THURSDAY 14TH MAY 2020

FEC Trims 2020 Budget by N71bn to N10.523tn Slashes oil price benchmark to $25 per barrel Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja The Federal Executive Council (FEC) yesterday approved the revised Medium Term Expenditure Framework

(MTEF) and the 2020 budget, slashing the original budget signed into law from N10.594 trillion to N10.523 trillion, translating to a difference of N71.5 billion.

The council also approved N47.235 billion for the provision of additional power grid infrastructure to aid the supply of 40 megawatts of electricity and $80 million

Targets 1.94mbpd crude production

loan for Ebonyi State.

In addition, it consented to a loan facility of $1.2 billion to finance the mechanisation of agriculture in 632 local government areas (LGAs)

nationwide.

The revised budgetary estimates are based on a benchmark of $25 per barrel of crude oil, down from the original $57 per barrel and

at a production rate of 1.94 million barrels per day (bpd).

The revision of the budget came against the backdrop of Continued on page 10

NLNG Signs $7bn Train 7 Contracts with Saipem, Chiyoda, Daewoo... Page 6 Thursday 14 May, 2020 Vol 25. No 9166. Price: N250

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COVID-19 Vaccine: No One Has Applied for Approval, Says NAFDAC FG sends fresh teams to Lagos, Kano 184 new cases, six deaths bring tally to 4,971 with 1,070 discharged, 164 dead Martins Ifijeh in Lagos, Onyebuchi Ezigbo, Alex Enumah in Abuja, and Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti The National Agency for Food

and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said that despite Nigeria's earnest search for a cure for COVID-19, it is yet to receive any pharmaceutical

or herbal drugs for analysis of their efficacy as a prelude to their approval for treatment of the disease.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has

also introduced measures to enhance the protection of the rights of patients of the pandemic.

The virus, however, infected 184 and killed six more

persons yesterday, bringing the tally to 4,971 cases, 1,070 discharged and 164 deaths.

Announcing this last night, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said Lagos

recorded 51 new cases, Jigawa 23, Bauchi and Katsina 16 each, Kano 10, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Continued on page 10

Buhari Upends Politics, Gambari Pledges Loyalty as New Chief of Staff Atiku, Saraki, Tinubu, APC, govs hail appointment Omololu Ogunmade, Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha, Adedayo Akinwale, Udora Orizu in Abuja and Hammed Shittu in Ilorin No one saw it coming. Not even the closest allies of President Muhammadu Buhari.

In choosing Professor Ibrahim Gambari, Nigeria's former External Affairs Minister (1983 to 1985), former Permanent Representative to the United Nations and retiring as Under Secretary General to the United Nations, Professor Ibrahim Gambari was an unpredicted choice. A dyed in the wool bureaucrat, Gambari with his stiff upper lip is as good a mandarin as can be.

Yesterday, he assumed duty as Chief of Staff to the president of the Federal Republic, promising loyalty to the president and telling everyone else that his duty is to the president and not the people. Saying in so many Continued on page 10

VIRTUAL CONTRACT...

L-R: NCDMB Executive Secretary, Mr. Simbi Wabote; Tae-Won Jung; NLNG Director, Henry Bristol; Saipem’s Walter Paviani; NLNG Director, Mr. Faio Di Majo; NNPC GMD, Mele Kyari; Chairman, NLNG, Chief Long John; GM, External Relations & Sustainable Development, Mrs. Eyono Fatayi-Williams; Saipem’s Mr. Maurizio Coratella; Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva; NLNG Deputy MD, Mr. Sadeeq Mai-Bornu; NLNG MD, Mr. Tony Attah; Director, Mr. Marno de Jong; Daewoo’s Mr. Kwang-Ho Kim; and Train 7 Director, Mr. Ali Uwais, during the virtual signing of the EPC Contracts for NLNG’s Train 7 project…yesterday

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

NLNG Signs $7bn Train 7 Contracts with Saipem, Chiyoda, Daewoo

Peter Uzoho Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) has signed the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Contracts for its Train 7 Project with the SCD JV Consortium, comprising affiliates of Saipem, Chiyoda and Daewoo.

Shell-run NLNG had earlier selected a consortium comprising the Italian firm, Saipem; South Korea’s Daewoo Engineering and Japanese Chiyoda to build its $7 billion Train-7 in its Bonny Island plant.

Apart from the $7 billion for the construction of Train 7, an additional $3 billion worth of investment would be spent on upstream gas development to meet the expected demands of the new capacity.

The execution of the EPC contracts now triggers the commencement of the Detail Design and Construction (DDC) phase of the project expected to increase the capacity of NLNG’s current

six-train plant by 35 per cent from the extant 22 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to 30 MTPA. NLNG is an incorporated Joint-Venture owned by four shareholders - Federal Government of Nigeria, represented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) holding 49 per cent shares; Shell Gas B.V. --25.6 per cent; Total Gaz Electricite Holdings France--15 per cent; and Eni International N.A. N.V. S.Ă r.l --10.4 per cent.

Speaking on the contracts' signing, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, Mr. Tony Attah, was quoted in a statement signed by the General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Mrs. Eyono Fatai-Williams, as saying that the EPC contracts represented yet another milestone in the company's journey towards achieving its vision of being a global LNG company, helping to build a better Nigeria.

He said: “With the award of the EPC Contracts to our preferred bidders (SCD JV), we are guaranteeing that our country remains significantly on the global list of LNG suppliers. This singular act clearly demonstrates our shareholders’ determination and resolve to sustain the economic dividends that NLNG’s monetization of our vast natural gas reserves offers our great country Nigeria�.

Attah expressed confidence in SCD JV consortium’s proven competence, adding that the demonstration of an understanding of NLNG’s business philosophy by the consortium will positively influence the execution of

the project and ensure zero harm to people, environment and host communities.

The statement also quoted the Group Managing Director of the NNPC and Director on the NLNG Board, Mallam Mele Kyari, as saying that the “Nigeria LNG’s successes, since it started operation in 1999, had continued to prove its unique business model that is profitable to all its stakeholders.

According to Kyari, NNPC and the other shareholders — Shell, Total and Eni — are proud to be a part of this exceptional Nigerian brand that stands out in the global market.

He said: “It is for this reason that our President,

Muhammadu Buhari, instructed through the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources that NNPC as a shareholder, it must do everything possible to support all the other shareholders and NLNG’s management to secure the much-needed public confidence from all critical stakeholders, especially the critical agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria and international investors, to pursue the company's ambition of adding a 7th train to its existing production capacity.

"I encourage every stakeholder involved in the execution of the Train 7 Project, especially the

SCD JV Consortium, NLNG Train 7 project team and the company's management to leave no stone unturned in making this project a reality."

According to the statement, the project was in fulfillment of the NLNG's vision of being a 'global company, helping to build a better Nigeria.'

The project upon completion will support the federal government's drive to generate more revenue from Nigeria’s proven gas reserves of about 200 Trillion Cubic Feet (Tcf) and further reduce gas flaring in the country’s upstream oil and gas industry.

The construction period is expected to last approximately five years with the first LNG rundown expected in 2025.

FG Targets N5.08bn to Revive Garment, Leather Industries James Emejo in Abuja The federal government is targeting N5.08 billion from the partnership with the private sector to revive the garment and leather industries.

The Director General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Mr. Chidi Izuwah, said yesterday in Abuja that the N5.089 billion would be made up of 80 per cent debt and 20 per cent equity with zero financial contribution by the federal government.

He spoke at the presentation of the Full Business Case (FBC) compliance certificate to the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS) in respect of the proposed NCS shoe and garment factories in Aba, Abia State and the Janguza Tannery Factory, Kano State under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements.

He said the PPP would also lead to the creation of 1,290 direct jobs, multiples of indirect jobs locally and savings on foreign exchange demand to procure uniforms abroad among other significant benefits to the country.

However, Izuwah said the next stage towards the actualisation of the project was for the NCS, through the Minister of Interior, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, to secure the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval to enable NCS to sign the PPP contract and achieve immediate take-off of the project.

While attributing the achievements recorded during the development of the PPP project to the economic reform agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari, he expressed confidence that a formal ground-breaking ceremony to signal the take-off of the projects in affected states will happen soon.

He explained that the proposed PPP arrangement between NCS and Erojim Investments Limited (a local company) and its technical partner, Poly Technologies Inc., Beijing, China, is aimed at establishing a world-class factory using the most modern technology and quality inputs to produce high quality shoes, garments, and leather products to meet the demand of NCS and other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), whose personnel wear uniforms and make use of other accessories.

He said: "I am delighted to state that the successful start-up of this PPP project will no doubt lead to the revitalisation of Nigeria’s shoe, garment and leather industries in compliance with the federal government’s local content policy initiative encouraging MDAs to look inwards in meeting their basic needs.

