THURSDAY 8TH APRIL 2021

World Bank to Support Nigeria to Lift 100m Out of Poverty Obinna Chima The President of the World Bank Group, Mr. David Malpass, yesterday said the multilateral institution is focused on supporting the federal government’s bid to lift 100 million Nigerians out

of poverty.

Malpass said during a media briefing at the ongoing virtual World Bank/International Monetary Fund (IMF) spring meetings in Washington DC that the World Bank would do so by supporting the government in its efforts to

promote growth, job creation and shared prosperity.

According to him, as part of the efforts, the World Bank-supported Nigeria in ensuring fiscal and debt sustainability, including enhancing debt transparency and debt management at the

federal and sub-national levels.

President Muhammadu Buhari had said his administration planned to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty over the next decade.

The president said his government would be tackling social inequality and

entrenching better standards of living for the people.

Malpass added that the World Bank closely monitored the debt situation in membercountries through its joint IMFWorld Bank Debt Sustainability Framework and raises debt issues with the government as

part of an ongoing dialogue Responding to a question on debt sustainability in Nigeria, he stated that the World Bank has engaged with the Nigerian government to improve the quality of public spending.

Continued on page 8

Court Directs CBN to Freeze 11 Bank Customers’ Accounts... Page 6 Thursday 8 April, 2021 Vol 26. No 9496. Price: N250

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Security Agencies Move to Stop Further Attacks on South-east Ebonyi to recruit 700 vigilantes Police, military conduct stop-and-search Sunday Ehigiator in Lagos, Gideon Arinze in Enugu, David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka, Benjamin Nworie in

Abakaliki and Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia Security has been beefed up

in the South-east to forestall further attacks on police formations and correctional centres, THISDAY’s

investigation has revealed.

The security alert followed last Monday’s audacious assault on the Imo State Police

Command headquarters and the Nigerian Correctional Centre in Owerri by gunmen, during which 1,884 inmates

were freed and about 100 vehicles were razed.

Continued on page 8

Abdusalami Raises the Alarm, Says 6m Weapons Circulating in Nigeria Gowon, Sultan, Dangote, others sue for peace Osinbajo asks acting IG to restore public order, police dignity Deji Elumoye and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Former Head of State and Chairman of the National Peace Committee (NPC), Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), yesterday expressed concern over the proliferation of all calibres of weapons in the country, which he estimated at six million.

Other leaders like former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd); the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar and President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, also raised concerns over the negative effects of growing insecurity in the land and sued for peace.

Abdulsalami and others spoke at a dialogue session of the NPC with key stakeholders in Abuja.

They spoke on the day Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) charged the Acting InspectorGeneral of Police, Mr. Usman Baba, to address the multiple threats to the nation's public safety, law and order.

Abdulsalami lamented that the proliferation of weapons has heightened insecurity in the country and led to over 80,000 deaths and close to three million persons internally displaced.

He stated that the challenges facing the country were not only insecurity in the narrow sense of the military definition but that it had assumed an all-encompassing nature.

He listed the challenges to include the Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, increasing poverty, Continued on page 8

PDP Moves to Stop Matawalle’s Planned Defection... Page 5

NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN...

L-R: Minister of Police Affairs, Mr. Muhammad Dingyadi; Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Usman Baba; and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) during the decoration of the acting inspector-general of Police in Abuja…yesterday godwin omoigui

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

PDP Moves to Stop Matawalle’s Planned Defection Tambuwal, others in Gusau to avert crossover to APC NWC members to visit Zamfara gov

Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday launched last-ditch efforts to stop the Governor of Zamfara State, Mr. Bello Matawalle, from defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

THISDAY learnt that the party held a series of meetings and consulted with critical stakeholders on how to stop the governor, who's rumoured to be planning to defect to APC on April 14, from doing so.

It was gathered that as part of strategies to stop the

governor from leaving the PDP, the party's National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, will lead other members of the National Working Committee ((NWC) of the party to visit Matawalle tomorrow.

The NWC members had earlier met yesterday at the party’s national secretariat, Abuja, on how to convince the Zamfara governor not to leave the opposition party.

Party officials resumed work yesterday after the Easter break and got the information of the planned defection of Matawalle after meeting with APC governors.

Ethnicity, Religion No Longer Conditions for Electing Leaders, Says NEF John Shiklam in Kaduna Convener of the Northern Elders' Forum (NEF) and former Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Prof.

Ango Abdullahi, has said that Northerners will no longer consider religion and ethnicity as a basis for electing leaders.

He said yesterday at the Northern People's Summit in Kaduna that Northerners would rather vote politicians with socio-economic development plans for the region, irrespective of their tribe and religion.

“Northern voters have learnt, at greater cost, than most Nigerians, that ethnicity and faith alone do not make good leaders,” he stated.

He added that politicians who want Northern votes should convince them how their candidacies would improve

security, economy, the North and the country.

Abdullahi said politicians and leaders who desired to lead needed to understand that Nigerians were watching what they did in their immediate constituencies that would entitle them to ask for their support.

He said: “Politicians who cannot impose their influence on irredentists that threaten our corporate existence and the lives and livelihoods of our fellow Northerners stand on the very thin ground in our estimation.

“Politicians who cannot or will not influence public sentiment, which demonises our fellow Northerners and leaves them open to attack will not weigh much in our consideration as leaders under whom we will feel safe and Continued on page 6

It was also gathered that the members of the NWC agreed to move to Zamfara State to cut a deal with the governor on how to stop his planned defection.

THISDAY also gathered that PDP governors, led by their Chairman and Governor of Sokoto State, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, were already in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, to persuade their colleague not to defect to the APC. The NWC is also said to be considering offering automatic second-term ticket and the control of the party structures in the state to the governor as incentives to stop the planned defection.

A source told THISDAY that the planned defection of the governor is not because of any quarrel within the PDP but due to permutations on securing a guarantee for a second term in office by 2023.

Speculations on Matawalle’s defection had become rife after his recent meeting with three APC governors, led by the Chairman of the APC National Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee and Governor of Yobe State, Mr. Mai Mala Buni.

Apart from the second-term calculations, THISDAY also learnt that a former Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Ahmed Sani Yerima, now

senator representing Zamfara West, as well as Deputy Minority Leader in the Senate also wants to use Matawalle to dislodge his predecessor, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari.

By the permutation, Matawalle would be in charge of the APC structure, to ensure his second-term electoral victory and as a prelude to dislodging Yari.

PDP was declared winner in Zamfara State when the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019, ruled that the APC did not conduct valid primaries in the build-up to 2019 general election in the state.

The Supreme Court validated the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Sokoto

Division, which ruled that no valid primaries were conducted by the APC in Zamfara State.

The court, in a unanimous judgment by a five-member panel, decided that a party that had no valid candidates cannot be said to have won the general election.

The governorship candidate of the APC, Mr. Mukhtar Idris, had been declared winner of the election after he polled 534,541 votes despite controversies trailing his candidacy.

The PDP candidate, Matawalle, who came second in the election, was subsequently declared the governor-elect.

SEEKING PEACE… President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan (left), and former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), during the National Peace Committee meeting in Abuja…yesterday

Lagos, Ogun Lead as 964,387 People Get COVID-19 Vaccine At last, Kogi commences vaccination Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja Nigeria has so far vaccinated 964,387 people in 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, against COVID-19, with Lagos State topping the chart with 164,434 people vaccinated.

Ogun State, which has so far vaccinated 52,462 persons, came second and followed by Kano State with 50,931 taking the jab.

In meantime, the Kogi State government yesterday commenced the vaccination after the receipt of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the statistics from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), about 48 per cent of the country's targeted population have taken the vaccine since it was rolled out early this month.

Details of the vaccination statistics showed that Abia State vaccinated 4,578; Adamawa - 17,933, Akwa Ibom - 9, 679; Anambra 9,000; Bauchi, 36,015; Bayelsa, 9,270; Benue, 29,469; Borno, 29,945;

Cross River, 13,695; Delta, 18,517; Ebony, 7,141; Edo, 24,131; Ekiti, 22,851; Enugu, 9,831; FCT, 36,564; Gombe, 27,130; Imo, 16,958; Jigawa, 97, 564.

Others are: Kaduna, 54,021; Kano, 50,931; Katsina, 39,164; Kebbi, 14,530; Kogi 0; Kwara, 31,114; Lagos, 164,434; Nasarawa, 17,803; Niger, 25, 784; Ogun. 52,462; Ondo, 31,585; Osun, 20,834; Oyo, 32,781; Plateau, 23,844; Rivers, 22,968; Sokoto, 11,329; Taraba 5,487; Yobe, 20,878 and Zamfara, 14,167 persons.

At Last, Kogi Commences

Vaccination Meanwhile, the Kogi State government yesterday commenced the vaccination of people against COVID-19.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Saka Audu, who launched the vaccination in Lokoja on behalf of the state Governor, Mr. Yahaya Bello, said there had been misconceptions about COVID-19 and vaccination in the state in the recent past.

He stated that no one would be denied the vaccine while the state government would not compel any individual to take the jab.

“I want to clarify that

nobody is exempted or will be deprived of this exercise, also, nobody will be subjected to force vaccination exercise in Kogi State,” Audu said.

He added that the state government received about 16,900 doses of the vaccine, while another 16,900 of AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine was being expected.

Audu commended Bello for his proactive measures towards protecting the lives of the citizens, and thanked him for making the vaccine available to the people of the state.

The vaccine was administered on the Executive Director, Kogi State Primary

Health Care Development Agency (KSPHCDA), Dr. Abubakar Yakubu, who volunteered himself as the first person to take the jab, followed by the Chief Medical Director (CMD) Kogi Hospital Management Board, Dr Usman Zakari, and some medical officers.

The Kogi CAN Chairman, Bishop John Ibenu; Kogi JNI Chairman, Ambassador Usman Bello; Kogi NMA Chairman, Dr Omakoji Oyiguh and some journalists were also vaccinated.

The commissioner called on the people to volunteer for the AstraZeneca vaccine, saying nobody would be deprived

or forced to receive it.

The commissioner said Bello's initial opposition to the vaccine was in the best interest of the state, as a leader, the governor would not allow any calamity to befall his people.

He said no investigation on the spread of the virus was carried out before asking people to take measures on what was not known to them.

He added that though the pandemic was real in some places across the globe, some areas were not affected as was being circulated.

The commissioner appealed to the people not to misunderstand the sincerity of the governor’s utterances.

Malami Disowns Suit against Atiku’s Citizenship Alex Enumah in Abuja The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), yesterday distanced himself from a suit at the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, querying the citizenship of former Vice President

Atiku Abubakar.

Malami, in a statement by his media aide, Dr. Umar Gwandu, denied instituting any legal action on the citizenship of Atiku.

Malami was linked to a suit seeking to disqualify the former vice president from contesting the presidency on the ground that he is not a

Nigerian.

However, the minister denied the allegation, saying he "has never filed any case before any court in the country challenging the citizenship of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar."

He stated that the matter in contention was part of the 2019 pre-election

matters instituted by a civil society organisation, the Incorporated Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa in respect of which Atiku, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation were co-

defendants.

The statement said the issue had already been widely reported by the media since April 2019, adding that it was unfortunate that stale news stories capable of causing confusion were repackaged and presented to the public as current news.

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Court Directs CBN to Freeze 11 Bank Customers’ Accounts

Obinna Chima

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has obtained a court judgment to freeze 11 accounts belonging to customers of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Limited for a period of 45 days pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation.

The affected bank accounts are owned by Albert Austin Ugochukwu (two accounts); Belfour Energy and Allied Services; Belfour Oil and Gas Limited (three accounts); Circle Flow Integrated Services; Kacynaus Realty Nigeria Limited (three accounts) and Tasmara Integrated Services.

A copy of the court judgment with Suit No: FHC/ ABJ/CS/326/2021, which was delivered on March 30th, 2021, was posted on the central bank’s website yesterday.

Though the apex bank did not disclose the reasons for the court action, THISDAY gathered that the companies

and individual were under investigation over alleged forex infractions.

The CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, was listed as the plaintiff/applicant and the six individuals and organisations (Albert Austin Ugochukwu; Belfour Energy & Allied Services; Belfour Oil and Gas Limited; Circle Flow Integrated Services; Kacynaus Realty Nigeria Limited and Tasmara Integrated Services), were the respondents.

The courted ordered that “an interim order is made empowering the applicant to direct the head office of FCMB to freeze forthwith all transactions on the bank accounts listed on the motion paper for a period of 45 days only pending the outcome of investigation currently being conducted by the CBN." The order is, however, renewable on expiration, but only for good reasons shown.

50 Herdsmen Arrested for Kidnapping, Banditry, Says NSCDC Michael Olugbode in Abuja The Commandant General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr. Ahmed Audi, has disclosed that 50 herdsmen have been arrested across the country for crimes bothering on kidnapping, banditry and cow rustling.

Speaking in Abuja yesterday at the presentation of operation licences to 17 newly certified Private Guard Operators, Audi said the arrested herdsmen would be made to face the full wrath of the law.

The CG while lamenting that the country’s insecurity has reached a boiling point, said investigations were still ongoing on the culpability of the herdsmen to some criminal activities.

He said as soon as they were concluded, they would be brought to justice.

He called for the cooperation of all the nation’s military and security apparatus to tackle the insecurity in the country.

He said it was a pity that travelling around the country had become a great risk, adding that nowhere was safe from one form of insecurity or the other.

He said the situation had demanded for cooperation and collaboration of all stakeholders in the nation’s security, insisting that no single agency could proffer a solution to the insecurity in the country.

Audi urged all security agents to work together at finding a lasting solution to the insecurity, pleading with private security outfits as well as other stakeholders to arrest the ugly tide.

He said: “We have a place in the history together that we must guard jealously. While it is my duty to ensure the utmost performance of the

Industry, special attention would be paid to the recipients of today, towards ensuring that you perform exceptionally in line With my dream to upbeat the Corps operational activities as well as the Private Security Industry in order to play our expected role in the face of the present-day security challenges.”

He read some of the riot acts that could attract sanctions from the Corps.

“Your licence is not transferable and can be revoked if you fail to renew as and when due; You are prohibited from using firearms but if you have a job that that may require the use of arms, our arms squad in our State Commands would provide the cover when you liaise with the State Commandants.”

He also warned against the use of ranks of any kind and accoutrement with a semblance to the military or paramilitary.

“No company should engage in the training of guards without the involvement of our state command. The biometrics of all your guards must be captured in the PSID platform and the number conspicuously displayed on their uniforms.

The first-hand information of any major security breach in the Company's coverage areas must be reported by the company to the Corps to avoid sanctions.

“Guards welfare must be of a priority to companies as we shall not condone non-payment of salaries or termination of appointment of guards who are being owed by the Companies.

He noted that the industry is undergoing major reforms and needed the support of security guards in the form of advocacy for progress in the efforts to make the industry a more viable one and the pride of everybody.

The court also directed the applicant to publish the order on its website within three days from the day the ruling was delivered.

It stated that any person or persons affected by the order "are entitled to approach the court to seek the set to set aside, discharge or have the

order reviewed for good reasons shown."

The suit was adjourned till May 17, 2021, for mention.

The CBN had prayed for a mandatory order of the court empowering the plaintiff/applicant to direct FCMB to freeze forthwith all transactions on the bank

accounts of the defendants for a period of 180 days pending the outcome of investigation and inquiry currently being conducted by the CBN. "And for such further order or other orders as this court may deem fit in the circumstances. Upon reading the affidavit in support of

the application, affidavit of urgency, verifying affidavit and affidavit of non-multiplicity of action all deposed by Oluwatoyosi Suwebat Oladipo, Nigerian, female, adult, Assistant Manager of the CBN, with an exhibit attached and filed at this court registry," it added.

MINISTERIAL VISIT...

L-R: Supply Chain Director, Kimberly Clark Corporation; Mrs. Azukaego Chukwuelue; Ms. Zainab Obagun; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Chief Adeniyi Adebayo; General Manager, KCC, Ms. Vani Malik; and an official, Mrs. Chinyere Ojukwu, during the company’s visit to the minister in Abuja…yesterday

Senate Investigates Agency over Sale of N31m Jeeps for N1.5m Deji Elumoye and Udora Orizu in Abuja The Senate Public Accounts Committee has commenced investigation into the alleged sale of two Prado Jeeps worth N31 million at N1.5 million by officials of the Lake Chad Research Institute, Maiduguri, Borno State capital.

The committee made the discovery while scrutinising the 2015-2018 Auditor General’s report currently being treated by both chambers of the National Assembly.

According to the AuGF report, the Prado jeeps were procured in 2013 and 2014, respectively but were sold three years after they were bought.

The AuGF had issued a query based on the inability

of the management of the institute to provide reasons for the sale of the jeeps at such a low price.

The query reads: “The management of the Institute could not account for two Toyota Prado Jeeps, which were purchased in 2013 and 2014 with registration No. 45KOIFG for one Jeep while the other had not been registered. No reason was given for not registering the second Prado Jeep. In addition, a Toyota Hiace bus with registration No. 45KO3FG could not be accounted for during an audit.

“This is a violation of Financial Regulation 2128 which states that ‘Every public officer is personally and pecuniary responsible for government property under his

control or in his custody. The inability of the management of the Institute to account for Government property under their custody suggests abuse and mismanagement, as Government property may have been diverted to private use. The Executive Director is required to account for the vehicles. The issue was communicated to the Executive Director through my Audit Inspection Report Ref. No. EIAD/WTR 16/CORP/4 dated 21st December 2017 but he failed to respond.”

The Institute in its response said the vehicle was purchased on March 21, 2014, at the cost of N18.7 million, adding that the former Executive Director, Dr. Oluwasina Olabanji, sought the approval to board the vehicle to the former Chairman of the

Institute Governing Board, Mr. Yakubu Tsala at the cost of N750,000 only.

The Institute also explained that the second Prado Jeep was purchased on September 18, 2013, at the cost of N12.4 million and a request for approval to board the vehicle and was written to ARCN dated June 7th, 2017.

The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Mathew Urhoghide yesterday, expressed shock when the current Executive Director of the institute, Dr. Alhassan Bibinu, told the committee that he was using a refurbished Hilux as an official car.

The Committee thereafter directed the Institute’s boss to come along with the former Executive Director who allegedly gave the order for the sale of the two Prado Jeeps.

ETHNICITY, RELIGION NO LONGER CONDITIONS FOR ELECTING LEADERS, SAYS NEF secure.

"Politicians who want the support and the vote of the Northerner, but will not raise their voices and act to protect him against underserved treatment in areas where they have power and influence, should not expect to find our people with open arms when they ask for support.”

According to him, no Northerner should assume that he would be guaranteed the support and votes of Northerners because he is

a kinsman.

He added that experience had taught Northerners the values of critical scrutiny of records, dispositions and empathy.

“Our advice to all Nigeria politicians at this stage is to look around and see how much the ground has shifted from under their feet.

“There will be no longer business as usual. Nigerians running away from bullets, stressing to make ends meet, or being made to fight each

other instead of the real enemy will not forgive those who built the foundations of our circumstances today, and seek to sustain their privileges over our fears and pains,” he stated.

According to him, leadership has to emerge on the basis of different criteria, and “only the best leadership can pull Nigeria from the brink”.

He said those using restructuring as a threat or bargaining tool for accepting

zoning would destroy the imperatives of restructuring and imperil the country.

He added that the North must think outside the box and elect new sets of leaders who would do a lot better than the current ones.

Abdullahi also urged separatists to have a rethink, warning that secession is not a solution to any grievance.

He called on the federal government to take the threat of separation with all the seriousness it deserves.

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PAGE EIGHT ABDUSALAMI RAISES THE ALARM, SAYS 6M WEAPONS CIRCULATING IN NIGERIA balkanisation agitations from different quarters, the threat of hunger arising from insecurity that farmers have faced and continue to face and the increasing sense of collective despair and despondency among the populace.

Abdulsalami said: "The proliferation of all calibres of weapons not only in our sub-region in general and in Nigeria, in particular, is worrying. It is estimated that there are over six million such weapons in circulation in the country. This certainly exacerbated the insecurity that led to over 80,000 deaths and close to three million internally displaced persons."

He added that the situation is dire because security forces were not just overstretched but underfunded.

He said the security agencies could perform better with more sophisticated weapons, equipment and more funding.

"We believe Nigeria must find a way out of these problems. Our hope is that perhaps among us, by listening to your different perspectives, we can begin to build up confidence among our people so that we can hold together.

“So, our hope is that we shall not only share our collective lamentations about the current situation, but propose some concrete

suggestions that can point the way forward - suggestions that can inspire more confidence among our people and ensure that our country remains one," he said.

While welcoming the stakeholders, which included traditional rulers, the Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Plateau State Governor and Chairman of the Northern Governors' Forum, Hon. Simon Lalong; religious leaders, military, police and other security agencies, Abdulsalami said President Muhammadu Buhari was aware of the meeting and he supported it.

He said the expectation was that the meeting would find out the causes of the conflict and how to mitigate them.

Gowon, who spoke via zoom, urged all Nigerians, irrespective of religious and political differences, to see the nation's challenges, including insecurity, as ones that must be tackled and resolved collectively.

On his part, the Sultan urged Nigerians to learn to love one another irrespective of religion or tribe.

He said: "As individuals, we need to add value to ourselves and we should know that we did not create ourselves; God created us and when God was creating us, he did not ask

us where do you want me to bring you into the world?

We just found ourselves in various places.

"So what we need to do is to see who we are and work for humanity because we are individuals; yes, but we have to close rank and work for humanity and while we are working for humanity, you have to respect your own religion, if you respect your own religion, you see what is right and wrong for you.

“Before, there was nothing like whether this person is a Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa or whatever.”

He added that everyone saw each other as human beings.

"We as leaders, we have to know that we are going to account for this leadership that God gave to us on the final day. So please let us look at the various problems we have; let us look at being our brother's keeper. We should not allow the elites to break us because they are the ones shouting break up," he said.

In his remarks, Dangote pleaded with Nigerians to guard against sensationalising reports of crisis so as not to heighten tension in the land.

He said security issue should be everybody's business because no one can do any business in the absence of security.

"We have to be careful

with the kind of news we disseminate because in areas where there is no peace, nobody will invest and that is why it is always good for us to talk good about the country and not just to be spreading rumours that are not there,” he said.

Some of the prominent Nigerians who attended yesterday’s dialogue session were Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, Cardinal John Onaiyekan; Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Dr. Matthew Hassan Kukah; and His Royal Highness, Alfred Diete-Spiff.

Osinbajo Asks Acting IG to Restore Public Order, Police Dignity Meanwhile, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has charged the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, to address the multiple threats to the nation's public safety, law and order.

Osinbajo, while decorating the new IG with his rank at the State House, Abuja, also tasked Baba to restore police's dignity and reputation.

Osinbajo said: "IG, you are assuming office at a very turbulent time in the life of our people. There are multiple threats to law, order and public safety. The role of law enforcement and particularly that of the police force as the

primary agency charged with maintaining law and order has never been more important.

The police are our institution of first resort, the first line of defence against crime and anarchy and the first sign of the strength of the state."

He said the challenges before the new police boss were onerous ones that would test his mettle, adding that the security organisation he is leading is also faced with several challenges.

He said: "Your officers still work in extremely difficult conditions. And some face the threat of physical harm by terrorists, hostile non-state actors while in the line of duty but they have lived up to expectations. There is no question at all that there is a lot that needs to be done.

There is a lot of work that needs to be done."

The vice president also challenged the new helmsman to ensure that the highest standards of professional conduct begin to manifest in all the dealings by men and women of the service.

"Under your leadership, the force must live up to all of the highest standards of professional conduct and compliance with the rule of law. It must significantly improve the welfare and working conditions of its officers, while rapidly scaling on its forensic, logistical,

logistical and operational capacities to meet today's challenges. You must stamp out the excesses and abuses and the culture of impunity, demonstrated by some elements of the force which provoke public outrage against the institution," he added.

Osinbajo expressed the readiness of the government to help in repositioning the police.

He added: "In short, your mission is nothing less than the restoration of dignity and high repute of the policing professional and the continuous oiling of that machinery of the police force that enables it to be one that is respected by the populace and by the international community. The testimony of your pedigree and your career thus far is that you are up to the task."

Speaking with reporters after his decoration, Baba promised to rejig the operational strategy of the police as an improvement to what was left behind by his predecessor.

He said: "I came in at a very challenging time. I know it. I recognise it and I will work on how to improve from where my predecessor has left.

I have been a member of the management team. We have tried to do our best, but it's not enough. There is room for improvement.

and working capital finance to help fill the banking vacuum that hit private sectors.

According to him, postCOVID-19 will leave lasting scars on developing countries, from closed schools and physical stunting of children to lost jobs, the depletion

of savings and assets, and growing debt overhangs.

The crisis came on top of persistent development challenges, including stagnant median incomes, fragility and violence and damage caused by climate change, he said.

Correctional Service Lagos State, Mr. Francis Adebisi, and promised to sustain the deployment of riot policemen in the facilities in the state.

In a statement yesterday, the state police spokesperson, Mr. Olumuyiwa Adejobi, a chief superintendent of police, said the meeting, held in Ikeja, was also in a bid to be proactive in fortifying security in and around police formations and correctional centres in the state.

“It had in attendance, the Deputy Commissioners of Police, Operations, Administration and State CID, Panti respectively, the 14 Area Commanders, Police Mobile Force Commanders, Commanders of Rapid Response Squad and Taskforce, Commanders of the Special Squad and Strike Team and the State Intelligence Bureau of the command,” he said.

The statement added that Odumosu led the senior police officers to assess and brainstorm on having better security structures in the state and to prevent any attacks on police formations, correctional centres and vulnerable places.

According to the statement, the meeting agreed on many strategies to be adopted, including robust intelligence gathering, surveillance, sectorising the state for easy policing, constant patrol and deployment of personnel to strategic places and multiagency collaboration amongst others.

“The police boss gave clear directives to the full implementation and enforcement of the strategies

emplaced to achieve the goals of effective security of the state generally,” the statement added.

Also, Odumosu, at a meeting with Adebisi, promised to sustain the deployment of riot policemen to the correctional centres in the state.

