet roll.

Its demand is influenced by population explosion, rapid urbanisation and social awareness. It is generally used for cleaning and sanitary purposes in households, restaurants, hotels, canteens, social gatherings, parties, maternity homes, clinics, hospitals, educational institutions, churches, night clubs, shops, fast food centres and offices.

Research findings indicate that Nigeria alone now needs over 950 million tons of tissue papers per annum. While our total local production output is still less than 150 million tonnes, the supply gap offers a tremendous opportunity for Nigeria investors.

Nigerian investors can now go into this lucrative business using locally made machines. Though there are imported machines as well, our local investors do not need to waste their scarce foreign exchange for the importation.

The writer will assist you in procuring and installing quality machines that stand the test of time at moderate and affordable prices. The attractiveness of this project is that both the raw materials and equipment are locally available and the technology involved is very easy to understand and master. The essential equipment and machinery are: (1) Core making machine (2) Rewinding System (3) Band Saw cutter (4) Embossing Unit (5) Perforating Unit

These equipment are portable, simple to operate and durable. The machines will be procured from highly experienced local producers of such machines. The writer will supply the machines at the sum of N2.5 million for locally made and N7 million for imported machines.

The machinery being introduced here is rugged, reliable and high performing with a capacity of 5,000kg per day. Operating on a single shift for a minimum of 250 days per annum, a total of 1,250,000 MT of tissue paper will be procured and processed into quality tissue products (toilet rolls & serviettes).

Raw materials include jumbo reels, and glue. Packaging materials include printed labels and nylon rolls. All these are 100 per cent available locally. Since the machine will process 1,250,000MT per annum, the total sales revenue is N437.5million from which we deducted our total inputs of N315. 5million thus realizing a gross profit before tax of N122.5million in the first year.

Many Nigerians have burnt their fingers while sourcing local machinery from some inexperienced and dishonest fabricators

who produce machines with very low efficiency. Many investors have been deceived. They also tell big lies about the efficiency, performance, capacity and life span of these machines. To guard against this industrial fraud, prospective investors can contact this writer for free investment advisory services. The issue of availability of raw materials should not disturb anybody because we have so many options to handle it.

On the whole, a toilet roll project is a very good small-scale industry, which can launch a small investor into the world of millionaires within one year.

A three-bedroom flat garage or warehouse may serve, as accommodation while staff strength of eight is required for effective production, marketing and administration. Bigger or smaller plants are also available at competitive prices.

Those to invest Those people that have been working for so long but have not thought of retirement date (which will eventually come), politicians, retired workers, state & local governments, bankers and oil workers,

Raw materials The major raw materials are Jumbo Reels, core paper, Nylon/Polyethylene sheet or well-designed wrappers for packaging. It should be noted that no core paper is required in production of serviettes like in the production of Toilet roll.

A good designing and quality products can be produced to create a difference from what is in the market for now. This will be a market niche to the envisaged products.

The raw materials are all available within the country. You do not need any importation.

For details on preparation of comprehensive & bankable feasibility studies/ report, sourcing & installation of quality & durable machines; Recruitment & Training, Sourcing of Investment funds, Estimated Cost Implications (N’000) Preliminary Expenses 250 Machinery & Equipment 5,000 Working (Variable) 3,500 Accommodation (Rented) (variable) 500 Contingencies 750 Total 10,000 For further enquiries, please contact the writer -Uba can be reached through 08034494437

Groups Identify Culture Rebirth as Tool Guinness Unveils Sustainability Report for National Branding Guinness, a member of the Dia- caters for all consumer needs. corporate governance, but more “Total beverages mean we importantly very passionate about geo family has released its 2019 Stories by Raheem Akingbolu

The leadership of the NigeriaBritain Association (N-BA) and the promoters of Lagos Theatre Festival (LTF), have emphasised the need for Nigeria and Britain to be keen about promoting their culture and heritage to create national brands.

The N-BA President, Mr. Shola Tinubu, who spoke while endorsing LTF at an event organised by his association at the British Council Office, in Lagos, recently, maintained that Nigeria and Britain have a lot of cultural identities that should be guided for generation yet unborn. He explained that the decision to support the festival was in tune with the essence of the association. “We have seen that what the festival is doing as noble, since it has the potential of creating jobs and engaging a lot of our youths, that is why we intend to give the festival our support.

It is like giving back to the society,� he added.

The Executive Director, Lagos Theatre Festival (LTF), Bikiya Graham- Douglas expressed confidence that this year’s

Lagos Theatre Fiesta will showcase organic and authentic performances that can compete with any theatre anywhere globally.

She said the Lagos Theatre club, founded in 2013, by the British Council aims to foster theatre performances by young creative minds in Nigeria but lacked enough theatre space and funding, “So, they came up with a concept and scope of site specific. What that means is that you are adapting to the space as opposed to the traditional theater. That has helped to revive Nigerian theater in the sense that many young performing artists now have a platform to express themselves. “From the first year when it was just four performances and now we are having 120 events. It has really grown overtime�.

She said the event is scheduled to hold at Freedom Park, the Alliance Francaise, the Mike Adenuga Center, and also a play at the British Council Office at Ikoyi, Terra Culture, African Artist Foundation and the national museum Lagos.

In addition, Graham- Douglas said the event would also feature training workshop on topics addresses creativity, fund raising, site specific, young directors training and workshop. “In fact what we are trying to do is develop the industry holistically as opposed to just be a front end but a back end which is very important to the continuity of theatre in Nigeria.

On the assessment like since it started she said: “To be honest, Nigerians are very talented. As executive director in the Lagos Theatre Club, we have seen a tremendous surge of young people taking these opportunities to develop and to express themselves. “So, it can only get better and we are seeing more organic and authentic work that can compete with any theatre anywhere globally. Nigeria is already the leader in Africa.

This platform also serves as a spring board for emerging artist to express themselves.

She said the Lagos theatre is an open access festival and it is for performing artist at different levels in their careers.

sustainable report. The report, which positions the company as organisation that has continued to address customer expectations and respond to market demand, also stated that the Guinness brand has maintained substantial market share.

It points out that the business has significantly contributed to sustainable economic growth by creating jobs, increasing workforce productivity and diversity private investments, improving efficiency and modernisations of organisations Speaking while presenting the sustainability report recently, the Managing Director of Guinness Nigeria, Baker Magunda, said Guinness Nigeria is part of Diageo Plc, the world premium drink manufacturer. “A very significant thing about Guinness Nigeria was that in 1965 Guinness Nigeria joined the Nigerian stock exchange. Many companies have come and go, but Guinness has remained on the stock exchange since that time, and we are very proud of that. “What you must know about Nigeria is that Guinness produces a total alcohol beverage that

produce and sell spirits, we produce and sell beer, and we produce and sell non-alcoholic drinks. What that means is that we cater for all Nigerians. We are the biggest Guinness business outside Britain. “We are here to introduce to you the 19th edition of Guinness Nigeria sustainability report for 2019. What this means is that though we are here to create value and share value with stakeholders and employees, but we also want to positively impact the communities where we source, make and sell our brands.

Magunda, said the continuous growth of Guinness business in Nigeria gives us greater capacity to shine a light on global sustainable issues and foster a positive impact for everyone in it. “We are aware that the sustainability of our society and the global environment, particularly in relation to climate change, water resource concerns, women empowerments and economic development, have a direct relevance to our business,� he said.

In the report, Guinness Nigeria described itself as a trail blazer when it comes to best practice in

consumers, and “this is where we are calling on the media community to help us out here.

Capacity building be it internal and external, we also have an enforcement action build around brand protection so that we do not have counterfeit products out there that will greatly impact on our consumers. “We also have a strategy on diversity and inclusion beyond the fact that 25 per cent of our staff are women. The board also has 30 per cent in leadership, and in addition we also have flexible working policies. A lot of us work from home. “In addition, we also have 26 weeks of maternity leave; and not just the women, when the gentlemen among us are blessed with a child they are also entitled to four weeks of paternity leave fully paid as well,� he added.

Magunda, said Guinness Nigeria Plc’s sustainability strategy was aligned with Diageo’s global strategy and underpinned by three main pillars namely: Leadership in Alcohol in Society, Building Thriving Communities and Reducing our Environmental Impact in the communities where we live and work.

42

T H I S D AY ˞ Ͱ͎˜ 2020

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

ABCON Assures of Dollar Sale at Official Price Obinna Chima The Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) has assured members of the public of continued dollar sale at the official price.

The association stated this in a statement yesterday. It advised members of the public to patronise only CBN-licensed BDCs to purchase dollars at the official price, so as to avoid falling victim of currency hoarders and speculators, who are creating impression of dollar scarcity in the economy.

The association stated that given the sharp drop in demand for dollars, caused by the impact of the coronavirus on global trade and travels as well as continued dollar injection by the CBN, there was no pressure in the foreign exchange market to warrant increase in the exchange rate

above the official rate.

The statement explained: “In recent times, governments across the world, in a bid to stop the spread of the deadly Covid-19 virus, have imposed travel restrictions which has led to sharp decline in the volume of global passenger travel. “Trade is also at its lowest level globally due to widespread shutting down of businesses in most countries especially China which accounts for about 25 percent of Nigeria’s import. “One of the consequences of these developments is general decline in demand for trade and travel related services including foreign exchange. “In recent times ABCON has observed a steady decline in demand for dollars across the various categories of forex end users. Based on this observation and information from BDC

members of ABCON, we can categorically state that demand for dollars is at one of its lowest point in the market.�

Furthermore, the statement pointed out that the CBN has sustained its weekly dollar sale to BDCs at the same level, hence keeping dollar supply constant and eliminating any apprehension of scarcity or rationing of forex.

In view of the above, we believe there is no need for anybody to buy dollars from anyone at exchange rate above the official rate, it stressed.

It pointed out that the CBN sells dollars to BDCs at N357 per dollar while the BDCs are mandated to sell the greenback to members of the public at N360 per dollar for eligible transactions namely: Business Travel Allowance (BTA), Personal Travel Allowance, medicals, mortgage and school fees.

Prudential Zenith Life Insurance Launches Mobile Payment Platform Peter Uzoho Prudential Zenith Life Insurance has launched a payment service which allows mobile phone customers in Nigeria to buy protection policies wherever they are.

Customers who dial *5966# on their mobile phones would be able to purchase a life insurance or hospital cash plan policy in a matter of minutes.

Speaking at the launch of the product in Lagos on Wednesday, the Chairman of Prudential Zenith Life, Mr. Jim Ovia, said “We are pleased to announce this exciting and innovative initiative that will democratise access to insurance for all Nigerians. We are strongly committed to deepening financial inclusion�.

Ovia, said the aim of the mobile insurance platform was

to support the financial inclusion drive of the federal government as well as deepen insurance penetration in Nigeria.

He said through the platform, the insurer would bring a million people into the insurance sector every year, noting that the mobile insurance would become a game-changer in the Nigerian insurance space.

Ovia said so many people have been excluded from financial services because of limited access available to individuals who want to participate and because it is expensive to reach those excluded.

According to him, financial inclusion is the only way to attract millions of Nigerians that had hitherto been excluded.

Ovia added: “We all know what financial inclusion means or what financial exclusion is.

You cannot develop any economy

anywhere in the world without bringing in those who have been excluded from participating in various products and services that will empower them. “Insurance is a very powerful tool to bring people out of poverty. Take for example, if an average guy in the village has his house burnt down, he begs the community people, the villagers, to contribute to help him. “But in many cases they cannot help him enough. How does he recover? Through insurance. “But many of them do not know how to reach out to get insurance cover, and beside, the premium for normal traditional insurance products and services is almost unbelievable. So they won’t be able to have access to that, and it is too expensive for them.

Promasidor Unveils New Product, Supports Local Content Policy Dike Onwuamaeze Promasidor Nigeria Limited (PNL) has commenced a new phase of manufacturing products with high level of local content in terms of their raw materials.

This was made known by the Managing Director of PNL, Mr. Anders Einarsson, when he launched the Sunvita Choco Crunch into the Nigerian cereal food market during the weekend in Lagos. Einarsson said the Sunvita Choco had more than 80 per cent local input.