"This project was competitively procured using the very proven ICRC Swiss Challenge PPP bidding method. This process involves subjecting the private sector initiated proposal to competition to create value for money while ensuring that the private sector takes significant financial risk and creates the efficiency needed to ensure that the project is delivered to time and specifications.

"The ICRC played a key role as part of her mandate to ensure that the nation attracts the required private investment to build our infrastructure stock to further bridge the infrastructure gaps across the country in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to the private sector-led economic development and inclusive growth."

WELCOME ONBOARD...

L-R: New Chief of Sta to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and President Muhammadu Buhari during the virtual meeting of the Federal Executive Council in Abuja‌ yesterday

Gov Polls: INEC Directs Edo, Ondo Offices to Reopen Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has directed its offices in Ondo and Edo States to reopen immediately to prepare for the impending governorship elections in the two states.

The directive was contained in the guidelines it issued yesterday for the reopening of its offices nationwide, saying the working hours will now be from 8 am to 2 pm even as it advised members of staff to respect strictly the curfew hours from 8 pm to 6 am.

The commission added that workdays would be Monday, Wednesday and Friday, weekly, based on the guidelines issued by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.

The commission said all heads of offices -national commissioners, resident electoral commissioners, directors, and heads of departments/units - should create a rotational roster of duty to limit staff that come to work on a given day to enable maintenance of social distancing within the offices.

These are the high points

of the guidelines released by the commission after an over six-week break to contain the spread of the COVID-19 in the country.

According to the guidelines, the number of personnel working per shift at the commission’s main gate and the entrances of all the commissions’ offices should be reduced subject to consultation with the service providers.

INEC said the essential duty staff would continue to work as earlier approved by the commission, adding that only the staff that have cars are allowed to resume work.

The commission said that staff resident in distant places and who would have to commute by public transport should stay at home or work from home, while those that travel out of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) should remain at their destinations until the lifting of the ban on interstate travel.

The commission said that the workspace distancing of at least two metres should be adopted within offices, on the premises and meeting rooms while there should be no

loitering on the premises of the commission by staff and visitors.

The guidelines warned that under no circumstances should visitors or contractors be allowed into the commission except on authorised invitation, while visitors’ books must be maintained at each entry point and all floors, with contact details of all visitors and wearing of identification cards and tags strictly enforced.

The guidelines also prohibited congregational prayers in the mosque and chapel for the time being.

INEC directed that the use of face masks is compulsory throughout the offices of the commission, for all staff, visitors and contractors.

The commission explained that it would provide hand sanitisers at all entrances, exits and offices of the commission, while staff are also encouraged to have their personal hand sanitisers.

According to the commission, office clerks will be given guidelines on handling/ decontamination of mails and files.

Also, all offices of

the commission will be decontaminated before resumption and periodically to ensure environmental safety.

The guidelines also stated that the staff of the commission’s facility managers and INEC cleaners would be trained on continuous disinfection/decontamination procedures.

It added that the use of canteen and other places of gathering (cooperative society meetings) are also prohibited for the time being, while driving into the commission should be limited to staff and other government officials/ VIP visitors who may have been invited by the commission.

The commission suspended the staff bus service for the time being to ensure social distancing until other safety measures are put in place.

INEC restated that all staff above age 58 with underlying medical conditions - hypertension, diabetes, asthma, renal and hepatic diseases-should work from home and other staff with underlying medical conditions should also work from home.

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Gunmen Kill 12 in Benue, Kaduna Communities Abduct army captain, three others in Ondo John Shiklam in Kaduna, James Sowole in Akure and George Okoh in Makurdi No fewer than 12 people have been reportedly killed following fresh attacks on three communities in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State and Tse-Haaga in Mbabai Council Ward of Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.

An army captain and three others have also been abducted by gunmen along Auga/Akunnu road in Akoko North East Local Government Area of Ondo State.

The Kaduna killings came barely 24 hours after President Muhammadu

Buhari condemned the killing of 17 people in the early hours of Tuesday by suspected herdsmen who attacked Gonan-Rogo village, also in Kajuru LGA. The latest attack, according to the President of the Adara Development Association (ADA), Mr. Awema Maisamari, took place in Bakin- Kogi, Idanu and Makyali communities.

He said the attack on Makyali community took place at about 7 am yesterday, leading to the killing of seven people while the attacks on Bakin Kogi and Idanu took place on Tuesday at 7 pm.

Maisamari, who said the attackers killed five people

Court Bars Collection of Import Duties on Non-commercial Goods, Others Peter Uzoho The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to desist from collecting import duties or related charges from anyone in respect of goods or personal effects in a passenger's bag not meant for sale, barter or exchange, describing such charges as unlawful.

The Chief Judge of the Abuja Federal Court, Justice JT Tsoho, gave the order while delivering judgment in a case between Mr. Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN) v.

Nigerian Customs Service Board & Anor in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1113/2019.

The Plaintiff, Ogunwumiju, via his counsel, Tunde Ahmed Adejumo, had approached the court via an Originating Summons primarily seeking a declaration that in view of the provisions of Section 8 of the Customs, Excise Tariff, etc. (Consolidation) Act and the 2nd Schedule to the Customs, Excise Tariff, etc. (Consolidation) Act, it was unlawful for officers of the Nigeria Customs Service to have demanded and collected import duty and other related charges from the Plaintiff in respect of his personal effect (A Louis Vuitton Lap Top Bag) found in his baggage following a search by the officers of the Nigeria Customs Service upon his arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on June 24, 2019.

However, the Court in its judgment having analysed the provisions of Section 8 of the Customs, Excise Tariff, etc. (Consolidation) Act and the 2nd Schedule to the Customs, Excise Tariff, etc. (Consolidation) Act, ruled that goods contained in a passenger’s baggage provided that the said goods were not intended for sale, barter or exchange; as well as personal household effects were exempted from import duty and other related charges: The court found that based on the state of the evidence before it, the Plaintiff had established that the Louis Vuitton Lap Top Bag found in

his baggage by the officers of the Nigeria Customs Service was his personal effect and meant for his personal use.

The Court also found that before the defendants could lawfully demand and collect import duty and other related charges in respect of the said Louis Vuitton Lap Top Bag found in the Plaintiff’s baggage, the defendants had to establish via cogent and credible evidence that the said bag was meant for sale, exchange or barter.

According to the court, the defendants having failed to establish via evidence that the said bag found in the plaintiff’s baggage was meant for sale, exchange or barter, there was no legal basis upon which the officers of the Nigeria Customs Service demanded and collected import duty and other related charges from the plaintiff in respect of the said bag.

The court upon finding out that the decision and action of the Nigeria Customs Service to demand and collect from the plaintiff import duty and other related charges in respect of his personal effect was unlawful, null and void and consequently ordered the defendants to refund the sum of N156, 955.

20k import duty and other related charges to the plaintiff and also to pay to the plaintiff the sum of N5 million as exemplary damages.

According to the Abuja Federal High Court, "it is now unlawful for officers of the Nigeria Customs Service to demand and collect import duty and other related charges from anyone in respect of goods/ personal effects found in their baggage provided that the said goods/personal effects are not meant for sale, barter or exchange.

"In other words, the only instance in which officers of the Nigeria Customs Service can lawfully demand and collect import duty from anyone in respect of goods/ personal effects found in their baggage is where it can be established that the said goods/personal effects are meant for sale, barter or exchange".

on the spot, added that two additional corpses were later recovered in the bush.

He said in Idanu, one person was killed and two others were injured while in Bakin Kogi, no life was lost as the villagers escaped, but their houses were burnt.

He said: “The situation as at this morning is that the terrorists attacked three other settlements near GonanRogo village, which was attacked in the early hours of Tuesday and 17 people were killed. “In one of the communities called Bakin Kogi, the villagers escaped but several houses were burnt down.

At the second village called Idanu, one person was killed and two others were injured.

The attacks in Idanu and Bakin Kogi took place on Tuesday at 7 pm. “At a village called Makyali along Kachia road, seven people were killed when the community came under attack this morning (Wednesday) around 7 am. “Five people were killed on the spot; two corpses were later recovered in the bush. Some people also sustained injuries.�

The spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command, Muhammad Jalige, did not respond to a text message sent to him on the incidents.

Also, suspected herdsmen yesterday killed four persons and injured three at TseHaaga, Mbabai Council Ward of Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.

A resident of the area, Mr. Clement Haaga, told THISDAY that the herdsmen came on four motorbikes in the evening and opened fire on the residents, killing one person on the spot while five others sustained various degrees of injuries.

He explained that two of the injured persons died while being conveyed to the hospital while the remaining three were still receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.

Those killed were: Samuel Torndiir Ngbea, David Hileyem Ngbea, Mbagwen Alakali Haaga and Utsuwa Ugber.

Those injured were Sylvanus Jir Akera, Wasem Akirga, Lydia Karshima and Mnena Torndiir.