The PPRO, in the statement, said Odumosu also promised to “partner with the correctional service and other stakeholders to improve on the criminal justice system in Lagos State.”

Adebisi, in his response, commended Odumosu's efforts at providing adequate security for all and sundry and promoting sustainable synergy amongst security agencies in the state.

WORLD BANK TO SUPPORT NIGERIA TO LIFT 100M OUT OF POVERTY “Moreover, a key objective of the World Bank is to help attract private investment to crowd in financing for investments in infrastructure and human capital, for instance by de-risking private investments through publicprivate partnerships and

foreign direct investments without increasing public debt levels,” he added.

On the situation in poor countries, Malpass stressed the importance of jobs in those countries, considering their increasing population.

He urged governments

to create a conducive environment for new private sector businesses that promote job creation as countries prepare for economic recovery post-COVID-19.

He stated that the post-COVID-19 economic environment would be

different from the situation pre-COVID-19.

Earlier, at the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meeting, Malpass said in 2020, the bank achieved a record 65 per cent growth in commitments and a rapid doubling of its trade

SECURITY AGENCIES MOVE TO STOP FURTHER ATTACKS ON SOUTH-EAST Also, the Commissioner for Police, Lagos State Command, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu, yesterday summoned top officers to deliberate and review operational strategies of the command towards forestalling any attacks in the state.

In addition, Odumosu hosted the Controller of Correctional Service Lagos State, Mr. Francis Adebisi, and promised to sustain the deployment of riot policemen in correctional centres in the state.

In Awka, the Anambra State capital, the state police command and Nigeria Correctional Services yesterday blocked all access roads passing through the state police headquarters and the custodial centre to forestall attacks on the facilities.

When THISDAY visited the police headquarters and the custodial centre, sternlooking policemen stood guard, diverting motorists and passers-by to take alternative routes.

There was a long queue of vehicles along the road in Amawbia, where both facilities are located, causing motorists to spend hours in traffic.

Residents of the state were also not allowed to walk on foot through the same road, while motorists have started avoiding the area.

The Public Relations Officer of the Anambra State Command of the NCS, Mr. Francis Ekezie, told THISDAY that the measures were part of the efforts to forestall fresh attacks.

He added that other measures that would not be made public had also been put in place by the NCS. He said: "You should know that before you see the physical manifestation of security measures like the barricade of target points, other measures which are not always for the consumption of the public, have been put in place.

"All the security agencies are on the ground at points you may not easily decipher.

Intelligence gathering and strategies are already on the ground. We are leaving no stone unturned to avert external aggression."

The Public Relations Officer of Anambra State Police Command, Mr. Tochukwu Ikenga, a deputy superintendent of police, said the barricades were to checkmate attacks.

"We just have to ask the people to bear with us for now, but these things are very necessary. You know also that that barricade did not start today, just that we are reinforcing it because of recent events," he added.

THISDAY also observed that military checkpoints have suddenly appeared in some areas of the state, where soldiers were carrying out “stop-and-search” operations.

These measures have created huge traffic gridlock on many roads in the state.

The Nigerian Correctional Centre in Enugu has also beefed up security.

When THISDAY visited the centre yesterday, at least four soldiers were seen guarding

different spots, in addition to the regular officers of the centre.

They were also stopping and questioning pedestrians using the walkway close to the centre.

Public Relations Officer of the centre, Mr. Emeka Monday, told THISDAY that they were working closely with other sister security agencies in the state to forestall any attack that could lead to a jailbreak.

"We have tightened up our surveillance outside the custodial centre and we are doing something entirely different to ensure that the security of the facility is tight," he stated.

The number of police officers guarding the Enugu State Police Command has also increased when THISDAY visited the command headquarters yesterday.

The officers, armed with their rifles, were patrolling the command while some were stationed at strategic points.

One of the officers was sighted on top of an armoured tank, surveying the environment.

Also, access to the Abia State Police headquarters on Bende Road was yesterday restricted.

Even journalists were not allowed a free pass to the office of the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) as every visitor was required to clear with their host before being allowed in.

At the Correctional Centre in Umuahia, there was also noticeable reinforcement of security around the area.

The spokesman of the State

Command of Nigeria Custodial Service, Mr. Linus Ikpe, did not respond to phone calls as at press time.

In Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, security operatives barricaded major streets leading to the state correctional centre.

Business activities in some shops around the centre have also been paralysed as vehicular and human movements have been restricted.

The state executive council has also resolved to set up joint security checkpoints at all the security formations.

The Secretary to the Ebonyi State Government and Coordinating Commissioner, Dr. Kenneth Ugbala, stated that solar lights would be installed at all the police divisions in the state.

The state government has also approved the recruitment of 700 vigilantes in all the local government area of the state.

Lagos CP Deploys More Policemen to Correctional Centres Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Police, Lagos State Command, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu, yesterday summoned all area commanders, riot police commanders and commanders of the Tactical Operational Units to deliberate and review operational strategies towards forestalling any attacks in the state.

Odumosu also yesterday hosted the Controller of

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COMMENT

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

SOUTH AFRICA’S CRIMES AGAINST MOZAMBIQUE

Those hunting Jacob Zuma should prosecute past and living inventors of crimes against Mozambique, writes Okello Oculi

T

he judicial harassment of former ANC’s master spy and President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, may well be a brilliant and cynical diversion from horrendous crimes by top South African military and security officials and politicians during the regime of the ‘’Boers’’. Prime focus should be given to punishing their past, and likely current, crimes against Mozambique.

The first historic crimes were not limited only to Mozambique as a colony of Portugal. In fact, Portuguese officials in Lisbon never regarded the country as a part of Africa, but as part of ‘’Portugal Overseas’’. It took the military and political genius of leaders of liberation wars in Angola, Guinea Bissau / Cape Verde and Mozambique whose victories in battle fields incited Portugal’s 1974 military coup whose officers abandoned that colonial lie.

In a geo-colonial belt from Angola to Tanganyika (now mainland Tanzania), British and Portuguese officials signed agreements for RENTING (to mining companies and farms) able-bodied young men from territories they exploited. In South Africa, these forced workers lived in all-male barracks: with no women to procreate with. Poorly left behind, their female age-mates lost vital months and years of fulfilling their biological and historic duty of renewing Africa’s population.

This ‘reproductive infanticide’ is reflected in the very low population numbers in Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and South Africa’s black communities. In 2020, Botswana’s vast territory had a tiny population of 2, 351, 000 and a population density of four persons per square mile.

Tanzania has 59, 734,000 population with a density of 67 people per square mile, while Angola holds 32, 866,000 people with a population density of a mere 26 people per square mile. Both countries have vast lands suitable for peasant agriculture.

Zimbabwe has a miserably low population density of 38, while Namibia has three persons per square mile. Their able-bodied youth supplied labour to local and South African European immigrants. South Africa’s colonial economy blocked child-bearing in the region.

The second crime focused on Capo Delgado, the province from which the war of liberation started. Typical of guerrilla war, FRELIMO put emphasis on winning hearts and minds of local communities by building health clinics, schools, cooperative farming groups, paying fair prices for food items obtained from farmers and providing political education about the better society they could build for their children.

The areas from which Portuguese troops were chased away –‘’Liber-

IT IS PRECISELY IN CAPO DELGADO REGION THAT RACIST SOUTH AFRICAN TROOPS WRECKED WITH BARBARISM THE NEW FUTURE FRELIMO WAS BUILDING. WOMBS OF PREGNANT WOMEN WERE RIPPED OPEN WITH BAYONETS. BABIES WERE BASHED AGAINST WALLS OF HUTS…

ated Areas’’ – became mirror images of what 500 years of Portuguese colonial dictatorship had denied them.

It is precisely in Capo Delgado region that racist South African troops wrecked with barbarism the new future FRELIMO was building. Wombs of pregnant women were ripped open with bayonets.

Babies were bashed against walls of huts. Clinics and schools were burnt down, and food crops grown on cooperative farms were either uprooted or burnt down before harvest. Foods stored in granaries were burnt. The drive was to make local communities regret their support for a better life.

Scandinavian countries did not call for Reparation by South Africa or hold Piet Botha, John Vorster or military general for ‘’committing war crimes and crimes against humanity’’. Instead, they sought to shackle FRELIMO in loans and debts after beating back South Africa’s troops. The current mayhem by Al Qaeda is a second return of hell.

South Africa owes the region reconstruction as reparation.

On 19 October, 1986 a youthful 53 years old President Samora Machel of Mozambique was assassinated in a Tupolev TU 134 A aircraft. The plane crashed at Mbazini in northeaster South Africa, believed to have been deceived by a ‘’decoy beacon transmitting on the same frequency as Maputo airport’’.

Cornelio Vasco Cumbe and Antonio Cardoso de Jesus, two technicians at Maputo airport, are suspected to have switched off electricity at Maputo airport on instructions from Craig Williamson, a South African intelligence officer.

Top South African military officers arrived on the scene immediately but a medical rescue team arrived eight hours later, too late to save wounded victims. Samora Machel and 35 senior leaders of FRELIMO party perished in the crash; thereby, eroding socialists who were creating ‘’Ujamaa’’ development models in Capo Delgado and central Mozambique.

Le Monde Diplomatique notes that South Africa armed and financed ‘’RENAMO’’: a militia formed by ‘’a handful of white colonists from Mozambique and their allies in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe)’’ who hated Machel’s support for Robert Mugabe’s coming to power in 1980.

Renamo destroyed Mozambique’s agricultural sector and sabotaged the country’s access to electricity from Cabora Bassa dam.

It is instructive that President Nelson Mandela did not investigate South Africa’s involvement in the murder of Samora Machel. He promised to so do. Those hunting Jacob Zuma should prosecute past and living inventors of crimes against Mozambique.

AISHA BUHARI AND THE OTHER BOOK Olusegun Adeniyi writes that a politically conscious woman like Mrs Buhari cannot be confined to ‘The Other Room’ Continued from the back page

I

find this aspect of Mrs Buhari’s life interesting. Her pursuit of education was purposeful and targeted. She did not go to school to just earn a certificate. She chose technical education that would give her a vocation for which she is now renowned. She was a resource person for the National Board for Technical Education on Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology, and she also participated in the curriculum development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME).

She wrote a training manual, ‘The Essentials of Beauty Therapy: A Complete Guide for Beauty Specialists’. I wish she had used her office and force of personality to lead a national campaign on technical education where we fail so miserably as a nation or for the education of the girl-child, especially in the North.

However, the most revealing aspects of the book are the crucial roles Mrs Aisha Buhari was documented as having played in the emergence of her husband as president of Nigeria. It is in these accounts that one can understand what has become a crisis of expectations. The author, a Senior Special Assistant to the President, is a close relation of the First Lady, a fact which she admitted, and among the many photographs in the book was one she took with a teenage Aisha in 1989. While the First Lady has no direct voice in the book, she spoke through others: Siblings, uncles, aunties, children, friends, former classmates, former teachers, politicians, and other acquaintances. These people of course have only good things to say about her, as to be expected.

But her only son, Yusuf, sounded truer than he probably intended. After describing the First Lady with all those superlatives everyone would associate with their mother, Yusuf also added: “She is a fighter whom no one should attempt to disagree with as well. She goes all the way, till she sees the end of issues. She makes her point known and finds a way to make it stick.”

Right from 2003 when Buhari first ran for president, Aisha was said to have been involved

in mobilizing women and youths as well as meeting with various stakeholders, including campaigning in her home state of Adamawa in 2007. Against the background that most Nigerians for the first time saw Mrs Buhari in the prelude to the 2015 election, it is quite revealing to read about her efforts in 2003, 2007 and 2011. Let’s take a few words from the book: “The finale of Aisha’s political journey can be seen in the way she ventured, labored and scaled through the rough socio-political terrain dotted with difficult barriers of culture, gender and intrigues, like a woman caught in a political web. The stakes were high against a woman from a highly restrictive, and deeply cultural and religious background married to an opposition candidate who resolved to play politics ethically. First, there was stiff opposition from the home front, to women participating in politics, with attendant social biases, psychological assault, economic restrictions, and political intrigues…the testing ground for her was during the election campaigns of 2003, 2007 and 2011, where the worst incidences occurred, but which ultimately resulted in victory and survival for her.”

Following Buhari’s defeat at the 2003 presidential election, it was Aisha who “gallantly picked everything from the pieces and began to build back the campaign machinery, as if the next elections were around the corner. From trickles to small groups, the crowd began to rise like the moon tides, attracted by her sheer commitment and dedication to long-term goals set for the next election 2007.” But when the court cases were over and Buhari could not reclaim his ‘stolen mandate’, he was abandoned by his supporters. This was when Mrs Aisha Buhari, according to Nana Abu Ali, who spoke to the author, took over the political structure of her husband. “Mrs Buhari proved her capabilities by taking over the campaign activities and by mobilizing women and youths across Nigeria in a very matured and civil way; aligning herself with people from all backgrounds. She was a voice, a powerful voice, and her humility

was captivating. Though not known to many people, she played a vital role behind the scenes throughout the 2003, 2007 and 2011 election campaigns. Aisha Buhari is an attestation of the willpower of a woman. Her commitment and determination have proven her to be a woman with a strong head on her shoulders and a mind of her own.”

Since what is candour to someone could be seen as indiscretion to others, the question some have raised about Mrs Aisha Buhari is whether her interventions were motivated by personal interest or the pursuit of public good. If indeed Mrs Buhari played the roles credited to her in all the four attempts by her husband before he was elected president in 2015, was she expecting to play a central role in the government? The author justified the First Lady’s controversial public interventions that seemed to have put her at odds with the current administration headed by her husband. Aisha Buhari’s motive in sharing those critical views, according to Hajo Sani, is two-fold. “The first is that she is moved by her humanitarian nature to identify with the general feelings of the people. Secondly, she desires to draw the attention of policy makers to the issues of the day”, wrote the author who then added: “If your house is burning and you admit it, even the critic might lift a bucket of water to help drown the flames.”

To be sure, Buhari’s ‘house’ has been in flames for a while and whatever may have been her motivation, Aisha has had to call out people she described as “cabal” who had “hijacked power” from her husband, once threatened not to campaign for his second term (although she eventually did) and was critical of the nomination process of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Aisha has also publicly imputed corruption in the management of the State House clinic aside the allegory of hyenas, jackals, and weaker animals. The author says Aisha Buhari is a non-conformist and goes ahead to explain why: “Established structures are usually difficult to break from, and it is wisdom to extract from the old to bring

about a more informed and useful innovation.

One distinct feature of the personality of Aisha Buhari is her ability to break free of established structures.”

Regardless of whatever role Mrs Buhari may have played in the elections contested by her husband before he got to Aso Rock at the fourth attempt, she was only supporting her spouse.

That, for critics, is not a license to have vaunted expectations or to be engaging in public criticism of a government headed by her husband. I know from my own experience at the Villa that as First Lady, Mrs Buhari has channels to pass on her messages either to the president or his appointees. What her varied interventions have done is to enable Nigerians see the dysfunctionality of the administration and Buhari’s hands-off approach to governance.

Overall, ‘The Making of the Nigerian Flagship: The Story of The Guardian’ by Aaron Ukodie and O’seun Ogunseitan and ‘Aisha Buhari: Being Different’, by Dr Hajo Sani are two difficult books. One is a Herculean undertaking in the history of Nigerian journalism.

No matter its encyclopedic sweep, a book on a massive media undertaking at a contentious phase in Nigerian history can only evoke more controversy mostly among journalists. But it also fills an important conceptual gap: newspapers should go beyond telling the story of others.

One can only hope that other leading Nigerian media houses will be challenged to write their corporate and editorial histories. The book on Mrs Buhari is also unique. She evokes curiosity as the first Nigerian First Lady who has disagreed openly on policy and political issues with her incumbent husband. While some people will celebrate the book as providing insights into the making of a frank and outspoken First Lady, some will also see the effort as a thinly veiled PR attempt.

For me, the main takeaway from the book is that a politically conscious woman like Mrs Aisha Buhari is not someone anybody would consign to ‘The Other Room’ without consequences!

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2021

EDITORIAL APPOINTMENT OF A NEW IGP Usman Alkali Baba has his job well cut out

T

wo months after securing for himself an extra-constitutional tenure elongation, Mr Mohammed Adamu was on Tuesday removed unceremoniously as the Inspector-General of Police. He was supposed to retire on 1st February but the federal government announced a three-month extension that drew criticisms. Adamu was in Owerri for on-the- spot assessment of the damage done by gunmen on the Imo State Police Command and the Nigerian Correctional Service facilities (where prisoners were set free), when he heard of his sack. He was immediately replaced by Usman Alkali Baba who has inherited an institution lacking in both morale and professional firepower.

While we congratulate Usman Baba on his elevation, the new IGP must understand that he already has his job cut for him. Beyond restoring a sense of order and credibility in the police, there is also an urgent need to improve on their capacity. As President Muhammadu Buhari recently remarked, soldiers who are principally trained to defend the country’s territorial integrity are now saddled with the responsibility THE CONSTITUTIONAL of protecting lives FRAMEWORK FOR and property within SAFEGUARDING LIVES towns and villages AND PROPERTY WITHOUT because of police WHICH THERE CAN BE NO ineffectiveness. For this situation to DEVELOPMENT RESTS change, Usman Baba WITH THE POLICE must overhaul the entire structure and restore the police to its original mandate in a way that soldiers do not have to be pulled out of their duty posts to protect the ordinary man on the street.

This of course will not be easy. Everywhere in the country today, there is the pervading sense of fear and insecurity. The activities of Boko Haram, bandits, armed robbers, kidnappers and sundry other criminal cartels have combined to paint the picture of a country practically at war with itself. To worsen matters, there is a growing negative perception of

Letters to the Editor

the police due to the excesses of a small number of officers and men.

F

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 TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

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

DOCTORS ON STRIKE: A Personal Memory

M

y late father suffered a stroke in the morning of December 27 1998 in my hometown of Nnewi, where he lived after his retirement as a civil servant, and while I was visiting on home leave with my family from my UN duty post in Tanzania at the time.

That was the first disaster.

The second disaster was that medical doctors were on strike, as they are today, and public hospitals were closed. We could not get proper medical attention for him in time.

When anyone has a stroke it is imperative to get him or her to a hospital ASAP. We found a private hospital the next day and took daddy there. Shortly after he went into a coma and passed away two days later. It’s a very painful memory.

My dad died because of a dysfunctional health system. I wept bitterly, and hoped that one day I’d have the opportunity to work for strong health systems. This experience influenced my later joining the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva in a senior role, assigned to The Global Fund where we raised

or sure, the problematic shopping list for the new police boss is inexhaustible. Most of the police stations across the country are in deplorable conditions. They lack basically everything.

Yet for the police to live up to its responsibilities, it must be adequately equipped. A force entrusted to secure the nation cannot perform in the face of antiquated equipment and low morale. Therefore, for Baba to succeed, he will definitely need all the resources he can muster from the authorities and the support of the civil society. What this implies is that Usman has a huge responsibility on his hands as he strives to entrench discipline in police operations and restore the confidence of Nigerians. One sure way to do that is through community policing.

Ordinarily, community policing is not a new concept. The initiative is predicated on the belief that both the police and citizens at the grassroots who understand the culture and traditions of the community have a joint responsibility to fight crime. Under this concept, a synergy is built between the police and the locals they serve. This helps to guarantee the security of lives and property in the neighbourhoods by freely exchanging ideas, and promptly sharing intelligence and acting on such.

As we argued last year when the idea was first mooted, the public deserves to be educated on how this mode of policing will operate, whether it will be supervised from Abuja or coordinated by various state commands of the Nigeria Police or whether community police commands will be established in every local government area of the country to oversee the activities of the grassroots’ police in each local council or whether a special body will be founded to run the operations. The constitutional framework for safeguarding lives and property without which there can be no development rests with the police.

We wish Usman the best of luck in his new assignment.

and invested $12 billion to help developing countries like Nigeria develop strong prevention and treatment of health pandemics like malaria, HIV/AIDS, and TB. But in Nigeria to my disappointment, corruption in the public sector and some NGOs reduced the impact of these investments by The Global Fund, where I headed the global partnerships and resource mobilization function that helped make these investments possible.

If I become President of Nigeria someday, all Nigerians will have Universal Health Care and doctors will have no reason to go on strike because hospitals will be well equipped with drugs and other equipment, doctors will be well paid, and as I vowed when I ran for the office in 2019, my government will establish a world-class hospital in each of the six geopolitical zones of our country to reduce medical tourism. Human capital investments in health and education must be the number one priority of any country’s public policy and governance. We won’t rely on foreign aid donors and international organizations for such basic responsibilities.

Kingsley Moghalu, Ifek’ego Nnewi

Tinubu’s Colloquium And 2023 Elections

P

enultimate week, Kano, the venue of Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu’s 12th colloquium, was agog with eminent personalities who trooped to the ancient state to celebrate the birthday of Jagaban Borgu. Bola Tinubu who clocked 69th needs no introduction in Nigerian politics. He was former senator in the third republic and two times governor of Lagos State under the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD). He is believed to have an enormous political influence and largely controlled the politics of South-West. He contributed greatly towards installing the Buhari’s government both in 2015 and 2019 respectively. Tinubu’s 12th colloquium has come at a time when the politics of 2023 has begun with alignment and realignment of political forces aimed at winning and consolidating political power. Many political analysts opined that Bola Tinubu who is nursing presidential ambition to succeed Buhari in 2023 deliberately and strategically chose Kano as his selling point, in view of its political relevance not only in the North but also the country at large.

Though, during his speech, Tinubu stated that his choice of Kano is to prove to Nigerians that both Fulani and Yoruba are one, amidst growing cases of secession across board, the colloquium seems to be more than what he said and suspected to have a political undertone. However, if there is anything the Asiwaju’s

colloquium has fully addressed it is the perceived rift between Tinubu and President Buhari. In his virtual speech, Mr President took time to eulogize Tinubu’s contributions to the development of Nigerian democracy.

The speech has put to rest the rumour of no love lost between the duo. But the questions begging for answers are: what will be the political future of Jagaban who has continued to come under intense criticism and scrutiny even among his party men? How can Tinubu resolve the issues surrounding the selection of vice president, if he gets his party’s ticket?

Looking at how ethnic and religion shape Nigerian politics, pairing Muslim/Muslim ticket by APC will be a suicidal mission, as Christian voters will look for any available options to protect their interest. Assuming Tinubu picks a Christian running mate from the North, northern Muslims voters may be reluctant to vote for APC. With the opposition PDP poised to field its presidential candidate from the North, it will be a lost gamble for the ruling party to stick to Tinubu’s presidency.

I think this is the fear being expressed by some APC governors and party chieftains. No wonder, Governor El-Rufai is in support of power rotation to the South-west but not in support for Tinubu presidency. Governor ElRufai in collaboration with others governors are pushing for Governor Kayode Fayemi as their preferred choice.

Ibrahim Mustapha, Pambegua, Kaduna State

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4

Møtømatics!

Welcome to the 4th ÁRRU Today we celebrate a rare gem, an icon and a property czar

Sijibomi Ogundele MD/CEO Sujimoto

1+1=11

Happy Birthday

Real Estate Mogul

The Iroko of Sujimoto

Dynamic leader

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Visionary

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THURSDAY APRIL 8, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY APRIL 8, 2021

POLITICS

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

‘I Want to Die Empty, I Want to Say I Have Given My All’ Former Governor of the Central Bankl of Nigeria, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo speaks to David-Chyddy Eleke on the recent attack on him by unknown gunmen and on his aspiration to govern Anambra State

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ould you please tell us what happened last week Wednesday when there was said to have been an attack on you?

It was quite a sad day and a day of deep reflection. As a Catholic, on Wednesday, we had the Diocesan Chrism Mass, and we followed that up with a scheduled town hall interactive meeting with the youths of Isuofia and it commenced at about 4pm. Being an interactive session, after the introductory session by the youth president, I took the floor to make my own preliminary remarks and that was supposed to be followed by comments, questions and answers.

Several other dignitaries from the town were there. The member representing our constituency in the Anambra House of Assembly, commissioners, former commissioners, former members of parliaments, various dignitaries including many others were there.

The hall was packed full with young people and there was enthusiasm everywhere, and just as I was about ending my remarks, I heard gunshots. At first, I thought it was the police that was also joining in the very energized and energetic atmosphere, or maybe the crowd effect that was making them shoot in the air.

When it continued and there was persistent shooting in the air, and people were wailing and screaming outside, then a stampede ensued, and we all stampeded on each other, scrambling and scampering to safety. When it was all done – I think this must have lasted for about 10 to 15 minutes and we returned, when it all quietened out, only for us to realize that, we saw three dead bodies. There were policemen, people very close to me. One had been on and off with me from the Aguata police division; Murtala from Taraba and the two others from Operations, DC Ops office who just joined me the Monday before. It was such gory sight to behold as they lay in the pool of blood. That was the moment I actually felt the full weight of what happened. I quickly got home, only to realize that they abducted the commissioner when he jumped across the fence, trying to flee for his life. It was quite a moment, and I am still trying to make sense of the whole thing.

The governor called me almost immediately, an ever supportive governor who is also a security Czar himself. He called me immediately and then swung into action with his security team. Few minutes after the Commissioner of Police, Deputy Commissioner of Police, even the DSS, soldiers were all here and they all swung into action and I understand it was breaking news in the country and indeed all over the world, and was carried by all major networks around the world, and my phone was ringing nonstop all through the nights.

I guess I must have received well over aone thousand calls. Thousands of WhatsApp and text messages and tens of thousands from elsewhere, and people called me, the presidency, former presidents, governors, serving governors, bishops, reverends, pastors, traditional rulers from Anambra, the Obi of Onitsha, the Sultan of Sokoto, monarchs from all over the country, members of the National Assembly, captains of industries and the rest. It was an outpouring of solidarity and sympathy from all over the country. It was unexplainable to me, why anybody will come to such a youth event, where we had over one thousand youths seated to discuss their destinies, which we had an agenda to give them a future; so to speak, and that was what we were there to dialogue, so we can get their own input. Why will anyone want to come in there and perform such kind of dastardly act is to me unexplainable. It is not the Anambra way, however you look at it. It is not even the Nigerian way and should not be the way of anywhere. So, that was the event of Wednesday. For me, the security agencies are still working to unravel the reason for

Soludo this, and I do not have to prejudge, we are watching the event.