He said: “At Promasidor we support the government initiative for local content. Our Onga brand has Soya and Cassava flour which are sourced from Nigeria.

Likewise, this new SunVita Choco Crunch has maize and soya which are sourced from Nigeria. We believe in growing the economy of Nigeria, as such we will continue to support every initiative of the Nigeria’s government regarding local content. “We have done a flagship investment in the cereal market.

What distinguishes us in the cereal market is the focus we did on local content. It took us two years to develop the product from a local supply perspective and to

work with our local supplies. In addition, our fantastic research and development team and marketing team have worked very hard to make sure that not only that we have a product that has a phenomenal nutritional portfolio but the product comes with a fantastic local content composition, which we are immensely proud about.�

The managing director, who described the PNL as a proudly Nigerian based organisation that produces products with strong local content, said the organisation was, “fortunate to operate in a market that is large with diversified consumers.

According to him, “the Nigerian consumer deserves a good quality consumer products and that is what we are all about. We were largely dairy products, but over the past six years we are fully become a diversified food business concern. We now have a big portfolio in rich beverage based products.�

He also said Nigerians should expect a lot of exciting things from the PNL going forward. “We are working on a new product with a significantly increased local content agenda. In addition,

there is a lot we are doing for the consumers this year. There are a lot of surprises that are coming in the Choco segment.

We have a lot of initiatives that will target a lot of consumers this year,� Einarsson said.

Speaking in the vein, the Head of Marketing, PNL, Mr. Abiodun Ayodeji, explained that the decision to launch the Sunvita Choco product was based on PNL’s understanding of Nigeria’s consumers needs and the will to give them products that would meet their desires. “The cereal market in Nigeria is quite big. It is around 16,000 tonnes. There is a gap there because there are not so many players there. What we are offering to the consumers is a cereal that is very healthy that has the real chocolate entities that is quite very tasty. This is the right product for mothers that do not want their children to consume products with high sugar content. It has the real taste of cocoa and nutrients that will help kids to grow healthier and smarter,� Ayodeji said.

He assured that the PNL has what it would take to withstand competition from foreign products due to the quality of products it is offering the consumers

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

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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

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OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT WEDNESDAY, 18 MARCH 2020

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $27.31 a barrel on Wednesday, compared with $30.36 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), 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

43

T H I S D AY ˞ Ͱ͎˜ Ͱ͎Ͱ͎

MARKET NEWS

Lawmakers Hail NSE’s Contributions to National Development Goddy Egene The Senate Committee on Capital Markets yesterday hailed efforts by the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) to create a truly sustainable exchange hub for wealth creation and capital formation in Nigeria in particular and Africa in general.

The Chairman of the committee, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who gave the commendation during a visit to the

Exchange in Lagos, said: “We have met a very professionally run exchange during this visit and we encourage you to keep up the good work. The NSE has been a critical player in the development of the Nigerian economy. Your efforts have culminated in moving Nigeria out of a monolithic phase and we thank you for all the good work. On behalf of the Senate Committee, I assure you that we will continue to create that enabling environment that will

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

support you in growing our market and providing Nigerians innovative opportunities to create wealth.�

Speaking at the meeting the Chief Executive Officer, NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema, expressed a positive outlook on the Nigerian economy and the NSE’s commitment to national development despite the current headwinds. “Nigeria remains an attractive investment destination as Africa’s most populous

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

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

country, positioned to be a top 20 economy by 2030 and top 10 by 2050. The exchange is, therefore, committed to engaging stakeholders to set the Nigerian economy on a positive trajectory. To successfully do this, we will continue to advocate for the right economic policies that will ensure that both issuers and investors in our market can reap real value,� Onyema said.

Meanwhile, the stock market

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

returned to the negative zone yesterday after a recovery on Wednesday. The NSE All-Share Index (ASI) fell 2.9 per cent to close at 22,118.90, while market capitalisation shed M350 billion to close at N11.527 trillion.

As a result, the year-to-date decline worsened further to 17.6 per cent. Activity level fell as volume and value traded fell 21.7 per cent and 55.2 per cent to 525.9 million shares andN4.7 billion N4.7 billion respectively.

O F

A total of 22 stocks depreciated compared to 13 that gained.United Capital Plc and Zenith Bank Plc led the price losers with 10 per cent apiece, trailed by Arbico Plc and Fidson Healthcare Plc with 9.8 per cent apiece.

On the positive side, African Prudential Plc led the price gainers, chalking up 9.9 per cent, followed by Jaiz Bank Plc with 9.7 per cent with 9.4 per cent. Livestock Feeds Plc added 9.0 per cent.

1 8 / 0 3 / 2 0 2 0 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

44

˾ FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2020

Friday, March 20, 2020

Thisday Afrinvest 40 Index Shrinks 4.3%

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 INDEX

Yesterday, the Thisday Afrinvest 40 Index shed 425bps to close at 931.48 points following declines recorded in MTNN (-4.8%), GUARANTY (-0.5%), and ZENITH (-10.0%).

Fundamental Performance Metrics for THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 Index

dŚĞƐĞ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĐƵŵƵůĂƟǀĞůLJ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ĨŽƌ ϰϲ͘ϰй ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŝŶĚĞdž͘ Ticker

ĞĂƌŝƐŚ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ^ŝŶŬƐ Market... ASI Down 2.9%

The local bourse returned ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ŶĞŐĂƟǀĞ zone as the

All-Share

22,118.90

Index

points

declined

due

to

2.9%

price

to

deprecia-

ƟŽŶ in MTNN (-4.9%), NESTLE (-3.4%) and ZENITH (10.0%). Consequently, YTD return worsened to ϭϳ͘ϲй

ǁŚŝůĞ

ŵĂƌŬĞƚ

ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝƐĂƟŽŶ

ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ

േϯϱϬ͘ϬďŶ ƚŽ േϭϭ͘ϱƚŶ͘ ĐƟǀŝƚLJ ůĞǀĞů ǁĂŶĞĚ ĂƐ ǀŽůͲ ume and value traded fell 21.7% and 55.2% to ϱϮϱ͘ϵŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ĂŶĚ േϰ͘ϳďŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĂƚ ŽƌĚĞƌ͘ dŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ĂĐƟǀĞ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ďLJ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ǁĞƌĞ ZENITH (118.5m units), WAPIC (100.4m units) and GUARANTY (100.7m units) while GUARANTY ;േϭ͘ϴďŶͿ͕ ZENITH ;േϭ͘ϰďŶͿ

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 1 MTN Nigeria Communications PLC 2 Airtel Africa PLC 3 Guaranty Trust Bank PLC 4 Zenith Bank PLC 5 Nestle Nigeria PLC 6 Dangote Cement PLC 7 Access Bank PLC

-4.25%

-36.5%

-6.9%

99.50

-4.8%

32.4%

-5.2%

-8.7%

298.90

0.0%

18.0%

0.0%

0.0%

our coverage trended southward. The Banking and AFRICT indices led laggards, down 7.7% ĂŶĚ Ϯ͘ϲй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞͲ ly, due to sell pressures in ZENITH (-10.0%), GUARANTY (0.1%) and MTNN (-4.9%). Trailing, the Industrial and Con1.4%

and

while ƚŚĞ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ ŝŶĚĞdž ĐůŽƐĞĚ ŇĂƚ͘

-38.4%

-37.3%

31.6%

5.5%

2.6x

0.8x

15.2%

38.1%

-34.7%

-35.0%

23.8%

3.4%

1.8x

0.4x

22.4%

54.7%

850.00

-3.4%

3.7%

-42.2%

-42.2%

95.4%

25.7%

14.7x

14.8x

8.2%

6.8%

129.00

-3.3%

5.2%

-9.2%

-9.2%

21.6%

11.7%

10.9x

2.5x

12.4%

9.1%

5.70

-5.8%

3.1%

-43.0%

-43.6%

17.8%

1.6%

1.9x

0.3x

11.3%

53.3%

5.00

-6.5%

2.6%

-30.1%

-30.6%

16.2%

1.6%

2.0x

0.3x

19.2%

50.4%

4.00

0.0%

2.2%

-35.0%

-38.5%

10.3%

1.0%

2.8x

0.2x

6.5%

36.0%

30.00

0.0%

1.8%

-49.2%

-49.2%

9.6%

4.2%

14.9x

1.4x

6.7%

6.7%

10.10

-6.5%

2.4%

-34.0%

-26.8%

50.3%

23.4%

10.1x

0.5x

544.50

0.0%

2.6%

-17.2%

-8.0%

14.4%

9.5%

3.5x

0.5x

7.4%

28.8% 24.8%

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ĂƐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ ;ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞͬĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ƌĂƟŽͿ ǁĞĂŬĞŶĞĚ ƚŽ Ϭ͘ϲdž ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ϭ͘ϰdž recorded in the previous trading session as 13 stocks ad-

and

AFRIPRUD CORNERSTONE

(+9.9%), (+9.4%)

JAIZBANK while

(+9.8%) UCAP

(-

10.0%), ZENITH (-10.0%) and ARBICO (-9.8%) led the laggards. We expect the bearish trend to persist given the current global pandemic. However, we note that there ĂƌĞ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƟĞƐ ĨŽƌ ďĂƌŐĂŝŶ ŚƵŶƟŶŐ͘