Reacting to the report, the

Benue State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Catherine Anene, said the attack took place but the state police command was still waiting for a briefing from the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) on the ground in the area.

Gunmen Abduct Army Captain, Three Others in Ondo An army captain identified as D. Gana and three others were on Tuesday abducted by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers along Auga/ Akunnu road in Akoko North East Local Government area of Ondo State.

The army captain was said to be travelling from Abuja with three others when the incident happened.

According to a source, the hoodlums stopped the vehicle on the high way and dragged them into the bush.

The source said the hoodlums did not pick any item from the vehicle but left the doors of the vehicle opened after taking the victims away.

He added that the abductors had contacted

the family of the victims, demanding N20 million for their release.

The source said the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ikare Division, had deployed a squad in the area to rescue the victims.

It was learnt that the 32 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, based in Akure, had mobilised its men to the area to comb the bush with a view to rescuing the victims and apprehending the culprits.

Confirming the abduction, the Ondo State Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO), Mr. Tee-Leo Ikoro, said the incident happened along Auga/Akunnu road around 4 am on Tuesday.

He explained that the command had been briefed while the State Police Commissioner, Mr. Undie Adie, had ordered detectives from the command to search the forest for the kidnappers in a bid to rescue the officer.

The PPRO said an intensive investigation into the incident had begun and urged anybody with information that could lead to the arrest of the criminals to send it to the police.

RAMPING UP THE FIGHT...

L-R: Delta State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ononye Mordi; Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Chiedu Ebie; and Chairman, Aniocha North Local Government Area, Hon. Chuks Oseme, during the inauguration of COVID-19 Isolation/Treatment Centre at the NYSC Orientation Camp Issele-Ukwu, Delta State...yesterday

Presidency: Mambila, East-West Road Won’t Benefit from $311m Abacha Loot Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja The presidency last night said it erred when it claimed earlier that Mambila power project and East-west Road projects would benefit from the newly repatriated $311 million Sani Abacha loot.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, said he regretted the error contained in the earlier statement he issued which listed the two projects along

with three major projects on which the money would be spent.

According to him, the fund, being managed by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), would only be used to finance second Niger Bridge, Abuja-KadunaKano expressway, and LagosIbadan expressway according to agreement reached among Nigerian, United States and British territory of Jersey governments.

Shehu said: "In an earlier statement, I had mistakenly

noted that the Mambilla was one of the five priority projects to benefit from the $311 million Abacha loot under the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) managed by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). That error is regretted.

"Although the Mambilla and East-West expressway are regarded under the PIDF as priority projects, I have ascertained that they are exempt from the agreement signed between

the Nigerian, United States and British territory of Jersey governments.

"According to the document, only the second Niger Bridge, Abuja-KadunaKano expressway, and Lagos-Ibadan expressway will benefit from the repatriated funds. The funds are domiciled in the NSIA. "All print and online media should please take note of this correction and make the necessary adjustments to their previous publications on the issue."

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PAGE TEN FEC TRIMS 2020 BUDGET BY N71BN TO N10.523TN the economic crisis unleashed by the double whammy of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted economic activities, and the sharp decline in the price of crude oil occasioned by the impact of the pandemic and oil price war between two critical producing nations, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Addressing journalists, after a virtual meeting of FEC, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, said the revision of the original budget signed into law from N10.594 trillion to N10.523 trillion, translated to a difference of N71.5 billion.

The virtual meeting was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The new budget threshold translates to an increase in the size of the revised 2020 budget by N318 billion from N10.276 trillion earlier proposed but not submitted to the National Assembly, to N10.523 trillion.

Ahmed explained that the new budget was based on the crude oil benchmark price of $25 per barrel for the adjusted 2020 budget, up from the $20 per barrel earlier announced by the Budget Office and down from the $30 earlier proposed and the $57 in the original budget.

She added that the approval for the 2020 budget was the fallout of a review of the 2020-2022 MTEF. According to her, the revised budget implies N71.5billion reduction from the initial N10.59 trillion budget passed by the National Assembly, adding that

the revised budget is made up of a revenue target of N5.158 trillion and a budget deficit of N5.365 trillion.

Ahmed, who said the deficit would be financed by both external and internal borrowing plans, highlighted the borrowing arrangements with the proposed creditors.

"The Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning submitted a memo to the council for approval of the amendments of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework for 2020-2022 as well as an amendment to the 2020 budget.

"The council has approved our recommendations and the approval has these key parameters. The crude oil price is approved at $25 per barrel; crude oil production is at 1.94 million barrels per day, and then an exchange rate of N360 to $1.

"The revised budget is now in the total sum of N10.523 trillion, a difference of just about N71.5 billion when compared to the approved budget. This is because as we cut down the size of the budget, we also have to bring in new expenditure previously not budgeted, to enable us adequately respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The federal government in this budget will have direct revenue of funding the budget of N5.158 trillion.

The deficit to this budget is N5.365 trillion and this will be financed by both domestic as well as foreign borrowing. The foreign borrowing we are doing for 2020 are all concessionary loans from the IMF, which has already been approved and has

crystalised; from the World Bank, Islamic Development as well as Afro-Exim Bank. "There will also be some drawdown of previously committed loans for major ongoing projects that we will be drawing from both exiting facilities as well as some special accounts with the approval of Mr. President and the National Assembly and also revenue that we are expecting to realise from privatisation.

"So, the borrowing, the drawdown of the multilateral loan coming from special accounts and coming from the privatisation will fund the fiscal deficit of N5.365 trillion that we have in the proposed amendment of the 2020 budget," she said.

The minister added that the council approved $80 million loan for Ebonyi State for the construction of Abakaliki ring road, designed to connect 13 local government areas of the state.

She explained that whereas the federal government would obtain the loan on behalf of the state government, debt sustainability investigation conducted by the federal government on the request so far showed that the state could repay the loan.

She stated that the fund would be sourced from the Islamic Development Bank, adding that the road project would also link neighbouring Cameroon and other neighbouring states.

She also said the council approved Nigeria Customs Service's request to purchase boats for its surveillance and anti-corruption activities.

The minister explained that approval for the purchase of locally-made boats by the council was in compliance with the federal government's decision to prioritise the patronage of locally-made goods as part of its economic stimulus plan.

"On prioritisation of madein-Nigeria products, as you know, the president has set up an economic stimulus committee chaired by the vice president. The work of the committee is to develop 12 months' economic stimulus plan and we are at the final stage of that work.

"We have prioritised spending in that plan to use and consume made-in-Nigeria products. For example, some of the public works' projects that will employ a lot of our youths will be done using strictly our raw materials, so we don’t have to import bitumen for example to build our roads," she stated.

On the N47 billion approved for power generation, the Minister of Power, Alhaji Saleh Mamman, described the contract sum as a revised cost for power generation in Kashimbila through Takum, Bukari and then Yandel in Taraba and Benue States.

According to him, the contract is meant for the evacuation of power from the area for onward transmission to the national grid.

He added that Nigeria will continue to lose an equivalent of $9 million per annum if the evacuation is not done.

He said: "Council approved the revised estimated total cost

for the augmentation of the subsisting contract in the sum of N47,235,303,821.90 in favour of the original contractor to provide additional critical power grid infrastructure for the full evacuation, deliverance and utilisation of 40 megawatts currently being generated from Kashimbila via Takum, Bukari and then Yandel.

"This is to evacuate completely 40 megawatts to the national grid. In fact, if it is not evacuated, Nigeria government will lose not less than 120 gigawatts of power, which is equivalent to almost $9 million in a year."

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, described the power evacuation plan as a critical project that will serve the North-east region.

"The critical need for this power evacuation is that it will not just serve Taraba and Benue States, but also the entire North-east. And you know, it is something you cannot store.

"Once it’s stranded, it also poses a lot of risks. That is why it is better for us to get these additional funds and then evacuate it; 40 megawatts of power will do a lot to improve the lives of many Nigerians," he said.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Sabo Nanono, also gave details on the $1.2 billion loan for agricultural development in the local government areas.

He said: "Today, we presented a joint memo with the Ministry of Finance, in which we sought the approval of a loan facility of

about â‚Ź950,000 (Euros) which translated to about $1.2 billion.

"This loan is for the purposes of agricultural mechanisation in this country that will cover about 632 local governments plus 140 processing plants.

This is going to be a major revolution in the agricultural sector like we have never seen before. I think the executive council has done the right thing and has approved this."

In his own briefing, the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, said the council approved a memorandum for the award of N683.613 million contracts to Globe Motors to supply 19 operational vehicles to Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA).

"It’s the first time in four years that NPA is buying any vehicle and that is why the council considered it and said 'fine.' And these are operational vehicles and they are all Toyota vehicles," he said.

Earlier, Mohammed had explained the rationale for yesterday's virtual FEC meeting, saying holding the meeting became compelling in view of consciousness that concentrating all attention on the fight against COVID-19 would unnecessarily slow down governance.