For one who went through such an incident, I know you must have been terrified. How do you feel now, or does the incident of that day come flooding back to your mind?

To be honest with you, not even for a second did I ever feel any sense of threat. Not even a second. I had my comportment and composure all through the travails, because I don’t know where this was coming from. I didn’t panic for one second. Also, I am a person of fate, and I believe strongly that my life is in the hands of God, and nobody can take my life.

I mean nobody, no man born of a woman will be able to take it, except it is the will of God. That is why I never panicked for one day.

However, the three lives, I mean the aspect of the three police officers who lost their lives is what made me very sad, and I pray for the peaceful repose of their souls. My prayers are also with their families. I saw their family members here today and we tried to assist with whatever we can for their burials and when they come back, we will also see how we can

assist their families. Again is the abduction of the commissioner – to what purpose?

All together, as a person I feel a sense of outrage. The sacrifice is too much, but my consolation is that this is Easter period and the sacrifices of our Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation that came with it. Our prayer is that our Lord Jesus Christ who we are commemorating on this day said a simple prayer on the cross, Lord forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing. That remains my simple prayers at this period. We are energized, we are unwavering. I have said that my life is in his hands and no man can take it until the appointed time. I am feeling okay, I am not hurt, not even a scratch, but my heart goes out for the fallen ones and their loved ones and for those guys (policemen) who I have known for a while.

Less than one month ago, you accepted pleas by groups in the state to run for the governorship of Anambra. There have also been insinuations about the reason for that attack, and more so because you are a governorship aspirant, some people think it may be politically motivated. Do

If Soludo emerges as candidate of APGA, let them also emerge from their own political parties and let’s have a fair contest. The people will decide and God Almighty will also crown whoever the people choose. For me, what matters is who the people choose, and I know that the people of the state recognize the overwhelming demand for me by a vast majority of Ndi Anambra for this particular contest.

All I say is that, lets come together as Ndi Anambra and build the state. If it is not me chosen by Ndi Anmbra at the end of the day, we support anyone that is choosen.

Like I said, I am not desperate. My 100 percent motive is to serve, is to work to develop Anambra State and by implication Nigeria. Anambra I am sure is home to many people. More than 30 percent of the people resident in Anambra are not from Anambra, people all over the country live here. If the goal is transformation, there shouldn’t be desperation

you see it from this prism?

The question about political motivation, I do not want to speculate about that yet. The investigation has started and the security agents should be able to unravel all that. But let me make a comment about the part of your question which is alluding the vast demand by the vast majority of Anambra people for me to come and succeed our able working governor, Chief Willie Obiano at a time like this. At a time of global pandemic like this, at a time Nigeria is transiting away from oil economy, post oil economy, at a time of global difficulty all round the world, Anambra people were clamouring for someone with capacity, with knowledge, with experience, so in some sense, I can understand it if some people get a bit desperate, because in terms of what is on ground, the election would be for us to lose. I think there is a ground swell of support for us. As you said, barely about one month ago, I decided to say to the people –’ yes’, it is something I am willing to consider, if my political party the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) will let me fly their flag.

If in a free and fair primaries they ask me to fly their flag, which I am confident will be the case in a free and fair primaries, I will be able to win resoundingly, I will then go on to win the election resoundingly too. So, I can understand if there is some degree of desperation to stop me. But my take is that power belongs to God. Only God can stop us from getting it. It is not in the hands of man, only God can do it, and I believe that the God of Anambra is alive, and he is a God that wants Anambra to continue to grow from layer to layer, so that we can build and consolidate on the gains we have made over the years and the sterling legacies of the current governor, and that way, we will take Anambra to the next level. That is the mission and I don’t think any man can stop it if God has says it will be so, and I am confident that God has said it will be so. That is all I can say.

I am sure you are not unaware of attacks on your aspiration by people from other political parties in the state. One would wonder why they are more interested in your party instead of concentrating on electing a candidate for their own party?

It is not a surprise, that is politics. If you see Ronaldo or Lionel Messi heading to the goal post with the ball, what do you do? If you let him, he is going to score, inevitably.

So, what you do is that you attack him, you tackle him and try to get the ball, even quack him and sometime, you have to go even from the back. We have a proverb in Igbo that it is the iroko that stands on the way that gets the machete cut. If you are not a threat, both those from within APGA, both those from the other parties, as your question stated, who should be thinking of how to choose their own candidate, would not bother. I can only tell you that it is because they will want a weaker candidate from APGA. In their assessment, a Soludo on the ballot will close the door of other political parties in terms of their chances of winning. If only people realize that this is only a contest. Except you don’t want to serve the people, which is what I am out for, but if you want to serve the people, it doesn’t make any sense to show desperation. For me, It is not a do-or-die thing. I have served the world, served Nigeria and I have now come down to my state. I want to die empty, I want to live and say that I have given my all. I just want to say to other political parties, whether you are from any party, the common goal is the continued transformation of the state, and if that is our common goal, they shouldn’t be attacks. It is a contest and not for enemies.

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

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY APRIL 8, 2021

POLITICS

‘We’re Going to Present What APC Has Done in South-east, Anambra’ Managing Director of National Inland Waterways, Mr. George Moghalu talks to Adedayo Akinwale on his achievements in the agency and his desire to contest in the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress

H

ow have you been coping with managing the affairs of NIWA all these years?

Those who knew a little about the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) when I took over as MD knew that only few people knew about it. It was bad that people didn’t even know that it is a parastatal under the Ministry of Transportation. I saw that NIWA was under reported as a major critical challenge. Because I know that for you to make the needed impact, people must know that you exist. We needed to bring NIWA to the consciousness of Nigerians, get them to know who we are, our responsibilities and get them to share in our challenges and aspirations. When they know what we stand for and our constitutional responsibility, if we have challenges, they can buy into them and see the extent they can partner in solving the problems. I saw NIWA as under-reported.

I want to place it on record that I have been receiving encouragement from the media.

The key responsibilities that NIWA is expected to do, principally, is to move cargos and personnel through our waterways. For me, I see that as a major challenge. I previously said that I would like to leave office as MD of NIWA, if there is anything I want as a record, it is to be recorded in my favour that water transportation becomes a major choice both for cargo and personnel. If we are able to arrive at that destination, with all modesty, I will say we have succeeded.

Publicity is a way of bringing NIWA to the consciousness of the people.

What have you been able to do?

We have done quite a lot. We bought beautiful world-class jetties. We brought crafts and placed orders for dredgers and we have improved on our sensitization. We have addressed the issue of navigational challenges and accidents on our waterways. Recently, we have deployed ambulances to different places.

We have been able to improve the morale of our staff. As we speak there is a salary review.

We have done quite a lot of training and some are still ongoing. The beautiful thing about the training is not only for management staff.

We are doing training for the least of the staff.

For their sake, they are still undergoing some forms of training because of what we want to do. We want a situation where everybody is updated about NIWA. We have also done an aggressive restructuring of our headquarters.

It is quite different from what it used to be when we came into office.

Again, everyone is aware that we came into the office at a time when the Coronavirus pandemic ravaged the world. We have aggressively addressed that unlike before when you cannot go to any of our jetties to board our vessels or operate from one jetty to the other without adhering strictly to the COVID-19 protocols. Without a life jacket, nobody can be allowed. We insist on observance of COVID-19 protocols. We have been able to do much to save the lives of Nigerians we consider very critical in public transportation. Today, I will not say we have gotten to where we want to be, but we are a work in progress. We are doing our best and sustaining the efforts apart from the physical construction and some level of procurement.

Water Hyacinth and floating debt are other challenges we have on our waterways. We have done part of those clearing and as we speak the processes are still ongoing. We are removing dregs on all the inland waterways because it constitutes lots of hazards and challenges. Water maintenance is not a one off thing. It is not something you will say I have done and I won’t do again. It is something that comes seasonally. We have consistently zeroed our minds and addressing it as it comes.

We have done quite a lot in NIWA. Why then are you trying to step out of NIWA? I step into NIWA and the date to step out

of key players like the traditional rulers, critical stakeholders, they will tell you that for things to work properly the right thing to do is to zone the position of the governorship seat to Anambra south. This is without prejudice to the fact that every street in Anambra state has the capacity to generate a complete cabinet.

I can tell you that we are well-schooled. You can have the kind of person you want in all the three senatorial zones of the state. But, for equity and fairness, the tide favours the South. That is why everybody appears to be singing the song that this time around, the ticket should be in the South.

Moghalu is not the issue now. My desire to serve as governor of Anambra state is not a new thing. I am sure you know that I ran for the gernorship seat in 2003. It is only because of the desire to change the narrative. I believe very strongly that I have the capacity, ability, and determination to change the story of my state. I want to play an active role in getting the state back to where it should be. I believe that lots of things have not been done right.

I believe there are better alternatives. Better ways to do things to change the story. As we get along, when I will unfold my manifesto, people will understand the driving force.

What are the chances of APC in Anambra APC as you know is a national party. There is a new reawakening across the country, particularly in the South-east. But, the fundamental point is not necessarily about the old narratives. It is about the new consciousness.

I keep telling people that we are going into the election with our report cards. We are going to present what APC has been able to do in South-east and Anambra.

We are going to put it side by side with

what others have done. Again, we also have to put the credibility, character, capacity, and ability of whoever is going to fly the flag of the party into consideration. That is why it is important that the party takes into cognizance the experience, exposure, capacity, and ability of the contestant that can win election without baggage.

We have very great personalities. Our people are not satisfied with the governance of the state today. It is like, having married this man for some time, let us try this other husband.

PDP has ruled our state, APGA has ruled our state, why don’t we then try APC to see whether the narrative will change. Let us see the differences so that we can do enormous comparative analysis. As for whether we have the chance, I can tell you, without sounding immodest, that it is our best chance.

What about the issue of zoning?

Truth be told, there is no place an agreement was reached in terms of everybody sitting down to sign a document that it must be zoned to the south. Truth also be told that for justice and fairness, Anambra South should benefit. Moreover, if you look at the narrative

God and the people are my godfathers. If you check my political history and trajectory, you can’t find any of such godfathers. But, I respect leaders. There are influential leaders who have opinions and it will be unfair to ignore them. You will also find it necessary to convince them to see your vision from the same prism if they are convinced they will do everything within human capacity to see that you succeed.

Nobody can come out today and claim he is my godfather.

God is my Godfather and everybody knows that in my politics. I respect people, I honour them even the people you consider poor. The truth about it is that if one million people put 100 Naira, it is already a N100 million. So it is about the narrative for people to buy into it. Once they buy into it, God’s willing, your destination is assured. My Godfather is God in heaven and the people he is going to use in Anambra state

The race will be that of billionaires, are you one?

I don’t know whether among the criteria for election now is to be a billionaire. I also know that there is no column to indicate that aspirants should attach a bank account in their interest forms. What I can tell you is that I am comfortable by the grace of God. It is not about now. I am a contented person.

I know contentment is great riches which gives a lot of peace of mind.

As to whether I will run against billionaires, it depends on what Anambra people are looking for. If we are looking for billionaires, we know where to find them. If we are looking for someone to deliver in terms of service, we know where to find them. One thing I can tell you about our people is that we know what we want. An average Anambra man and woman knows what they want. So, when we get to the bridge, we will cross it. But, what I can tell you without fear of contradiction, is that finance won’t is an issue.

You have contested severally, must you be governor and what are those things you will do differently from what Peter Obi and other governors have not done?

I don’t know the premise of your question whether I must be governor. What I don’t know is whether it is because I have tried it two times and going for the third time.

Otherwise, I would have given you examples of those that tried three or four times before God answers their prayer. The truth about it is that I am not desperate. I believe very strongly that all powers belong to God. And He gives it to whoever He pleases at his own time. You must make yourself available for God to use you. If it is the will of God that I will be governor, nothing can stop it. If it is His will that I will not be governor, nothing can also make it possible.

Is there any truth on the imposition of candidates during the primary?

The question should not have come to me but to the party because I was not part of a meeting to impose a candidate. However, I agree with those who are saying that for any democratic process to be credible, peaceful, and achieve success at the end of the day, the party primary process must be credible and acceptable. One good thing about credible primary is that it encourages unity among members after the primary. It is easier to lose and the person reconciles with a party, the establishment and moves on. When you feel short-changed and deceived that the process was schemed ab initio, with the intention to get you out of the way, if it eventually happens, there is likelihood and tendency to fight back.

That is not usually in the interest of the party.

Just like you on the outside, my appeal is let the process be free, fair, and credible.

How convinced are you that you will defeat the other contestants this time around?

I am convinced. God’s time is now. And that is why I am going to give it my best shot for the will of God to be done.

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

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T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ Ͷ, 2021

FEATURES

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

The Milestone Story of Hero MotoCorp Hero MotoCorp has surpassed 100 million cumulative production milestones, Ugo Aliogo reports

in line with that a dream was set in motion about the aspiration of the company.

The company continued targeting the significant milestone with a dream already set in motion. During the early of establishment, there were no signs that the company would a big brand that drive growth and support the transport system in Indian.

Five Year Plan As part of the next five-year plan, Hero MotoCorp will introduce over 10 products including variants, refreshes and upgrades yearly.

The company also has a steep growth target

Road to 100 Million Lives Today, Hero MotorCorp provides wheels to the aspirations of millions of people and acts as an economic multiplier across the world.

The company has recorded remarkable success in adding value and shared prosperity.

The company has been at the fore-front of providing mobility to the aspirations of millions around the world and the achievement of this milestone is the success of evolving engineering, operational excellence and sustainable practices.

The journey to achieve the 100 million milestones mark went through various phases, in 1994, the company achieved the first one million, while in 2001, it recorded 5 million, then in 2004 it recorded 10 million, while in 2008, it recorded 25 million, in 2013 it recorded 50 million, and in 2017 it recorded 75 million.

Munjal further stated that the strength of the company is due to the success of the holistic ecosystem built on trust and belief that has grown along with the company, adding that most importantly, “this is a celebration of the customers who continue to shower their love and faith on Hero.”

According to the CEO, “I feel proud and elated as this great organisation, our hero MotorCorp, and everybody associated with it are about to experience an achievement which seemed a distant dream. This milestone signifies much more than just to say it is a record. It is the success of our iconic brand.

It is the trust that our customers have placed in us. It is the hardwork of our employees and all our heroes. It is the success of Indian.

People get fascinated by all the facilities we have around the world presently.

“This significant landmark is also an affirmation of the inherent capabilities in India and Hero’s Brand appeal. We have been making in India, for the world – and this milestone is an acknowledgment of the customers’ preference for Hero across geographies, demographics and generations.

“We are going to continue to ride our growth journey. In keeping with our Vision to ‘Be the Future of Mobility’ we will be launching a host of new motorcycles and scooters over the next five years, in addition to expanding our global footprint. We will also continue to invest in research and Development and focus on new mobility solutions.”

ero Motocorp has surpassed the monumental 100 million cumulative production milestones and became the only Indian automotive manufacturer to achieve the incredible landmark. The company is committed to achieving its vision which is to: “be the future of mobility.” Its core focus is on building mobility solutions, continued global expansion with entry into new markets, and more focused product launch yearly, including a range of premium motorcycles for the next five years.

Today, Hero MotoCorp, is the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters.

It has surpassed the significant milestone of 100 Million (10 Crores) units in cumulative production. The 100 million bike, the Xtreme 160R, was rolled-out of the company’s manufacturing facility in Haridwar, in the northern Indian hill state of Uttarakhand.

This is also the 20th consecutive year that Hero MotoCorp has retained the coveted title of the world’s largest manufacturer of two-wheelers. The company’s achievement of this landmark is one of the fastest global achievements of the 100 million cumulative production mark, with the last 50 million units coming in a span of just seven years.

Focused on sustainable growth, Hero MotoCorp has been building value for communities across the globe and acting as an economic multiplier with its sales, research and development and manufacturing ecosystems. It also continuously works towards the progress of the societies it operates in.

To mark the occasion, the Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Pawan Munjal unveiled six special celebration edition models at the company’s manufacturing facility at Gurugram, located in the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi.

The six celebration edition models include Splendor+, Xtreme 160R, Passion Pro, Glamour (motorcycles) and Destini 125, Maestro Edge 110 (scooters) – that will go on sale from February 2021.

Addressing a global audience including customers, dealers, distributors, investors, suppliers, employees, customers and the media, Munjal also outlined Hero MotoCorp’s plans and vision for the next five years. During the five years’ timeframe, the company will aim to further consolidate its leadership position, expand its global footprint, launch exciting and relevant products and also work on new innovative product concepts.

Hero

for its markets outside India. It will continue to grow its operations in these markets and also enter key markets in new geographies.

The company will continue to reduce its carbon footprint through its green facilities and fuel-efficient products. The company will also continue to work towards the propagation of new mobility solutions both through its

internal programmes and by supporting the larger external ecosystem. Hero Motobike is marketed in Nigeria by Kewalram Chanrai Group.

The Hero MotoCorp journey began in January 19, 1984, when the company was incorporated.

The company was focused on building a new future and achieving significant milestone,

Phurah Bookcafe Partners Foundations to Feed the Community Ugo Aliogo

n May 2020, at the height of the lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated toll it took on the economy with the attendant effect on the vulnerable in the society, the Phurah Bookcafe hosted a foodbank in conjunction with the King's Children Foundation and the Joshua Okeowo Foundation.

The Foodbank, a project of the King's Children Foundation is one of the many programmes of the foundation, which aims at improving the literacy level and standard of education in Lagos State among primary school children and also increasing the enrolment, participation and retention level of nursery and primary school children.

The foundation also organises reading programme, mobile library services, an annual essay and arts competitions for school children and supplementary training courses for public school teachers.

Phurah Bookcafe decided to host the

Phurah Bookcafe Kings Children Foundation Foodbank

foodbank in conjunction with the foundations as part of its own contribution to ameliorate the burdens of the vulnerable citizens in its area of operation.

Since inception in May, the programme has

gained popularity in its area of operation and now holds twice in a month on Saturdays with distribution of packed cooked meals and food ingredients to both children and adults.

The Phurah Bookcafe, which opened in 2016 and located in Gbagada Estate, Lagos is a book themed restaurant and café, which sells nibbles, brunch and Nigerian cultural meals providing a blend of eat-in and take away services where people can buy and read books, have drinks, relax, and talk.

It has also hosted book readings including one by prize-winning Nigerian-American author, playwright and screenwriter Sefi Atta.

The Chief Executive Officer, Phurah Book Cafe, Seun Tandoh, is a graduate of Accounting and Finance from the University of Sheffield, England and holds a Masters in International Business from the University of Coventry, England. Upon graduation, he changed careers to pursue his dream of becoming a chef.

He started off by learning the basics of cooking on YouTube before opening his first restaurant in 2013 called T&J Foods in Sheffield, England. Since the closure of his first restaurant, he has been to 4 culinary schools with the most recent being Le Cordon Bleu in London.

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T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ Ͷ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

#THISISNIGERIA -Yemi Adamelokun

SILENCE IS CONSENT: OCCUPYING THE OFFICE OF THE CITIZEN "Of all the institutions of a democratic society, there's none as formidable as an awakened and conscious citizenry.” Shehu Sani’

W

hen I started actively working on governance issues 10 years ago, it seemed that there would be a rational sequence of actions that led to holding public office holders accountable. People put themselves forward to serve and when they fail to deliver on their promises, refuse to serve or serve in ways that are destructive, we bring this to their attention, expecting them to realign. If they do not comply, we vote them out of office or use other legal processes to enforce accountability, including protests! It was very straightforward to me.

I would get so frustrated when talking to people about demanding better governance, because there was just very little or no interest in taking any action. Some did not know their rights; while others had the general understanding that government should serve them. Nevertheless, both groups felt helpless and by extension, hopeless. I initially could not understand it but as I spent more time in the space, it finally made sense It is actually quite simple. People can not fight for what they do not know or understand; and for those who understand how a democracy should work, they think the opportunity cost is too high. Therefore, instead of deploying time, energy and resources to ensuring those who have the legal obligation and access to resources to scale results actually performe, we choose to solve the problems ourselves – we build roads, schools and hospitals; dispose our own waste and provide water, electricity and security. We jokingly call it being a one-man local government and it technically seems easier than holding government accountable, but it is not. For one, it is significantly more expensive and as such, it can not scale. So we continue to scratch the surface and wail endlessly about the dysfunctional system that determines our standard of living.

I am part of Nigeria’s educated elite and I am grateful for the privilege. I was born in the very small university town of Ile-Ife and spent a significant part of my childhood there. Ife was magical in many ways and the products of the university – both those who were children of staff and those who attended the university during the glory days of Nigeria’s tertiary education system are a testament to this fact, but that’s the subject of another article!

I have often wondered why Nigeria’s educated elite do not seem to believe in the concept of enlightened self-interest. Simply, “enlightened self-interest is a philosophy in ethics which states that persons who act to further the interests of others (or the interests of the group or groups to which they belong), ultimately serve their own self-interest. It has often been simply expressed by the belief that an individual, group, or even a commercial entity will ‘do well by doing good’”.

I went to a federal government college – I will not send my children there today. None of my friends who went to federal secondary schools sent their children there either.

Instead, they are paying significant amounts of money to pay for private schools in Nigeria or searching frantically for forex at the official rate (black market is not beneficial when you are buying) so they can pay for school fees in nearby Lome & Ghana or far away Australia.

We pay mobile police officers (Mopol) to ride shotgun in our cars for security. An estate of 32 houses has 32 generators and 32 boreholes.

You get the idea.

We have not only convinced ourselves that holding our duty bearers accountable is not worth the time and effort; we have also managed to convince ourselves that collaborating with our neighbours is also not worth the

time and effort. With a mindset like this, suffering is guaranteed and we do not need any external powers – local or foreign – to continue to make our lives miserable. This is aptly captured in this quote from Edward R. Murrow, “A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.”

In contrast to the role we play as citizens in keeping ourselves impoverished, and not in a financial sense, even though that’s the reality of most Nigerian citizens, our political elite have a different dynamic. They see the state as an asset to be plundered for their selfish interests and of course, there are no permanent enemies only permanent interests. This set up has worked and continues to work very well for them. They move between political parties at will, playing the ethnic and religious cards when it benefits them. An example of an expected outcome is that we watch a public official go to jail for stealing 4 million pounds from the state coffers, but not only is he given a hero’s welcome when he returns from jail, he is consulted on matters of the state. Again, the actions of our political elite will be the subject of another article!

I am intrigued by followers of both major religions who abdicate their responsibility to God in words and deeds. I particularly like

the Christian slangs – God dey! God will do it! It is well! God is in control! There are endless prayer meetings and we keep disturbing God, who I assume is quite busy trying to orchestrate world peace, with mundane things like job requests or praying that there’ll be light when you get home. Meanwhile, the articles of their faith states in Psalm 115:16, “The heavens belong to the LORD, but he has given the earth to all humanity.”

I am saddened by generations of citizens who do not know their history - the struggle for independence; the role of our nationalists; the civil war, to name a few. In the words of Carter G Woodson, “Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.”

I am fascinated by entrepreneurs, who invest the better part of their lives in building businesses in a country where the interpretation of the law depends on who you get as a judge and your lawyer’s connections.

How do entrepreneurs build in a country that does not prioritize the education of its youth? Where are the graduates and technically trained workforce that you will employ to run these businesses? Even without legacy in view, the challenges of a large unemployable

demographic are already obvious.

I “accidentally” joined the third sector space a decade ago, but it was not really an accident.

My interest and conviction in a Nigeria that works for the benefit of all made it inevitable.

A few days ago, my father shared this excerpt from my application to Brown University in December 1991 – “With a solid education, I plan to come back to Nigeria and be part of the generation that will turn the country around.” In 2011, 20 years later, I found myself leading Enough is Enough Nigeria and now in 2021, a decade later, there’s still so much work to do! What are you doing to make Nigeria work for more of us?

I have chosen to be an active citizen, occupying the Office of the Citizen, which is really the highest office in the country.

Today, i’ll share some more about my ten year journey in a conversation with Maupe Ogun-Yusuf. Join us if you can – www.eieng. co/MarTTalks.

‘Yemi Adamolekun is the Executive Director of EiE Nigeria (eie.ng), a network of individuals and organizations committed to instituting a culture of good governance and public accountability in Nigeria through active citizenship.

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THURSDAY APRIL 8, 2021 •T H I S D AY

THURSDAY APRIL 8, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ Ͷ˜ 2021

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Quick Takes BCI Organises Webinar

UNVEILING BANKING SOLUTION

L-R: Executive Secretary, NAMB, Caleb Shikir; CEO, MDCL, Obinna Onunkwo; Deputy Director, Special Insured Institutions Department, NDIC, Adedayo Olukoya; Head, Microfinance Supervision, CBN, Idowu Akinlade; and MD/CEO, Law Union & Rock Plc, Mayowa Adeduro, during the launch of Intermember Liquidity Placement Platform (ILPP) for microfinance banks, at a ceremony held in Lagos... recently

Survey: 47% of Financial Services’ Organisations Do Not Have Tax Policy Obinna Chima A recent PwC Nigeria survey has revealed that 47 per cent of tax functions in Nigeria’s financial services (FS) sector, either do not have a tax strategy or they are not aware of one.

The respondents to the survey were senior level executives from various sub-sectors in Nigeria’s financial services industry.

The survey polled the major industry players in financial services, including banking, insurance, and pension fund custodians.

It showed that Executive Directors and Chief Finance Officers combined, made up 60 per cent of the respondents; while other respondents which included Tax Managers and

ECONOMY Financial Controllers were 33 per cent and seven per cent respectively.

While speaking to the insights from the survey, the Partner, Tax Reporting & Strategy, PwC Nigeria, Kenneth Erikume, noted that: “Organisations are currently operating in highly dynamic local and global tax environments. Locally, we are seeing an aggressive drive from tax authorities to shore-up state and federal government’s revenue generation goals.