0.0%

1.8%

-31.1%

-29.4%

27.3%

4.1%

4.0x

1.0x

10.6%

0.0%

1.4%

8.6%

8.6%

3.6%

1.3%

16.6x

0.6x

5.6%

5.50

4.8%

0.7%

-42.1%

-42.1%

-114.4%

-7.5%

4.9x

6.0% -51.1%

4.90

-1.0%

0.9%

-24.6%

-25.2%

13.8%

1.0%

1.6x

0.2x

1.70

-4.5%

0.8%

-17.1%

-15.8%

13.4%

1.5%

1.7x

0.2x

6.5%

58.4%

146.50

0.0%

0.8%

-0.9%

-0.9%

24.1%

10.9%

6.0x

1.3x

5.6%

16.8%

64.4%

55.05

0.0%

0.8%

-1.0%

-1.0%

19.1%

13.5%

9.5x

1.8x

5.4%

10.5%

10.00

1.5%

0.5%

-26.5%

-28.6%

19.6%

11.6%

5.9x

1.2x

11.0%

16.9%

1.0x

12.9%

0.62

-8.8%

0.4%

-37.4%

-42.1%

11.65

0.0%

0.3%

-47.0%

-43.7%

-5.6%

-3.5%

25.20

0.0%

0.4%

-16.1%

-16.1%

4.9%

2.6%

13.1x

0.6x

6.7%

7.6%

1.55

0.6%

0.4%

-16.2%

-14.8%

9.2%

1.1%

1.7x

0.2x

9.0%

57.4%

1.5% -6.4%

1.08

9.1%

0.2%

-45.7%

-43.2%

10.0%

0.9%

2.9x

0.3x

7.20

0.0%

0.3%

-16.3%

-19.1%

-9.6%

-4.1%

2.0x

0.5x

9.4%

49.5% 18.8%

35.1%

5.20

0.0%

0.3%

-13.3%

-13.3%

17.5%

7.0%

5.3x

0.7x

8.7%

40.45

0.0%

0.3%

-14.8%

-14.8%

15.9%

6.4%

10.2x

1.6x

5.5%

7.20

0.0%

0.3%

20.0%

19.0%

8.4%

1.2%

8.7x

0.9x

107.00

0.0%

0.2%

-3.5%

-3.5%

8.8%

2.0%

13.9x

1.3x

2.21

0.0%

0.1%

-44.6%

-44.6%

14.5%

2.6%

1.0x

0.1x

9.8% 11.4%

13.2%

7.2%

0.1%

-34.0%

-34.0%

16.5%

5.8%

11.9x

2.0x

10.6%

8.4%

12.1%

12.1%

26.7%

3.4%

2.8x

0.7x

12.5%

36.1%

34 Wema Bank PLC 35 Ardova PLC

0.48

-2.0%

0.1%

-35.1%

-29.4%

9.0%

0.9%

3.9x

0.3x

6.3%

13.80

0.0%

0.1%

-23.8%

-23.3%

70.00

0.0%

0.1%

30.1%

30.1%

17.1%

11.2%

62.50

0.0%

0.1%

0.0%

0.0%

-12.1%

-3.8%

1.75

2.9%

0.1%

-11.6%

-11.6%

10.3%

2.8%

4.00

0.0%

0.0%

-18.4%

-18.4%

#N/A N/A

T ic k er

105.1%

#N/A N/A

P ric e 3.55

6.4x

7.6x

1.2x

2.1%

-7.0%

0.7x

13.2%

49.4x

1.8%

P ric e C hg %

T ic k er

9.9%

Z EN IT H B A N K

Vo lum e

P ric e C hg %

118.4

-10.0%

0.45

9.8%

WA P IC

102.4

-4.5%

0.58

9.4%

GUA R A N T Y

100.7

-0.5%

ST ER LN B A N K

1.08

9.1%

FB NH

35.2

0.0%

LIVEST OC K

0.60

9.1%

UB A

30.8

-6.5%

A B CTRA NS

0.33

6.5%

F ID ELIT YB K

25.5

-4.5%

4.8%

FCM B

21.5

0.6%

12.9

-8.8%

LA WUN ION

1.00

4.2%

T R A N SC OR P

NP FM CRFB K

1.05

4.0%

A C C ESS

9.0

-5.8%

2.9%

CHA M S

6.5

0.0%

M A N SA R D

1.75

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V a l u e

T o p 10 L o s e r s T ic k er UC A P

P ric e 2.34

T ic k er

Value

-10.0%

GUA R A N T Y

1830.2

-0.5%

Z EN IT H B A N K

1474.9

-10.0%

P ric e C hg %

P ric e C hg %

Z EN IT H B A N K

12.15

-10.0%

A R B IC O

2.85

-9.8%

N EST LE

513.0

-3.4%

F ID SON

2.21

-9.8%

UB A

155.4

-6.5%

P R EST IGE

0.50

-9.1%

FB NH

140.7

0.0%

T R A N SC OR P

0.62

-8.8%

D A N GC EM

139.7

-3.3%

M A YB A KER

1.98

-7.9%

F LOUR M ILL

78.0

0.0%

UB A

5.00

-6.5%

M TNN

71.8

-4.8%

WA P C O

10.10

-6.5%

A C C ESS

51.7

-5.8%

-5.8%

F ID ELIT YB K

42.5

-4.5%

5.70

2.0%

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V o l u m e

C OR N ER ST

5.50

15.7%

1.5x

J A IZ B A N K

IN T B R EW

25.8% -11.0%

0.0%

T o p 10 G a i n e r s

A C C ESS

Afrinvest West Africa Limited

28.25 21.40

0.2%

vanced ƌĞůĂƟǀĞ ƚŽ ϮϮ decliners. The best performers were

9.9%

0.0%

A F R IP R UD

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ tĞĂŬĞŶƐ

10.0%

3.6%

0.0%

dex was the lone gainer, up 1.1% due to price upƟĐŬƐ in CORNERSTONE (+0.1%) and NEM (+0.1%)

22.4%

5.0%

8.55

4.4%) and NESTLE (-3.4%). Conversely, the Insurance in-

depreciated

8.8%

14.0x

22.30

39 AXA Mansard Insurance PLC 40 Transcorp Hotels Plc

indices

0.5x

10.0x

31 Oando PLC 32 NASCON Allied Industries PLC 33 Julius Berger Nigeria PLC

1.0% following losses in WAPCO (-ϲ͘ϱйͿ͕ DANGCEM (-

Goods

3.6x

8.6%

19 Okomu Oil Palm PLC 20 Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC 21 Transnational Corp of Nigeria

36 Continental Reinsurance PLC 37 Beta Glass PLC 38 Notore Chemical Industries Ltd

sumer

Divindend Earnings Yield Yield

5.4%

26 UAC of Nigeria PLC 27 Custodian and Allied Insurance

Sector performance was bearish as 4 ŽĨ ϲ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ƵŶĚĞƌ

4.7%

P/BV

-0.5%

14 Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC 15 International Brew eries PLC

28 Presco PLC 29 Union Bank of Nigeria PLC 30 Total Nigeria PLC

12.9%

P/E

-10.0%

24 FCMB Group Plc 25 Sterling Bank PLC

ĞĂƌŝƐŚ ^ĞĐƚŽƌ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ

ROA

18.30

10 Nigerian Brew eries PLC 11 Lafarge Africa PLC

16 Ecobank Transnational Inc 17 Fidelity Bank PLC 18 11 PLC

ROE

12.15

8 United Bank for Africa PLC 9 FBN Holdings Plc

12 SEPLAT Petroleum Development C 13 Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC

Price Change Index to Date

931.48

22 Unilever Nigeria PLC 23 Guinness Nigeria PLC

and NESTLE ;േϱϭϯ͘ϬŵͿ ůĞĚ ďLJ ǀĂůƵĞ

Price Previous Current Change Price Weightin YTD Change g

Current Price

Brokerage

Asset Management

Investment Research

Ayodeji Ebo | aebo@afrinvest.com

Ola Belgore | obelgore@afrinvest.com

Abiodun Keripe | AKeripe@afrinvest.com

Adedoyin Allen | aallen@afrinvest.com

Oluwarotimi Ashimi | oashimi@afrinvest.com

Adedayo Bakare | abakare@afrinvest.com

45

FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

Prestige Assurance Increases Rights Issue to N6.8billion Goddy Egene Prestige Assurance Plc has increased amount to raise from existing investors to N6.818 billion compared to N6.733 billion earlier planned. The company is to raise the funds through rights issue as

part of plans to meet up with the recapitalisation deadline of December 31, 2020 stipulated by National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) for all insurance operators to meet up with the prescribed minimum capital requirement for the sector.

Prestige Assurance had initially

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

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

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

proposed to raise about N6.733 billion via the issuance of 13,465,377,640 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each to existing shareholders at 50 kobo on the basis of five new ordinary shares for every two ordinary shares already held as at close of business on Friday, January 31, 2020.

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

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

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

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 18Mar-2020, unless otherwise stated.

However, the company has revised the terms of the right issue to 13,635,796,006 ordinary shares of 50 kobo per share to be issued at 50 kobo on the basis of 38 new ordinary shares for every 15 ordinary shares that was held as at the close of business on Friday,

January 31, 2020. This will amount to N6.818 billion.

According to the insurance company, the funds to be raised would position it for better operation and scale through the recapitalisation hurdle. Prestige Assurance Plc has been in existence over 65 years

having been incorporated as a limited liability company on January 6, 1970, and licensed to write all classes of non-life insurance in Nigeria. Prior to its incorporation, it had operated as a branch office of New India Assurance Company Limited Mumbai.

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

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

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

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 118.87 122.49 -18.93% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 6.50% Nigeria International Debt Fund 302.59 302.59 -3.20% 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 0.87 0.87 3.36% ACAP Income Funds 0.76 0.76 34.30% 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 7.07% AIICO Balanced Fund 2.42 2.47 -1.63% 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 5.87% Anchoria Equity Fund 88.26 88.55 -15.48% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.13 1.13 -0.88% 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 13.05 13.45 -14.79% ARM Discovery Fund 314.18 323.66 -9.05% ARM Ethical Fund 25.36 26.13 -12.79% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 6.49% 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 88.62 89.24 -7.77% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 6.06% CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 0.07 0.05 7.08% Paramount Equity Fund 10.20 11.40 -14.49% Women's Investment Fund 106.47 107.48 -3.54% 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 6.36% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 95.96 96.37 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 102.83 103.34 CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 5.03% Coronation Balanced Fund 0.83 0.83 -10.96% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.31 1.31 -1.48% EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 5.46% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 4.98% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,192.56 1,195.69 2.67% 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 1,299.53 1,301.04 0.66% FBN Balanced Fund 133.57 134.55 -9.02% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 6.13% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 108.93 109.89 -8.65% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 109.68 110.64 -8.47% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 104.16 105.39 -19.96% 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 3.71 3.71 1.53% Legacy Equity Fund 0.97 0.98 -14.64% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.09 1.09 0.94% 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 2,853.01 2,883.82 -4.35% Coral Income Fund 3,136.34 3,136.34 14.41% FSDH Treasury Bills Fund 100.00 100.00 6.31% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria Entertainment Fund N/A N/A N/A

GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gdl.com.ng Web: www.gdl.com.ng ; Tel: +234 9055691122 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn GDL Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.07% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.04 2.07 -7.03% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 10.80% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 139.15 139.55 -3.02% 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 1.14 1.16 -2.27% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,125.82 1,125.82 2.48% 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 7.59 7.66 -22.56% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 4.63% 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 1.34 1.36 9.94% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.31 12.33 8.83% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 7.00% PACAM Equity Fund 0.95 0.95 PACAM EuroBond Fund 101.56 103.48 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 107.51 109.41 1.54% 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 2.45% 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 -3.61% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 210.33 210.33 1.44% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.88 0.89 -10.67% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 273.87 273.95 1.76% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 154.92 156.64 -10.24% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.26% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,674.15 7,756.30 -9.94% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.16 1.16 1.25% 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 1.07 1.09 -10.75% United Capital Bond Fund 1.77 1.77 2.21% United Capital Equity Fund 0.59 0.61 -16.28% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 7.22% United Capital Eurobond Fund 113.52 113.52 1.49% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.04 1.04 -4.85% 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 9.24 9.36 -10.03% Zenith Ethical Fund 10.92 11.04 -5.97% Zenith Income Fund 23.22 23.22 4.44% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 3.30%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

3.20 120.66 52.41

-66.85% 1.31% 0.69%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

7.56 77.73 59.80

7.66 79.36 60.91

-13.10% -15.96% -18.89%

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

2.60 3.57 10.49 10.50 167.96

2.64 3.65 10.59 10.70 169.96

-26.55% -39.32% -13.20% 1.03% -10.15%

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.

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FRIDAY MARCH 20, 2020 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY MARCH 20, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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FRIDAY MARCH 20, 2020 •T H I S D AY

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FRIDAY MARCH 20, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

INTERNATIONAL

WHO: Coronavirus May Spread Further in Africa African countries could be hit harder by the new coronavirus when winter arrives later this year, a World Health Organisation (WHO) official warned on Thursday.

Seasonal flu normally hits southern and eastern Africa when temperatures drop, suggesting the rate of coronavirus transmissions would also increase, WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, said.

The coldest months in the region are usually July and August.

But Moeti also cautioned that the coronavirus, which results in the respiratory disease COVID-19, is new and that experts are still trying to understand its behaviour.

For weeks, Africa was largely spared from the pandemic, but more than 600 coronavirus cases have now been reported across 35 of the continent’s 54 countries. There are concerns that weaker national health systems in Africa will be quickly overwhelmed by the outbreak.

Moeti pointed to the risks posed by shortages of hospital equipment and medical specialists, as well as the high rates of HIV, which compromises patients’ immune systems.

US Reports 10,491 COVID-19 Cases, 150 Deaths Approves chloroquine to treat virus

The United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday reported 10,491 cases of coronavirus, an increase of 3,404 cases from its previous count, and said the death toll had risen by 53 to 150.

This is as the country approved anti-malarial drug chloroquine for treatment against the virus.

The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness, COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 4 pm ET on Thursday compared with its report on Wednesday.

Coronavirus cases have been reported in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The CDC figures do not necessarily reflect cases reported by individual states.

Meanwhile, the US has approved anti-malarial drug chloroquine for treatment against coronavirus.

President Donald Trump told reporters on Thursday: “We’re going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately, and that’s where the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has been so great,” Trump told reporters.

“They’ve gone through the approval process – it’s been approved. They took it down from many, many months to immediate. So we’re going to be able to make that drug available by prescription.”

On Thursday, Chad became the latest African nation to report its first case of coronavirus.