"While the task force, the various emergency operating centres are doing their best all over the country to arrest and slow down the spread, the government also thought it was important to fight COVID-19; at least to find a way to be running government. That is why we resulted to technology," he said.

the country," he said.

Asked what Nigerians should expect from him, he said: "I have not started. So, I will find out and maybe... I don’t report directly to the nation. I report directly to the president."

Also asked what he owed the president, he said: "I think he needs my loyalty, competence and support," reiterating that his commitment as the chief of staff would be "to serve the president to the best of my ability."

Born in 1944, Gambari had his secondary education at the Provincial Secondary School (now Government Secondary School), Ilorin before proceeding to the Floreat Collegium Kings College, Lagos.

He also attended the London School of Economics where he obtained Bachelor of Science in Economics in 1968. In 1970, he obtained MA in

Political Science and PhD in International Relations in 1974 from Columbia University, United States.

Before his foray into the diplomatic world, Gambari taught at various universities in the Unites States, Nigeria, and Singapore and wrote some books.

A scholar-diplomat, Gambari is the founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development, a non-governmental think-tank on research, policy studies, advocacy, and training on the nexus between conflict prevention and resolution, democratisation and development in Africa.

He has had a robust career, spanning academia, government and international

BUHARI UPENDS POLITICS, GAMBARI PLEDGES LOYALTY AS NEW CHIEF OF STAFF words, it is the president that has a mandate and not him.

His appointment unsettles all political calculations redrawing the road map to the presidential election of 2023 given his bipartisan yet apolitical appeal.

The row call of those who hailed his appointment cut across politics, ethnicity and religion.

George Obiozor, Nigeria's former ambassador to the United States and a foreign affairs intellectual hailed his appointment, saying on ARISE News Channel yesterday that Gambari was a 'fantastic choice'.

Gambari assumed duties yesterday after he was formally presented at the first virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in the State House, promising to serve the president to the best of his ability.

Gambari, 75, who hails from Ilorin, Kwara State replaces

Malam Abba Kyari, who died on April 17 in Lagos, following complications caused

by COVID-19 infection.

THISDAY and its broadcast arm, ARISE News Channel, had reported Gambari's appointment on Tuesday ahead of the official announcement yesterday.

His unveiling yesterday also generated tributes from dignitaries who lauded his choice.

Among those who felicitated with him were Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; Governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara) and Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos); former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki; former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator

Ike Ekweremadu; National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu; National Chairman of APC, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, and the APC. The new CoS was presented to FEC on behalf of the president by Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha.

Gambari's choice had spawned controversy on Tuesday following the decision of the presidency to neither confirm nor deny the appointment.

The new chief of staff, who was a Minister of External Affairs during the military regime of Buhari in 1984, arrived at the Presidential Villa before 11 am yesterday, and was received by the new State House Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Tijani Umar; the Director of Protocol, Alhaji

Yakubu Ahmed; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu; and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs, Office of the Vice President, Ambassador Abdullahi Gwari.

The four men later led him into the Council Chambers of the State House after completing the COVID-19 screening.

Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Gambari promised to be loyal to both Nigeria and the president and also serve him to the best of his ability.

He thanked the president for the appointment, saying that he will give both Nigeria and Buhari his all.

"I want to thank the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for giving me this opportunity to serve him and

Continued on page 33

COVID-19 VACCINE: NO ONE HAS APPLIED FOR APPROVAL, SAYS NAFDAC Rivers 10 each, Kwara nine, Delta and Kaduna five each, Sokoto and Oyo four each, Kebbi, Nasarawa and Osun three each, Ondo two, while Ebonyi, Edo, Enugu, Anambra, Plateau and Niger one each.

On the search for a cure, NAFDAC explained yesterday that it was still awaiting the local cure for COVID-19 reportedly submitted by the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Department of the Federal Ministry of Health to the agency for evaluation.

The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 had last Thursday said some of the claims for COVID-19 cure that met preliminary requirements had been submitted to NAFDAC for evaluation and listing.

But in a statement yesterday,

the Director-General, NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said claims for the cure of COVID-19 in Nigeria must be domiciled only in either the conventional news media or social media.

She said: "NAFDAC as at the time of this press release has only received an application from one company for a product, the company is presenting for approval to the agency for the treatment of the symptoms of COVID-19, and not for the cure of COVID-19 as a disease.

"A claim of a cure must be subjected to clinical evaluation through well-controlled, randomised clinical trials following an approved clinical trial protocol."

According to her, because no vaccine yet exists to prevent further spread of the virus, it

behoves the medical world to develop a cure or at best, a treatment for the deadly virus.

She added: "In a bid to discover a cure, therefore, the public has witnessed quite a number of claims from different quotas – complementary and alternative medicines practitioners, traditional healers and academia.

"It is pertinent to note, however, that these claims are domiciled in either the conventional news media or social media.

"That Africa as a continent is blessed with diverse plants and herbs that constitute a source of food and medicine is incontrovertible. The drugs of today’s modern society are products of research and development by major pharmaceutical companies.

Among the most important

raw materials researched and developed are naturally occurring materials obtained especially from plants.

"It should be mentioned also, however, that many plants are similarly very poisonous.

As the agency that has been saddled with the mandate of safeguarding the health of the citizenry, NAFDAC will continue to make sure that only medicinal product, including herbal remedies that have proven safety data will be approved for use by the public."

She added that presently, the agency lists herbal medicines based on a historical perspective on the use of the products after carrying out toxicological and microbiological evaluations in the laboratories to ensure that they are, at the minimum, safe.

The listing status is valid for

two years and is renewable.

"It does not validate the efficacy claims being for the products hence, the labels must bear a disclaimer informing the consumer 'The claims have not been evaluated by NAFDAC.' This minimum requirement of ‘proof of safety’ is the agency’s way of encouraging the production of herbal remedies from the country’s rich diversity of plants.

"Part of the efforts to advance herbal products development informed the setting up of the Nigerian Herbal Medicine Product Committee (HMPC). The platform brings together manufacturers, academia, researchers and relevant stakeholders by bridging the gap often Continued on page 33

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THURSDAY MAY 14, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY MAY 14, 2020

POLITICS

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

‘I Don’t Know Why it is Hard to Believe Kogi is Coronavirus Free’

As COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the country, Kogi State Commissioner for Health , Dr. Saka Audu Haruna discloses strategies deployed by the state government to contain spread of the disease to Ibrahim Oyewale

H

onourable Commissioner, Kogi State along side with Cross River State have no index cases of Coronavirus disease, what is magic?

I want to really appreciate the media for being a partner in progress. We have been in this war all together against COVID-19.

The role the media has played is truly heart warming. I appreciate the media. Kogi State so far has not recorded any confirmed case of Coronavirus officially. And we believe that our strategies are working for us, even though we are at a vantage position on the map of Federal Republic of Nigeria, that also attracts a lot of risks making Kogi State to be vulnerable to the spread of the disease outbreaks like Lassa fever and now COVID-19 .The commuters from all the six geo political zones have Kogi as central passage. No matter what you do if you travel by land from any of the six geo political zones, South to North, East to West and South you must pass through one part of Kogi or the other. Therefore, Kogi State is vulnerable to diseases. This is what we recognized in the earlier stages to impose some restrictions. We closed schools from primary to the highest institutions within the state, then we imposed restrictions on vehicular and other cyclic movement across the state, banning the commercial motorcycles operators and tricycle popularly known as Keke NAPEP. We also designated points where the commuters could stop for in-bound and out-bound passengers. This has truly worked for us. But this restriction couldn’t have been extended further by the time we relaxed it. Because we recognized that up to 90 percent of our people if not more all are informal workers .Salary earners would rightly expect their money to be paid by the end of every month, whether they go to work or not, but our informal workers-the farmers, this is farming season if they can not cultivate, there would not be food during the dry season this is part of our decision. If you look at COVID-19 from economic and health view points, that helped us to mitigate the scourge of the Coronavirus.

Going by the stories trending in the social media that there are patients who have exhibited the symptoms of Coronaviru at Federal Medical Centre ,Lokoja, and the state government is trying to cover up and that five patients have allegedly died recently. What is your reaction?

I want to state clearly that the state has not refused to take sample for test ,what we are saying is that tests must not be a prerequisite for treatment. It is wrong to say Kogi State has refused to test patients. I must also make this clarification that a situation where COVID-19 tests will be a prerequisite for patients to receive care would be vehemently rejected because before COVID-19 there are people that have various symptoms of diseases and the hospital is meant to bring succour to such people in distress.

Are you talking about symptoms that may suggest COVID-19 ?