“This places greater responsibility on the tax function, like never before. It also constrains the tax function, often reducing it to a compliance-focused unit, rather than a potential

strategic partner helping to achieve corporate vision, and to execute business strategy.”

The majority of organisations surveyed, especially in the banking sector, either had a fully-fledged tax function, or were in the process of creating one to be staffed with a minimum of 5 employees.

The report advised organisations going through the journey of creating a fully-fledged tax function to consider how they could be optimised.

This will involve identifying possible processes that could be outsourced or insourced.

Reorganising the tax function around tasks that refocus the energy of employees towards more strategic processes, would define a successful tax function.

Tax as a function should have a documented strategy that

aligns with the overall business strategy.

According to Erikume, it isn’t unusual that transaction taxes such as Withholding Tax (WHT) and Value Added Tax (VAT) are high up the list of taxes with a greater probability of leading to additional tax liabilities, or significant exposure to tax audits.

This, he said is because Nigeria’s financial services industry is characterised by high volume of transactions, multiple locations, and is prone to tax risks with manual tax processes.

Another notable finding is that there is low technology adoption for tax compliance in Nigeria’s financial services industry. In spite of widespread Continued on page 26

Experts Seek Value-based Leadership Emma Okonji Experts at the fourth international conference of the West African Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies (WAACLALS) have called on African leaders to demonetise political positions to bring forth probity within the African political systems.

They also called for a valuebased leadership that is driven by effective communication.

The theme of the conference, which was declared open by the Vice-Chancellor of Edo State University, Prof.

Emmanuel Aluyor, centred on building new frontiers for leadership and development within commonwealth Africa.

The conference noted that

TELECOM if African leaders continued to focus only on what they are likely to personally benefit from when in a position of leadership, then development may continue to be far-fetched on the continent.

Delivering the keynote address, Prof.

Stephen Omodia, a professor of Political Science and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Edo State University, said Africa leaders must redefine their own leadership identities and stop adopting or adapting political systems that may not suit the dynamics of the people they govern.

“It is unfortunate that most times, African leaders fail to adequately scan their

environment to understand the dynamics of the system and also the peculiarities of the people who they want to govern before adopting a political system. A lot of times, the situation has led to making decisions that fail to deliver the value that the people expect” Omodia said.

He added that, “most African leaders look forward to assuming leadership positions because of what they stand to benefit personally. “Our political systems in Africa is highly monetised and it is for this reason that we found people vying for political positions at all cost. If we can reduce the level of monetisation in our political systems and push for a value-based leadership, then things will be better,” he

added.

In his remarks, the Chair and Convener of WAACLALS, Prof. Marcel Okhakhu, said the continent appears to be under the siege of social and economic insecurity, largely due to poor leadership.

“Poor leadership has significantly aided corruption among leaders on the African continent. The results are high levels of underdevelopment across countries in Africa.

“This situation has led to the migration of African youths to any other continent where they believe they may find succour, which unfortunately is not readily available for them. “The vertical flow of information from the West also Continued on page 26

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Þ ËÎÎÏÎ ×ËØã ÚÜÙÑÜË××ÏÜÝ ÒËÎ ÕØÙáÖÏÎÑÏ ÙÐ ÜËÍÖÏ˪Ý ÌßÓÖÎÓØÑ ÌÖÙÍÕÝ ËØÎ Ë ÐËàÙßÜËÌÖÏ ÜßÖÓØÑ ÐÙÜ ÞÒÏ ÍÙ×ÚËØã ÓØ ÞÒÏ ÍËÝÏ áÙßÖÎ ËÍÞ ËÝ Ë ÖÙÍÕ ˫ÖÓ×ÓÞÓØÑ ÞÒÏ ÐßÞßÜÏ ÍÜÏËÞÓàÓÞã ÙÐ ØÏá ÚÜÙÑÜË××ÏÝˬ˛ âÏÍßÞÓàÏ ÓÍÏ ÜÏÝÓÎÏØÞ ËØÎ ÏØÏÜËÖ ÙßØÝÏÖ ËÞ ÜËÍÖϘ ÙÜÓËØ ËÖÏ㘠ÒÓÞ ÙßÞ ËÞ ÞÒÏ ÎÏÍÓÝÓÙØ˝ ˫ ÒÏ ÙÙÑÖÏ ÚÖËÞÐÙÜ× ÔßÝÞ ÑÙÞ ÌÓÑÑÏÜ ËØÎ ×ËÜÕÏÞ ÚÙáÏÜ ÑÜÏËÞÏܘ ÞÒÏ ÌËÜÜÓÏÜÝ ÞÙ ÏØÞÜã ÒÓÑÒÏÜ ËØÎ ÞÒÏ ËÌÓÖÓÞã ÞÙ ÍÙ×ÚÏÞÏ ÖÙáÏܲ ˫ ÒÏã ÝÞÙÖÏ ËàË ËØÎ ÝÚÏØÞ Ë ÎÏÍËÎÏ ÖÓÞÓÑËÞÓØÑ ËÝ ÙØÖã Ë ×ÙØÙÚÙÖÓÝÞ ÍËØ˛ ÒÓÝ ÌÏÒËàÓÙßÜ ÓÝ ÏâËÍÞÖã áÒã ÜÏÑßÖËÞÙÜã ËßÞÒÙÜÓÞÓÏÝ ËÜÙßØÎ ÞÒÏ áÙÜÖÎ ËØÎ ÓØ ÞÒÏ ËÜÏ ÏâË×ÓØÓØÑ ÙÙÑÖÏ˪Ý ÌßÝÓØÏÝÝ ÚÜËÍÞÓÍÏݲˬ ÒÏ ÙÙÑÖÏ˪Ý ßÚÜÏ×Ï ÙßÜÞ áÓØ ÍÙ×ÏÝ ËʰÏÜ ÝÚÖÓÞ ÎÏÍÓÝÓÙØÝ ÙàÏÜ ÞÒÏ ÍËÝÏ˛ àÏÜÎÓÍÞ ÐËàÙßÜÏÎ ÙÙÑÖÏ ÓØ Ͱͮͯʹ˜ ËØÎ ËØÙÞÒÏÜ ÝÓÎÏÎ áÓÞÒ ÜËÍÖÏ ÓØ ͰͮͯͶ˛

“The development of a solid digital economy will rest on the foundation of a well distributed broadband infrastructure and it involves the convergence of all technology types and classes of service” President, Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON),

Ikechukwu Nnamani

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͷ˜ 2021

26

BUSINESSWORLD SURVEY: 47% OF FINANCIAL SERVICES’ ORGANISATIONS DO NOT HAVE TAX POLICY technology adoption in managing several aspects of operations in the industry, technology is yet to be leveraged in managing taxes.

Only in managing payroll, has technology been widely adopted for tax compliance.

The Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Muhammad Nami, recently said the adoption of electronic taxation (e-Tax) will help minimise revenue leakages, limit tax evasion and significantly improve fiscal position of state governments amidst the current economic challenges.

Nami, who is also the chairman of the JTB, said a lot of people are presently making monies privately without remitting appropriate taxes.

He said the adoption of technology will harness the various taxes by individuals and plug leakages especially for state governments who are presently in dire fiscal challenge.

Noting that gone were the days of brick and mortar tax administration, he said eTax could be a game changer in resource mobilisation going forward.

EXPERTS SEEK VALUEBASED LEADERSHIP shows an active mediatisation vis-à-vis cultural imperialism which is constantly shaping and framing political discussions across Africa,” Okhakhu noted.

As a solution, the experts urged African leaders to aim at promoting peace and political probity to endear citizens and gather support for growth and development.

To achieve these, Okhakhu explained that, “communication is key in the process of development. When the people are involved and engaged through effective communication, it is easier for them to align with the vision of the leader.

“Therefore, Africa leaders should make conscious efforts at reviving African cultures that promote unity and development. They must be able to communicate effectively in the language understood by the people,” he added.

NEWS

We are Fixing Infrastructure to Attract Investments, Says AbdulRazaq Hammed Shittu in Ilorin Kwara State Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has said his administration is committing huge resources into fixing basic education, healthcare, roads and water infrastructure to attract massive investments to all parts of the state.

Speaking at the at the Igbomina West Social Political and Economic Summit in Agbeola Oro, Irepodun local government area of the State, AbdulRazaq said, “Here in Kwara South, as in everywhere across our state, we are battling with the dearth of basic amenities that can support economic growth.”

According to him, “It is for this reason that a lot of investments are going, equitably, into fixing basic education, healthcare, access roads and link bridges, and access to potable water,” The governor, who was represented at the event by the Senior Special Assistant on Community Interventions Kayode Oyin-Zubair, urged the people of the state to support the administration’s efforts to rebuild the state.

“Meaningful investments cannot happen without necessary infrastructure, security of lives and properties, a deliberate effort to foster unity and understanding, and business friendly policies,” he added.

AbdulRazaq noted that the administration was taking every local government area in Kwara

State into consideration in its distribution of government’s programmes and projects without leaving out communities in Igbomina land.

He said that, “For example, the rehabilitation of the road leading to the National Museum Esie is to make the ancient monument accessible to tourists and attract supporting investments like malls, hotels, big restaurants, and others to stimulate economic activities.

“We have also rehabilitated the General Bamigboye Road that links the popular Olomu market; work is ongoing on the popular Nitel-Okerimi Oro Grammar School road. We have also fixed Taiwo Road in Omu Aran.

“Over 700 kilometres of road will be done across the state under the RAAMP project which we have paid for to give our farmers ease access to the market,” he added.

He noted that conscious efforts were also being made to improve electricity supply and boost businesses, saying the state the government procured and installed a number of transformers in strategic areas.

The governor also said various scope of work was currently ongoing in more than 43 schools across the state.

“For instance, we have done a comprehensive infrastructural facelift at the iconic Oro Gram-

mar School. Schools in Omu Aran, Omi Aro, Esie Iludun, Ajase Ipo, Onila and Agidingbi have also benefited from various interventions. With over N7bn paid in counterpart funds, a lot more will be done under the UBEC school interventions that are about to begin,” he said.

He also promised that work will soon begin on the IludunOro Water Works to ensure that the people have access to safe drinking water.

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

L-R: Director, Human Resources, VEGAHs Ltd, Mrs. Chinenye Amadi; Operations Director, DUKAN Group, Mr. Chinedu Amadi and Director, Marketing, VEGAHs Ltd, Mrs. Amaka Igwe, during the award presentation to VEGAHs as the Most Innovative Real Estate Tech Company, at a ceremony held in Lagos...recently

MTN Explores New Payment Platforms to Avert Future Disconnection Stories by Emma Okonji MTN Nigeria has decided to explore new digital payment platforms outside of the general Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) code for its over 77 million subscribers, the largest among other telecoms operators in Nigeria, for fear of future disconnection by commercial banks.

The banks, last Thursday night, disconnected only MTN customers from accessing the USSD code on airtime vending from all bank channels that are linked to USSD code.

According to the banks, they took the decision because the

telco reduced the discount offered to them on airtime sales from 4.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent, which did not go down well with them considering the cost of managing the infrastructure and other operational costs they incurred.

Although the disconnection lasted only four days before the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami and the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, intervened and settled the commercial dispute, THISDAY, however, gathered that MTN is not certain how the dispute will be finally settled,

since the parties involved were only told to maintain status quo while negotiations on how to resolve the matter continues.

Some of the alternative payment platforms, which MTN is currently exploring, according to findings are Billsnpay app, owned and operated by CWG; Barter by Flutter Wave app; Jumia Pay app; OPay app; Carbon app; Kuda app; myMTN web; and Momo agent, operated

by MTN Nigeria.

Meanwhile, MTN has said the selection of alternative platforms like Billsnpay was for the benefit of its customers who have been greatly inconvenienced by the service suspension from the

banks.

CWG, which operates Billsnpay app, confirmed to THISDAY that MTN Nigeria has selected its Billsnpay app as alternative platform for financial transactions for all MTN customers.

According to a statement from CWG, and signed by its Head of Brand and Marketing, Seun Koshoedo, “Following the disconnection of the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) by selected banks in Nigeria against MTN Nigeria subscribers, the telecoms company has decided to open up alternative Fintech platforms, where its subscribers can easily

recharge their phones. One of such platforms is the CWG’s bill presentment platform tagged Billsnpay, which hitherto gives Nigerians the ease to recharge their phone or even buy data.

The platform can also be used for estate levies, school fees, contributions, donations, faithbased payments, and fundraising initiatives.”

The statement further said the selection of Billsnpay, came barely 24 hours after CWG announced a two percent Airtime purchase discount on the platform as part of its effort to help drive the federal government cashless economy policy.

Expert Wants FTTH’s Potential Unlocked to Drive Nigeria’s Digital Economy Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Asst. Editor, Money Market

Nume Ekeghe

Senior Correspondent

ËÒÏÏ× ÕÓØÑÌÙÖß (Advertising) Correspondents

Chinedu Eze (Aviation) ÜÙ×ÙÝÏÖÏ ÌÓÙÎßØ (Maritime) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafo (Energy) ××ËØßÏÖ ÎÎÏÒ (Energy) Reporters

ÙÝË ÖÏÕÒßÙÑÓÏ (ICT) ÏÞÏÜ äÙÒÙ (Energy)

The Group Executive Director of Commercials at ipNX Nigeria, Bimpe Olaleye has called on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) stakeholders in Nigeria to pay close attention to the potential of the Fiber-To-TheHome (FTTH) sub-sector and use it to drive the country’s digital economy.

This much was stated during a virtual engagement on the new National Broadband Plan 2020-2025, organised recently by the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON).

The National Broadband Plan 2020 – 2025, was designed to deliver data download speed of at least 25Mbps in urban areas, and 10Mbps in rural areas, with coverage available to at least 90 per cent of the population and a minimum of 70 per cent penetration rate by 2025 at a price not more than N390 per 1GB of data – all in a bid to drive the country’s digital economy.

Sharing the perspectives of the FTTH sub-sector, Olaleye said the importance of the broadband plan could not be overemphasised, and every

hand should be on deck to facilitate its realisation.

According to her, “The broadband plan is a step in the right direction, particularly when its short, mid, and longterm benefits are considered.

According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), every 10 per cent increase in broadband penetration in developing countries results in a commensurable increase of 2.5 per cent in GDP per capita. This shows how critical the plan is to build a futureproof economy and engender economic growth.”

She, however, noted that the last-mile fiber (FTTX), which will deliver the actual use cases of digital transformation such as telemedicine, virtual learnings, e-entertainment, virtual realities, among others that are imperative to closing the digital divide and bridging developmental gaps, was not given adequate focus in the plan.

“The broadband plan relies more on mobile networks that,though could quicken the rapid penetration rate, cannot provide the heavy bandwidth capacity required to drive high-end digital ap-

plications that will launch the country into socio-economic development and technological advancements. Interestingly, last-mile fiber (FTTX) could, in the immediate, enable us to tap into the wealth of experience and expertise of the advanced nations at very minimal costs, thereby conserving our scarce foreign exchange,” Olaleye said.

Commenting further on the significance of the FTTH subsector to the new broadband plan, Olaleye stated that the sector provides quick wins towards the attainment of the set targets.

T H I S D AY ˾ APRIL 8, 2021

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BUSINESSWORLD

ANALYSIS

The Many Shifts in NIN-SIM Linkage Deadline Emma Okonji writes on the continuous shift in the deadlines given by the federal government for the NIN-SIM linkage

F

or the fifth time in the row, the federal government has fixed new deadline for with the National Identification Number (NIN)- Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) linkage, after the first deadline on December 30, 2020, which was a two-week deadline from December 16 to 30.

The various deadlines and their shifts have continued to elicit so much joy among telecoms subscribers who had initially warned the federal government of the consequences of such deadlines.

Although there was uproar and agitations from Nigerians from all walks of life, condemning the initial two weeks deadline, and giving reasons that it was Christmas season where many people travel and make preparations for the celebration, coupled with the gradual coming of the second wave of COVID-19 as at December last year, the federal government had insisted on the deadline, But it was eventually shifted from December 30, 2020 to January 19, 2021 and later shifted again to February 9, 2021, after seeing the rush and near stampede of people who visited the branch offices of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) on a daily basis for SIM registration in order to beat the deadline.

Since the initial December 30, 2020 deadline, the federal government has fixed five different deadlines and has equally shifted the deadlines several times, the recent being the shift by one month from April 6, 2021 to May 6, 2021.

The federal government, through the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, had in December last year, directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to give a two week deadline for the proper registration of SIM card for the linkage of SIM cards with the NIN. The directive as at then was that any subscriber that failed to meet up with the two weeks deadline would automatically be disconnected from the telecom operators’ network and would not be able to make calls or receive calls via the SIM card.

Based on the directive of the federal government, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms industry regulator, on December 9, 2020, ordered the suspension of the sale and activation of new SIMs, and on December 15, 2020, it directed all operators to update SIM registration records with valid NINs with an initial deadline of December 30, 2020. While the suspension of new subscriber acquisition continues, the deadline for NIN update has been extended several times, with the latest being May 6, 2021 to accommodate logistical challenges.

The shifts In a statement that was jointly signed by the Director, Public Affairs,NCC,Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, and the Head, Corporate Communications, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Mr. Kayode Adegoke, it was explained that the request for the extension was presented to President Muhammadu Buhari and he endorsed it.

The recent extension will enable telecoms subscribers who are yet to register and submit their NIN for linkage with their SIM card, to do so.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, chaired the meeting of the Ministerial Task Force on the NIN-SIM data linkage, where it was decided to extend the NIN-SIM linkage exercise by another one month.

The meeting, which took place on Thursday, April 1, 2021, was attended by key stakeholders, including the Executive Vice

Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); Director General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC); Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA); Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); Representative of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON). Others included the NCC Executive Commissioners, Technical Services and Stakeholder Management, MD/ CEOs of MTN, Airtel, EMTS (9Mobile), ntel, Spectranet and Smile Communications, as well as the COO of Globacom.

The Chairman of the EFCC addressed the meeting and stated that the NIN-SIM linkage would support the federal government in checkmating the activities of fraudsters and cybercriminals. The minister noted the importance of obtaining feedback from all stakeholders in order to ensure that the NIN-SIM linkage process is one that cannot easily be compromised. Pantami thanked Nigerians for their patience and compliance with the federal government’s directive on the NIN-SIM registration exercise. He reiterated government’s commitment to continually taking decisions aimed at easing the pains of the citizens with regard to issues related to NIN and SIM registration.

Subscribers’ joy Telecoms subscribers have continued to express their joy over the continuous shift in the deadlines for NIN-SIM registration and linkage. The subscribers had hitherto warned the federal government and the NCC for fixing short and unachievable deadlines for NIN SIM registration and linkage, while citing several hiccups faced by subscribers as a result of the short deadlines, but the federal government insisted on the deadlines, but later realized the ambiguity in achieving the deadlines and rescinded its decision by shifting the deadlines severely. The various shifts in deadlines have continued to create relief and joy in telecoms subscribers, who have commended government for listening to the masses.

When the deadline was shifted from February to April this year, the President, National Association of Telecoms Subscribers, Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, said: “The further extension of the deadline for NIN-SIM linkage from February 9 to April 6 shows that the minister has listening ears, and we commend him for that. We were already working to challenge the minister in court before this new extension. So, we are likely going to drop the idea of instituting a court case against the minister.” Following the recent shift to May 6, 2021, Ogunbanjo said: “Telecoms subscribers are happy with the development, but they want him to extend it more to December 31, 2021, since several millions of subscribers are yet to register till date.

The protest Prior to the initial shift from December 30, 2020 to January 19 and February 9, 2021, telecoms subscribers had expressed their displeasure over the short deadline, and gave reasons why it was difficult to meet up with the different deadlines.

One of the protesters, a human rights lawyer, Barrister Monday Ubani, challenged the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy and the NCC in a law court over short deadlines for NIN-SIM registration, and got court order for two months extension.

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, ordered the extension of the deadline for National Identity Number (NIN), by two

months effective from Tuesday, March 23, 2021.

Justice M.A. Onyetenu granted the extension while delivering a ruling in a suit filed

by Monday Ubani, human rights lawyer, against the federal government, Attorney General of the Federation, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy.

In the suit, Ubani had contended that the initial two weeks ultimatum, which was later extended three times to April 6, 2021, given to telecommunication operators to block SIM cards of Nigerians who have not registered their SIM card with NIN if allowed, will infringe on his constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of expression, right to own moveable property and right to life.

Ubani, therefore, prayed the court for an order halting the said ultimatum and extending the deadline.

Other prayers made by Ubani included: a declaration that the ultimatum was given to telecommunications operators by the 1st, 3rd and 4th Respondents to block all Subscriber Identification Modules (SIM) cards that are not registered with NIN, is grossly inadequate and will not only work severe hardship but will likely infringe on the fundamental rights of the applicant to freedom of expression as guaranteed by section 39(1)(2) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as well as violate section 44(1) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) which prohibits the compulsory acquisition of right or interest over the moveable property.

In his ruling, Justice Onyetenu granted all the prayers made by Ubani.

Other protesters complained of the slow pace of NIN registration at the few established NIMC centres across the country, a situation they said, was hindering NIN-SIM linkage.

NIN-SIM update The federal government recently said updates of the NIN-registration process, showed that over 51 million people have been assigned NINs. “There are many people who have enrolled and are in the process of being assigned NINs. With each individual having an average of three to four SIMs, the total number of SIMs tied to NINs would close to the total number of registered SIMs in the country. The current number of monthly enrollments has increased significantly to about 2.6 million registrations. There has also been a remarkable increase in the number of enrolment centres across the country with about 3,800 centres available for enrollments. There are also many more new centres in the pipeline,” the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, said in a recent statement.

The federal government had earlier said a total of 56.18 million NINs have been collected by the mobile network operators.

The number of NINs collected represents a significant increase when compared with the 47.8 million reported by the technical committee on January 18, 2021.

A statement from NIMC said: “Over 1,060 registration centres for NIN have been activated and made operational by NIMC across the country, while Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) have opened hundreds of centres and are rapidly deploying resources to open thousands of other NIN enrolment centres across states of the country. This is in line with the policy of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to enhance security and make the process of obtaining

NINs easier for Nigerians.”

Pantami reiterated the need for Nigerians and legal residents who are yet to register for the NIN to be diligent and take advantage of the extension to enroll for their NINs and link with their SIMs.” On the perceived slow rate of NIN registration and issuance, which is put at 56.18 million as at February 1, compared to the 208 million registered SIMs across networks, the Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, said each of the 56.18 million NIN holders, has between three and four SIM cards that were registered under a single name and identity, which brings the number of registered SIMs attached to the 56.18 million NIN holders, to about 168.54 million.

He added that out of the estimated 208 million SIM cards from the 56.18 million NIN holders, about 20 million of the SIMs are used for machine interface devices like Point of Sales (PoS) and Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), which would further add to the estimated 168.54 million registered SIM cards to reach an estimated 188.54 million registered SIM cards, a figure he said was close to the 208 million registered SIM cards across networks.

Adebayo added that NIN registration and submission have not been slow as perceived by some Nigerians.

Travail of new SIM suspension On December 9, 2020, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms industry regulator, had ordered the suspension of the sale and activation of new SIMs, and on December 15, 2020, it directed all operators to update SIM registration records with valid NINs with an initial deadline of December 30, 2020. The suspension of new subscriber acquisition still continues, a situation that has cut off intending and new subscribers to the telecoms network.

National Chairman of NATCOMS, Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, who narrated the ordeals of his members over the suspension order, said some subscribers had been victims to robbery attacks in different parts of the country since the suspension order, while some misplaced their mobile phones and none could retrieve their mobile lines nor purchase a new SIM card because of the suspension order on the sale and activation of new SIM cards.

“Most of our members who owned and run their businesses, and have lost their mobile phones or attacked by armed robbers, since the suspension order can no longer communicate and their customers can no longer reach them on phone for business transactions,” Ogunbanjo said.

He therefore, called on the federal government to intervene and re-order NCC to lift the suspension order on new SIM cards, to enable Nigerians retrieve their lines and reconnect to their business partners, customers, friends, relations and well-wishers.

Ogunbanjo, who faulted the suspension order, said the order had inflicted so much pain on Nigerians, since people could lose their mobile phones at different circumstances beyond their control.

Initially, both those who wanted to activate their lost SIM card replacement and those that bought new SIM cards, were not allowed to activate them.

But with the recent approval of SIM swap centres in March this year, telecoms operators, will be able to activate any SIM that will be swapped. To this effect, those subscribers who had lost their SIM cards and were unable to activate new SIMs, will be able to do so.

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T H I S D AY ˾ Ͷ˜ 2021

VinoFacility Web App Zinox to Deploy Fibre Cable Infrastructure Wins Award in South-east

VEGAHs, Nigeria’s growing real estate company, has been named the most Innovative Real Estate Tech Company of the year 2021 at the Nigeria Property Merit Awards/ Housing Conference 2021.

The event, which held at the purpose built conference and exhibition centre of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Alausa, Ikeja, brought together all stake holders in estate management in Lagos State ranging from the governor, the legislators, captains of industry, academics and the media. The event was conceptualised to identify the gains of the estate management sector, understand its challenges while recognizing outstanding performers in the industry, driven by technology.

One of the high points of the Nigeria Property Awards 2021 was the award of the Most Innovative Real Estate Tech Company of the year to VEGAHs. The citation to the award recognised the competencies that led to the development of the VinoFacility Web App – for the management of real estate portfolio covering clients and consultants databases. The citation eulogised the fact that VinoFacility promotes green environment by subscribing to cloud computing to secure client consultant activities.

VinoFacility which, is also used by other companies enables

the estate industry in Nigeria to keep pace with international best practices. The award was presented by Dr. Timothy Oladele Gold, renowned publisher and President at Gold of Africa.

Receiving the award, Operations Director of the DUKAN Group, promoters of VEGAHs, Mr. Chinedu Amadi, dedicated it to the team of young ICT professionals who form the bulk of the VEGAHs team.