The patient is a Moroccan national who travelled to Chad from Cameroun, senior official Kalzeube Deubet said in a statement.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly known and addressed as EMMANUEL JEFFEREY AWUGOSI, now wish to be known and addressed as EMMANUEL SOBECHUKWU AWUGOSI. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS OGADAGA. FAITH UMASHIME, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS SUNNY-IGWE. FAITH UMASHIME. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS NWARO OBIANUJU MAUREEN, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS EZE OBIANUJU MAUREEN. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

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I, formerly known and addressed as MISS AFOLABI SALEWA MOROHUNMUBO, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS EBIESUWA MOROHUNMUBO VICTORIA. All former documents remain valid. The general public please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as AKALUMHE OLUWATUNMISE FAITH, now wish to be known and addressed as AKALUMHE TUMI ONAGIE-OCHI. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

The country closed its airports on Wednesday and instituted health controls at its borders.

The island of Mauritius, a popular tourist destination in the Indian Ocean, also began shutting down on Thursday after recording its first cases.

Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth announced a 15day ban on all arrivals to the island’s airport from Thursday, with cruise ships also banned from docking there.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly known and addressed as VERA AMARACHI NJOKU, wish to be known and addressed as VERA AMARACHI OWEN. All documents remain valid. The general public should please take note I, formerly known and addressed as SHULAMMITE NJOKU, now wish to be known and addressed as SHULAMMITE CHIBUNDO OWEN. All documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

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WORLD OF ISLAM

Edited by: MJO Mustapha Email deji.mustapha@thisdaylive.com

All Islam Ever Wanted was Freedom – 3

Spahic Omer/IslamiCity (Continued from last week)

Why did Muslims fight?

Islam and Muslims also fought simply to ensure that those noble principles are upheld. They did not fight because of the empire-building and colonization impulses – although many chapters of Muslim long history are stained by the deeds of a number of individuals and groups who deviated from the established patterns. By and large, wars were sometimes defensive in nature, and at other times with the intention of removing impediments to freedom, justice and conveyance of truth.

On account of that, in Arabic, “conquest” means “fath”, which means “opening”; that is to say, opening places and territories, together with people’s hearts and minds, to the message of Islam, after which it was entirely up to people if they wanted to follow or reject it. Islamic conquests could additionally be interpreted as acts of ensuring and disseminating freedom, and its protagonists as “freedom-fighters”.

Hence, the conquest or takeover of Makkah, for example, is termed “Fath (Opening of) Makkah”.

Also, the renowned book of a Muslim historian, Ahmad b. Yahya al-Baladhuri, on Muslim conquests is called “Futuh al-Buldan”, which means “Openings (futuh, plural of fath) of Lands (Countries)”.

All Islam and Muslims ever wanted was freedom: freedom for themselves and for others. Islam does its best to remove all the obstacles and veils that may stand in the way. Reason for this is that Islam as the truth revealed by the Absolute Truth (al-Haqq) fears nothing and nobody. It wants to create milieus rooted in justice, transparency and trust, in that they are most conducive to its thriving.

Only against the backdrop of such socio-political and intellectual settings can Islam’s true colors be perfectly displayed, and can others be able to see and appreciate them. By advocating freedom for others, Islam and Muslims, in effect, work for their own benefits. It is a long-term strategy that eventually secures a huge dividend yield.

This approach was epitomized in the Prophet’s sending of letters to the world’s leaders, inviting them to Islam and proposing that they, too, become instruments of these new heavenly-authorized concepts of freedom, life and justice. The gist of a letter to Heraclius the leader of the Romans, for instance, read: “I invite you with the invitation of peace. If you establish peace, then you will find peace and God will double your reward.

If you turn away, you will bear the Arians’ sins (for your perpetuation and facilitation of their misguidance and errors).”

Furthermore, when ‘Uqbah b. Nafi’ - a Muslim general who “conquered” much of the North Africa, including present-day Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Morocco – reached the Atlantic Ocean, he kneeled down, raised his hands towards the Heaven, and said: “O Allah, be my witness that I have taken Your Message up to the end of the land; and if this ocean were not in my way, I would have proceeded to fight the pagans until none would be worshipped except You.” ‘Uqbah b. Nafi’ spoke and reported to Almighty Allah alone, instead of his ego and any of his soldiers, peers, or superiors. He was answerable but to the Divinity.

Towards the same end are the Caliph ‘Umar b. al-Khattab’s words to his governor in Egypt: “What makes you enslave the people, who were born from their mothers in freedom?”

Islam’s famous credo that “there is no compulsion in (acceptance of) religion” (al-Baqarah, 256) is universal. It contains all, not only physical, but also non-physical cultural, psychological and spiritual elements. Just as there should not be compulsion in accepting religion, similarly, there should not be compulsion in not accepting religion either.

Freedom needs to work both ways.

Freedom and Missionaries Muslims are sometimes accused of being extremely intolerant towards missionary activities that target them and their Islam, especially in Muslim-majority countries. However, that charge is completely wrong and unfounded.

Muslims are only against secretive and clandestine proselytizing activities in their midst, whereby certain individuals’ and groups’ weaknesses and vulnerabilities are aimed to be exploited. That is perceived as grossly unfair and opportunistic a course of action. In the process, people’s freedom is being negated, at worst, and manipulated and swayed, at best. And that is the crime Islam and Muslims go all out to prevent from happening.

Inherently, Islam and Muslims are not against

anybody. What is more, they are open to dialogues, interactions and debates with the proponents of any ideology and religion, in any setting and under any conditions where openness and honesty are observed. By the way, that is exactly the core mission and purpose of Islam as the embodiment of truth.

Whoever wants to directly and sincerely share – and debate - his ideas, beliefs and values with Muslims, he is always most welcome. This can be done anywhere, including the most important centers of Islamic spirituality and scholarship.

But the sessions are to be conducted directly and publicly. Let all people have an opportunity to witness and comprehend truth and its antitheses, allowing the spirit of Prophet Musa’s victory over Pharaoh and his magicians to live forever.

Therefore, Islam and Muslims are in no way against missionaries. They are just against their covert strategies and methods. Dealing (openly debating) with missionaries, in point of fact, could be turned into one of the most potent means of da’wah islamiyyah (promoting Islam and inviting people to it). Islam’s and Muslims’ firm position is a reflection of their detestation of darkness, confusion, lack of spiritual freedom, deceit and double-dealing.

In addition, what Islam and Muslims are ready to offer others in their midst, that is exactly what they want and expect from others when in their own midst, no more and no less. For example, today in the West where Muslims are extreme minorities, all that Muslims want is freedom and their basic human rights. They do not want, nor expect, anyone to love them, or accord them some special favors. Freedom will be sufficient, for Islam when it is free it is an unstoppable force (and its adversaries know that, hence all the noise, campaigns, movements, etc., against it).

However, such by no means is the case. The inference can be corroborated by the fact that in many circles in the West, it is stereotyped that Islam is a religion of violence, terrorism and narrow-mindedness, that it is fundamentally antiWest and anti-integration, and that it harbors the ideas of exclusivism and clash of civilizations. In some places, that is part of an official national doctrine.

Those views – which are so flawed that they border on the insane and ridiculous - clearly demonstrate that Islam and Muslims are not as free as they should be, and as purported and publicized. Besides, they are constantly at the receiving end of endless malicious campaigns. A great many aspects of those crusades are attempted to be secretly transported through missionaries to the Muslim lands – and minds – as well, for which reason they and their activities are not welcome.

Missionaries and their clandestine tactics are risk to freedom and, at the same time, its antithesis.

This also proves that the edifice and fortitude of Western civilization thrive on fabrications, deceit and exploitation. Never were truth and morality its forte.

A word on apostasy Finally, apostasy is also loathed and severely dealt with in Islam because it represents exploitation and ill-treatment of freedom.

There is no apostasy per se, as no true Muslims will ever apostatize or renounce their Islamic faith.

This assessment has been nicely encapsulated in the words of Heraclius, who said to Abu Sufyan b. Harb that nobody who embraced Islam became displeased and discarded it because “this is (the sign of) true faith, when its delight enters the hearts and mixes with them completely” (Sahih al-Bukhari).

What is called today apostasy, by and large, is all about ignorance, negligence and vested interests, coupled with fraudulence and outright exploitation.

At the personal level, an apostate is held accountable for failing to take advantage of Islam’s and his own freedom, and to establish that Islam is the absolute truth and to embrace it as such.

This is when apostates are original Muslims - in which case the societies and their institutions are also to be blamed for breeding causes and so, allowing such things to happen. Sometimes, admittedly, apostates are the victims of a higher and institutionalized dereliction and confusion.

When apostates are former converts, they are to be held accountable twice as much. Reason is that they misused their freedom of belief and choice twice: firstly when they ostensibly became Muslims, and secondly, when they left Islam’s fold. Needless to say that freedom is a trust from Allah upon man. Hence, he must take it very seriously and responsibly. His destiny in both worlds depends on it.

50

FRIDAY, ÍşÍ¸Ëœ ͺ͸ͺ͸ Ëž T H I S D AY

NEWS

NEC: Discos Owe Market N230bn, Shortchanges Power Sector by N164bn Govs to join forces with FG to fight COVID-19 Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja The National Economic Council (NEC) yesterday in Abuja accused the electricity distribution companies (Discos) of owing N230 billion and shortchanging the power sector to the tune of N164 billion.

The council, which puts the figure at 67 per cent between 2015 and 2018, said the Discos' actions were in breach of their Performance Agreement Target.

The disclosures were parts of the findings of the NEC Committee on Ownership Review and Analysis of Discos and Electricity Sector Reform, which submitted its report to the council yesterday.

Briefing newsmen after the meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Nasarawa State Governor, Mr. Abdullahi

Sule, said the committee upon the review of National Council on Privatisation (NCP) and National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) documentation, found that states’ average shareholding in Discos is 27.3 per cent based on the level of a state government’s investment prior to privatisation.

He also highlighted the misdemeanours of Discos and why they have been inefficient since the privatisation of the power sector.

He said: “Between 20152018 Discos under invested relative to their Performance Agreement Target by N164 billion (67 per cent) and benefitted from investments

by NDPHC/REA in their networks to the tune of N147 billion. “Board composition across

Discos are disproportionately skewed towards private investors, while states and local government areas have no representation “While on reform revitalisation, the presentation stated that the EPSRA established a good framework for driving the reform, through a multi-stage competitive approach, the establishment of an independent regulator, and mechanism to protect the poor. “The sector has underperformed due to critical challenges which include non-implementation of cost relative tariffs, misalignment between the investors and Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) on required investment in Discos, underinvestment in infrastructure and poor implementation of rules/

contracts. “Urgent measures needed to turn the sector around include: recapitalisation of Discos, firm implementation of industry rules/contracts and the insistence on sound governance principles that improve performance."

Sule also said the committee's report showed that Discos were indebted to the tune of N230 billion because of inefficient collection and under remittance to the market.

According to him, Discos’ N230 billion indebtedness to the electricity market includes 48 billion of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) indebtedness to Discos, adding that Discos' indebtedness was driven by collection shortfall and low remittance.

He also said the committee recommended the return to orderly evolution under market rules that make the contract effective between Gencos/ IPPS, TCN, Discos and gas suppliers, backed by payment and performance guarantees.

He added that the committee recommended the recapitalisation of Discos by shareholders - states, the federal government and core investors - and encouraging generating companies (Gencos) to bring in capital and management expertise.

"Another recommendation was to Implement and expand existing infrastructure finance support programmes to augment distribution, transmission infrastructure and rural/ off-grid programmes (TCN- $1.6bn; Siemens-TBD; World Bank DISREP-$1bn;

REA/ NEP-$550m).�

Govs to Join Forces with FG to Fight COVID-19 In his own briefing, the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, said NEC would collaborate with the Ministry of Health and the agency in the fight against COVID-19.

Ihekweazu said he briefed the council along with the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, and the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora, on update on Covid-19.

He said the governors of the 36 states agreed to ally with the federal government to fight the pandemic.

Law School Suspends Academic Activities Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nigerian Law School yesterday said it would suspend academic activities from Monday, March 23, 2020 for four weeks.

A statement signed by the

Secretary to the Council and Director of Administration, Mrs. Max-Uba E O, said the directive became necessary in order to forestall any outbreak in the school.

Max-Uba added that the directive would affect both

regular students and re-sit candidates, advising that regular students to look for externship placement from April 10, 2020.

She noted that an amended re-sit programme would be announced in due course.

The director advised students to vacate their hostels latest Wednesday, March 25, 2020.