Yes . I will state clearly ,from what I understand as at now Kogi state has no case of COVID-19 clearly as at today . Kogi State has not denied anybody that meets the criteria for test and Kogi State will never deny citizens of their rights to test. But we have come a long way in battling the Lassa fever on annual basis. This year alone we have had 30 cases of Lassa fever and unfortunately we lost 12 of them .These 12 people died in Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja. Those we were able to rescue through our centre , Kogi State Specialist Hospital survived. We gave 100 hundred case management and those that found their ways

National Center for Disease Control is a federal agency saddles with responsibility of controlling diseases of public health magnitude . NCDC has been our partner from Day One and they will continue to be our partner in progress . We have cherish all the relationship ,the collaborations, the cooperation that existed in the past and we will continue to sustain that . But a situation where rumour peddlers will create problems between the NCDC and Kogi State government will not be tolerated . We received so many of their personnel in the past. We are working together. We don’t have any problem with them .

Haruna to Irrua in Edo State also survived. The idea of making Lassa fever test or COVID-19 test as prerequisite for a patient to receive attention is what we don’t want to tolerate. It will interest you to know that it takes between 7 and 10 days after samples have been taken for test for COVID-19 to receive result what would have happened to such patients if you have to wait for 10 days before your patients receive attention? I think there is a misunderstanding .We continue to conduct COVID-19 test for appropriate patients, but it should never be a criteria for patients to receive care . I am a board member at the Federal Federal Medical Centre, I have not received official report of any case of mysterious death from that centre and I am the Incident Manager from my capacity as Honourable Commissioner for Health, Kogi State. I have not received any of such information from Federal Medical Centre. I am the link or let say my office is the link between the Federal Medical Centre and the state government. As far as I am concerned we have not received such claims.

I think we just have to ignore all those who are bent on painting the government black . The other time they said we constructed a tent in FMC with a total cost of N7 billion.

Nobody will believe such a frivolous claim.

The truth is that Kogi State government is doing everything necessary to defend the integrity of the state and to defend the interest of the people of the state.

People are insinuating that without

presence of testing centre in Kogi how do we know whether people have contacted Coronavirus?

We are all matured people and we understand that Kogi State is surrounded by the state’s who are harbouring cases of Coronavirus disease. But even in China where it emanated from , when Wuhan was locked down ,Shanghai and Beijing that was still operating freely . There are some colleges within Wuhan that are free from COVID -19 till date . None of them recorded any case of Coronavirus and the lame claims that we are surround by states that are positive and therefore Kogi State must be declared positive cases does not hold water and I want to advise the general public to believe in what the state government is doing .We have interest of our people at heart. That is why we set out very early ,all the new committees that many states are forming today have been in existence in Kogi State since 2017 because of our experience with Lassa fever. And we have focal persons at least two across the wards. In each of the 21 local government areas of the State, we have a structure and that structure is functional that is what has worked for us I don’t know why it is hard for people to believe till date that Kogi State is Coronavirus free. By special grace of God it will remain so.

What is the relationship between National Center for Disease Control NCDC and Kogi State government now?

You must exhibit a symptom before test can be carried out or you are a contact to someone has tested positive. Only those who are at risk would be tested .Kogi state indeed was the first state to launch a web based App. We have received over 16,000 evaluation across the state and few of them were categorised high risk and we will reach out to them. We will call on individual basis to ask them about their health status and to alley their fears and help where it is necessary and also to send a team after some people where the situation demands such action. I think Kogi State has done so well and deserve to be commended

There has been agitations for test and provision of testing kits in Kogi State, what is your take on this?

The idea of test kits does not even arise.

Because the Rapid Testing Kits till date have not been accepted by the NCDC as true method for evaluating COVID-19 disease and has not been authorized to be used in Nigeria .Kogi State is yet to be assigned with designated laboratory because of our closeness or proximity with Irrua and Abuja that is just the reason .We have invited NCDC to validate our PCR machines ,we have have one in Okene.

We have 7 genes machines across the state .

And by the special grace of God, very soon we would be able to single handedly carry out COVID-19 test with supervision of the national team.

Can an individual come out to say he wants a test conducted for Coronavirus ?

If you do not fit into this criteria for now, such individual will not receive the opportunity to carry out the test .In the last three months since the out break of Coronavirus in Nigeria, NCDC and our partners have been able to carry out over 16,000 test. This may not be surpass my local government area alone if the test has to be carried out on everybody in the state. Nigeria is not buoyant enough to test everybody and I don’t think test should be compulsory. Only individuals exhibiting the symptom fit into criteria .We know that there is community transmission in certain parts of the country and even in Lagos where they are doing house-to-house test .You must exhibit a symptom before test can be carried out or you are a contact to someone has tested positive. Only those who are at risk would be tested .Kogi state indeed was the first state to launch a web based App. We have received over 16,000 evaluation across the state and few of them were categorised high risk and we will reach out to them .We will call on individual basis to ask them about their health status and to alley their fears and help where it is necessary and also to send a team after some people where the situation demands such action .I think Kogi State has done so well and deserve to be commended.

There have been a lot of romours on COVID-19 that have cause sleepless nights and panic in Kogi State. What should the people do?

The people of state should continue to imbibe those preventive measures that we have instituted, those that NCDC has advised, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Kogi State Ministry of Health. The bulk of the preventing measures lie within the reach of the people and people can help the government to do this on their own. The government is spending huge sums of money to secure the state. The people of Kogi State are advised to follow instructions and imbibe those laid down preventive measures ,like washing of hands , use of face mask, avoiding crowded environment and social distancing. These will help us in preventing COVID-19 from ravaging our communities.

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COMMENT

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

DOWN UP – HAVE NURSES WON? Okello Oculi argues for better reward for nurses

T

he power of television cameras has shown devoted, harassed and exhausted medical personnel struggling to save patients with oxygen-pumping structures crowding gasping faces. Reporters have spread alarm about rates of death; ignored low statistics compared to country populations; noted resultant economic carnage with 30 million Americans chased out of their employment by undemocratic official orders, and wrecking social relations by prescribing ‘’Social Distancing’’ while claiming that even those who look and feel healthy are silent soldiers of infection, etc. Politician- scientists are being accused in Social Media of telling lies. President Donald Trump not wearing a mask has become a signal of defending people against the propaganda about COVID-19.

Except in Sweden, COVID-19 pandemic has locked up healthy members of the public together with those who had ‘’tested positive’’ to hosting the disease; despite a warning by two doctors in California about ‘’lock down’’ depleting Immune Systems by not absorbing Vitamin D from direct sunlight. Vitamin D, they insist, is vital for building and maintaining adequate levels of immunity inside the human body. They predict an explosion of new diseases when confined people are later released into a disease-loaded environment – if they escaped death.

Britain’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, came out of ‘’Intensive Care’’ praising nurses who put in long hours of watching over him as precarious ‘’political asset’’ for a whole country.

A nurse from New Zealand became a media celebrity and a national icon back home for playing that role.

There continues to be a tragic side to this medical drama.

CNN posted photographs of nurses and other personnel who had been infected and died from their moments of medical responsibility. Britain’s SKYNEWS showed photos of Philippina nurses who had come to Britain to earn income for sup porting families back home and had died away from home.

In the United States and Britain high rates of death among African-Americans and Afro-Brits is blamed on ‘’structured racism’’: including not being provided with protective clothing while on the ‘’frontline’’ because their low education offered them dangerous tasks.

One theme which gained much visibility is the low status and pay that nurses earn compared to medical doctors.

Nurses bear the brunt of contact with patients; confront the highest fatality, while they earn the lowest social prestige and salaries.

As the Governor of New York State recalls, it was extensive

NURSES BEAR THE BRUNT OF CONTACT WITH PATIENTS; CONFRONT THE HIGHEST FATALITY, WHILE THEY EARN THE LOWEST SOCIAL PRESTIGE AND SALARIES

migration from Europe which brought populations into, as well as, decimated indigenous populations along the eastern coast of the United States. COVID-19 virus arrived with millions of European travellers; following the same track. Africa must avoid a similar history of infection and decimation.

In various areas of governance in Africa, the legacy of nurses is repeated. In the education sector, the lowest paid staffers are primary and secondary school teachers. They handle the vast majority of youths seeking education; teaching large numbers crowded inside or outside classrooms. A Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) report showed a classroom in Niger State in which the lone teacher had children from Primary one to Primary six all sitting in the same classroom.

In Borno State and a semi-desert Turkana district in Kenya, television reports showed crowds of children seated on the soil under a shrub attending a lesson.

These teachers in harsh environments handle brains at a critical formative stage; never participates in policy-making and negotiations over sharing budgets at national, state and local government levels. President Julius Nyerere once noted that the majority of primary school pupils will come back into villages or slums in which they live. Accordingly, huge financial investments should be directed into training them with skills and tools for improving technology for construction improved shelter, transportation and food processing at these levels.