Amadi stated that this award was a justification of the long selfless hours of perseverance by the young people. He said “the future is bright for Nigeria as the millennial takes center stage in governments and companies. Nigeria’s tech timidity will soon be completely over.”

He informed that VEGAHs would always remain at the forefront of promoting the family heritage estate by acquiring community lands and converting them into residential estates thereby bridging the gap between families and their clients, through the power of technology.

“With innovation in its DNA, VEGAHs advocates that real estate investment is one of the best retirement insurance to secure the uncertainties post retirement. VEGAHs has many products to help actualise retirement plans for people of various portfolio sizes,” Amadi added.

Stories by Emma Okonji Zinox Technologies Ltd., Nigeria’s indigenous information technology company, is set to connect the entire South-east region to the information super-highway, with the rollout of broadband connectivity in the 95 local government areas in the region.

The foregoing was disclosed by The Executive Vice-Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, who confirmed the planned rollout, said when completed, would boost broadband penetration in the entire South-east region of the country.

The NCC boss made this known recently, while speaking at the Anambra State Broadband Infrastructure Development Stakeholders Forum.

Zinox is one of the infrastructure companies (InfraCos) licensed by the federal government to roll out metropolitan fibre-optic infrastructure across Nigeria.

The InfraCos are expected to fill critical infrastructure gaps and enable high-speed broadband service in the various geopolitical zones, with Zinox licensed to deploy the services in the South-east region as part of the soon-to-evolve

broadband revolution in the country.

Speaking at the stakeholders’ forum, Danbatta reiterated the role of Zinox in the emerging digital revolution in the South-east. Further, he hailed the Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano for waiving the contentious Right of Way (RoW) charges.

According to Danbatta, “Under this initiative, the

South-east Infraco licensee, Messrs. Zinox Technologies Ltd, will be required to provide at least one Point-of-Access (PoA) in each of the 95 LGA’s that constitute the region and interconnect them with 1,314m of Optic Fibre Cable (OFC).

“Right-of-Way (RoW) charges is a major limiting factor to provision of broadband services in Nigeria, as it slows down network deployment with the

cost of the limited capacities ultimately passed to the subscribers. I must applaud His Excellency and Anambra state, who is one of the two states that have not just reduced the Right of Way charges offered to operators, but waived it completely. For this, we are eternally grateful. This action, is sure, to put Anambra State on the global map of digital economy,” Danbatta said.

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Providing Potable Drinking Water in Rural Community Ugo Aliogo examines the efforts of the Actionaid Nigeria and Humanity Family Foundation for Peace and Development (HUFFPED) to provide potable drinking water to Wesere community in Badagry West Local Government area

“S

ince I came to this community in 2013, we didn’t have potable drinking water; we used to trek from Wesere community to Kankor Water Corporation to get drinking water.

“The water in the community has high acid content; as a result we don’t drink it. Most times, you cannot wash with it. Access to potable drinking water is a major problem for us.

“But today, we thank God because of the efforts of (HUFFPED) and Actionaid Nigeria (AAN) to provide us with potable drinking water.”

Those were the words of Taiwo Hunsa, a member of the Wesere Community, Badagry West, Local Government Area, Lagos State.

She stated that when she first came to the community and started drinking the water, she was always experiencing stomach pain, and there were other people who drank the water and had skin diseases.

She said the stomach pain stopped when she started drinking the water from Kankor Water Corporation.

She added that there are some individuals in the community who drank the water and don’t have any issues whatsoever.

Hunsa further explained that the water in the community has a lot of impurities inside it, while noting that before now the only source of the water is an open well.

Continuing, she noted: “If I want to use it for cooking, I have to fetch it today and keep it till the next day. The water from this well doesn’t foam hard soup because there is alum in the soil. This water project is very good, because we will no longer go to Kankor Water Corporation to fetch drinking water anymore.

We now have water that can serve for drinking, cooking and washing.”

Today, Hunsa and other indigenes of Wesere community have benefitted from the water project built by Actionaid Nigeria in collaboration with Humanity Family Foundation for Peace and Development (HUFFPED).

In February 2021, ActionAid through her partner, HUFFPED successfully linked Wesere community to Kankon Water Corporation, with the total contract sum of N2, 206,230.00. The commissioning of the water project was done in March, 2021.

Actionaid’s Role Speaking at the project commissioning, the Country Director, Actionaid Nigeria, (AAN), Mrs. Ene Obi, stated that the organisation started working in Wesere community about four years ago.

She also stated that within the four-year period they carried out analyses to find out the developmental issues facing the community and top on the list was the problem of potable drinking water, “we discovered that they had to travel three to five kilometers to get potable water.”

Obi, who was represented at the event by the Director of Resource Mobolisation and Innovation, Actionaid Nigeria, Mamedu Andrew, further explained that the community had produced some government officials including House of Representative members.

She also said that there have been some boreholes constructed in the community, but the water coming from those boreholes were not good enough for drinking, therefore caused skin diseases, cholera and diarrhoea.

She espoused that Actionaid Nigeria had discussions with the health post in the area, regarding the prevalent health conditions and they said water borne diseases was the most common; therefore it AAN prioritised working in the community.

The Actionaid Country Director maintained that after assessment of the challenges of community with their board members, they decided to prioritise setting up of water points in different locations in the community.

She remarked that though there was a water plant owned by the government two kilometers from community, but it was not in use therefore Actionaid Nigeria highlighted the need for the Local Government Council to resuscitate it.

Obi added that part of efforts to resuscitate the water plant involved paying advocacy visits to the state and local government and speaking to them about the role of potable drinking water to the community.

She posited that after resuscitating the water plant, the next activity was centered on channeling the water from that two kilometer point to the community and ensure that it is reticulated around not just to one central point especially because of COVID-19.

According to her, “We also collaborated with people that had tanks in the community and the water was supplied to those existing tanks. We also built some additional water stands and some tanks as well. We built five water points gathered around the community, which meant that everybody wherever you are staying, you will have some water point and you will go there.

“We have interviewed the community and they said they have access to water; they don’t have to travel far in search of water. They also store some of the water in their various homes because it is not pumped daily. But now they have potable water and we are beginning to see the difference almost immediately, skin and water borne diseases have reduced.

“For us, it is a project that has brought joy to the community, and it was made possible

by Nigerians that contributes token of N2, 000 monthly to support things such as this.

The budget is N2.5 million to pipe the water from the two kilometer points to this place and service the water at the central point and reticulate it across the community.

“We will have a meeting with the local government council to make sure the water keeps flowing, and ensure that they service the power generating sets. In terms of sustainability of this project, it is a community owned therefore nobody will steal the tanks or damage the pipes.

“As part of sustainability, the LGA is committed to ensuring the daily pumping of the water, and we have signed an agreement on that, but we are still going to have a meeting with the local government chairman to appreciate him for that. Sustainability is to make sure that the community keeps reporting to us if there are any issues, so we can follow-up.

“One of our approaches of working is human

right based approach which empowers the community to be able to hold government accountable, this is a responsibility of government and since we have provided this support, we hope that government should keep maintaining it for us.

“In terms of implementing this project, it took less than three months to start and finish the construction after we had finished the other things because we needed the commitment of government we had the money to start a year ago, but we needed the commitment of government to ensure that the project is a reality.”

HUFFPED’s Role In his remarks, the Executive Director, Humanity Family Foundation for Peace and Development, (HUFFPED), Adenigba Oluwarotimi, said the water project is one of the many projects they have handled, and it was done in partnership with Actionaid Nigeria, because the mission and vision of the organisation aligns with theirs.

According to him, “When Actionaid Nigeria had a meeting with us to assist them in identifying a community centric project; we suggested that we visit several communities.

Our findings took us to several communities in Alimosho, Ikorodu and Badagry.

“When we got to Wesere community in Badagry, we realised that the issues we have here was much more than the challenges in other communities. Before we came here there have been a lot of water projects that have been installed in this community. Rotary did one, but it didn’t stand the test of time and Hon. Bamgbose also did one, but it was not sustainable.

“We analysed the terrain of this place, and discovered that the soil here does not give good water. Several water samples were taken to Abuja from analysis, we found out that non was drinkable, which meant that the people of the community has been battling with water borne diseases before now.”

History of Water Problem in the Community Wesere community is located off OwodeApa-Kankon road. This community is about 50 minutes’ drive from Badagry town and about 5 minutes away from popular government boarding school – Lagos state model college, Kankon (LSMC).

When we got to Wesere community in Badagry, we realised that the issues we have here was much more than the challenges in other communities. Before we came here there have been a lot of water projects that have been installed in this community. Rotary did one, but it didn’t stand the test of time

According to the community leaders, Wesere community has over 100 children and about 95 per cent of them walk some kilometres to and fro school every day.

The community did not have a functional source of portable and clean water. Women and children walk several miles to the stream or walk about 30mins to other communities with borehole to fetch water. As a result of this, water borne diseases are quite rampant in the community.

The closest health centre to the community is in Kwene, about 45 minutes’ walk from Wesere. The health centre, which also shares the same building with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office is partially functional.

Oluwarotimi posited that before coming to Wesere community, HUFFPED and Actionaid Nigeria had visited communities in Ikorodu, and Alimosho, but they decided to pick the community because of the magnitude of challenges, it was facing with regards to the water problem.

He stated that in the past, there was lot of water projects that had been done in the community, “Rotary did one, but it didn’t last and the House of Representative, Member, Hon. Joseph Bamgbose, also did, but it was not sustainable.”

He remarked that before the construction of the water project, they carried laboratory tests and analysis of the soil, and water, adding that from their findings, it was observed that the soil has lot of minerals and water was salty too.

According to him, “We took several samples of the water to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja for analysis, and we found out that it was not drinkable, which meant that the people of the community has been battling with water borne diseases before now. We also found that the water was very colourful. Two kilometers from the community is a small water plant which is known as the Kankor Water Corporation. So we decided to draw water from the corporation into the community and that is where we started from. Before now the people of Wesere travel to another community in their canoes to get water for drinking.

“The community where they get this water is far from Kankor Water Corporation. It has been a very difficult experience for them, but today the issue has been sorted out. For this project to be sustainable we are not working in isolation, we are working with the community people and the Local Government Council.”

Contribution of Badagry West LGA On his part, the Council representing Badagry West, Hon. Mukaila Oluwafemi, said in 2020, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwolu, had a meeting with Councilors in the state, and advised them to have consultations with their different communities and identify two new developmental projects.

Oluwafemi explained that Wesere water project was one of the projects that he presented before the state governor which was approved, adding that before the state government started its implementation of the water project, AAN had started theirs.

“So I had to write a letter to the state government telling them that AAN has adopted and completed the project, therefore we need to substitute this project with another one which is the community hall. I have informed my community people and local government officials that we are having a meeting at the ministry of local government concerning changing the water project to community hall,” he said.

He expressed assurance that regarding the issues of Primary Healthcare Centre, and access road in the community, more efforts would be made to seek the approval of the executive chairman of the Local Government Chairman, “so that he can include those needs into the year 2020 budget.”

Oluwafemi maintained that at the moment the 2020 budget for Badagry West Local Government Area has not been signed into law, although it is under his purview, “if the chairman wants to help us, we still have time to insert it into the 2020 appropriation bill.”

THURSDAY APRIL 8, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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THURSDAY APRIL 8, 2021 •T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ Ͷ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

IMAGES

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T H I S D AY ˾ , APRIL 8, 2021

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

ÜÙßÚ ÏËÞßÜÏÝ ÎÓÞÙÜ˝ ÒÓÏ×ÏÖÓÏ äÏÙÌÓ ×ËÓÖ chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, Tel: 07010510430

Zamfara: Insecurity, Our Greatest Challenge in Accessing Nutrition, Mother’s Lament Working to Improve Nutrition in Northern Nigeria and Food For Peace are platforms used by UNICEF, USAID and other partners in ending malnutrition in Zamfara state. However, the fear of insecurity and its spread have become an albatross as they force mothers to remain at home for fear of uncertainties. KuniTyessi writes

T

he rising case of insecurity has continued unabated in several parts of the country with the north as worst hit.

The long term implications which cannot be seen from a shortsighted lens has continued to brew with devastating consequences on children, and their mother’s inability to access the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) intervention, thereby watering down its efforts in Working to Improve Nutrition in Northern Nigeria (WINNN) programme.

In Zamfara state where most boarding schools have been closed down as a result of the kidnapping of over 300 secondary school students in Jengebe, Talata Mafara Local Government Area of the State, as well as other cases of insecurity, mothers have lamented that fear of bandits and the unknown have become an impediment, resulting to their timidity of going to Primary Healthcare Centres (PHC), where the Micro Nutrient Powder (MNP) for prevention of malnutrition in children from six to 23 months, and the Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) for six to 59 months old children are kept for distribution.

Maryam Adamu, a mother of a one-year-old baby who said she left Gwagwalada in the Federal Capital Territory, was in Zamfara to access RUTF, as evidence from other children has shown the supplements are nutrition boosters.

She alongside Zulai Ibrahim, a mother of five years old Khadija, who was a beneficiary of the foods, and a one year old sister who is in the process of using the treatment, supported other mothers who were present in advocating for security from the government as lack of it they said, has created distortions in seeking healthy and fulfilling lives for their children.

They said they are aware of the vicious cycle that malnutrition poses in the lives of mothers who are not educated and enlightened enough to know and understand the importance of nutrition in the lives of their children. They said the simple efforts they have put in place by leaving their homes to access the nutrients have been tampered with, no thanks to insecurity.

According to Zulai: “The drugs are magical because of their efficacy. This is my daughter who is five years old and a beneficiary of the treatment. She is now well. This is another child of mine who is in the process of the treatment and she’s recovering fast from when we first came. However, our problem here, just like other mothers have told you is the issue on insecurity.

“Many of us are afraid to come here as we don’t know if we might end up being victims of kidnappers. We are happy with the drugs because they are working and we will always want to come for them, but honestly insecurity has become a big challenge.”

The mothers of Birnin Magaji LGA of the state are being enlightened about the importance and benefits of nutrition through the Community Nutrition Mobilisers (CNM) and the caregivers at the PHC which is situated at the headquarters of the LGA. While the CNM, all women and mothers give non- formal education at the community levels and go from house to house with the support of community leaders, the PHCs wait for them at the facility which has been sectioned into five units, simply for nutrition. The units include the consultation area, waiting, health education, admission and the Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices (IYCFP) units.

They are encouraged to bring their children

The children and the mothers who were bold enough to access the treatment despite security challenges

Some of the Zamfara children at the final stage of the RUTF treatment

whom if weighed and have fallen short of the expected weight based on their age and physical appearance, are given the Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) treatment.

UNICEF in collaboration with USAID and other supporting partners have made the supplies of the supplements less cumbersome, as the PHC always has then in stock. These are given to the mothers on weekly basis and are encouraged to give to the children alone as it will have no formidable impact on adults.

The assistant nutrition officer, Bello Ibrahim, revealed that the supplements have been 100 per cent effective on the children as so far, there has never been a recorded case of relapse from the children treated.

He said mothers are always made to go through health talks once at the facility and one thing they are taught and reminded of is personal hygiene and the need to observe all Water Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) protocols when feeding their children in order to forestall childhood diseases like diarrhea and others.

According to him: “We see so much improvement in the children. You can even see the difference from when the children were brought and when the started using the foods, till the period they stopped. When they come, we take the measurement of the

children. Usually, in six to eight weeks of accessing the foods, they recover and fall into line. When they come back, we see tremendous improvements.

“There’s no challenge because we take time to ask questions when filling their forms.

However, the little challenge they are facing which stops many of them from coming is that of insecurity, especially for many of them who stay quite faraway.

“The mothers have been very cooperative with instructions they receive from here. None of them feed on the foods alongside their children. I only hear stories about such in other places, but we are yet to witness or detect such here. We ensure they stop such practice even if they are secretly involved in it.

“Whenever we weighed the children and detect there’s a shortfall in weight, we bring the attention of the mothers, as this might be evidence that the baby was not completely fed with the supplement, and henceforth, there are changes.

“UNICEF usually tells us to inform the mothers when their children have added weight and have improved, as this will encourage them to continue and also serve as boosters for other mothers.”

This is not forgetting the fact that nutritionists and experts in the field of medicine

have continued to reiterate the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child’s life, with emphasis on the first breast milk after delivery. It is said to contain the colostrum, a yellowish substance which is an important component in the breast milk. This is cognitive for a child’s mental, physiological and emotional development and stability. It in turn boosts a child’s immunity to diseases as well as early childhood care development in learning.

At the lapse of six months, the child is expected to be gradually introduced to other child friendly foods which are expected to be balanced in nutrients of adequate proportion alongside the breast milk until 18 months of the child’s life.

Moreso, it is also advised that nutrition for a child starts from the foetal stage with respect to what the mother consumes. These are indices and determinants to causes of wasting, stunting and malnutrition in children which must be tackled in their early months of existence.

Moreover, the government of Zamfara State says all hands are on deck to change the negative narrative that insecurity has cast on the state that prides itself in farming. How far the crusade will go remains uncertain as only time can tell.

T H I S D AY ˾ , APRIL 8, 2021

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NEWS

COVID-19: Estimated 2,480 Persons to GetAstraZenecaVaccine in WarriSouth Sylvester Idowu ÓØ ËÜÜÓ An estimated 2,480 persons, particularly health workers, military and paramilitary personnel are to be inoculated with the COVID-19 AstraZeneca Vaccine in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.

A total of 2,500 doses of the vaccines will be administered in two jabs within a space of 28 days, health officials in Warri South Council, have revealed.

Chairman of Warri South Local Government Area, Dr. Tidi Michael, who spoke briefly during the flag-off of the vaccination exercise at the Warri South Council Main Secretariat in Warri, tasked religious leaders to encourage their members to take the vaccine.

Dr. Tidi, who was the first person to be inoculated, also advised the elites and traditional rulers, not to sell the wrong nar-

rative about COVID-19 Vaccine, saying if the Delta State Governor, who is a medical doctor could take the vaccine, then he sees no reason why other leaders should not do same.

The Executive Secretary, Primary Healthcare Development Agency for Warri South Local Government Council, Dr. Tosan Sagay, in her remarks, acknowledged what she described as a lot of misconception about the AstraZeneca Vaccine and noted that countries that initially stopped the inoculation as a result of the misconception, have resumed the vaccination.

Dr. Sagay, noted that the death toll of COVID-19 has dropped because of the administration of the vaccine, juat as she thanked Dr. Tidi, for creating the enabling environment for flag-off of the 10-day vaccination programme.

The vaccination which commenced Thursday March 18 will

continue at the Central Hospital, Warri and the Healthcare Centre in Warri South Council Sub Secretariat, Warri.

The Medic, emphasized that taking the AstraZeneca jabs, should not stop anyone from adhering strictly to the COVID-19 protocols.

Vice Chairman of the Warri South Local Government Area, Chief (Mrs.) Divine Iniovosa; Leader of Warri South Council -FHJTMBUJWF "SN 3U )PO *KBCPS Sylvester and the immediate past Secretary to Warri South Local Government, Mr. Joseph Oribioye, were among prominent personalities that took the first jab of the AstraZeneca vaccine, during the flag-off ceremony.

The Head of Personnel Management, Warri South Local Government Council, Dr. (Mrs.) Minnie Igbrude, was among members of the Council Executive that graced the ceremony.

FutureProofing Launches Sustainability Index for 18 African Countries to Advance UHC Goals Rebecca Ejifoma The FutureProofing Healthcare, an initiative designed to enable data-driven dialogue about the future of healthcare, recently launched the Africa Sustainability Index at the 2021 Africa Health Agenda International Conference (AHAIC).

The Africa Sustainability Index is a tool in guiding stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem on where to focus efforts, make improvements and identify best practices from other countries.

Led by a panel of 10 independent African healthcare experts, the first-of-its-kind data-driven policy tool measures the current status of health systems in 18 countries across Africa.

It also provides valuable context as countries across the continent determine how to accelerate universal health DPWFSBHF 6)$ HPBMT BOE QSPHSFTT PO UIF 6OJUFE /Btions Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The data can be explored online at www. futureproofinghealthcare.com.

The FutureProofing Healthcare Africa Sustainability Index presents an objective view of how health systems are currently performing and is intended to inform policies that promote sustainability and resiliency for the future.

Through publicly available data, the Index examines 76 different measures split across six categories called Vital Signs.

These Vital Signs - Access, Financing, Innovation, Quality, Health Status and Wider Factors of Health – provide a holistic view of the fundamental drivers of sustainable healthcare systems.

The Index also compares approaches between countries, identifies elements that lead to more sustainable care and promotes best practices through a future-focused analysis of real-world solutions.

4VQQPSUFE CZ 3PDIF FYQFSUT from organisations including Amref, the World Bank, 6OJUFE /BUJPOT %FWFMPQNFOU 1SPHSBNNF 6/%1 UIF African Society for Laboratory

Medicine and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention collaborated to develop the FutureProofing Healthcare Africa Sustainability Index.

The CEO of Amref and Africa Sustainability Index panelist, Githinji Gitahi, “Sustainable healthcare is a key element PO UIF KPVSOFZ UPXBSET 6)$ and will impact millions of lives in Africa.”

He added that the Sustainability Index is a useful tool in guiding stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem on where to focus efforts, make improvements and identify best practices from other countries.

“On behalf of my fellow panel members, it is our intention that this tool will spark conversation about actions that are needed today to create more resilient, sustainable health systems in the future,” says Gitahi The findings of the Africa Sustainability Index indicate that economic strength and political stability are key drivers behind overall performance in healthcare sustainability, with most of the countries that perform well in the Financing Vital Sign also doing well in the Index overall. These countries JODMVEF 4PVUI "GSJDB 3XBOEB Algeria and Ghana.

The Index also reveals that all countries analysed have numerous areas of opportunity for improvement. There are strong variations throughout the continent related to the Access and Quality Vital Signs, suggesting that targeted policies in these areas will make an JNQBDU JO BDIJFWJOH 6)$ HPBMT Driving disparities in Access are the number of doctors and specialised healthcare professionals per capita, as well as the level of access to preventative health services. South Africa is the highest ranking country in the Access Vital Sign, followed at some distance by Libya, Zambia, and Tunisia.

South Africa is the top performing African nation in this Vital Sign, followed BU TPNF EJTUBODF CZ 3XBOEB Ethiopia, and Tanzania. Still, many best practices exist at the country-level, such as creating a

future-looking policy and legal environments and adopting new technologies.

As health systems across Africa currently face acute pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Africa Sustainability Index aims to identify key drivers that affect the capacity of health systems to cope with system-level strain.

Data from the Index can be used to inform policies that help health systems continue to manage and ultimately recover from the crisis as well as be used as the foundation for policies that enable more resilient health systems that are prepared to address both health crises and ongoing population health needs.

The results of the Financing Vital Sign suggest that there is little difference between some countries’ healthcare financing models. However, this similar approach does not yield similar results across all vital signs.

While there is a clear positive correlation between economic strength, political stability and the sustainability of a healthcare system, there are strong variations in Access and Quality Vital which suggests that, beyond financial reforms, targeted policies in these areas could go B MPOH XBZ JO BDIJFWJOH 6)$ Prof. Glenda Gray, President and CEO, South African Medical 3FTFBSDI $PVODJM BOE NFNCFS PG UIF &YQFSU 1BOFM BEEFE i6Oless we analyse the consequences of the COVID crisis, it has the potential to increase healthcare inequity, costs and inefficiency.

“Yet, if harnessed, it can mean better healthcare for all in more sustainable and resilient health systems. There are actions that every country can take to start on this journey today. We must work together immediately to rebuild better and give African people the care that they deserve.”

Countries included in the Index are Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic 3FQVCMJD PG UIF $POHP &UIJPQJB Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Morocco, .P[BNCJRVF /JHFSJB 3XBOEB South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Zambia.

FERTILITY

with DR. KEMI AILOJE Info@lifelinkfertility.com; Website: lifelinkfertility.com 08033083580

Premarital Genetic Counselling (Part 3)

L

ast week, we started a discussion on facts to note about genetic counselling and also discussed some common genetic disorders. This week, we will continue with genetic disorders and then conclude with genetic testing and steps to preventing genetic diseases Turner Syndrome Turner syndrome is a chromosomal abnormality in females which is caused by a deletion of one of the two X-chromosomes in a typical female. It may also occur if a part of the X chromosomes is missing or rearranged. This condition often leads to non-functional ovaries and a lack of puberty. Some physical characteristics of this condition are: webbed neck, swollen hands and feet, skeletal abnormalities.

People with this condition are sometimes born with defects of heart valve or vessels which can be life threatening.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder inherited at birth. It affects the way the body makes mucus, a substance that helps your organs and systems work. Mucus should be thin and slippery, but with CF, it becomes thick and glue-like. This blocks tubes and ducts throughout your body.

Over time, this thick mucus builds up inside your airways and makes it hard to breathe. The mucus traps germs and leads to infections. It can also cause severe lung damage like cysts (fluid-filled sacs) and fibrosis (scar tissue).

Thalassemia Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder in which the body makes an abnormal form of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen. The disorder results in excessive destruction of red blood cells, which leads to anemia. Anemia is a condition in which your body doesn’t have enough normal, healthy red blood cells. Thalassemia minor is a less serious form of the disorder. There are two main forms of thalassemia that are more serious. In alpha thalassemia, at least one of the alpha globin genes has a mutation or abnormality. In beta thalassemia, the beta globin genes are affected.

Each of these forms of thalassemia has different subtypes. The exact form you have will affect the severity of the symptoms and outlook.

Inherited Clotting Problems The blood clotting process is one of the more complicated biochemical pathways in the body and there are a number of different inherited clotting problems and conditions. These clotting problems can result in too much bleeding (hemorrhage) and the formation of abnormal blood clots throughout the body, most commonly in the veins. The most common such inherited clotting disease is the Factor V Leiden abnormality and it can particularly present a problem in pregnancy, leading to pre-eclampsia, small-for-gestational-age

babies, stillbirths and problems with the placenta.

Hemophilia is a well-known clotting disorder and the most common types are Hemophilia A (where there is a lack of clotting factor VIII), Hemophilia B (where there is a lack of clotting factor IX) and Von Willebrand disease (where there is a lack of the Von Willebrand clotting factor).