The statement read: “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to take proactive steps, the Nigerian Law

School will suspend academic activities with effect from Monday, March 23, 2020 for a period of four weeks. “This affects both the regular students as well as the resit candidates. Regular students are to look out

for placement from April 10, 2020. An amended re-sit programme will be announced in due course. “Consequently, students are expected to vacate the hostels latest Wednesday, March 25, 2020.�

and deputy governor of the state respectively.

The commission also said it received notice of vacancies for the Imo North Senatorial District following the death of Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu and for Plateau South Senatorial District following the death of Senator Longjan Datong.

"Given the health emergency occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic and the preventive measures put in place by the health authorities, federal and state governments, the commission has decided to postpone the four senatorial bye-elections until the situation normalizes.

"This is in line with Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) which empowers the commission to postpone any election in the event of any emergency or natural disaster," it said.

The WHO said: "There are now 633 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa in 33 countries and 17 deaths. In the past 24 hours, The Gambia, Mauritius and Zambia have announced first cases. @WHO is supporting countries with surveillance, diagnostics & treatment."

South Africa has become the continent’s new focus of concern as cases nearly doubled to 116 from two days before.

Although the pandemic is in its early days on the continent, health experts have warned that even facilities in Africa could be overwhelmed by the virus’ spread. “I think Africa should wake up. My continent should wake up,� Ghebreyesus cautioned No African country has so far instituted a total lockdown of their country despite the recent developments

DON’T PANIC, WE CAN OVERCOME COVID-19, BUHARI TELLS NIGERIANS was a Nigerian, who had contact with the Italian and was isolated in Ogun State.

He has since been discharged after testing negative.

The state government added that it has now commenced contact tracing for 1, 300 persons who have had contact with the new cases and the previously announced six.

Abayomi told reporters yesterday in Lagos that 19 people were tested for COVID-19 on Wednesday and that four of them had tested positive to the virus and had been isolated for treatment.

He said: "The first of the four new cases who tested positive to the disease was a woman who had contact with the female patient who came from United Kingdom some days ago.

"The second new case is a female who returned from France on March 14 on a Turkish airline, TK 1830.

"The third case is a Nigerian male in his 50s who had not travelled anywhere, but was tested positive to the disease."

Abayomi stated that the fourth new case was a Nigerian male who arrived the country on March 13 from Frankfurt to Lagos on Lufthansa airline, flight number LH568.

The commissioner, however, said more tests were still being carried out, adding that it is clear that there is combination of imported cases and local transmission.

"The executive of Lagos State is meeting on the next stage on social distancing. The best way to slow the rate is to halt the movement of the virus from person to person,"

he said.

He appealed to people on the two flights to self-isolate themselves and to reach the government.

"Currently, we are following over 1,300 people right now to find information about the state of their health and the number is increasing," he added.

Aisha Buhari Locks OfďŹ ce First Lady has shut down her office for two weeks after some of her workers returned from a trip to the United Kingdom.

She also said her daughter, who returned from the United Kingdom is in self-isolation.

Aisha, who tweeted the developments through her personal handle, @ aishambuhari, said she acted based on the advice of the Minister of Health and the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.

She confirmed that her daughter is in self-isolation not because she is showing symptoms of COVID-19 but rather in compliance with the advice of the Ministry of Health and NCDC. The first lady also said the decision to put her daughter, whose name was not revealed, in isolation had become imperative, because the UK is one of the countries with prevalent spread of the disease.

She advised all parents to encourage their returning children to also undertake similar action.

She advised Nigerians to embrace the principle of hygiene and to always use sanitiser, praying that the disease would be overcome.

Senate Suspends Public Hearings, Shuts Public Gallery The Senate also took steps yesterday to prevent the spread of the virus by suspending public hearings and shutting down the public gallery.

Senators were, however, divided over whether the upper legislative chamber should be shut down with the recent return of 12 of them from the UK. The senators, who are members of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream), led by the Chairman, Senator Albert Bassey, returned from an international oil seminar in London last weekend.

Disturbed by the effect of the continued presence of the 12 senators at the National Assembly, the Senate yesterday went into an executive session that lasted for about two hours.

Sources told THISDAY that there was a heated argument among the senators with some asking the leadership to shut down the Senate as a result of the possible spread of the epidemic with the return of the affected senators who had continued to mingle with their colleagues since they returned last Saturday.

Other senators were said to have canvassed for the restriction of visitors’ movements around the Senate.

THISDAY learnt that it took the intervention of the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, for the arguments of the two parties not to degenerate as Lawan was said to have appealed to the two groups to allow

peace to reign.

Eventually, he was said to have advised the returnee senators to isolate themselves and report to the authorities for necessary medical checks for the pandemic.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Godiya Akwashiki, confirmed the story as he told newsmen after yesterday's plenary that Lawan advised the 12 senators to go for medical screening.

The Senate gallery will also be closed to the public till further notice, including excursions from schools and organisations from Tuesday.

INEC Postpones Senatorial Elections in Bayelsa, Imo, Plateau Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday postponed senatorial by-elections in Bayelsa, Plateau and Imo states due to the pandemic In a statement signed by INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Voter Education and Publicity, Mr. Festus Okoye, the commission said that the by-elections would have taken place in the Bayelsa Central and Bayelsa West Senatorial Districts, Plateau South Senatorial District as well as in Imo North Senatorial District where vacancies occurred.

According to INEC, the vacancies occurred in the Bayelsa Central and Bayelsa West Senatorial Districts following the swearing into office of Senator Douye Diri and Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo as governor

WHO Warns Nigeria, US Approves others of Worst Case Chloroquine for Scenario Treatment of Meanwhile, WHO has warned Patients Nigeria and other African countries to prepare for the worst-case scenario as COVID-19 continues to spread across the continent.

Figures show there is a growing number of cases of the virus in Africa with 633 persons said to be infected while 17 deaths have been recorded so far in 34 African nations.

The Director-General, WHO, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, in his daily press briefing, said Africa must 'wake up', adding that in other countries, the health body has seen how the virus accelerates after a certain tipping point.

However, the United States yesterday approved the use of an anti-malarial drug, chloroquine, to treat COVID-19.

President Donald Trump, while addressing reporters, yesterday, said: “We’re going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately, and that’s where the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has been so great. “They have gone through the approval process. It is been approved. They took it down from many, many months to immediate. So we’re going to be able to make that drug available by prescription.�

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Ishaku: Why I Stayed away from Taraba for 87 Days Bans handshakes Wole Ayodele in Jalingo The Governor of Taraba State, Mr. Darius Ishaku yesterday returned to Jalingo, the state capital, after spending 87 days outside the state.

The governor has also urged the residents of the state to stop handshakes and unnecessary movement in order to check the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

The governor disclosed he had fallen and broken his legs but he has healed tremendously.

He however said he has not recovered fully.

He reportedly left Jalingo – the state capital on December 22, 2019 and moved the machinery of government to Abuja FCT where he steered Taraba.

Ishaku told reporters on arrival that he had been complying with medical advice, which prolonged his stay in

Abuja.

He refuted claims that governance in the state suffered setback during the period of his absence.

“I had an accident in the house. I fell off from a staircase and broke my legs.

“But I did not know, so I had to go for surgery. Then, I came back to recover from the injuries.

“And there were speculations: some said I am dead; some said I am crippled; some said I am vegetable.

“You are seeing me talking today, not that I have recovered fully but my doctor said I can travel today. That is why I have returned.”

The governor expressed gratitude to his deputy, Haruna Manu, for “holding the forte well” for him during his absence.

He thanked the state House of

Assembly, under the leadership of Speaker, Hon. Joseph Albasu Kunini, for passing “a vote of confidence” on him when the opposition asked the lawmakers to impeach him for allegedly paralysing governance in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that he also thanked the judiciary and security agencies, saying they did well during his absence.

Responding on allegations that his absence had paralysed governance in Taraba, Ishaku said: “It is not true that nothing was working during my absence.

“I was getting reports everyday about what was going on in the State, and everything was working correctly, in spite of my absence.

“I want all Nigerians to note that we are all humans -that I

am a governor does not make me super-human.

“I made a mistake of running upstairs in my house around 8p.m. Then they took the light.

I fell and rolled down and that created crisis for me, which I never anticipated.

“Now, all of us are like that.

An accident can happen to anybody at anytime, anywhere.

So, when you glorify it and start singing music about it,

it doesn’t help you.

“I want to assure the people of Taraba State that I am healing very well and nothing will stop moving in the state. The Rescue Agenda is ongoing,” Ishaku said.

Meanwhile, Ishaku has urged residents of the state to stop handshakes and unnecessary movement in order to check the spread of Covid 19 in the state.

Suspected Herdsmen Kidnap, Kill Rivers PDP Guber Aspirant Armed herdsmen have kidnapped and murdered a 2019 governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Mr. Soala West.

It was learnt that West, who hails from Abonema, Akuku Toru Local Government Area of the state, was abducted at his poultry farm at Aluu, behind OPM in Port Harcourt on March 12 but was reportedly found dead on Wednesday evening.

Further findings and pictorial evidence showed that West was brutally killed by the armed herdsmen days before his corpse was discovered at a bush along Eleka pipeline, Port Harcourt.

The decomposing remains of West were said to have a bullet wound and matchete cuts.

The family of the deceased, who until his death was a popularly lawyer and promoter

of small businesses in Port Harcourt, was thrown into confusion and mourning.

Emmanuel, the elder brother of the deceased, said his brother was rounded up by the herdsmen, at Aluu where he went to inspect his poultry project.

Emmanuel said the victim was at the site to pay his workers when the herdsmen, who were armed with Ak-47 rifles, seized him and led him into the bush.

He said the bandits first demanded N30milion but brought it down to N2.5million before it was discovered that they had already killed the victim.

“This is shocking to us. We don’t know why they should kill our brother this way. Our entire family has been thrown into mourning. We just hope that the police will arrest all those involved in the killing of our brother,” he said

Adamawa Govt May Shut down Schools Daji Sani inYola The Adamawa State Government has refuted the rumour of a possible outbreak of COVID- 19 in the state.

The Adamawa State Commissioner of Health, Professor Abdullahi Isah, told journalists yesterday that such rumour was deliberately meant to cause unnecessary tension in the state.

Isah traced the rumour to unsubstantiated story involving two school children that developed fever while in school.

He added that the state government might temporarily shut down schools as part of the measures to contain the spread of the virus in the state.

Isah said: “There is no case of

coronavirus anywhere in the state.

The rumour was spread when two children in a private school were detected to have high fever.

“But clinical examination proved that they were not carriers of the virus. We have consulted with their parents and all stakeholders and found out that the speculation was nothing but mere rumour.”

He also disclosed that the state government would be adopting critical measures to contain any eventuality as a result of the development.

“I spoke with his Excellency some minutes ago and he told me that schools may soon be closed down like in other states as a measure to contain the deadly virus,” he said.

FEAR OF COVID-19...

Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (left), and Governor of Rivers Satate, Mr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, during the visit of the minister to the governor in Port Harcourt...recently

FCTA Threatens to Sack Striking Resident Doctors Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has issued a 24- hour ultimatum to the striking resident doctors in the FCT to resume work or they should consider themselves as having exited the FCT Administration. The ultimatum takes effect from Friday (today).

The FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu issued

the warning yesterday when she addressed the media on the disputes between the administration and the resident doctors.

Aliyu disclosed that an emergency meeting of top management officials of the FCTA was held yesterday afternoon after which it was agreed that all necessary measures would be put in place to ensure the FCT residents do

not suffer as a result of the strike action by the resident doctors.

She expressed dismay with the strike embarked by the Association of Resident Doctors, FCT Chapter over irregularities in their salaries for the months of January and February.

Aliyu attributed the salary delay to the migration from the old payroll system to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS)

platform. She noted the problem with salaries was not peculiar to the resident doctors alone, but cut across all cadres of staff in the FCTA. She lamented that despite all entreaties and efforts made by the FCT Minister of State and the Accountant General of the Federation for the strike to be called off, the doctors blatantly rejected the rapprochement and refused to resume work.

MAN Kicks against New Tariffs, Bill Seeking to Ban Generators Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has said it is opposed to the bill seeking to ban the importation of electricity generators into the country.