In the agricultural sector, the face of the lowest knowledge meets the peasant farmer by an ‘’Extension Worker’’. In interviews with federal officials in Area 11, Garki, they lamented that Extension Workers did not have bicycles or motorcycles to travel to farms. Budgeted funds were not reaching them while ‘’Develop Partners’’ gave top officials expensive ‘Prado’’ or ‘’Pathfinder’’ jeeps as part of aid. A junior officer who handles funds from a Japanese loan was shouted at by senior officials for behaving as if he was ‘’a Post Office’’ - by sending all the money to targeted states.

It is not clear why officials at “Director� level are not the Extension Workers; in the same way medical surgeons operate on patients.

Like extension workers, nurses work at critical levels, share the lowest prestige, are assumed to have the lowest professional knowledge, get bitten by snakes and infected with disease, respectively. That their failure kills life in plant, animal or human patients is not reflected in measures for rewarding them. Aluta Continua!! Victory must come out of COVID-19.

PUTTING AN END TO‘BORN THROW-AWAY’ It is time to find lasting solutions to the Almajiri challenge, writes Olusegun Adeniyi t $POUJOVFE GSPN CBDL QBHF or those who may not know Rajoelina’s background, he was into event management, show business (like a certain Mr Donald Trump), advertising and media before becoming president. When politicians are in the forefront of what is essentially a scientific process, it calls for concern. Enough said on this for today.

We do need to interrogate a number of issues that have been thrown up by efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria. But of most concern to me today is the ‘Almajiri’ challenge that has festered for decades. If indeed the true measure of humanity is how a society treats its weak and most vulnerable – and there is perhaps no group more vulnerable in our country today than these unfortunate children – then it is clear how we have failed as a nation. Aged between four and 18, these neglected children who roam the streets without any discernible means of survival except begging, have long been a social problem that both the government and communities in the North have refused to deal with. But COVID-19 and the danger these children pose to the health of the larger society has now compelled action.

In the wake of the lockdown, Northern Governors decided that all ‘Almajiri’ children be relocated back to their states of origin. “We’ve been looking for the ways and means to end this system because it has not worked for the children, it has not worked for Northern Nigeria and it has not worked for Nigeria. So, it has to end and this is the time,� said Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna who confirmed that the parents of the ‘Almajiri’ children returned to his

F

state “have been tracked and would be properly trained on parental responsibilities. It is a long process, but the children must go to school.�

I am encouraged that the irresponsible parents who ‘throw away’ their children can be located.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar II, has on several occasions said “Almajiri does not represent Islam, but hunger and poverty. Islam encourages scholarship and entrepreneurship and frowns at laziness and idleness as exemplified by itinerant Almajiri. Therefore, attempt must be made to stop the practice.� But perhaps nobody has expended as much time and energy in fighting the menace than Muhammadu Sanusi II, whose repeated advocacy on the issue irritated power mongers in Kano. “If you can’t feed your family, don’t send your child to beg on your behalf. If we continue to live in self-denial, we will live to cry,� he warned last November while speaking to a culture of irresponsible parenting that is national but more pervasive in what was then his traditional domain.

The swarm of out of school, bowl-carrying children that wander the streets in search of food and alms is a glaring side effect of uncontrolled birth which explains why the ‘Almajiri’ issue has again reinforced the argument for family control in the country. Our social security can only be safeguarded if people practice family planning rather than use religion as an excuse to produce children they cannot cater for. While the northern governors have a crucial role to play, and El-Rufai has already laid the groundwork, we require a national effort to deal with the menace. We may not call them ‘Almajiri’ but these children also exist in other parts of the country. Wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Dolapo

Osinbajo bears eloquent testimony to this in her 2014 book, ‘They Call Me Mama: From the Under Bridge Diaries’. Inspiration for the book resulted from her experiences to reform street boys on Lagos Island who had been abandoned by their parents. She believed their stories are worth telling if only to nudge the conscience of those who are in a position to help.

With too many parents in Nigeria lacking an emotional connection to their children, I have on several occasions raised questions that are tied to our unproductive population growth. Must we continue to live in denial about a serious social problem that threatens the future of our country? Should men with no visible means of livelihood be allowed to continue marrying several wives who birth children they have neither the capacity nor willingness to take care of? Should adults be allowed to have children for whom they have little or no duty to care?

Can poverty be an excuse for parents (including mothers) to abandon their children to the streets or to so-called clerics?

While the primary responsibility of parenting remains personal, only government can create the incentives and environment for limiting family size. Traditional and religious institutions can help with advocacy on the menace of street children as Muhammadu Sanusi II did until he lost his throne in the process. But, as it is in most countries, parental irresponsibility ought to attract penalties to save society from the dire future consequences of children raised without proximity, care or love. These are children more likely to graduate as vicious free agents of evil and serve as recruiting grounds for every manner of criminal cartels.

All said, the confusion surrounding the plight

of our ‘Almajiri’ children while attempting to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic is regrettable.

The Northern Governors decision to return these children to their states of origin is unconstitutional because governors have a responsibility to protect Nigerian citizens who are resident in their domain. The same constitution protects citizens from all forms of discrimination on grounds of circumstance. To ‘deport’ these children either because they are ‘Almajiri’ or on suspicion they might be infected with COVID-19 is the height of discrimination.

Recognizing the ‘Almajiri’ problem as a consequence of a cultural feature shared by many northern states should dictate a broad-based policy thrust requiring rehabilitation of these children. Allowing them to be tossed around like destitute political footballs is inhuman. As my colleague, Kayode Komolafe (KK) wrote yesterday in his piece on The Almajiri Question, “The class prejudice against these children is highly unconscionable. They suffer this fate because they are poor and destitute.� A broadbased solution must therefore encompass free compulsory education, state sponsored feeding and social rehabilitation as well as mandatory counselling for their traceable parents.

Going forward, the affected governments must initiate legislation to outlaw the ‘Almajari’ tradition. On its part, the federal government must now indicate a national optimum family size with incentives and penalties attached. The bottom line is to emphasize the central role of the family in ensuring an orderly society. We must put an end to a culture that promotes what a former First Lady once derogatorily (but perhaps very appropriately) termed, ‘Born throw-away.’

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020

EDITORIAL LEAKAGE OF PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH Unauthorised release of information weakens the decision-making process

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or years, the machinery of government in Nigeria has found it difficult to protect the confidentiality of information used in policymaking and administration. But the situation seems to have worsened under the current administration with the latest being the embarrassing leakage of the unprocessed and errorridden script of President Muhammadu Buhari’s last national broadcast. Despite the public outrage, nobody has been held accountable for the lapse. Sadly, rather than take responsibility for what happened and put its house in order, the Presidency is putting the blame on the media. Yet, in the past few months, high profile documents have been flowing into the public domain due to unauthorised leaks, some of them from the most unexpected of quarters.

Apparently in the bid to score political points, many of our public officials have unwittingly created a situation in which no official document is sacred anymore in Nigeria. This is a worrisome and dangerous threat to our national security. To worsen matters, it is actually those charged with WHAT IS BIZARRE IS THAT protecting sensitive IT IS ACTUALLY THOSE materials that give WHO ARE CHARGED WITH them out either for SAFEGUARDING SUCH malicious intent against other persons SENSITIVE DOCUMENTS THAT OFTEN LEAK THEM or to justify their own actions. Presidential TO THE PUBLIC memos, reports by the Police and Army, documents from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Department of State Services (DSS), Customs and Excise papers and even reports of ongoing investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are leaked with impunity in our country. It would seem that today, unlike at any other time in our national history, any and every document can be given out for splashing on the pages of newspapers.

We are mindful of the fact that the emergence of Julie Asange’s Wikileaks and indeed the internet has engen-

dered a situation where leaking “state secrets” and other data and information considered “highly confidential” is now almost a fad of sorts. The United States Government was, in 2010, embarrassed by the leakage of its military and diplomatic cables by Wikileaks. This has made every country to guard with greater care information that could compromise national security or the well-being of their citizens. We also understand that there have always been leaks in government. And it is not peculiar to Nigeria. Besides, government itself sometimes indulges in leaks for different reasons: To test the waters, to justify an action already taken or indeed to communicate information to the public in a clandestine manner.

H 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

owever, these are exceptions rather than the norm. In the case of Nigeria, the flow of unauthorised information to the public domain is now almost at the discretion of everyone in government. What is bizarre in our own case is that it is actually those who are charged with safeguarding such sensitive documents that often leak them to the public. This is not only reprehensible in the extreme, it is what happens in a milieu where professionalism and responsible statecraft are thrown to the dogs by senior officials.

We reaffirm our commitment to transparency and the right of the public to know about the goings-on in government. We also uphold the Freedom of Information Act which gives Nigerians the legal right to ask for and access information and documents held by the government or its agencies in the bid to promote such openness. We, however, frown at the torrential outpouring of official documents in a manner that practically subverts the state. These leaks have costs and consequences. They are also taking a toll on the reputation of the Buhari administration, like we saw with the presidential speech. The only mitigating factor is that it was not a national security document.