Symptoms of all these clotting disorders include excessive bleeding of the gums, nose, gastrointestinal system and bleeding into the joints, abnormal menstrual bleeding, excessive bruising and skin rashes.

Carrier testing This test is carried out to help prospective parents find out if they carry and/ or risk passing any genetic or chromosomal disorders to their children. It is usually recommended for people with a family history or an ethnic back ground with an increased risk of genetic or chromosomal disorders.

Prenatal Diagnostic Testing This form of genetic testing can be done for pregnant women to detect changes in the foetus genes or chromosomes. It is recommended for parents with an elevated chance of having a child with a genetic or chromosomal disorder. The doctor will screen the fetus for specific conditions either through chorionic villi sampling or amniocentesis.

Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT) This is a genetic testing done before pregnancy. Embryos obtained from the IVF process are subjected to genetic screening, this is an advanced technology in assisted reproduction. It entails obtaining cells from the embryos on day 3 or day 5 of culturing.

Embryos with genetic defect are identified and sorted. Genetically normal best quality embryos are transferred back to the womb.

This process helps to prevent certain genetic diseases or disorder from being passed to the offspring which subsequently improves pregnancy rates as well as live birth.

Steps to Preventing Genetics Diseases: r "WPJE TNPLJOH BOE MJNJU BMDPIPM intake r 3FHVMBS FYFSDJTF UP NBJOUBJO PQUJNVN weight r "WPJE FYQPTVSF UP UPYJO QBUIPHFOT radiation and chemicals r 4FFL GPS HFOFUJD TDSFFOJOH BOE counselling if you fall within risk group r 6TF QSFOBUBM TVQQMFNFOUBUJPO PG vitamins and folic acid 3 months before planning pregnancy r &ODPVSBHF XPNBO UP QSPDSFBUF BU the ideal reproductive age of 20-30years r 4FFL RVBMJUZ BOUFOBUBM DBSF BT XFMM as birth care. r &OTVSF 3VCFMMB BOE PUIFS JNmunization r "WPJE DPOTBOHVJOFPVT NBSSJBHF Together we can build a world without genetic disorder for the love of the next generation.

36

T H I S D AY ˾ , APRIL 8, 2021

NEWS

TCIF Launches TCERA App for Trauma Care Emergencies Rebecca Ejifoma Trauma Care International Foundation (TCIF) has launched the Trauma Care Emergency Response Application suite, TCERA for both the responder and the user to curb avoidable deaths caused by trauma from road accidents and other emergencies.

Unveiled in Lagos State, TCERA will create a network to beat the avoidable prevalent traffic situations for first responders to get to the scene of an emergency, and improve pre-hospital emergency care.

The Chairperson of TCIF Dr. Deola Philips represented

by Dr. Emeka Eze, lamented that trauma is a leading cause of death globally, as he moaned that Nigeria accounts for the highest number of road accidents.

“Nigeria’s accident rate is one of the highest in the world, and our population is also very high – over 250 million people in Nigeria by the projections.

“That means the highest population in Africa and in the world, the number of coloured people is highest in Nigeria, Lagos state has the highest population in terms of growing cities, African cities in the world,” he highlighted.

He emphasised that with about 24 to 25 million people, this is a network to beat the prevailing problems of prevalent traffic situations for first responders to get to the scene of an emergency.

Among the emergencies listed are car accident, collapse building, flooding, and domestic accident among others.

Phillips, however, noted that these things are not well

recognised by the public. “Many times between first attention and getting to the hospital determines whether the person will survive or not.

“That is why the mortality and morbidity rates are very high.

The network in Lagos state that has been set up by the Lagos state government is already doing something beautiful but there are areas ambulances cannot pass,” he explained.

While imagining a situation where all the responders are around the accident scene, he said that is where TCERA comes in.

“We are training the common man, the everyday person to be where the accidents are. Within three minutes the first responders can get to the scene and do the right thing.”

While giving out the help line, 122, Phillips commended the Chris Oyakhilome Foundation International (COFI) for its support.

The foundation has been training volunteers in first aid skills and has formed a network of volunteers trained in first aid and basic emergency response called the TCIF First Responder Network.

In her reaction, the Commander, Emma Fekayo, representing the Lagos State Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) Sector Commander, CC Segun Ogungbemile, harped on FRSC mandate to reduce road crashes as it gives less problem on ground. She however, frowned at the fact that many road users prefer to risk their lives. Fekayo hinted that “we are road users, but a lot of us don’t know how to use the road.

Lagos Island Midwives Call for Improved Healthcare Mary Nnah Young Midwifery Leaders in conjunction with Lagos Island Maternity Midwives have earmarked factors to improve the quality of the health sector with maternal and newborns care in focus.

This was made at the second day workshop held at Lagos Island Maternity Hospital tagged, “Midwives leading through policy-making and advocacy”.

The event, held in collaboration with International Confederation of Midwives was aimed at reinforcing midwives present on the necessity of improving the healthcare welfarism of maternal and newborn patients through sensitisation on midwifery advocacy, policy-making, COVID-19 vaccine awareness and other factors that can promote the quality of services rendered.

Animashaun Olamide, one of the participants from the hospital’s Nursing and Midwifery department believed that the workshop has generally reinforced their experience to promote quality healthcare and be a voice for the voiceless in the health sector.

“This workshop is necessary for the participants because it speaks to us all to take our

space as midwives who are in charge of maternity with the newborns and challenge our mentality at work to be more effective than before.

“It helps because everything mentioned regarding healthcare in Nigeria is true and it is an eye-opener for us who attended the workshop”, she said, “Take COVID-19 for example, there have been lots of speculations regarding the side effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine that are quite discouraging, but the enlightenment we received from the workshop has gone a long way in showing us that the effects are not harmful and there are cases where the recipients did not experience any reaction at all”, she added.

Sanni Olugbenga, another participant berated the unavailability and low level of awareness regarding the Patient Bill of Rights (PBoR) among patients particularly in Nigeria.

He said, “The Patient Bill of Rights since its inception in 2018 is meant to be made available in any healthcare organisation to the patients and healthcare workers.

“Unfortunately, only the latter has access to this bill.

We know our rights, duties and responsibilities as medical

practitioners but there is a need for more efforts to carry out these tasks and it can only be enforced through the availability of the Patients’ Bill of Rights.”

He further stated that midwives majorly need to be supported to advocates for midwifery care and women in Nigeria.

He mentioned the reluctance to actively participate in politics and policy making process, explaining that the issue can only be given adequate attention if the midwives can be actively involved where the policies are made and supervising the policy implementation process.

“Look at the National assembly for example. How many midwives are there?

Meanwhile, it is the National Assembly that provides law and policies that affect the affairs of midwives and maternity in Nigeria.

“What we can only expect from this is that nobody will be there to defend the midwives’ cause when issues pertaining to them are being made.

“Even in the hospital itself, favourable considerations can only be possible when we are part of the decision makers even as midwives’’.

Speaking with the convener,

Olajumoke Adebayo, she bemoaned the fact that midwives are side-lined in policy making relating to the health sector, a trait which prompted her to organise the workshop to not only create awareness regarding midwifery but to also improve their knowledge and skills in advocacy.

“This workshop focuses more on how midwives can advocate for themselves and maternal healthcare. “ Considering the fact that midwives are often sidelined in decision making, the essence of the workshop is not just to create awareness on the functions of the unit but also to boost their skills and focus on policies relating to advocacy of the midwifery and how to make positive changes to the medical scene to reduce maternal and child mortality.”

Adebayo explained that midwives understand how women live, their symptoms and feelings, adding, “this means that while advocating for midwives, we are also advocating for women in the society too.

“As a result, paying attention to midwifery advocates not only brings improvement to the health sector generally, they also generate a better society for all who have one connection or another with our women in the society”.

Dangote, Ovia Congratulate Tinuola Akinbolagbe as PSHAN New CEO Rebecca Ejifoma Founder and Board Member of Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PSHAN), Aliko Dangote has congratulated the newly appointed CEO of PSHAN, Dr. Tinuola Akinbolagbe.

Akingbolagbe will lead the PSHAN team to actively engage private sector players to take bold, positive steps to achieve universal health coverage in Nigeria.

As a not-for-profit, businessled organisation, PSHAN was founded to improve Nigeria’s healthcare system by providing accessible, affordable, and first-rate healthcare solutions to everyday Nigerians.

PSHAN has been at the forefront of collaboration with the domestic and international development community to address inequities in access to healthcare services in Nigeria.

This includes partnerships with The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations (GAVI) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In collaboration with Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, PSHAN has proactively developed the innovative Adopt-a-HealthcareFacility Program (ADHFP) aimed at mobilising smart capital to address inequities at the primary healthcare level.

The new CEO, Tinuola Akinbolagbe

According to PSHAN, the new CEO will drive this initiative in collaboration with leaders across the private and public sectors.

A qualified public health physician, Akinbolagbe brings several years of emerging markets experience to her new role, most recently serving as the CEO at Synlab Nigeria Ltd (formerly Pathcare), an international medical diagnostic provider.

She also brings extensive experience in the health insurance sector and serves on the boards of private sector companies.

Speaking on the appointment, Dangote, said: “The PSHAN Board welcomes Akinbolagbe as our new CEO. Her entrepreneurial skills, extensive networks and deep understanding of the health space will significantly enhance our capacity to deliver the PSHAN mission.”

Lagos Island Midwives

Aduvie Int’l School Holds COVID-19 Art Competition, Harps on Adherence to Safety Protocols Kuni TyessÓ ÓØ ÌßÔË Nigerians have again been urged to ensure they adhere to all COVID-19 safety protocols that have been provided by the government and health authorities as the world battles the pandemic.

This was stated by the Head of Aduvie International School, Mr. Olusoji Abiodun during presentation of prizes to winners of the school’s COVID-19 Arts competition in Abuja.

According to Abiodun, the art competition was organised to commemorate the closure of schools in March last year after the emergence of COVID-19.

He said, “To mark one year of the lockdown of schools due to COVID-19 pandemic, Aduvie International School received over 40 artworks from participants at the lower and higher primary sections as well as the secondary arm of the school.

“We decided to organise this competition to bring out the positive aspect of what we have gone through in the last one year as a result of the pandemic.

“The students and pupils were required to submit a oneminute video capturing them while working on the most essential part of their work

alongside their completed work. Apart from the winners, all other participants were awarded with a cash price of N2,000 and N1,000 for the secondary and primary sections respectively.

Olusoji said the criteria for declaring winners include creativity, originality, adherence to instruction, finishing as well as the video.

He said the art pieces which included paintings, mosaic, craft works and sculptures were exhibited at the school admin block’s entrance In the secondary category, Amoju Tolulope won the first prize which is a cash

of N50,000, Demilade Tope Babalola came second and went home with a cash prize of N30,000 while Opanah Ige-Edaba received N20,000 for coming third place.

In Upper Primary, Lana Jaber won the first prize of N30,000, the second prize of 20,000 was won by Donald Eze while the third prize of N10,000 was won by Oluwayemisi Amojo.

While in the lower lrimary category, Davina Attah won the first prize of N30,000, Zion Musa won the second prize of N20,000 while Katelin Ogunmulayo won the third prize of N10,000.

THURSDAY APRIL 8, 2021 • T H I S D AY

37

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ APRIL 8, 2021

38

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Govts, Organisations Urged to Increase Opportunities for Women Governments at all levels as well as operators of private organisations have been advised to increase both leadership and economic opportunities for women.

This formed part of the recommendations given by speakers at a recent webinar organised by the VFD Group, with the theme: “Leave No Woman Behind: The 50% Rule.”

The event was organised to mark the International Women’s Day tagged ‘#choosetochallenge’.

The Managing Director, Everdon Bureau De Change, a subsidiary of the VFD Group, Theresa Ezeh, however stressed that competence should be considered above every other thing.

Responding to a question on if today’s workplace is a safer place

for women than it was a decade ago, she said: “For me, it a yes and a no answer. The yes side is the fact that increasingly, there is more and more awareness being put out. People are becoming more aware.

“But on the no side is the fact that the issue of tokenism to a large extent exists and on that basis you cannot genuinely say that equal opportunities are provided as it were; we cannot say that equal opportunities are provided to both males and females and based on that, it is a no.

“But what we can now do is to create more awareness, do your bit in the circle you have influence in and ensure that women are not intimidated.”

Speaking further, Ezeh said:

“We should provide the same opportunities and the same level playing ground, and on the basis of those evaluations, pick the woman who is best fit for the job.

“And it will be expected in such circumstances where a woman who is best fitted for the job is not unnecessarily discriminated against in terms of expectations about the long run.”

The Founder of Lighthouse Women’s Network as well as a corporate communications specialist, Nkiru Olumide-Ojo, stressed the need for increased opportunities for women.

According to her, it is important to ensure that women are evenly represented and provided with the right equity.

FirstBank Partners LAWMA, Unveils 16,000 Sweepers’Uniforms Ugo Aliogo First Bank Nigeria Limited has gone into partnership with the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) by offering the agency 16,000 rebranded sweepers’ uniform.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer, FirstBank Nigeria Limited, Dr. Adeshola Adeduntan, said it was estimated that billions of dollars’ worth of investment opportunities are lost because of poor waste management in emerging economies including Nigeria. He also stated that poor waste management was a contributor to deterioration of health, decline in real estate value, and associated disadvantages.

Adeduntan, who was repre-

sented at the event by the Group Executive, Commercial Banking, First Bank Nigeria Limited, Seyi Oyefeso, said: “Recognising the long-term effect of poorly managed waste in any environment, the health and environment pillar is one of the five strategic pillars of development setup by the Lagos State to proactively tackle poor waste management in the state.

“The Lagos state initiative to tackle waste through LAWMA is indeed an excellent initiative of the Governor of the state.”

He further explained that LAWMA has rejigged the waste management system to keep the environment clean and healthy, to deliver better on its mandate as the regulator, “and in pursuit of advocacy to

turn waste into wealth in Lagos state.”

The First Bank Boss said activities of LAWMA have been significantly impactful to Lagosians especially through job creation for thousands of men and women, “from truck drivers, to waste disposal managers, and specialists working at recycling centres, equally important are thousands of citizens that daily serve as sweepers across the length and breadth of the state.”

He disclosed that in line with LAWMA’s commitment to promote environmental sustainability, the bank has decided to lend its support to the state government and LAWMA toward donating to support the uniform re-branding project.

RIMAN, CIBN Induct 21 Risk Managers Nume Ekeghe The Risk Management Association of Nigeria (RIMAN) and the Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIBN) have inducted 21 new members that qualified in its Professional Risk Management Examinations as Certified Risk Manager (CRM).

The examinations, a collaboration between RIMAN and CIBN, which commenced in 2017 have now produced a total of 134 CRM nationwide. In his remarks, President, RIMAN, Magnus Nnoka, noted that now more than ever, the need for commitment by risk managers and also urged risk managers to be vigilant and continually train themselves. He also noted that in the last one year, most risk management profession-

als have faced unprecedented challenges. He said the global business environment has also witnessed uncommon challenges as organisations are faced with unpredictable and crisis prune business environment with attendant risk ramifications.

“It would be safe to say that managing risk in current times requires going beyond normal approaches,” he added.

Also, President and Chairman of Council, CIBN, Dr. Bayo Olugbemi, said the services of risk managers are required to keep organisations safe and healthy and to remain as going concerns.

He said for institutions to survive and remain afloat, the issue of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) must be elevated to the highest level. He challenged everyone to contribute their

quota within their sphere of influence to ensure the safety, soundness and sustainability of various institutions, to imbibe the culture of risk as a way of life, not just as a function but everyone’s mantra should be, “everyone a Risk Manager”.

He challenged all organisations, individuals, captains of industries, regulators and policymakers to embrace the Certified Risk Management (CRM) Risk Management Certification Programme in view of the enormous benefits inherent in it for their organisations. He also challenged them to explore, drill and discover. On his part, the guest speaker, who was the MD/ CEO of Standard Chartered Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Lamin Manjang said: “Risk is an integral part of an organization’s strategy.

African Alliance Gets ISO Recertification Ebere Nwoji The African Alliance Insurance Plc has been recertified with the ISO 22301 for Business Continuity Management (BCM) by the Professional Evaluation and Certification Board (PECB).

The certification was given to the company as a result of its commitment to its stakeholders and customers. The certification was first issued to the company in

2020 by the PECB which signified that African Alliance Insurance met all the requirements for Business Continuity Management.

Africa Alliance Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Joyce Ojemudia, said the recertification further confirmed African Alliance’s ability to deliver in every circumstance and its commitment to upholding its promise to be with stakeholders for life.

“For us at African Alliance, and

our priority is to continue to fulfil our stated obligations to our stakeholders and show our customers that our promise to be with them for life is to be trusted, “I appreciate the continued efforts of the entire BCM team led by our Executive Director, Finance, Olabisi Adekola and ably managed by the BCM Manager, Patrick Eka-Iloma. Without them, these efforts would have come to naught,” said Ojemudia.

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

JANUARY 2021 Money Supply (M3)

38,779,455.43

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

1,039,129.55

Money Supply (M2)

37,740,325.88

-- Quasi Money

21,779,302.69

-- Narrow Money (M1)

15,961,023.19

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,364,871.13

---- Demand Deposits

13,596,152.06

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,414,275.50

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

31,365,179.93

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

42,916,586.63

---- Credit to Government (Net)

12,304,773.44

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

0.00

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

30,611,813.19

--Other Assets Net

3,892,112.74

Reserve Money (Base Money

13,264,585.14

--Currency in Circulation

2,831,167.19

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

10,433,417.96 317,234.17

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

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He ISO 2 that comp ˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE ˜ ʹ ͰͮͰͯ

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $61.33 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $61.70 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), Zafiro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

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Th organ use in Conti the re system

39

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ Ͷ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

Nigerian Breweries Advises Shareholders to Embrace Script Dividend Option Goddy Egene The Managing Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Jordi Borrut Bel, has said called on shareholders to embrace the script dividend option proposal offered by the company because of its many benefits.

Nigerian Breweries Plc has recommended a dividend of N7.7 billion for its shareholders for the 2020 financial year. However, the

company also gave shareholders the option to receive additional shares instead of cash dividend.

The recommendation, which amounts to a total dividend of N0.94 per ordinary share of 50kobo each, represents a 100 per cent payout. Speaking at the pre- annual general meeting (AGM) media briefing held in Lagos, yesterday, Borrut Bel said the shareholders opting for additional shares in the place of cash

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

dividend stand the opportunity of increasing their holdings in the company with high value.

He explained that 100 per cent dividend payout is a demonstration of its strong performance for the financial year-end 2020, where it emerged as the only brewer to record a profit in a difficult year. An analysis of the company’s results also shows that apart from delivering a profit of N7.52 billion, it also recorded a

S E C U R I T I E S

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net revenue of N337.01 billion for the 2020 financial year as against N323.00 billion recorded in 2019.

He said: “Business performance was quite impressive especially in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recession.

Though there was a slight reduction in profitability compared to the previous year, the business witnessed an improved growth in revenue. The significance of this is that business became more

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

stable and healthier.”

According to the Nigerian Breweries Plc boss, the resilient performance for the year could largely be attributed to the massive decline in both administrative, marketing and distribution expenses for the financial year relative to the previous year.

He said while marketing and distribution expenses experienced a dip from N77.70billion in 2019 to 70.7billion in this financial

O F

year, administrative expenses experienced a 1.79 per cent decline from N19.30billion to N18.96billion, which was largely informed by the elimination of bad costs.

Borrut Bel stated that despite other operating challenges coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic that affected businesses generally, the company maintained a strong and healthy balance sheet.

0 7 / 0 4 / 2 0 2 1 DEALS

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THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

40

MARKET NEWS

Trading Volume Rises 58.7% as Al-Share Index Records Marginal Appreciation Goddy Egene

the stock market rose 58.7 per cent to 356.46 million shares worth N4.19 billion

The volume of trading at 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

in 6,130 deals yesterday, from 224.594 million shares valued at N2.143 billion in

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 06Apr-2021, unless otherwise stated.

4,675 deals.

Also, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share

Index (ASI) rose 0.02 per cent to be at 38,774.03 following gains by MTN Nigeria Plc and

Nestle Nigeria. A total of 14 stocks appreciated compared with 20 that depreciated.

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 151.12 152.60 -6.59% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 3.65% Nigeria International Debt Fund 332.97 332.97 -16.62% Afrinvest Dollar Fund 107.52 107.52 -4.02% 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 1.06 1.07 17.66% ACAP Income Funds 0.65 0.65 -10.42% 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 3.64% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.39 3.55 -4.46% ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@anchoriaam.com Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market N/A N/A N/A Anchoria Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Anchoria Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 18.36 18.91 1.22% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 404.05 416.23 0.92% ARM Ethical Fund 35.65 36.72 5.74% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.19 1.19 -2.76% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.04 1.05 -6.77% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 3.18% AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 103.46 103.46 1.72% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 2.05 2.05 -18.82% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.18 2.22 -11.55% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 3.28% Paramount Equity Fund 15.26 15.55 -4.55% Women's Investment Fund 128.86 130.21 -3.22% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 2.93% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 126.56 127.43 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 N/A N/A Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 110.68 110.68 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 0.86% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.14 1.15 -5.22% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.40 1.40 -11.71% EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 2.35% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 2.32% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,153.93 1,158.61 -3.77% 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 1,354.29 1,354.29 5.92% FBN Balanced Fund 183.86 185.12 -2.04% FBN Halal Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 3.29% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional N/A N/A N/A FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 124.02 124.02 3.08% FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund 148.01 149.98 -2.10% 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 N/A N/A N/A Legacy Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy USD Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund 3,767.96 3,818.60 0.54% Coral Income Fund 3,351.29 3,351.29 2.29% FSDH Treasury Bills Fund 100.00 100.00 2.08%

GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.60% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 127.06 127.59 18.05% 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 2.18% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.69 2.75 17.34% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 4.50% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 145.75 146.12 -6.24% Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End 1.07 1.07 4.81% 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 1.35 1.38 -1.38% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,146.05 1,146.05 2.00% 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 N/A N/A N/A Meristem Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 1.58 1.61 7.52% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.32 12.45 0.72% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 1.50% PACAM Equity Fund 1.55 1.57 -1.80% PACAM EuroBond Fund 109.96 112.75 0.55% SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 129.47 131.64 6.33% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.01 1.01 3.31% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 3,113.05 3,136.88 -3.22% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 227.84 227.84 1.33% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.14 1.15 -2.97% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 298.46 298.46 1.29% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 207.91 210.58 -4.83% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.87% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 9,763.96 9,888.31 -7.03% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.24 1.24 1.48% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 112.97 112.97 1.70% 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 1.31 1.33 -4.12% United Capital Bond Fund 1.92 1.92 1.59% United Capital Equity Fund 0.88 0.90 1.50% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 4.71% United Capital Eurobond Fund 119.21 119.21 1.82% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.05 1.07 -3.12% United capital Sukuk Fund 1.03 1.03 2.69% 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 11.91 12.02 0.40% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.23 13.35 8.31% Zenith Income Fund 24.26 24.26 1.16% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 1.97%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

121.90 52.85

0.96% 0.86%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

12.24 118.97 93.18

12.34 118.97 94.92

-7.37% -2.28% -6.23%

Fund Name 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 Money Market Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.40

13.11%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

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

THURSDAY APRIL 8, 2021 • T H I S D AY

41

42

THURSDAY APRIL 8, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

You Have No Justification for Strike, Ngige Tells Resident Doctors Striking doctors allege irregularities in their payments Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige has said the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has lost all moral and legal grounds to continue its seven-day-old strike, and urged them to call off the action.

In a statement in Abuja yesterday, Ngige said the federal government has not only “substantially met the seven-point demand by NARD, it has also demonstrated transparency in their implementation.”

But in a swift response, NARD has faulted Ngige’s position, saying that house officers’ payments across the nation were flawed with irregularities.

But Ngige noted: “The House officers have started receiving

their payments in the federal government teaching hospitals and federal medical centres across the federation. I spoke with the Accountant General of the Federation as well as with two Chief medical directors of teaching hospitals this morning and they confirmed payment to house officers.

“By the close of work today, all would have been paid as the officers at the office of the AGF worked even during the public holidays to this effect.”

The minister said some of the house officers were recruited outside the quota allocated by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, and some recruited between January and March when there was an embargo on selective recruitment by teaching hospitals and Federal Medical

Let Zamfara Gov Be, PDP Colleagues Tell APC I won’t leave opposition party, says Matawalle

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Six governors under the auspices of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum (PDPGF) led by Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State, yesterday urged the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to steer clear of Zamfara State.

This is coming as the Zamfara State governor, Mr. Bello Matawalle has debunked insinuation that he was planning to leave the main opposition party.

Tambuwal who led the PDP governors of Rivers, Taraba, Bauchi, Adamawa and Oyo states to commiserate with the government and people of Zamfara State over a recent fire incident in the state, appealed to leaders in the country not to take advantage of misfortune to play politics.

Announcing the donation of N100 million to the victims of the Tudun Wada market inferno in Gusau, the capital of Zamfara State, Tambuwal asked: “Where were some of these visitors when all that has been happening to the people

of Zamfara?”

According to statement by Muhammad Bello, Special Adviser Media and Publicity to Tambuwal, the Sokoto State governor noted that: “No life was lost during the inferno. How many lives were lost from the time when APC was in charge of this Government House till now? How many of them came here to commiserate with my people of Zamfara State even those of us who are neighbours?”

He decried the poverty level and the bogus fight against corruption by “the APC government of the federal government,” and regretted that “we are busy playing politics.”

“That is wrong. We must not take advantage of misfortunes to come and play politics,” he stated, emphasising that: “We the governors’ of PDP; this is our home. We are not visitors. No visitor can come and supplant us here. We have come home and I will take off my mask so that you can see me well, not as visitors but owners of this home, to commiserate with our own people that have been affected by this inferno.”

Odumakin was a ‘Doughty’ Fighter, Says Soyinka Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has described the late spokesman of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, as a “doughty fighter”.