This is as the body also stated its opposition to new tariff of electricity under consideration by the Nigerian Electricity Regulation Commission (NERC).

The President of MAN, Mr. Mansur Ahmed, stated the position of the manufacturers while briefing journalists in Port Harcourt at the end of the 303rd National Council meeting of the association.

He the association would ordinarily support a ban on the importation of goods that could be produced locally, especially if the ban would be carried out in such a way that it would not

ground the economy.

He noted that the nation’s production of electricity or generators was grossly inadequate to run the economy.

“To ban importation when you cannot produce enough electricity or generators will be to kill the economy,” he said.

While calling on the Senate not to pass the bill, Ahmed however challenged manufacturers in the power

sector to note the nation’s deficiency in that sector and work towards self-sufficiency in power production.

On plans to increase electricity tariff, Ahmed said, “MAN noted Disco’s inefficiencies as a major lacuna in the power sector and hereby declares total opposition to the new tariffs of electricity under consideration by the Nigerian Electricity Regulation Commission (NERC).”

Secondus: Nigeria Sliding into Insolvency, Failed State Chuks Okocha in Abuja National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday berated the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC), asking the president to sit up and solve the multifaceted problems plaguing the country as Nigeria may soon slide into insolvency and become a failed

state.

The PDP national chairman also said Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gunpowder and a time bomb that could explode any moment.

Also, Secondus called on President Buhari to go a step forward as it did in the reduction of the price of petrol, and reduce the current rate of the Valued Added Tax (VAT) of 7.5 percent to the former rate of five percent.

Addressing a world press conference at the party national secretariat tagged: ‘Time to Act is now’, Secondus said: “The facts are indisputable that President Buhari-led APC administration has woefully failed the people of Nigeria. This is a general consensus across this great country. No segment of our nationhood is in good shape as we speak.”

According to him, “The

economy is in a dire state as the country heads toward insolvency, occasioned by huge unserviceable debts and the crash of oil price,” adding that Nigerians continues to live in fear as its security situation worsens and remains unabated.

Secondus explained that “PDP is trying to underscore a loud point that this country is seating on a time bomb, and we must not allow it to explode.

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COVID-19: Air Peace Downsizes Flight Operations NCAA takes steps to protect workforce Chinedu Eze Nigeria’s leading carrier, Air Peace, has announced it would suspend its flights to Sharjah (Dubai) and some destinations in the West Coast, and streamline services on domestic routes in response to the adverse effects of the pandemic, Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).

The airline company said it took the crucial decision after an emergency meeting with its top management staff to review its operations in the face of the disease, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) has already declared as pandemic.

The management also announced several measures aimed at addressing the adverse effects occasioned by the virus.

The Chief Operating Officer

(CEO) of Air Peace, Mrs. Toyin Olajide, after the emergency meeting, said the airline took the decision to cut down its flight operations following a tremendous decline in passenger traffic and the need to cut costs.

According to her, “Air Peace, as a result of the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on passenger traffic, has today (yesterday) taken the hard decision to downsize our flight operations in order to cut the mounting costs occasioned by the pandemic.”

She remarked that as a result of the development, the airline would be suspending its operations to Dakar, Senegal, and Monrovia in Liberia as well as cutting down its Freetown, Sierra Leone, operations and Banjul in The Gambia operations

to one flight a week.

She disclosed that the airline would also reduce its operations to Accra from Lagos to just two flights daily and suspends its Abuja to Accra operations.

“On the domestic scene, we are reducing our frequencies while at the same time,

restructuring our operations by deploying our hoppers to more airports.

“Our international operations into Dubai through Sharjah International Airport shall be suspended from next week as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has shut its airports to nationals

from other countries, including but not limited to Nigeria,” she added.

Meanwhile, following the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has taken steps to protect its workforce from its scourge.

According to a statement signed by its spokesman, the Authority has issued detailed guidelines for officers of the agency who have recently travelled abroad to self-isolate for 14 days among other measures upon their return to Nigeria.

Ekiti Assembly Wants Schools, Public Institutions Shut Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti Following the single case of COVID-19 in Ekiti State, the state House of Assembly has moved a motion urging the state Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, to close all schools and other public institutions in the state to prevent the spread of the pandemic. It also announced the suspension of legislative activities indefinitely as parts of measure to contain the spread of the dreadly virus.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mojisola YayaKolade, had last Wednesday confirmed that a victim had been discovered in the state and had been quarantined at the isolation centre.

The decision to restrict visitors’ movement to the Assembly complex was also taken at yesterday plenary presided over by the Speaker, Hon. Funminiyi

Afuye.

The Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Health, Hon. Teju Okuyiga, under matter of urgent public importance, informed the Assembly of one case of COVID-19 found in the state.

Okuyiga then called for precautionary measures to contain further spread of the diseases.

Other members who spoke on the matter were Hon. Yemisi Ayokunle, Hon. Gboyega Aribisogan and Hon. Abiodun Fawekun. They suggested that aside the Assembly’s complex, public places like schools should be shut down, at least for now.

Acceding to the request, the Speaker said: “Activities at the Ekiti State House of Assembly is hereby suspended as suggested by members until further notice when the tension about the dread coronavirus is doused.”

Suspected Case in Katsina Tests Negative Francis Sardauna in Katsina The Katsina State Government has said the person suspected to have been infected with Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in the state has tested negative after laboratory examination.

The state Commissioner for Health, Nuhu Yakubu Danja, who disclosed this while briefing journalists yesterday, said they had put in place precautionary measures to keep citizens from being infected with the deadly virus.

The ministry had on March 18, 2020, confirmed that the state has recorded its first suspected case of COVID-19 in Dutsin-Ma Local Government Area of the state.

Danja urged residents of the state to go about their legitimate business; stop spreading unverified information through the social media, and maintain high level of personal hygiene.

According to the commissioner, “We Recall that on Wednesday, a press conference was held by the officials of the ministry where we briefed you that there was a suspected case of COVID-19 in the state and informed you that we are waiting for the result.

“I am pleased to inform you that the result is out and it is negative! Therefore, Katsina State has no case of COVID-19. I like to call on the good people of state to keep calm and remain informed on updates about the virus.

“Residents should maintain high levels of personal and environmental hygiene such as frequent hand washing, use of alcohol based sanitizers, practice cough etiquette, avoid mass social gathering except where necessary, visit the nearest health facility and give all necessary information including travel history when you are unwell.

COVID-19 SCARE...

Manhattan, the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City, deserted due to COVID-19 pandemic...yesterday

Muslim Group Shuts down Mosques Nationwide Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The National Secretariat of the Ansar ud Deen Society of Nigeria has suspended activities at its mosques nationwide with immediate effect due to health concerns caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 in Nigeria.

A statement issued yesterday by the group National Publicity Secretary, Muhammed Sola

Hassan, said all weekly Asalatu, Jum’ah prayers and any gathering of up to 50 people has been put on hold.

According to the statement, “The National Executive Council, the Trustees and the National Council of Missioners, with heavy hearts and a deep sense of responsibility, hereby announce the suspension of all mosque activities particularly the weekly

Asalatu, Jum’ah prayers and any gathering of up to 50 people.”

The statement titled: ‘Suspension of Mosque activities due to Coronavirus (COVID-19)’, said the suspension of activities shall take immediate effect until further notice.

Ansar ud deen Society said: “The decision was informed by the menacing spread of the novel virus codenamed COVID-19 and

Fatwa by world Islamic bodies taking cognisance of the Islamic principles of preservation of life, prevention of harm, and proactive response to impending danger.”

The society said it shall abide by the government recommendations, and would update members and mosque users of any change in the suspension of activities.

No Confirmed Case in Oyo, Says Commissioner The Oyo State government yesterday allayed the fears of residents of the state on the COVID-19 pandemic, declaring that there is no confirmed case of the disease in the state yet.

The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bashir Bello, who made the disclosure at a press conference held at the Agodi Secretariat, maintained that following the confirmed cases

of the virus in neighbouring states, all facilities in the state are on high alert and that resources have been deployed to facilities in case of unforeseen circumstances.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Makinde, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted the commissioner as urging residents of the state not to panic over the recent

confirmed case of a victim in Ekiti State, who was said to have transited from Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

He stated that contact-tracing has already begun, adding that the surveillance system has already been set up in the state.

He maintained that the individual who was said to have transited through Ibadan did not actually stay in a hotel but

at a private residence, which has already been identified by the surveillance officers of the Ministry of Health.

The Commissioner said: “I am here today to further address the unfortunate incidence of the confirmation of cases of Corona Virus in Nigeria. The Oyo State Ministry of Health has continued to follow the unravelling of the outbreak.

NLC Urges FG to Safeguard Jobs, Workers’s Welfare Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday moved to rally workers in the country to brace up for the challenges posed by the fast spreading COVID-19.

As part of measures to cushion the economic impact of the

outbreak, NLC asked the federal government to implement policies that will help businesses and to prevail on employers of labour not to use the situation to renege in payment of salaries of their workers.

In order to help contain the spread of the virus, the labour

movement urged workers to adopt safe practices, including avoiding shaking of hands, crowded places and to observe good personal hygiene.

Addressing a press conference yesterday afternoon, NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba said that workers are encouraged

to key into the hygiene practices as recommended by the global health body, the World Health Organisation (WHO).

On the economic front, NLC said that federal government should put forward policies that would mitigate the impact of the virus on businesses.

Five Family Members Quarantined in Nasarawa Five family members have been quarantined in Nasarawa State over symptoms of COVID-19.

Speaking with Channels TV yesterday, the Chief Medical Director of Federal Medical Centre (FMC) at Keffi LGA of the state, Dr. Adamu Yahaya,

said the family members arrived the local government from Ogun State.

He said they showed symptoms of the virus, which led to the quarantine.

Yahaya said the specimens of the five persons have been

taken and sent to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) laboratory in Abuja for test.

The Cable quoted him as saying that the family members will remain at the hospital’s isolation centre till the test

results arrive.

“We saw them based on our high level of alertness and suspicion. We have already quarantined them at our isolation centre. We have taken sample today so we are waiting for results,” he said.

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Appeal Court Nullifies Judgment Removing Ifeanyi Ubah as Senator Alex Enumah in Abuja The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division yesterday nullified the judgment of an Abuja High Court removing Senator Ifeanyi Ubah from the National Assembly for being a nullity.

A three-man panel of justices of the appellate court held that the judgment delivered by Justice Bello Kawu of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was a nullity because the suit was unlawfully instituted because it did not comply with any known law.

Ubah, the candidate of the

Young Progressive Party (YPP) in the February 23 senatorial elections had in January this year approached the Court of Appeal to upturn the judgment of Justice Kawu, which ordered his removal from the Senate over alleged act of forgery.

Delivering judgment in the appeal, the court held that its findings revealed that the originating summons were not signed by counsel to the plaintiffs.

Ubah had in a motion filed on March 6, 2020 by his lead lawyer, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), urged the court to

hold that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to have heard the matter in the first place because the originating summon was incompetent, having not been signed by the lawyer who instituted the legal action.

In its ruling, the appellate court agreed that the failure to sign the originating summons was fatal to the case, as well as the judgment, which arose from it.

According to Justice Adah, for the process to command legitimacy, it must be duly signed, adding that the rule of lower court makes signing

mandatory.

“An incompetent originating process cannot activate the jurisdiction of the court.

Therefore in the instant case the court processes are defective and incurably bad. The law is clear and unambiguous that it is mandatory that originating process must be signed; this is fundamental that validity of originating summon must not be in dispute. Any originating summon not signed by a counsel who issued it out is worthless and incompetent”, he said.

Also delivering judgment in the main appeal, Justice Adah held that the judgment and the entire process being incompetent cannot be affected by Section 285, which makes a case invalid if not filed within 14 days.

The Court of Appeal also held that there was no evidence that Senator Ubah was given fair hearing before judgment was entered against him at the lower court.

Justice Adah also held that the lower court in the first instance ought not to have heard the case since the cause

of litigation arose outside its jurisdiction.

Justice Stephen Adah, who read the unanimous decision of the appellate court, consequently set aside the judgment of the lower court.