It is therefore time our new crop of officials realised that unauthorised release of information discredits the government and weakens the decision-making process.

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Rebirth Of Shila Boys In Adamawa

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hila boys are youths of 15 to 25 years who engage in street larceny and have been terrorising the residents of Yola, the Adamawa State capital for years. The bad boys who specialized in snatching of items such as phones, computers, handbags, purses, money, among others, usually disguise as commercial tricycle operators within the city. Shila boys also injure or kill their victims with cutlasses, machetes and knives. These pose a great threat to the freedom of movement of citizens, making it difficult for them to go about their normal businesses without fear of being attacked by the bad boys.

The gang started its dastardly acts during the administration of former Governor Muhammad Umar Jibrilla Bindow.

Their activities rose to its peak towards the 2019 general elections. Reports as then showed that phones and other valuable items of politicians and party loyalists were snatched during campaigns. The immoral act of the criminals continued even after the inauguration of Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri in May, last year.

It could be remembered that the governor while speaking shortly after being sworn in, promised that security of lives and property of the citizens would top the priority of his administration. He also gave the Shila boys two weeks to desist from the acts or government would take proactive measures against them. Thus, a couple of months after, the Shila boys suspended their vicious operations and embraced

peace. Consequently, Yola enjoyed peace and recorded zero cases of attacks. However, there were cases of kidnappings, particularly in Yola North, Yola South, and Girei Local Government Areas, attacks directly or indirectly linked to Shila boys as they are capable of changing methods of operations.

After enjoying peace in the state capital for almost a year, there is a resurgence as the bad boys who now operate in broad daylight, a rare occurrence in the past. Reports indicated that the gangsters had recently launched attacks at places like Bauchi Street, Nassarawo near Specialist Hospital, Jimeta Modern Market axis, and Bank road, all in Yola North, and Wuro Chekke, Sabon Pegi as well as GRA in Yola South, among other places.

Police reports indicated that the attack that happened at Nassarawo community on Saturday, 9 May, around 9p.m. where the boys snatched phones and other valuables from an innocent citizen was said to be most disastrous. According to Police Public Relations Officer, Suleiman Nguroje, “the Shila boys who used to go out in a group of three or four to attack citizens were not so lucky on Saturday night. They were lynched.”

The rise in crime and drug abuse in Adamawa State is in one way or the other related to the high rate of unemployment. An idle mind is a devil’s workshop.

Bilyaminu Gambo Kong-kol, Bayero University, Kano

Of Pandemic, Solidarity And Cooperation

I

read with great interest a comment with the above title in the THISDAY newspaper of Monday 11th May 2020, attributed to the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Zhou Pingjian. My attention was drawn, because I hoped the ambassador’s comment would at least say something about the efforts of the Chinese authorities to deal with the reported racism suffered by Nigerians and other Africans resident in China in the wake of the Covid-19 epidemic, that went viral on social media. It was apparently so bad that African ambassadors in China took a collective position to speak out on the matter. It is therefore patronizing and an insult to the collective intelligence of Nigerians for the Chinese Ambassador to occupy half a page of THISDAY newspaper writing about solidarity and cooperation, without a single mention of the racism meted out to Nigerians and the efforts of the Chinese authorities to deal with them. Forced evictions and beatings all because they were Africans, and not one word on this from the ambassador. Cooperation and solidarity without respect and sincerity is patronizing. This is very sad! The ambassador should know that while it is expected, that he should draw attention to the good deeds of his people, it is also expected that he should call a spade a spade and in the same measure deal with the ugly side of his society.

Racism in any shape or form is unbecoming. At the moment China is in the spotlight negatively, like never before, and he should recognize this and deal with it.

Kemela Okara Esq., Former Secretary to Government, Bayelsa State

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FEATURES

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

Need for Guided Regulation of Foreign Direct Investment in Nigeria, Post-COVID-19 Seye Adetunmbi

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he impact of Covid19 on the economy of most of the countries globally cannot be over emphasized. As at April 27th 2020, over 30 million Americans have lost their jobs due to ravaging coronavirus pandemic. Apart from the fact that the lockdown has caused distress among some companies in Nigeria, the 2020 budget has been rendered prostrate due to the economy that has suffered a setback from the collapse of the oil price globally. The reality today is that Bonny Light (Nigeria’s crude oil) traded below $11 per barrel, which is half the cost of producing a barrel. Even at this price, Nigeria could not sell her crude oil. The nation has tens of millions of barrels of crude oil in scores of vessels cruising the seas looking for buyers.

At some point, Nigeria offered more than $5 discount per barrel yet no prospect of sales.

Why would anyone buy when U.S. shale oil sold for $2 and no one bought it either.

The bigger picture of major concern is the implication of the global lockdown on virtually all the key sectors of the Nigerian economy.

What we are experiencing now is loss of businesses; some companies will survive others will be forced to close down or sell their ventures.

After the world has overcome Covid19, some of the formal sector players are going to be down for acquisition or takeover through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) while the portfolio investment hawks around the world would be out to make a kill. The “rogue lions� are on the prowl to devour desperate companies and acquire distressed assets at the lowest price possible. The reality is that helpless key sector institutions have become vulnerable and may

Adetunmbi

not have no other option than to cave-in at any offer made to them for their equity shares or debt buyout which practically will cause them to let-go control over their establishments.

Nigeria shouldn’t wait until our situation degenerates to the level of an African country where

the Chinese had to takeover the management of some government agencies due to inability to meet debt obligations. The statement credited to Warren Buffet is instructive in the prevailing circumstance: “Be fearful when others are greedy and be greedy when others are fearful�

The news is in the public domain on how India, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia and other countries have taken decisive steps to moderate incursion of FDI and hostile takeovers or outright acquisition of major businesses in their territories.

In India as at today, its government has to give a nod before any major FDI transaction can be consummated.

No doubt, we have more than enough laws guiding foreign investment policies in Nigeria.

The challenge is how prepared or efficient are the gatekeepers in all the federal regulatory agencies to arrest “rogue lions� and halt FDI purveyors with hidden agenda? This is why this message is to call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to be proactively decisive and intervene with dispatch.

Consequently, the National Assembly is hereby put on notice to complement the executive arm of the government with the appropriate legislation. There is need to quickly develop a fresh guideline for FDI and portfolio investors in Nigeria for the implementation of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigerian Investment Promotion Council and other relevant regulatory agencies. A well coordinated response to FDI in Nigeria becomes imperative. Until the situation is back to normal, make it mandatory for the presidency to have a nod to any major takeover through FDI in Nigeria before such major deal is sealed.

Tough guidelines become imperative for both direct and indirect investments be it stakes in existing ventures or fresh business initiatives.

Critical situation requires critical thinking and critical strategic intervention. We have sufficient time to prevent avoidable and regrettable repercussion. Hence, Nigeria should not be caught napping. The time to act is now. rAdetunmbi wrote in from Lagos.

Professor Gambari is New Chief of Staff to Mr. President Ambassador Abdullahi A. Omaki

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he Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD) welcomes the news of the appointment of Prof. Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, Chairman and Founder of the Centre, as the new Chief of Staff to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

On behalf of its Board Members, the Management and all other staff of Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD), I express with great delight and profound respect to His Excellency Muhamadu Buhari, GCFR, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, most sincere gratitude for this appointment.

The Centre, is exceedingly proud for the honour done to the person of Professor Gambari, his Centre, the people of his home-state, Kwara, and all other Nigerians at home and abroad.

By the estimation of Savannah Centre, this is a very well-deserved appointment, not because he is one of us, our Founder and mentor, but because he is an exceptional Nigerian, who has creditably distinguished himself in Nigeria, Africa, and the world through the United Nations where he served as Under-Secretary General of the world body for about 13 years.

As an appointment that clearly received wide support across the country, we are not unaware of the complex and difficult challenges that have continued to face our great nation, now comprehensively compounded by the socio-economic and health impacts of COVID-19.

Without doubts, time has come for Nigeria to take an extremely deep look at herself, in order to craft both creative and innovative pathways of moving the country, not only out of the challenges of the moment, but to grab

Gambari

the opportunities inherent in these challenges for a greatly improved future for Nigeria.

As an experienced public officer of Professor Gambari’s stature, both at home and abroad, and his vision for Nigeria and Africa, which inspired the establishment of Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD), we at the Centre feel that Nigeria is indeed in very good hands with him as the Chief of Staff.

The imperative for National Elites Consensus is now most urgent. Nigerians across the Federation and in the Diaspora, must work

concertedly with one another, to promote common grounds, on which the survival of our great nation depends. The surest way of attaining this is through ensuring that Nigerians, especially her elites, commence talking WITH each other and not AT each other, with the hope of rapidly promoting National Unity.

This is most imperative, as this will provide the necessary platform for strengthening Nigeria’s cohesion for development and growth where fairness and justice, are pre-requisites.

It is not impossible to achieve this tasks,

complex as they certainly are.