Soyinka yesterday paid a condolence visit to widow of late Afenifere spokesman at their residence in Omole area of Lagos.

He described late Odumakin as a persistent and brave fighter.

The late Odumakin, 56, died on Friday after battling with respiratory problems occasioned

by COVID-19 complications.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that in the condolence register, Soyinka

wrote, “Farewell to a doughy fighter”.

In a related development, a former Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Dimeji Bankole, said late Odumakin struggled for human rights and lived till end.

“Thank you for everything and rest in peace,” he prayed.

According to a veteran Nigerian broadcaster, Mr Bisi olatilo, “Odumakin left the way strong people leave.”

NAN reported that Soyinka and others were all received by his widow, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, also rights campaigner and president, Women Arise

Centres, amnesty was granted to all to be paid in line with the Memorandum of Action Ngige further said, “we have also abolished benching in training as well as stopped the deduction of N15,000 per month

from the salaries of house doctors for accommodation. We directed the refund of the deductions and the entire money is now paid to the house doctors to negotiate with the local authorities and sort out individual accommodation.

“The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria has also opened her online portal for the recruitment of house officers effective April 1, 2021 in the spirit of the MOA . It has also started recruiting and posting house

doctors almost immediately, even within the public holidays. All these are items time-lined in the MoA for execution within three to four weeks and that is why we agreed to meet in four weeks to access implementation.

INSECURITY ON THEIR MINDS…

President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan (left), and former Head of State, and Chairman of National Peace Committee (NPC), General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), during a dialogue organised by the NPC on the state of the nation in Abuja…yesterday IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN

Buhari’s Medical Trip, Violation of Health Act, Says Falana-led Coalition The Alliance for the Survival of COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB) has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s medical trip to the UK as a violation of the National Health Act. In a statement issued yesterday by the Chairman of the group and human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), ASCAB added that Buhari’s constant visits to the UK for health check depicts the terrible state of Nigerian medicare.

The labour and civil society coalition group said it was contradictory for the President to go abroad for medicare when as

billions of naira were allocated to the health sector every year apart from the huge amount of money credited to the Presidential Clinic in Aso Rock.

“The President of Nigeria visiting the United Kingdom, for healthcare 60 years after independence is a shame. It confirms that Nigeria cannot guarantee the health of her President even with the country can boast of a rainbow of experts and Teaching Hospitals that have been left to rot away,” Falana explained.

The group wondered what

could happen to the ordinary people if the country could not secure the well-being of her President.

ASCAB said President Buhari’s action violated the constitution of the country.

The group regretted that millions of Nigerians have no access to basic healthcare while primary health provision has almost been abandoned across the country leaving millions in despair.

ASCAB traced the tragic weekend deaths of two prominent human rights activists, Mr. Yinka Odumakin and Innocent

Chukwuma to the parlous state of Nigerian healthcare, saying that the two, like millions of Nigerian in rural and urban areas would have lived if the country’s leaders had funded and equipped hospitals for prompt diagnosis and treatment.

“The total neglect of public healthcare in Nigerian has seen millions of people lose their lives from preventable deaths. While many people die in millions every year, armed and defenseless people, rich and poor suffer from the tragic neglect of Nigerian health sector by the Federal and State Governments.”

Forbes List: Dangote, Adenuga, Rabiu Retain Positions as Dollar-billionaires Africa’s richest man and President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Chairman of Globacom, Chief Mike Adenuga, and Chairman of BUA Group, Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu have retained their positions, emerging as Nigeria’s only Dollar-billionaires, according to Forbes 2021 world billionaires list.

Chief Executive Officer of Famfa Oil Limited, Mrs. Folorunso Alakija, fell off the

list — second year in a row, The Cable reported.

In 2019, Alakija made the Forbes list of world billionaires and was ranked 1941 in a list of 2,153 billionaires; with a net worth of $1.1 billion. The oil tycoon dropped off the global billionaires’ list in 2020, although she still emerged as 20th richest African billionaire in 2020.

Forbes said Alakija’s fortune dropped below $1 billon due to lower oil prices because she

is mainly into oil exploration.

Dangote retained the top spot of Africa’s richest person with a net worth of $11.5 billion, making him the 191st wealthiest person in the world.

He owns 85 per cent of publicly-traded Dangote Cement through a holding company, and has shares in publicly-traded salt and sugar manufacturing companies.

Adenuga, Nigeria’s second richest man, was ranked 440th

richest in the world with a net worth of $6.1 billion, up from $5.6billion in 2020.

Rabiu emerged as 574th richest person in the world with an estimated fortune of $4.9 billion.

He also maintains the position of sixth wealthiest person in Africa.

Despite the worldwide economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak, Forbes said an additional 660 individuals were added to its 2021 billionaires list.

Politicians Sponsored Attacks on Imo Police Headquarters, Correctional Centre, Uzodimma Alleges Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, has said aggrieved politicians sponsored Monday attacks on the Imo State Police Command Headquarters and the Correctional Centre, both in Owerri, the state capital.

Speaking last night on a live TV programme, Uzodimma faulted the allegation that members of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) had a hand in the attacks.

The former Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed

Adamu had claimed that the gunmen, who operated from 1am till 3am on Monday and sang solidarity songs at the Government House Roundabout for about 30 minutes before attacking the facilities, were members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the security arm of IPOB. The separatist group led by Mr. Nnamdi Kanu has since denied the allegation Uzodimma has also discredited the claim that

IPOB members perpetrated the heinous acts.

“Their (attackers’) tactics is that they try to identify grievances of people in a particular area. If it is in Imo State and probably there are some IPOB people who are not happy, they hire hoodlums from outside Imo State, they bring them in pretending to be IPOB and they commit these crimes and they go away.

“So, it is not about IPOB. Yes, we agree, we have aggrieved

IPOB members but I can tell you those who are doing this destruction, most of them were brought in from outside Imo State.”

“What is important for Nigerians to know is the plot by a group of aggrieved politicians to destabilise the government of APC (All Progressives Congress).

“I have done some thorough investigation and I have some credible lead as to those who are sponsoring these activities of these hoodlums.

THURSDAY APRIL 8, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

43

NEWSEXTRA

Body of Missing Nigerian Student Found in UK The UK Police yesterday confirmed that the body found in a lake in Epping Forest was the missing Nigerian student, Richard Okorogheye.

The Metropolitan Police in a statement said the 19-year-old’s death was being treated as “unexplained,” stressing that its officers did not believe there was any third-party involvement at this stage of the investigation.

The statement was titled, ‘Body found in Epping Forest formally identified as 19-yearold Richard Okorogheye’.

Okorogheye had sickle cell disease and was said to be struggling with shielding during the pandemic. He left his family home in the Ladbroke Grove area of west London on the evening of March 22, boarded a bus, and later took a 20-mile taxi ride from the W2 area of

the capital to a residential street in Loughton, Essex. The police in the statement said the deceased’s body was found in a lake in Epping Forest on Monday.

“Formal identification has now taken place and the body has been confirmed as that of 19-year-old Richard

Okorogheye.

“Richard went missing from his home in Ladbroke Grove on Monday, 22 March. He was reported missing on Wednesday, 24 March.

“His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.

“Richard’s death is being

treated as unexplained and police do not believe, at this stage, that there was any third-party involvement. A forensic post mortem took place on Wednesday, 7 April.

The cause of death is pending whilst further investigations are carried out, however it found no evidence of physical trauma

or assault.

“The investigation into the circumstances of Richard’s death is ongoing.

“Specialist search teams remain in parts of Epping Forest, Loughton as they continue to carry out further searches as part of the investigation,” the police said.

Gunmen Kill Two Policemen, One Chinese Expatriate, Kidnap Two Others George Okoh in Makurdi Suspected gunmen at the early hours of yesterday in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State killed two policemen and a Chinese expatriate.

The policemen were posted to escort the expatriate, who were working in Ukum, when they were waylaid by the gunmen, who opened fire on them.

In an attempt to repel the gunmen, two of the policemen were killed along with the Chinese expatriate, while two others were kidnapped.

Confirming the report, the state Police Public Relations Office (PPRO), DSP Catherine Anene, said the police got report

of the incident, and are on their trail.

Anene said: “On April 7, 2021, at about 7:30 a.m., a distress call was received from police officers posted to escort an expatriate from a company in Ukum LGA that they came under an attack from gunmen who laid ambush at the site under construction before their arrival.”

She added that during an exchange of fire with the gunmen, two policemen and one expatriate lost their lives, while two other expatriates were kidnapped.

The PPRO said more police officers have been deployed in the area to trail the hoodlums and rescue the kidnap victims.

Former Lecturer of AAUA Found Dead in Car

James Sowole in Akure

A former lecturer of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA), Dr. Olatunde Adegbuyi, was yesterday found dead in his car.

The don, who lectured at the department of Earth Sciences of the university, was reportedly hale and hearty when he was last seen.

According to a source, the deceased was discovered dead by residents of Akungba Akoko community, who noticed that he was in his car parked in Permanent Site street in Akungba, but was not moving the car.

The source said: “It was a passer-by who first saw him and noticed that he was in the car with his head dropped as his body was not moving.

The person quickly raised the alarm and called the attention

of the other residents in the area. On getting there, it was discovered that the lecturer is dead.”

The cause of the death has not been revealed as at the time of filling this report.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Tee-Leo Ikoro, confirmed the incident, and said investigation had commenced into the matter.

“When our men got there, it was discovered that there was no sign that the deceased was touched. But it is the doctor’s report that could reveal the actual cause of the death. The deceased was over 70 years old,” Ikoro stated.

The Head of Media and Protocol of the AAUA, Mr. Victor Akinpelumi, who also confirmed the issue, said the lecturer was a former teacher of the university, as he had retired from the institution.

Tinubu Congratulates Olu-designate, Emiko Sylvester Idowu in Warri The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, has congratulated the Itsekiri people over the announcement of a new Olu of Warri.

He expressed joy over the emergence of the Olu-designate, Prince Utieyinoritsetsola Emiko, describing it as well-deserved.

According to a statement by his Media Office, signed by Mr. Tunde Rahman, the former Lagos State governor also commiserated with the people of Itsekiri Nation, who are his in-laws, over the passing of his Royal Majesty, Ogiame Ikenwoli, the 20th Olu

of Warri Kingdom.

“I’m delighted over the announcement of the new Olu of Warri Kingdom, Prince Utieyinoritsetsola Emiko.

His eventual emergence is a testament to the fact that he is indeed ordained to mount the throne of his forefathers.

“I congratulate the Omoba and the entire Itsekiri Nation.

May his reign usher in peace, unity, rapid development and prosperity to Warri Kingdom.

I send my best wishes for his continued good health, renewed energy, joy, happiness, prosperity and for the welfare and wellbeing of the Itsekiri people”, he said.

COLLABORATIVE VISIT…

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. Segun Awolowo; CEO, Ghana Export Promotion Authority, Dr. Afua Asabea Asare; and her Deputy, Mr. Samuel Dentu, admiring a souvenir during a courtesy visit to solicit NEPC’s support for the upcoming World Trade Promotion Organisation (WTPO) conference, at Export House in Abuja …yesterday

Army Explains Joint Operation in Akwa Ibom LG Okon Bassey in Uyo The Nigerian Army yesterday explained that the operation of a combined team of military and security agencies in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State was a simple clearance operation to flush out criminals in the area..

The operation took place at Ntak Ikot Akpan in Essien Udim, the local government council of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, last Tuesday.

The Director of Army Public

Relations, Brigadier General Mohammed Yerima, in a statement said: “The general security situation in Akwa Ibom State has been very peaceful until recently when the security situation around Essien Udim LGA became tensed occasioned by activities of some criminal elements.

“The miscreants exploited various avenues to acquire weapons to perpetrate their heinous crimes.

“In the past few weeks, the group has attacked various security agencies which resulted

in the loss of lives as well as carting away of weapons,” he stated.

The military noted with concern that “the last incident led to the killing of some policemen, including a CSP. “The hoodlums continued to terrorise law-abiding citizens through extortions and infringement on their rights.

“Consequently, a combined team of military and other security agencies in the state conducted a clearance operation at Ntak Ikot Akpan in order to flush out the miscreants.

“The operation was successfully executed and resulted in the dislodgment of the criminals while fleeing hoodlums were also neutralised by the air component.

“Normalcy has been restored in the area while the police personnel have since assumed full control, and are carrying out normal duties.

“Members of public are advised not to panic but to remain calm and continue to support the security agencies to further consolidate on the successes recorded so far.”

Insecurity: Oyetola Urges Other Regions to Establish Amotekun-like Security Outfits Osun State Governor, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola has called on the other geo-political zones in the country to emulate the South-West by establishing their own security network similar to the Amotekun corps to tackle insecurity in their zones Speaking yesterday at the Second Annual Colloquium of the Sultan Maccido Institute for Peace, Leadership and Development Studies, held at the University of Abuja, Oyetola advocated the immediate decentralisation

of the Nigeria Police Force, insisting that the current structure was worsening the insecurity situation in the country.

The governor reviewed the country’s security challenges and concluded that one sure way to confront them headlong was to decentralise Nigeria’s current centralised policing system to meet the nation’s current realities.

Oyetola told his audience that Amotekun was a child of necessity, meant to complement

the conventional security agencies to effectively tackle banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery among other crimes.

“Amotekun became necessary because of the nation’s conventional security agencies are overstretched and sorely underfunded.

“The Police once confirmed the sorry state of its manpower when it said the Force needed 155,000 additional hands to effectively police the nation.

“The nation’s security agencies as presently

constituted are too centralised and too far from the grassroots to adequately provide the required security for the nation.

“Worse still, they are unfamiliar with the terrains where crimes take place. It is our belief that our people understand the topography of their communities more and can govern them better.

“The nation’s expansive forests have unfortunately become the hideouts of bandits, kidnappers, and other criminals.

Igbo Group Condemns Attacks on Imo Police, Correctional Centre

Peter Uzoho

A pan-Igbo socio-cultural think-tank, Nzuko Umunna, has condemned the recent attacks on the Imo State Police Command Headquarters and the Correctional Centre in Owerri, the state capital, by some unknown hoodlums The group, which said it received the news of the attacks with shock and sadness, however called for thorough investigation by the Police to unmask the masterminds of the attacks.

Nzuko Umunna stated this in a statement issued yesterday and signed by its Secretary General, Dr. Paschal Mbanefo, and the Co-ordinator, Mr. Ngozi Odumuko.

It called on the acting Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Usman Alkali Baba, to accordingly “adopt an entirely different, inclusive and sustainable approach in tackling the security challenges to ensure that government unearths the real masterminds of these wanton attacks and meets its primary duty of securing lives

and property in the South-east and Nigeria generally.”

It said the need for an in-depth investigation had also become imperative in the light of speculations that there might have been security lapses leading to near-absence of resistance from multiple security entities in the heavily fortified area.

“There is a need to unravel the seeming tepid resistance offered by the security operatives in order to determine any complicity in the attacks and avoid recurrence,” the group

said.

It also expressed worried at the seeming tardiness in investigation of the Ebonyi State killings, and urged the acting IG to display the same level of speed and commitment shown in his preliminary assessment of the Owerri attacks in unraveling the masterminds of the killings.

It noted the dire security situation in the entire country and urged the federal government to rejig its security architecture in order to arrest the fast descent into anarchy.

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PDP Moves to Reconcile Makinde, Fayose, Others Chuks Okocha in Abuja The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), after an extensive meeting yesterday, said it has scaled up processes for reconciliation in the South-west zonal congress of the party.

In view of this, the PDP in a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the NWC resolved as follows: “That beyond the legal conundrum in our party’s formation in the zone, the PDP must win the Southwest.

“Consequent upon this, the NWC further resolved that a meeting comprising of the national chairman, the deputy national chairman, the national secretary, the Senator Bukola Saraki-led Reconciliation and

Strategic Committee, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, be held immediately for urgent resolution of all issues concerning the South-west region.

“The NWC will meet on the outcome of this reconciliation within the next 24 hours.”

However, the party is silent on whether the zonal congress would go ahead as planned or not.

THISDAY gathered that the decision of the NWC members to sit over the issue of the venue followed an opposition mounted by members of the party loyal to former Governor Fayose, against the decision of the party to hold the congress in Ibadan, Oyo State.

But Makinde has in a statement recently warned against any shift of venue for

the congress.

He commended the party NWC for the decision to go ahead with the South-west congress, saying he is the only serving PDP governor in the region.

The governor said he was glad that the PDP bowed to superior reasoning regarding the congress.

He also expressed happiness that the congress would be held in Ibadan, Oyo State, which

he said was in line with the party’s constitution and as stipulated in paragraph 8 (1) (g) of the guidelines for the conduct of ward, LGA, state, zonal congresses and national convention for the purpose of electing party executive committees at all levels, which was issued and signed in January 2020.

“We look forward to hosting other members of the South-west PDP on April 10.

“However, it has come to my notice that some divisive elements within the party are trying to unduly influence party decisions at the national level. It is shameful that while the peace and reconciliation committee is trying to bring the party together, some people are determined to factionalise it. The NWC must not reward these individuals who are working against the party’s overall interests,” Makinde explained.

The PDP had on March 31 fixed April 10 for its postponed zonal congresses in the Southwest, Northwest and North-central zones.

The new date was communicated in a March 31 letter to the Independent National Economic Commission (INEC), which was signed by the National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, and the National Secretary, Senator Umar Tsauri.

N2.1bn Alleged Debt: Court Blocks Five Customers’ Funds in 24 Banks A Federal High Court in Lagos has restrained Triton Aqua Africa Limited, Bharat Ventures Limited, Globus Resources Limited, Seafood Products Limited and Mr. Ashvin Samtani from accessing their funds of up to N2, 193, 610, 859. 47 billion in 24 banks.

Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo, who gave the order in suit number FHCLCS/354/2021, ruled that the interim order subsists pending the hearing and determination of the motion and notice filed by the Union Bank of Nigeria Plc. The judge also restrained the defendants in the interim from disposing of their assets at 49 Apapa-Oshodi expressway, Ijeshatedo, Lagos, and No 27, Inuwa Abdulkadir Road, Kakuri Industrial Layout, Kaduna South Local Government Area in Kaduna State.

The order followed the plaintiff, Union Bank’s March 4, 2021, motion ex-parte in the alleged debt recovery suit.

The judge stopped the five

defendants in the interim “from dealing with any of the monies standing to their credit in custody or that may come to be in custody of the sixth to 28th respondents up to the tune of N2, 193,610,859.47 billion or its equivalent in any foreign currency, pending the hearing and determination of the motion and notice.”

She further restrained the 24 banks and Union Bank or anyone acting on their behalf from releasing to the first to fifth defendants any money, funds or any other instrument belonging to them up to N2,193,610,859.47 billion or its equivalent in any foreign currency, that may be or found in their custody or possession.

The Judge further restrained in the interim Triton Aqua Africa, Bharat Ventures, Globus Resources, Seafood Products and Samtani or anyone under their authority from tempering with their assets/property within their premises at 49 Apapa-Oshodi expressway, Ijeshatedo, Lagos State.

PAYING LAST RESPECT...

L-R: Aro Tedex Organiser, Mr. Kenneth Nwokoro;, Chairman, Publicity Committee, Aro National Rites of Passage, Mr. Ugochukwu Okoroafor; Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, Dr. Uche Orji; President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa; Chief Executive Officer, The Access Media Group, Mary Ikoku; and Secretary Publicity of Aro National Rites Of Passage, Mr. Eustace Njaka; at the funeral ceremony of Arochukwu monarch, His Majesty, Vincent Ogbonnaya Okoro, the Eze Aro of Arochukwu Kingdom, Abia State… recently

Kaduna NLC Kicks against Mass Sack of Workers John Shiklam in Kaduna The Kaduna State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has kicked against the alleged ‘mass sack’ of workers by the state government.

Addressing a press conference yesterday in Kaduna, the state Chairman of the congress, Ayuba Suleiman, said Kaduna State is facing serious security challenges and dwindling businesses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, stressing that any additional pain on the citizens will “reasonably be repulsive to conscience.”

The state NLC chairman noted that workers who were sacked in 2016 were yet to be paid

their entitlements, wondering how the state government could guarantee the payment of terminal benefits of those being sacked now.

He alleged that the sacking of the workers in the state public service was done without recourse to the payment of gratuity, pointing out that Section 210 of the 1999 Constitution guarantees pension rights to workers.

According to the labour leader, “On April 6, 2021, thousands of workers in the Local Government Services of the state were issued sack letters.”

He said the N5billion state monthly Internally Generated

Revenue (IGR), which is being celebrated by the state government, was achieved through the hard work of the workers in public service “whose only reward regrettably, seems to be mass sack, arbitrary/ inconsistencies in salaries which most often fluctuates from month to month, thereby making it difficult for workers to plan in the face of spiraling inflation.”

Suleiman stated further that it is “worrisome that the current state leadership sees development squarely from the capitalist point of view against such crucial indices as human capital development, human

right and the rule of law.

“For development to be meaningful, it must be balanced and wholesome in both human capital development, and infrastructural growth must be deliberate and as of necessity to occupy a pride of place.”

He lamented that recently, the state government “in a manner defying all rationality and logic, especially in the face of excruciating economic reality,” in a letter signed by the Principal Private Secretary (PPS) to the state governor and sent to the Head of Service “apparently preparatory to another round of mass sack in the public service of the state.”

Imo Attack: Owerri Custodial House Meets with US over Rising Insecurity on Army, Hon. Abdulrazak While interacting, which lasted strategic relationship with the Centre Now Has 84 Inmates, Udora Orizu in Abuja Namdas; Deputy Chairman, for two hours, the Nigerian US would add value to the The House of Representatives House Committee on National delegation was informed of the country’s fight against insecurity Says NCoS yesterday had constructive Security and Intelligence, Hon. US efforts and achievements in no distant time.

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) has disclosed that only 84 inmates are in its custody after the invasion and setting free of prisoners at the Owerri Custodial Centre, Imo State, by criminals.

It said of the people set free by the attackers, 48 of them were picked up in some parts of the state with 36 resisting the temptation to flee when the facility was invaded.

A statement issued by the Service Public Relations Officer (SPRO), Francis Enobore, said peace has gradually returned to the Owerri Custodial Centre following the recent invasion of the facility by gunmen.

Enobore said: “As at 3:50 p.m. on April 7, 2021, the centre had picked up a total of 48 inmates who escaped in the wake of the invasion thus increasing the number of inmates presently in the custody to 84, including those who resisted the temptation to

escape during the attack.

“Among the escapees, 11 were recaptured by men of the 211 Nigerian Air force Base in Owerri while others either came back on their own volition or were returned by their relations, traditional rulers and religious leaders.

He said acting on the directives of the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, the acting Controller-General of NCC, John Mrabure, has charged all of members of staff of the Command to go after the fleeing inmates and smoke them out of their hiding place at all cost.

Enabore said Mrabure read the Riot Act during the interactive session with personnel attached to the Custodial Centre, including those at the state headquarters.

He said his boss further asked the staff to brace up to frontally resist the emerging security challenges confronting the country and by extension, the Nigerian Correctional Service.

engagements with the United States Department of State to review the relationship between both countries with specific regards on how to tackle the devastating security situation in the country.

The House delegation was led by the Chairman, House Committee on Defence, Hon. Babajimi Benson, alongside Chairman of House Committee

Adejoro Adeogun, and the House Spokesperson, Hon. Benjamin Kalu.

Similarly, the US team was led by the Deputy Chief of Mission, Ms. Kathleen FitzGibbon, with Political-Military Officer, Mr. Daniel Ricci; Political Officer, Mr. Jerry Howard; Major, US Air force, Mr. John Mahaney, and Major in US Airforce, Ms. Yonca Nice.

in Nigeria in the areas of expenditures on health, human development, capacity building among others.

Speaking at the meeting, Hon. Babajimi Benson assured Nigerians that with the new arrival of the fighter jets expected from the US, the Nigerian Air force will be better equipped to fight insurgency.

He added that Nigeria’s

On his part, the spokesperson of the House, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, reiterated the need for the US Mission to bridge the information gap between it and Nigerians in order to raise the consciousness of Nigerians on US projects and interventions to assist Nigeria in tackling insecurity, COVID-19 pandemic and other aspects of Nigerian growth.

Police Rescue Six Kidnapped Passengers in Delta Sylvester Idowu in Warri Six passengers, who were kidnapped by a notorious armed gang on the busy Warri-Sapele road in Delta State have been rescued by the police in the state.

The victims, it was learnt, were travelling on a Toyota Sienna van with Registration No: BWR 301 SU last Saturday when they were attacked around Okutolo area by hoodlums armed with AK-47 rifles.

THISDAY gathered that the

passengers were Edoma Rita (female); Evelyn Chinwekwe (female); Believe Omoruyi (male); Linus Kojo (male); Idolo Christina (female), and Ojemudia Esther (female).

During the attack, a passenger, who sustained fatal injuries and was rushed to the hospital, was later confirmed dead on admission with her corpse and that of the driver deposited in a mortuary.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Edafe

Bright, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said the criminal shot the driver and a woman before dragging others into the bush.

According to him, “the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the area, SP Ojo Oluwole, swiftly mobilised patrol teams assisted by a military patrol team to the scene and they went after the kidnappers into the forest.

“The security men did not relent as they chased the kidnappers a hot chase. The hoodlums who could no longer

withstand the pressure, quickly abandon the kidnapped victims and fled, while the patrol team successfully rescued the six kidnapped passengers.”

Bright said expended shells of 7.62, 39mm ammunition were recovered from the scene while a manhunt for hoodlums was ongoing with the Commissioner of Police, Ari Muhammed Ali, appealing to the public to avail the police with any useful information that would help to arrest the fleeing hoodlums.

THURSDAY APRIL 8, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Ozekhome Rejects Buhari’s Appointment of Baba as IG, Says It’s Unconstitutional A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and human rights activist, Chief Mike Ozekhome has rejected the appointment of Mr. Usman Alkali Baba, as the new Acting Inspector General of Police (IG) by President Muhammadu Buhari, describing it as unconstitutional and nepotistic.