Justice Adah also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Assembly from taking any steps or giving effect to the judgment of the lower court.

The Court also awarded cost of N250,000 against the 1st and fourth respondent in the case.

Court Affirms Election of Kwara PDP House Member

House Investigates Concentration of Tank Farms in Residential Areas of Lagos

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Udora Orizu in Abuja

The Federal High Court in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, yesterday affirmed the election of a Peoples Demands Party (PDP) lawmaker representing Ilorin South constituency in the state House of Assembly, Hon. Jimoh Abdulraheem Agboola, as duly elected during the last year general election.

The court, therefore, struck out a suit filed before it by the All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker, Hon.

Abdulazeez Oluwanilo, and his party, challenging the recognition and swearing-in of Agboola as the duly elected member representing Ilorin South state constituency in the Assembly.

The Court of Appeal in Ilorin had last year November nullified the election of Oluwanilo, an APC lawmaker, as the member representing Ilorin South at the state House of Assembly and declared Agboola of the PDP the winner of the election.

Besides, the court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a fresh certificate of return to the PDP candidate and INEC had obliged.

However, upon getting the certificate of return from INEC in Abuja, Agboola moved to present it to the Speaker of the Assembly, Hon. Yakubu Danladi, for recognition and swearing-in, but was denied such recognition since last year till this moment.

The House of Representatives has set up an Ad-hoc Committee to investigate the concentration of tank farms in the residential areas of Ijegun, Satellite Town, Kirikiri and Old Ojo Road in Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency of Lagos State.

The committee would reach a consensus on how to settle the issue to the satisfaction of the affected communities.

This resolution was sequel

to the adoption of a motion titled the “Need to Relocate Tank Farms in Residential Areas of Ijegun, Satellite Town, Kirikiri and Old Ojo Road of Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency, Lagos State,” that was sponsored by Hon. Oghene Emma Egoh.

Egoh said the location of more than 50 oil tank farms in Amuwo Odofin has caused oil tankers to occupy all sides of Old Ojo Road and practically every street in Ijegun, Kirikiri and

Satellite Town.

He said the House has been aware of the difficulty in moving in those areas as tank farms blocked access in the residential areas, thereby causing avoidable delays and posing serious harm to the people.

The lawmaker warned that thousands of people would be killed and many properties destroyed if any of the tank farms should explode in those residential areas.

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NEWSXTRA

Temperature Test for COVID-19 Inadequate, Doctors Warn Kuni Tyessi in Abuja In the face of the ravaging coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic across the globe,

and with eight confirmed cases in Nigeria, the Guild of Medical Directors has called for more vigilance especially at the country’s airports.

NECA Calls for Total Removal of Subsidy Dike Onwuamaeze The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has called on the federal government to totally eradicate the subsidy regime in whatever form on petroleum products as well as the economy in general.

NECA made the call as it commended the federal government on the recent reduction in the price petrol, which it described as a welcomed development.

Speaking in Abuja yesterday, the Director-General of NECA, Dr. Timothy Olawale, said: “Government should address the issue of subsidy and ensure its total eradication. Energy consumption subsidy is any policy by the government

aimed at reducing the price of energy consumed by citizens relative to what the price would have been in the absence of such policy.

“The regulated price arguably will reduce the consumer price index (CPI) and make it easy to regulate the level of inflation. But subsidy often leads to increased demand for petrol due to over use and waste arising from reduced price of the product, creating unnecessary shortage of supply.”

Olawale advised the government “to allow the international price of crude oil to determine the prices of petrol in Nigeria. Also, the template should be flexible to accommodate changes as it might occur.”

House Investigates Bank of Agriculture Udora Orizu in Abuja The House of Representatives has ordered probe of Bank of Agriculture (BoA) over the usage of funds disbursed by the bank to defaulting anchor companies under the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) and the nonrecovery of N81,502,822,030.31 balance.

The House also mandated its Committees on Agricultural Production and Services and Banking and Currency to investigative the role of BoA, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC) and other relevant bodies involved in the Anchor

Borrowers’ Programme and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.

These resolutions were sequel to the adoption of a motion titled: ‘Need to Investigate the Usage of Funds Disbursed by the Bank of Agriculture to Anchor Companies under the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP)’, sponsored by Hon. Sergius Ose Ogun.

Presenting the motion, Ogun noted that the CBN, in line with its mandate, established the Anchor Borrowers Programme with the intent to create a linkage between anchor companies involved in processing and the small holder farmers of key agricultural commodities.

The Guild in a statement issued by its President, Prof.

Femi Dokun-Babalola, said testing should go beyond the usual temperature test, and that there should be a general warning that all travellers coming into the country must as a matter of necessity, self-quarantine for at least two

weeks. He said this is because “it is possible and even likely that more cases of COVID 19 may have entered our shores un-detected.”

Emphasising that enhanced measures will go a long way in further protecting Nigerians from the ravages of the COVID 19 pandemic, he added that similar

measures have been taken in Ghana, Sudan, South Africa among other nations in Africa.

According to him, “In particular, it is our opinion that restrictions should be placed on flights coming from mesoendemic and hyper-endemic countries. Nigerians coming in from the United States in

particular should all be tested beyond the usual temperature check, and advised to go on quarantine for 14 days at home if negative.

“We suggest that Nigerians coming in from these countries should be quarantined for 14 days as required by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

LET THERE BE LIGHT...

L-R: Marketing Communication Manager, Armese Consulting, Mr. Francis Jakpor; Lead PMO, Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED), Mr. Ernest Edgar; Managing Director, PHED, Dr. Henry Ajagbwa; Commissioner for Finance, Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Linus Nkan; Managing Director, 4Power Consortium, Mr. Matthew Edevbie; and Chairman, Ibom Power, Mr. Etido Inyang, during a stakeholders’ workshop on the Akwa Ibom State’s ‘Power for All Project,’ in Lagos…recently

COVID-19: Malnutrition, HIV/AIDs May Make Children Worst Hit, Says WHO Sunday Ehigiator The World Health Organisation’s Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, has revealed that the high rate of malnutrition, HIV/AID, and Cholera among children in Africa may make them more vulnerable to COVID-19 pandemic, which is gradually spreading to the region.

She identified early testing of the virus as one major issue the world was still facing, revealing that the organisation was seriously

considering and investigating speculations that heat waves and humidity in most part of eastern and western Africa had enabled the region have reasonable control over the virus and its citizens less affected.

She made this known yesterday during a live conference on Twitter, where journalists all over the world were presented with the opportunity to ask her questions relating to the spread of the virus in Africa.

She said: “Africa has the

highest rate of malnutrition, HIV/ AIDs, and Cholera, especially amongst children. “This could make African children more vulnerable should we fail to take serious all necessary preventive measures to contain the spread.

“This is why we all have to come together, including the private and public sector and rise up to the occasion. Another issue is related to the unavailability of water, soap and sanitisers in the rural parts of Africa. We are in partnership with several

NGOs and government. They together with our team would try all we can to ensure these facilities are provided to those areas. We further call on private bodies and individuals to support the cause.

“One issue that stands out as a major issue all over the world remains early testing and availability of test kits. I know that a lot of experts are working on various text kits to speed up the testing period for better effectiveness.

Senate Mulls Compulsory Gbajabiamila: Only Superior Military Might, Diplomacy Can End Insurgency Debate for Presidential, Adviser on Media and Publicity, to acquaint themselves with the we force the enemy to run out Adedayo AkinwaleinAbuja Lanre Lasisi, said that this was laws of conflict. of steam. It will fall to some of Governorship Candidates The Speaker of the House of Mr. the only way to force the terrorists He stated: “Our nation is at us in this room to manage the Deji Elumoye and Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Senate has proposed a bill to make it mandatory for presidential and governorship candidates as well as their deputies to participate in political debates with effect from 2023 elections.

The bill, which seeks for an Act to amend the Electoral Act, CAP E6 to gives legislative backing for the Independent National EIectoral Commission (INEC) to organise and conduct such debates was sponsored by Senator Abdulfatai Buhari.

Buhari, while leading the debate on the bill at plenary yesterday said “if the bill is considered and passed by the Senate, it will strengthen our democracy and bring it in conformity with the practice of other renowned democracies of the world.”

He cited example of the United

States where it has become customary for the main candidates of the two largest political parties; the Republican and Democrat to engage in debates, noting that the exercise has enabled the electorates not only to know about the personality of the candidates but also about their lifestyle, belief, reaction to national issues and foreign policy.

“All this information will inform the electorates on the position to take during election. In fact, the exposure made possible by mandatory political debate will definitely save the country from electing a tyrant,” he stressed.

According to him, “this Election Debates Bill, if passed into law shall be used to sample the candidates’ knowledge on a wide range of issues, like a detailed analysis of how they intend to drive the economy, foreign, health and education policies among others.”

Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has said that the war against Boko Haram insurgents can only end through the combination of superior military might, diplomacy and steady improvements in quality of life for the people.

The Speaker in a statement issued yesterday by his Special

to run out of steam.

Gbajabiamila disclosed this at an interactive workshop on International Humanitarian Laws (IHL) organised by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Abuja. Gbajabiamila said that they gathered at the workshop as honourable members and staff of the House of Representatives

war against those who wish to remake our world in service of a discredited theocracy. This war will not end on the battlefield.

Insurgencies rarely do.

“It will end when through the combination of superior military might, diplomacy and steady improvements in quality of life for the people on the ground,

ending of that war.” “We do this so that as we make policy and pass legislation, as we oversee the conduct of our nation’s security services, we can make certain that the men and women who carry arms in our name do so with honour, with integrity and with the utmost respect for the sanctity of human life”.

House Moves to Make States, Local Govts Beneficiaries of Looted Funds

Udora Orizu in Abuja

The House of Representatives has passed for second reading, a bill seeking to include states and local governments as beneficiaries of looted funds and properties.

The bill, which is titled: “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act

2010,” was sponsored by Hon. Ozurigbo Ugonna.

The proposed legislation seeks to amend Section 6 of the Act by removing the word prison service from the Act and inserting correctional service. It also sought to amend Sections 14, 20, 21, 22, and 29 to enable the states and local governments take benefit of their inalienable rights to repatriation, restitution,

costs and damages whenever their fund or property is the subject of an offence.

It also proposed the amendments of Section 26 by allowing government to appoint receiver managers to take over operation of companies or businesses that are consequents of financial crimes until such time that the assets and property of the affected companies or

business would be sold or disposed to willing investors.

The bill also proposed the amendment of Section 31 to bar the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and officials or the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation from disposing assets and properties of states and local governments that forms subject of an offence.

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FRIDAYSPORTS

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

C O V I D - 1 9 U P D AT E

English Football Season Extends Shutdown Till April 30 The shutdown of English football was extended until at least April 30on Thursday after the Premier League and English Football League (EFL) held crisis meetings. “We’ve collectively agreed that the professional game in England will be further postponed until no earlier than Thursday 30 April,� said a joint statement by the English Football Association, Premier League, EFL, players and managers’ bodies.

UEFA’s decision to postpone Euro 2020 for 12 months earlier this week could allow games to be completed over the summer if strict restrictions on travelling and mass gatherings to halt the spread of COVID-19 are lifted

in time.

The leagues still hope to finish the season once play can be restarted rather than accepting the current standings as final or declaring the campaign null and void. “We’re united in our commitment to finding ways of resuming the 2019-20 football season and ensuring all domestic and European club league and cup matches are played as soon as it is safe and possible to do so,� added the statement.

Even if play can commence in early May, that could mean matches stretching beyond the June 30goal UEFA agreed on for finishing the season on Tuesday.

The end of June is when many players’ contracts and loan deals expire.

However, the English authorities are putting no limit of when the 2019/20 season must be finished by. “The FA’s Rules and Regulations state that ‘the season shall terminate not later than the 1 June’ and ‘each competition shall, within the limit laid down

by The FA, determine the length of its own playing season’.