In a statement issued yesterday and titled, ‘Buhari’s Northernisation of The Nigeria Police Force, ’ Ozekhome, who

had also kicked against the extension of the tenure of the former IG, Mohammed Adamu, said going by “paragraph 7 to the 3rd Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, the President cannot single-handedly appoint an IG, as he has again unconstitutionally and illegally done.

“He can only do so in conjunction with the Nigeria Police Council comprising of Mr. President as chairman,

all the 36 state Governors, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission and the IG. The senior lawyer said: “Such an appointment as just happened before the new Acting IG is capricious, arbitrary, whimsical, unconscionable, illegal, unlawful, wrongful and unconstitutional. It eulogises strong men rather than strong institutions.

“Today, Buhari has again appointed DIG Usman Alkali Baba, a northern muslim, as

Acting Inspector General of Police, to replace Adamu Mohammad, another Northern Muslim. With Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, another Northern Muslim as the Minister of Police Affairs, the circle of policing in Nigeria is complete.

“By the way, can’t President Muhammadu Buhari for once, just for once, in his opaque appointments look beyond his religion and immediate and forsake sectionalism,

cronyism, prebendalism, tribalism, favouritism, and act as a true statesman?

“Is he truly saying he cannot trust any of the other over 15 million Nigerians who voted for him, or that he cannot find any of them that is qualified to be made an IG? I thought gleefully told Nigerians on 29th May, 2015, while taking his first oath of office, that he was for “everybody and for nobody”?

So, Buhari had actually deceived Nigerians and is desecrating

his solemn oath of office?

“Is Buhari telling Nigerians that under his governance, Nigerians are indeed living in the Federal Republic of the North, or Northern Republic of Nigeria, or Republic of Northern Nigeria, or Northern Nigeria Republic, Republic of Northern Nigeria and Other Vassal States ? I can’t decode Buhari’s defiant refusal to respect the Federal Character principle enshrined in section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution. Or, can you?”

#EndSARS Protest: FG Inaugurates Police Public Complaints Committee Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja Determined to avert any further civil unrest stemming from misconduct of police personnel, federal government yesterday inaugurated the Police Public Complaints Committee (PPCC).

The inauguration of the committee is coming as the new Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba, said his appointment as the 21st Inspector-General of Police was a call to national duty and vowed to restore the primacy of the Nigerian Police in securing lives and property.

Inaugurating the committee in Abuja yesterday, Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Mohammed Dingiyadi, said the committee was designed as a permanent structure that would prevent civil unrest with its concomitant effects and disruptive tendencies by providing the populace with the opportunity to channel their grievances on the misconduct of police personnel to the appropriate quarters for necessary action.

“The Police Public Complaints Committee is created as a specialised institution to deal

strictly with public complaints against police personnel.

“The overriding objective of the PPCC is to serve as an institution that has oversight on the activities of police personnel viz-a-viz their interaction with the public,” he said.

According to him “it is obvious that the current habit of the public lodging complaints against police personnel at police stations or at various police commands has not given the desired solutions to aggrieved Nigerians”.

The minister said the PPCC was designed to have a subcommittee to be known as a special investigation unit made up of professionals charged with the responsibility of in-depth analysis and thorough investigation of cases brought before it and proffer recommendations.

The membership of the committee is drawn from the Ministry of Police Affairs, Police Service Commission, Ministry of Justice, National Human Rights Commission, a Non-Governmental Organisation (CLEEN Foundation) and Nigerian Police Force.

ASSESSING RISK OF DISASTER…

L-R: Corps Commander, Federal Operations, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Headquarters, Abuja, Mr. Anthony Oko; Director, Human Resources, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Musa Sakari; Deputy Director, Panning Research and Forecasting, NEMA, Hajiya Fatima Kasim; and Director General, NEMA, Air Vice Marshal ENOCK REUBEN Muhammadu Muhammed (rtd), during the workshop on NIMET’s 2021 seasonal climate prediction in Abuja …yesterday

Ikeazor Advocates Speedy Passage of Climate Change Bill Michael Olugbode in Abuja The Minister of State for Environment, Chief Sharon Ekeazor, has appealed to the National Assembly to speed up action on the passing into law of the bill on climate change.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a three-day meeting on the National Council on Environment in Abuja yesterday, Ekeazor noted that the bill has already passed the second reading in House.

She said the passing of the bill

into law has become necessary so as to have a legal instrument that would address the myriads of climate change actions and challenges in the country.

Declaring the three-day council meeting open, the minister applauded the resilience of the critical stakeholders during this trying period of COVID-19 pandemic.

According to her, “Your participation in this event is a testimony to your unwavering faith in our collective resolve to reverse all adversities in

the sector and sustainably manage our environment in the face of the multiple concerns exacerbated by the novel COVID-19 pandemic.”

She said the theme of the meeting ‘Managing Emerging Environmental Challenges: Need for Strategic Approach to Sustainable Development in COVID-19 Era and Beyond’, was strategically chosen to underscore the realities of global health challenges occasioned by the pandemic, and the need to tackle the

attendant issues to ameliorate the environmental and developmental consequences that may confront our country if we fail to act now.

“This, therefore, underscores the crucial nature of this meeting. As a sector, the need for us to deliberate on the increasing concerns with a view to generating actionable policy framework and measures to guide our actions towards addressing these emerging concerns is topmost. This is why we are here.”

from attending plenary on the grounds that the apex court has ruled that Hon Jarigbe Agom is the authentic winner of the seat.

Speaking yesterday while playing host to some of his constituents, Odey cleared the air on the apex court ruling, saying the Supreme Court’s ruling never and did not invalidate his seat as a senator.

He said: “The Supreme Court’s ruling never and did not invalidate my position. I am still the authentic and only senator representing

North.”

He said the only court case that dealt with issue of candidate of the PDP was the one that ruled in his favour at the both the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal, both in Calabar.

The senator averred that Agom was only playing to the gallery as all the issues have been resolved.

He told his constituents who were on solidarity visit to him that: “The Senate president won’t be coerced into embarking on illegality just because somebody

be obeyed. The issue of who was the PDP authentic candidate and winner of the election has been determined by relevant courts and institutions as well as the party which conducted the primaries.

“That was why the case went to the Supreme Court, and the court ruled that there was an error in service. I only approached the court to show cause that the two people contesting my position were illegally laying claims to it and that the person sitting on that seat was alive and well.”

C’River North By-election: Stakeholders Demand Immediate Odey: Supreme Court Didn’t Sack Me from Senate Inauguration of Jarigbe senatorial seat, Dr. Stephen Odey, the good people of Cross River somewhere wants his greed to Deji Elumoye andUdora Orizu Bassey Inyang in Calabar

Political stakeholders in Cross River State have asked the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmed Lawan, to immediately inaugurate Hon. John Agom Jarigbe as the senator representing the northern senatorial district of the state.

The stakeholders raised the alarm yesterday over the delay in swearing in Jarigbe despite court ruling in his favour as having won the December 5, 2020, byelection on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and despite being issued a Certificate of Return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Aside from calling on the Senate president to swear in Jarigbe without further delay, the stakeholders want him to stop Dr. Stephen Odey, who is currently occupying the position, from attending plenary, saying it is illegal for him to do that.

Their demand was coming about six weeks after Supreme Court on February 25, 2021, in a case with suit No: SC.9/2021, between Dr. Stephen Adi Odey and Chief John Agom Jarigbe and the INEC struck out the appeal filed by Odey.

Coordinators of the Northern Senatorial District Youth Renaissance Assembly (SSDYRA) and the Movement for the Restoration of Cross River PDP (MFTROCR), Emmanuel Agba, and Raymond Takom respectively, who are among the stakeholders, said it was inappropriate for the Senate president to continue to allow Odey to attend plenary while declining to swear in Jarigbe, who they said actually won the election as declared by the courts and INEC. They insist that justice must be done totally by swearing in Jarigbe as the authentic senator, having been declared so by the Supreme Court.

in Abuja

A member of the National Assembly, Senator Stephen Odey, has disclosed that the Supreme Court did not sack him as the senator representing Cross River North in the Senate.

In an open letter to the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, a legal luminary, Mr. Omang Omang, had urged the Senate president to stop the current occupant of the Cross River North

Bird Flu Outbreak in Kano Affects 223,695 Chickens in 40 Farms Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano The Kano State branch of the Poultry Farmers Association of Nigeria has decried the loss of over N500 million following the outbreak of Avian Influenza also known as bird flu in the state.

Speaking with journalists in Kano yesterday, the Chairman of the association, Mr. Umar Kibiya Usman, said they had incurred huge losses in the

recent outbreak of the virus.

Usman said 223,695 chicken had been confirmed affected and depopulated, noting that each of the chicken costs not less than N1,800, and the amount of the loss is over N402 million.

He explained that apart from the confirmed number of chickens affected, which costs over N402 million, there are thousands that are yet to be confirmed, stressing that

the amount of money loss could be over N500 million.

Usman said: “223,695 chicken have been affected so far. They have been depopulated. This is worth over N402 million. There are also some that are not confirmed. They run into hundreds of thousands. So, the amount of the loss is over N500 million.

“We, therefore, appeal to the state government to be

up and doing to mitigate the outbreak of this disease. We know that the government is doing its best, but we appeal for more.

“The government should further enlighten poultry farmers on how to protect their birds from being affected by this disease.

Fumigation and disinfection should be sustained at the live-bird markets and other places.”

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THURSDAY APRIL 8, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

THURSDAYSPORTS

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

Buhari Hails Obaseki’s Investments in Sports, Revamp of Ogbemudia Stadium Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed satisfaction with the quality and standard of sporting facilities offered by the Edo State Government to host the ongoing 20th National Sports Festival in Benin City.

He also commending Governor Godwin Obaseki for his administration’s investment in sports development.

Buhari who described sports

as one of the veritable tools that unite Nigerians, hailed the Governor for spearheading the upgrading of sports infrastructure in the state.

The President gave the commendation during the official launch of the newly revamped Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium and the opening ceremony of the multi-sports biennial fiesta.

The refurbished Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium boasts

of a 12,000-capacity covered arena, with a natural turf and refitted running tracks.

This new look has spread across other sports, with extensive refurbishments on the tennis and squash courts, a new Olympic-sized swimming pool and indoor suspended gymnasium, which is the first of its kind in West Africa.

There are also available facilities for weightlifting, wrestling and other combat

sports. The Stadium has also been outfitted with new high capacity electronic score screens, floodlights and Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology.

Buhari, represented by the Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare noted that the revamp of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium and other facilities has raised the bar for sports development in Nigeria.

He noted that “the investment made in sports infrastructure by the Edo State Government points to the direction our sports development must take in Nigeria.”

According to him, “The 20th National Sports Festival was due to have taken place a year ago but due to the outbreak of Covid-19, it suffered several postponements. However

due to the determination of President Muhammadu Buhari in ensuring that the youth are engaged productively through sports and the doggedness of Edo State Government to host the festival as well as the commitment of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, we are glad that we are finally having the festival. It is indeed a befitting festival,” concludes the President.

...Sports Festival to Restore Edo’s Sporting Heritage, Says Shaibu Edo State Deputy Governor Comrade Philip Shaibu believes that the 20th National Sports Festival (NSF) holding in Benin City is an opportunity to relaunch the state’s rich sporting heritage.

Speaking yesterday at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, venue of most of the events of the festival, Shaibu insisted that Edo in years gone bye was noted for its unrivalled sporting facilities as well as producing some of the best sporting talents for the country including owning the famous Bendel Insurance that ruled the country’s football scene in the 1970s into the early 1980s.

He insisted that Edo is now on the path of sporting rebirth with first class facilities across its landscape. “ Edo 2020 is not only about the National Sports Festival but this is a well-thought out plan to restore our state back to the good old days when we dominated sports in Nigeria,” explained Shaibu who doubles as the chairman of the Local Organising Committee(LOC) of the on-going NSF. “We have invested so much in first-class facilities and not only here at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium

in Benin City but we have mini stadia spread across the local governments in the state and in some schools so that our youths can be encouraged to combine sports side-by-side with education.”

Shaibu said the Edo State on the long run was looking at a solid public and private partnership initiative in order to sustain the legacy of the NSF. He said: “ Ultimately, it is our desire to ensure that we bring in private investment to our sports and we are being methodological about it because from our experience especially that of His Excellency Governor Godwin Obaseki, the private people will only put money into sports if there’s a solid product.

“So, we are conscious of what we are doing and very soon the gains of this National Sports Festival would be there for all to see.”

Shaibu equally noted that it’s incumbent on subsequent government of the state to follow on this part of rediscovery since virtually everything about the maintenance and sustainability of the facilities being used for the NSF was going to be backed by legislation.

Iyaye: Rivers Wants to Better 2019 Performance Rivers State Commissioner for Sports, Boma Iyaye, insisted yesterday that Team Rivers’ ambition is to better her last performance in Abuja in 2019.

Speaking immediately after the Opening Ceremony on Tuesday night, Iyaye who came to cheer the team to victory, praised Edo State for a befitting opening ceremony.

“First, I want to commend the government of Edo State for a wonderful job, it was an awesome event considering several postponements of the festival. I think they have done a very good job with the opening ceremony and the facilities they have provided as host,” observed the chief sports officer of Rivers State.

“Our ambition is to win, but at the end of the week, we will be able to ascertain if that is possible or not,” he further

stressed.

Team Rivers placed second at the 19th National Sports Festival behind Delta State with 69 gold, 58 silver and 67 bronze medals, while Edo finished third with 47 gold, 41 silver and 53 bronze medals.

Team Rivers has so far won two gold medals, one of which came from Judo.

Iyaye remained optimistic that the state will add to her medals and be in a good position as the games progressed.

He however, lamented the absence of fans due to the restrictions occasioned by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It is unfortunately that our fans cannot be here to support their darling Team Rivers. But be that as it may, all we need is prayers and support from Rivers”.

L-R: Chairman, Local Organising Committee, Edo 2020 and Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu; Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and the representative of President Muhammadu Buhari and Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare, during the official launch of the newly refurbished Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium and opening ceremony of the 20th National Sports Festival taking place in Edo State

Edo Threatens to End Sports Festival Today Due to Lack of Funds The ongoing 20th National Sports Festival in Benin City may be halted abruptly today unless the Federal Government intervenes by releasing the funds it promised the host Edo State.

Rising from an emergency meeting late last night, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) headed by the state’s Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu, insisted that it was forced to take the painful decision by ending

the games abruptly today due to lack of funds.

Project Manager, Media & Communications, Edo 2020, Ebomhiana Musa confirmed last night that “the Local Organising Committee, Edo 2020 regrets to announce that it will end the games abruptly today, Thursday, April 8, 2021 for lack of funds.

“Rising from an emergency meeting this evening, the LOC says it has to take this hard

decision due to lack of funds having expended its reserves to kick start the games,” observed the spokesman of the LOC last night.

He insisted that the LOC is yet to get a dime from the funds promised it by the Federal Government to host the festival.

“Regrettably, the FG is yet to redeem its pledge to support us as the host state financially for the cost of postponements.

“So, we are left with no option than to end the games at noon on Thursday, April 8, 2021,” observed the terse statement signed by the LOC spokesman shortly after its meeting last night.

All calls to the telephone numbers of the Special Assistant (Media) to the Sports Minister, John Joshua Akanji, were not responded to to throw lights on the threat by Edo State to end the festival.

Brume, Moreno Arrive to Boost Team Delta’s Chances of Retaining Title World Championships bronze medalist, Ese Brume, along with men’s decathlon athlete, Peter Moreno arrived Benin City yesterday to boost Team Delta’s hope of retaining the National Sports Festival overall Title they won three years ago.

Brume is the defending champion of the women’s Long Jump title after winning the gold medal at the last festival in Abuja and will be hoping to repeat

Ese Brume...Arrives Benin City to further boost Team Delta’s chances of retaining the overall title

the feat here at Edo 2020.

Delta has been the best

state in the NSF in the past few editions and have shot to the top of the medals table with 10 gold, seven silver and four bronze medals as at press time.

Bayelsa is in second position with 10 gold, five silver and three bronze with the host state, Edo State occupying the third position with 19 medals (three gold, seven silver and nine bronze).

Man Utd, Arsenal Go for Broke in Europa League Live on StarTimes Manchester United and Arsenal return to European action tonight as the quarter-final first-leg clashes are played. StarTimes have promised exclusive live broadcast on their channels.

Since 1972, all permanent Manchester United managers have won at least one trophy in their stint with the Red Devils.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær is fast running out of options if he wants to ensure a continuation

of this run in his third season in charge of the club.

Having taken over from Jose Mourinho (who won the Europa League, the League Cup and the Community Shield in his two and a half years in charge), the Norwegian’s only chance for success this season is the Europa League.

Today, United are away to Spanish club Granada in the first leg of the quarter-final

of the second tier European competition.

If Solskjær is under pressure to do well, there is even more pressure on Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. The Gunners are 10th in the Premier League and seem unlikely to qualify for Europe next season, unless, of course, they win the Europa League.

Arsenal will enjoy home advantage at the Emirates

Stadium against Slavia Prague today and will be looking to ensure they travel to the Czech Republic with a lead a week later.

According to the payTV broadcast company, football fans will be able to watch all the best action from the exciting competition live and exclusively on StarTimes Basic Bouquet for N1700 monthly or Smart Bouquet for N2200 monthly.

THURSDAY APRIL 8, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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“It is unjust and unfair to sideline the South-East in the security architecture of the country. Injustice promotes insecurity; it promotes all forms of crisis and problems. With injustice, there is no peace anywhere. We thought that the president would be concerned about the level of injustice, agitations and crisis we have in the South-East and would try to ameliorate these things but unfortunately, he is not thinking towards that direction” – Statement on the appointment of another northerner as Inspector General of Police.

OLUSEGUNADENIYI Aisha Buhari and The Other Book T THE VERDICT

wo ‘heavyweight’ books will be publicly presented in Nigeria today, one in Lagos and the other in Abuja. I have read both. In Abuja, the combined forces of Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Mr Tony Elumelu, Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu, Prince Arthur Eze, Hajiya Bola Shagaya and Mr Femi Otedola will present ‘Aisha Buhari: Being Different’ written by her publicist, Dr Hajo Sani. To chair the occasion is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In Lagos, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will lead eight governors to present ‘The Making of the Nigerian Flagship: The Story of The Guardian’ co-authored by Aaron Ukodie and O’seun Ogunseitan with contributions from several former pioneer staff of the newspaper.

As a reporter with The Guardian for 15 months during the epoch documented (the first decade between 1983 and 1993), it was not difficult for me to secure an advance copy of ‘The Making of the Nigerian Flagship’ from the authors. But getting a copy of ‘Aisha Buhari: Being Different’ required a great deal of effort and tact. I was curious to know more about this very unusual First Lady whose public interventions sometimes read like that of an opposition leader. Described by the author as both a biography and “a compendium of issues that have to do with the development and wellbeing of women and the less privileged of society”, I can make certain deductions about Mrs Aisha Buhari by reading between the lines of the book that is, as expected of such publications, purely promotional. Incidentally, the foreword by President Muhammadu Buhari is rather formal despite saying that the book “presents an opportunity for me to say a few words about Aisha my wife with whom I have shared three decades of my life and five great children.”

While we will come back to Mrs Buhari’s book, let me first pay homage to two former senior colleagues at The Guardian for their very insightful book. As an aside, when the newspaper was established in 1983, the announcing advert read: ‘Sooner or later, you will read The

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

Aisha Buhari Guardian’. By the time I started my journalism career at the newspaper in November 1990 upon completion of my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) primary assignment in Niger State, the joke in the newsroom was: ‘Sooner or later, you will leave The Guardian!’ That many left the newspaper at different times is of course a familiar story in the media industry. But nostalgia about a glorious past for a newspaper that is still very much in business, which the authors have done so brilliantly in this book, is almost akin to writing a memorial tribute for someone that is still alive. It is, however, to the credit of Mrs Maiden Ibru that the legacy of her late husband is being sustained.

Writing a narrative involving hundreds of journalists is an editorial suicide mission. That Ukodie and Ogunseitan were able to handle such a delicate task with panache is a testimony to their professionalism. Even when there will

still be contentions about some of their claims, it is a good book that takes readers through the evolution of a newspaper that prides itself as the flagship of Nigerian journalism, and for a period in recent history, lived by that rather pompous appellation. In 618 pages, divided into 28 chapters, Ukodie and Ogunseitan share insights on how The Ibru Brothers, (Michael, Felix, Bernard, Goodie, and Alex) conceived a dream of adding a newspaper to their business empire. It was then left for their youngest, Alex Uruemu Ibru to actualise the dream. And he did.

By shedding light on the operating environment during the early years of The Guardian, the authors reveal how the best hands in the media industry were recruited before the management decided to bring on board talented young men and women as well as reputed names from the academia. According to the authors, The Guardian was able to maintain high standards during the time they and others worked at ‘Rutam House’ by telling compelling stories and living by the highest ideals as journalists.

And in a narrative that is rich in content and context, the authors highlight the struggles of balancing editorial and advertisement spaces, the effectiveness of distributing different content types, as well as how the newspaper was able to establish a unique house-style that appealed to a broad section of the Nigerian political and business elite.

Interestingly, the authors could not have gotten a better reviewer for today’s occasion than Dr Reuben Abati who was only in his early twenties when he made a name for himself at The Guardian. Abati wrote insightful columns (most times detailing his varied experiences inside ‘Molue’) and eventually succeeded the inimitable Dr Olatunji Dare as chair of the editorial board.

As I once reminded the young man (I am older than Abati by 24 hours), such was my awe for his writings that on my first day at The Guardian, I nearly prostrated when introduced to him!

At the end, the message from the book is that while The Guardian may have come a

long way and has maintained some of its old tradition, there seems to be a change from the original ideals espoused by those who manned the newsroom in the first decade of the newspaper. This perhaps explains why the most interesting chapter in the book contains personal recollections by several ex-staff who have moved on to different stations in life: The circumstances under which they joined the newspaper and left, the lessons learned and how they built their careers from there.

In a way, these reflections capture the essence of the book and fulfil the outcome the authors were seeking to achieve.

Mrs Aisha Buhari’s book is no less insightful.

In many villages of Northern Nigeria, according to the author while putting context into why the First Lady married so early, “Educating a girl is not considered a priority”; although she also argues that “child marriage occurs more frequently among girls who are the least educated and poorest, and who are living in rural areas.” When Aisha got married at age 18, “the future seemed unsure” but she was determined to make something of her life with education as a pathway. Fortunately, she got the support of her husband.

Shortly after her marriage, the young Aisha enrolled with the National Teacher Institute for a four-year programme between 1992 and 1996 to obtain a National Certificate in Education (NCE).

Four years later, she secured admission at the Kaduna campus of the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State where she completed her first degree in Public Administration. She would later add a Masters degree in International Affairs and Strategic Studies at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna. She also obtained a diploma in Beauty Therapy from the Carlton Institute of Beauty Therapy, Windsor, United Kingdom and a postgraduate diploma in cosmetology and beauty from Academy Esthetique Beauty Institute of France. r/05& 1JFDF DPODMVEFE PO QBHF

The Passage of Chukwuma, Odumakin

G

ood people die every day, but not all of them affirm for us the goodness in humanity like Innocent Chukwuma. Brilliant, humble and humorous, Innocent impacted our world by making a difference in the lives of those he met. Long before he became the West African Director of Ford Foundation, a position he vacated only about two months ago, Innocent had already, by dint of passion, commitment, and hard work, become an important leader within the civil society space in Nigeria. The CLEEN Foundation, which he established in 1998, is renowned for the promotion of public safety, security, and access to justice through empirical research and legislative advocacy.

While Innocent may no longer be with us physically, he taught us enduring lessons about making an impact no matter the length of our lives. He may have died at 55, but his life was purposeful and he will always be remembered for his graciousness and generousity of spirit to friends. And he never waivered in his effort to realize a Nigeria that works for all citizens, with security as his primary focus.

His concern for the welfare of those who put

their lives on the line for others, led CLEEN to the forefront of the effort to reform policing and ensure that its personnel received living wages. It is therefore very painful that we lost him at a period he was looking forward to another phase in life after ten years at Ford Foundation.

Although our paths crossed several times during the pro-democracy struggles in the nineties, it was not until 2010/2011 that Innocent and I became friends. We were both in the United States at a period he was a visiting lecturer at Harvard’s Kennedy School where he taught a course on the management of nonprofits and I was a fellow at the Weatherhead Centre. It was therefore no surprise that we collaborated on my last two books, ‘From Frying Pan to Fire: How African Migrants Risk Everything in their Futile Search for a Better Life in Europe’ and ‘NAKED ABUSE: Sex for Grades in African Universities’, which he actually inspired. As Vice President Yemi Osinbajo wrote in his tribute, Innocent’s “thoughtful, knowledge-driven, drama-free, but relentless pursuit of justice and the common good will be an enduring legacy.”

Sadly, a few hours before Innocent’s death,

Chukwuma we also lost Mr Yinka Odumakin, spokesman for Afenifere, the Yoruba socio-political organisation. Right from his campus days at Ife where he was the PRO of the Students Union, Odumakin had distinguished himself as a social crusader. And he fought for his convictions to the very end. There can be

no better tribute to him than the one paid

by Tinubu, a man with whom he publicly disagreed. According to the APC National Leader, Odumakin, “epitomized the true definition of the citizen; a patriot who was ever conscious of the fact that his life could not be complete or his humanity meaningful if he did not take an active interest in and join like-minded fellow citizens in seeking always to promote the common good of his community and country.” May God comfort my sister, Joe Okei-odumakin and their children.

Meanwhile, on Sunday morning when I heard about the passage of Innocent, I shed tears. But then, a Yoruba adage says, “Òkú nsukun òkú, akásolérí nsukun ara won” (mourners are only weeping for themselves) or perhaps more apt in the circumstance: “Iku tin pa ojugba eni, owe nla lon pa fun gbogbo wa” (the death of a peer is a proverb for all friends to begin imbibing that timeless motto of the Boys Scout: Be prepared!)

My thoughts and prayers are with Josephine—and their three lovely daughters Innocent always talked about—at this most difficult period. May God offer them the comfort only He can give.

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