“However, The FA’s Board has agreed for this limit to be extended indefinitely for the 2019/20 season in relation to Professional Football.�

One option could see the end of the 2019/20 and beginning of the 2020/21 come together with no time for an off-season break. “Players may need to get their summer break in now before we finish what was the 19/20 season and roll it right into the 20/21 season without a break,�

Brighton striker Glenn Murray said. “Everyone loves sport, everyone loves watching football but I really think the right decision was made in bringing it to a halt. “At this moment in time it’s pretty irrelevant, people’s health is first and foremost. Once we get over this crisis we can look at sport and getting the Premier League and Football Leagues back in action.�

The sudden shutdown,

though, could have long-lasting consequences for many lower league clubs worrying if they will even be able to survive the next couple of months with no income from gate receipts.

A ÂŁ50 million ($58 million) short-term relief package was announced by the EFL to help stricken clubs on Wednesday.

However, there has so far been no bailout from the Premier League to ensure those further down the pyramid survive.

No Going Back to Trabzonspor, Says Mikel Obi

Femi Solaja withagencyreport

After former Super Eagles Captain, John Obi Mikel, left Trabzonspor for his refusal to take down his post on social media calling on Turkish League authorities to put the season on hold due to the spread of COVID-19, the Super Lig was eventually suspended yesterday.

Now, the former Chelsea star is insisting he won’t return to Trabzonspor when the season resume from the forced vacation.

Mikel only joined the club as a free agent last summer, having penned a two-year deal, but parted ways

John Mikel Obi

with the Super Lig side by mutual consent.

His post on Instagram earlier this week read: “There is more to life than football. I do not feel comfortable and don’t want to play football in this situation. “Everyone should be home with their families and loved ones at this critical time. Season should be cancelled as the world is facing such turbulent times.�

But Turkey’s Sports Minister, Muharrem Kasapoglu, has since suspended matches indefinitely, bowing to pressure from players and coaches after many other countries called off sports events.

Mikel has since returned to London with his family and has vowed not to return to Turkey.

The Nigerian told The Athletic: “They were really upset about the whole thing. I was told to meet with the president in his office one-on-one. “He asked me to take it down (his statement). I told him I wasn’t going to do that. It’s my opinion.

This is how I feel. We live in a free world. I have freedom of speech.

I can express my opinion.

NANF Demands $10m Compensation for Late Nigerian Footballers The National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF) has demanded a total of $10 million from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) as well as the Nigeria Police for the death of two players, Chineme Martins and Tiamiyu Kazeem.

Nasarawa United defender Martins died during an NPFL match against Katsina United, while Kazeem of Remo Stars was hit by a fast moving car as he allegedly stepped down from a police van on the Abeokuta-Sagamu highway.

According to scorenigeria. ng, In a letter dated March 16 and addressed to the Inspector General of Police, NANF President Harrison Jalla, demanded that the next of kin of late Kazeem be paid

$5 million as compensation for his brutal murder. “We demand that the Nigeria police within 21 days of the receipt of this letter, pay to the next of kin and immediate family of Tiamiyu Kazzem the sum of $5 million as compensation for his brutal killing by the police,� the letter read in part.

In the case of Martins, NANF also asked the NFF, the League Management Company (LMC) and Nasarawa United to also pay $5 million as compensation to the family of the defender.

The players’ union blamed the tragic death of Martins to “gross negligence� by the LMC in ensuring adequate medical facilities and personnel in every NPFL match venue.

ARTETA BACK TO WORK...

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has returned to working from home the club confirmed on Thursday after testing positive for coronavirus last week. As a result of the Spaniard’s diagnosis, the Arsenal squad were sent into self-isolation for 14 days

NPFL: Israel Abia Goes Top of Eunisell Boot Race as Season is on Hold Rangers striker Israel Abia has returned to the top of the goalscorers chart as the race for this season’s Eunisell Boot intensifies.

The forward scored twice in his team’s 3-2 win at the home of Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) new boys Dakkada FC on Wednesday.

In a topsy-turvy contest at the Nest of Champions in Uyo, Abia equalized to cancel out Femi Ajayi’s goal, and the striker’s second goal of the evening then turned out to be the winner which put him at the summit in the race for the Eunisell Boot.

Abia has now scored 12 goals -- one more than the chasing pack that include Akwa United utility man Ndifreke Effiong, Kano Pillars forward Auwalu Ali and Ibrahim Mustapha of Plateau United.

Mustapha became the latest player in the NPFL to join those with double figure of goals after scoring both goals that ensured Plateau United edged Kwara United 2-1 at the New Jos Stadium on Matchday 25.

Enyimba forward Victor Mbaoma is the other player who is in within touching distance of the pacesetters

in the running for the Eunisell Boot this season. He has scored nine goals so far.

Meanwhile, Nigeria

Professional Football League (NPFL) has been suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

TOP SCORERS As at Match-day 25 12 GOALS Israel Abia (Rangers) 11 GOALS Ndifreke EďŹƒong (Akwa United) Auwalu Ali (Kano Pillars) Ibrahim Mustapha (Plateau United) 9 GOALS Victor Mbaoma (Enyimba)

FCV Gladiator Football Camp Postponed Following the decision by the Federal Government to suspend all sports activities over the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizers of the annual FCV Gladiator Camp, have postponed the football clinic earlier scheduled to start on April 5 to 10 in Lagos and April 12 to 17 in Abuja.

In a statement signed by the Coordinator of the camp, Oluseyi Oyebode, the postponement becomes necessary as the health of the

participants is very important. “The Federal Government has suspended all sports activities and as a law-abiding body, we want to obey the law of the land and that is why we have decided to postpone the camp to July 2020. “The Lagos leg of the camp will be hosted by Grange School in Ikeja, while Aduvie International School will host the Abuja camp of the oneweek football clinic,� Oyebode said.

Apart from this, he said that the coaches expected from United kingdom (UK) would not be able to make the trip following the ban of flights from Great Britain.

The FCV Gladiator Camp is designed to offer international standard football training to school children and their coaches while creating opportunities for talented football players to combine football with academics abroad.

The camp is being organized

by Dynaspro Sports Promotion Advanta Interactive Ltd in partnership with UK’s first private football academy, FCV International Football Academy. Top coaches from UK are expected to handle proceeding at the camp while school coaches would also be trained by the experts.

The camp is open to students between age six and 18 while outstanding players in the two camps (Lagos and Abuja) will be recognised.

Friday March 20, 2020

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MISSILE

Wike to Uzodinma “If Uzodinma dares to make such false comments again about the PDP, we will tell the world about him. That he fraudulently took the mandate of PDP does not mean that PDP is weak” – Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State berating Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, for claiming that the PDP was behind the attempted removal of Oshiomhole.

SHAKAMOMODU THIS REPUBLIC

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Sleeping at the Wheel A

t the risk of sounding like a broken record and no matter what some persons might think or say, I will continue to say that there is total lack of leadership in all aspects of our national life. The current leadership of our serially forsaken and immeasurably betrayed country is more interested in its own welfare and self-preservation. The security of lives and properties is low on its list of priorities.

It is for this reason that our country is at the bottom of the ladder of human development. Things are going wrong in Nigeria; problems seem to be coming from a bottomless pit.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s response to the outbreak of the dreaded Coronavirus disease in the country remains a shameful dereliction or worse still, abdication of duty. Despite early warning signals and the gift of time to prepare and take preventive measures to protect Nigerians and minimise as much as possible the risks to the population, this incompetent and aloof government failed to take decisive preventive actions. Instead, it left the country’s borders and airspace wide open for potential carriers of the virus from all over the world to enter our country. Now we are facing a potential national health emergency that our derelict healthcare system can’t cope with.

From one, two, three and at the last count, 12 cases of positive carriers, who might have mingled with more people than we have the capacity to track down and isolate, the danger to the general population has now increased several-fold.

The question is: why did the government display so much lethargy that it took it so long to restrict entry of travellers from high-risk countries into Nigeria? From the date of the first index case to the growing number of positive tests for Coronavirus, why did this government not see the need to take this virus that is burning through the populations of several other far more advanced countries more seriously?

We are watching how other countries with better equipped healthcare systems are struggling to contain, mitigate and combat the spread of the virus. We are seeing the extreme measures being taken by the advanced nations. Instead of taking urgent proactive measures to fortify the airports, impose travel restrictions from high-risk countries and unveil a comprehensive plan to address the pandemic, the president was asleep at the wheel, while his lieutenants played politics with the health of Nigerians.

At a time of global health emergency, there is no one to show leadership. The president has so far failed to talk to Nigerians like other world leaders are doing on a daily basis to reassure their people while rolling out a raft of measures to deal with the crisis in their respective countries. All Nigerians get from Buhari is radio silence. The president has not felt

Buhari

Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire

the need to address the people he governs about the virus. He has not reassured a fear-gripped country. He has mismanaged and failed to take preventive measures with the gift of time we had. He failed to learn from the mistakes of other nations.

We must lay the blame for the present situation on President Buhari and his government.

It is baffling to any sane person why Nigeria adamantly refused to restrict flights from countries where the virus had become prevalent until the situation took a turn for the worse. Smaller African countries with more purposeful leadership took more proactive measures that Nigeria refused to take to protect the health of its citizens. Our incompetent leadership only felt the need to act after the virus appeared to have gained a foothold in the country. Now it is spreading and there is not one to turn to.

You see, the United States wasted no time in imposing travel restrictions on China which is one of its biggest trading partners in the world. The whole continent

of Europe which is America’s ally was placed on total flight ban into the U.S. as soon as it became the new epicenter of the rampaging invincible enemy. Countries are taking extraordinary measures, even war-time measures never thought possible in the modern era in efforts to contain the spread of the virus and keep their populations safe, viz. borders being closed, public transportation, pubs, hotels, cinemas, schools, parks, etc, are being shut down around the world.

The virus is causing unprecedented disruptions in global supply chains, a sharp reduction in crude oil prices, turmoil in global stocks and financial markets, widespread cancellations in sporting, entertainment and business events, ban of large swaths of movements of persons in many countries, and intercontinental travel restrictions across critical air routes in the world. The impacts have been tremendous with serious adverse implications for key sectors, particularly for the oil and gas, airlines, manufacturing, trade and consumer markets, etc.

His persistent cold, seemingly unconcerned attitude and lack of empathy towards victims of tragedies continue to sour the national psyche. With each new record silence, is a mortifying emblem that degrades our collective self-esteem. Buhari is just too detached and absent from the realities of his peoples’ daily existence, especially at a time like this when many are in need of a father-figure president

The Islamic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia took immediate proactive actions as early as February 27, by temporarily suspending entry of foreigners for pilgrimage and tourism purposes, preventing travel to the country’s holiest sites over fears of the fast-spreading coronavirus. It recorded its first case on March 2. Compare that to Nigeria which recorded its first case on February 27 of an Italian who arrived two days earlier before developing symptoms and yet did nothing, Even after the World Health Organisation (WHO) officially declared the virus a global health pandemic on March 11, our government didn’t feel the need to scale up its preparedness of what was clearly once in a lifetime health threat to the world’s population. The WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom had warned that “in the days and weeks ahead, we expect to see the number of cases, the number of deaths, and the number of affected countries to climb even higher”.

And now, the warning lights are gradually turning red. The world health body also declared categorically, “Countries must take a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach, built around a comprehensive strategy to prevent infections, save lives and minimise impact.”

But what we have seen over the past couple of weeks is a president and his government that are sleeping on duty.

Nothing matters to them except the politics of who gets what and how. While Buhari has failed to speak on the global health pandemic, he was billed to attend the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to decide the fate of the National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole before the meeting was put off, few hours to its commencement.

It is saddening that Buhari has been missing in action in the face of a national emergency. He has remained mute. There is no hope he will ever speak on the Coronavirus. There is no one to rally the nation to national self-preservation.

No one to reassure a fearful people like other world leaders are doing, no one to rouse and lift the national spirit in the face of a deadly attack by an unseen enemy.

Even as officials of his government are struggling to fill the void of the President’s dereliction of duty, there is no denying the fact that it is his aloofness to pressing matters of state, that has been the hallmark of a man who swept to power in 2015 on the change mantra.

His persistent cold, seemingly unconcerned attitude and lack of empathy towards victims of tragedies continue to sour the national psyche. With each new record silence, is a mortifying emblem that degrades our collective self-esteem. Buhari is just too detached and absent from the realities of his peoples’ daily existence, especially at a time like this when many are in need of a father-figure president.

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