The time ahead is so little and so much needs to be accomplished. And it is the expectation of Savannah Centre therefore, that with this appointment, President Buhari will be vastly assisted to make these landmark achievements during his tenure.

We wish to acknowledge with respect, the numerous messages from our compatriots across the country, and our international partners, who conveyed their felicitations to Professor Gambari on his appointment, through the Savannah Centre platform. Thanks to you all. The Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development will inspite of the temporary “loss� of our Chairman and Founder for higher national duties, remain committed to playing creative and responsible roles in the strides for Nigeria’s Nation-building efforts.

We expect both innovative and creative governance approaches through an effective national podium for Nigeria to assert herself at home, for a robust role in Africa, as the world grapples with the imminent birth of a new world order, occasioned by Covid-19.

Finally, Savannah Centre offers once again, her sincere condolences to the President of Nigeria and the immediate family members of Mallam Abba Kyari, on his sad loss. We pray for Almighty Allah to grant him His magnificent paradise. And to our able Chair and Founder, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, we offer profound congratulations on his appointment and pray for his success in office.

We are certain that Professor Gambari, will neither disappoint President Buhari nor Nigeria at large. Rather, Savannah Centre expects him to be an effective gate-keeper in contributing to the success of President Muhamadu Buhari, in the realization of Mr. President’s cardinal promises to Nigerians. t0NBLJ JT UIF &YFDVUJWF %JSFDUPS 4BWBOOBI $FOUSF

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MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

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REPO 7.42 % 8.33 %

CALL 1-MONTH

7.50 % 8.75 %

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

8 , 2 0 2 0

S & P INDEX INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY

S&P 504.68 % -0.77 %

1/4 TO DATE YEAR TO DATE

EXCHANGE RATE 8.38 % 4.48 %

N361/1US DOLLAR* *AS AT LAST FRIDAY

Quick Takes Royal Exchange Boss Counsels Students

UNITED AGAINST COVID-19

L-R: Deputy General Manager, National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Mr. Bala Wunti; Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunimbe Mamora; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Sylva; Mele Kyari and Chairman, Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG), Mr. Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, during the donation of six ambulances and medical equipment to the South-west states in Lagos...recently

Discard 5G Network Rumours, NCC Tells Nigerians Stories by Emma Okonji The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms industry regulator has called on Nigerians to disregard information making the rounds that telecoms operators were laying 5G cables in Lagos and Kano, in readiness to switch on their 5G network.

The NCC described the information as misleading and called on Nigerians to disregard it.

The purported information that telcos have commenced laying of 5G cables in the country has highlighted fears among Nigerians who believed that 5G network is linked to the spread of COVId-19 that has infected millions of people and has killed several people globally, Nigeria inclusive.

TELECOM Telecoms operators however admitted that they were currently laying fibre cables in Lagos and Kano, but insisted that the cables were not specifically meant for 5G network rollout.

The telcos explained that the current fibre optic cable laying was in continuation of the initial plans to lay metro fibre in cities to sustain broadband penetration in the country that is currently put at 40 per cent penetration, with a target to reach 70 per cent broadband penetration by 2025, through the implementation of the 2020-2025 National Broadband Plan.

In a statement issued recently by NCC and signed by its Director, Public Affairs.

Dr. Henry Nkemadu, the Commission called on Nigerians to discard the information as rumour. According to the statement: “The attention of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has been drawn to a mischievous statement making the rounds on social media like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn and other sites that the Nigerian Telecoms industry is going to switch on 5G in Lagos this Sunday 10th, Monday 11th or Tuesday 12th May 2020.

“The Commission has unequivocally stated that there is no deployment of 5G in Nigeria at the moment. The NCC back in November 2019 approved trial test for 5G for a period of three months and the trial has been concluded and installation decommissioned.

“The Executive Vice Chair-

man of NCC, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, had explained that the trial among others was to study and observe any health or security challenges the 5G network might present.

“Relevant stakeholders including members of the security agencies were invited to participate during the trial.”

The statement further said NCC would continue to maintain its policy of technology neutrality and will continue to encourage service providers to deploy the best technology that would meet the needs of the society in a secured and friendly manner.

“The NCC had provided clarifications of Frequently Asked Questions on 5G in view of the recent developments in which misleading Continued on page 20

…Experts Highlight Opportunities for Business Growth in 5G Experts are all eyeing 5G to enhance opportunities for communication service providers beyond their traditional markets, but they are however faced with the million dollars question on everyone’s mind on how to capture these opportunities, Head of Solution Area Business Support Systems at Ericsson Middle East and Africa, Murat Sahinoglu has said.

According to him, standing above previous generations, 5G would give operators the opportunity to evolve their position in the value chain, playing three distinct roles such as Network Developer,

TELECOM Service Enabler and Service Creator.

These roles, he added, would allow operators to provide increasing value from 5G network infrastructure, and they could provide tailored connectivity solutions through a 5G digital platform for business customers to build their own processes and would be able to offer massive services around Internet of Things (IoTs) and enable new digital services to collaborate on use cases beyond just communications.

“At Ericsson, we believe that by setting the right goals

for digital Business Support Systems (BSS), service providers can define new business models to monetise 5G. “As the first company that has launched live commercial 5G networks on four continents and the provider of core solutions that are supporting 2.5 billion subscribers from 2G to 5G, our team at Ericsson has been involved hands on with 5G technology, evolution 5G and evaluating use cases of today and tomorrow,” the Ericsson boss said.

Sahinoglu, who described the next step in BSS to be “Business-to-Business (B2B), IoT, and Edge, which has to do with handling devices at

IoT scale while supporting new revenue models and billing-on-behalf, explained that the step would be focused on supporting enterprise customers.

The final step, he added, would be Full IoT Ecosystem, in which IoT and Edge partners are customers, suppliers, or both at the same time.

“Use-case demands the capability to very quickly define, deploy, and adapt new offerings to capture new business opportunities when it comes to 5G. This means BSS will have to provide partners with tools Continued on page 20

TheGroupManagingDirector,RoyalExchangePlc,OlawaleBanmore,at this year’s edition of Babcock University Students Association (BUSA) Community Students Week, advised students to make insurance their careerchoice.

Banmore, presenting a paper titled: ‘Insurance Practice as a career -A rewardingexperience’attheevent, toldthestudentsthatevenwhennaturaldisastersoccurandclaimspaid inbillions,theinsuranceindustryhasremainedbuoyant.

Highlighting the various opportunities in the sector, Banmore said: “Opportunities abound for analysts (actuaries), Sales (marketers), General Management(HR,Operations,Communications),brokers(intermediaries betweeninsurancecompanyandtheclient),Underwriters–technicalback officeoperations.”

He gave the students five reasons they should choose Insurance as a careerchoicesaying Insuranceisastableindustry.

According to him, in Nigeria, insurance is a N450 billion sector and has immense opportunities for growth as it should really be a trillion-naira sectoranditsgettingthere.

Hesaidbesides,itisamajoremployeroflabour,especiallyskilledinsurance professionals,amongstotherfields.

Hesaidanotherreasonisthatinsurancesupportstheeconomy,addingthat withoutinsurance,therewouldbefewerjobs,andevenfewerbusinesses.

“Who here will buy a car without insurance, or visit the hospital without healthinsurance?Wehelpcompaniesremaininbusiness”,Banmoresaid.

Hefurthergavethethirdreasonnotingthatinsurancecreatesmultitude ofcareerpaths: According to him, many interesting career paths which cater for varied skillsetsandinterestsaboundininsurance.

Quickteller Paypoint to Support Agents

MembersoftheAssociationofMobileMoneyandBankAgentsinNigeria (AMMBAN)havebeenassuredofcontinuedsupportbyQuicktellerPaypoint AgentsduringtheongoingglobalCOVID-19Pandemic.

This assurance was given by the Divisional CEO, Interswitch Financial Inclusion Services (IFIS), Titilola Shogaolu, at a virtual forum organised recentlybytheAssociation,foritsmembers.

Shecommendedtheassociationforputtingtheforumtogetheratatime whentheCOVID-19pandemichasdisruptedsomanybusinessesacross theglobe. Shereiteratedthattheseareunprecedentedtimes,astheentire worldwasfacedbyuncertaintiescausedbythepandemic.

Shogaolu,highlightedtheneedforsmartsolutionsthatexpeditedigital transactionsandprocesses,addingthat,withthelock-downsituationin the country, things will no longer be business as usual, hence the need to constantlyinnovateandevolve,tomeetthechangingneedsoftheecosystem.

OnhowQuicktellerwassupportingagents,shesaid:“QuicktellerPaypoint is co-funding relief programmes to provide personal protection equipmentandwaresforQuicktellerPaypointAgents,toensurethattheyarein compliancewithCOVID-19expertadvisory,whiletheyrenderservicesto thepublic.Wearealsoadoptingtonewchannelsofcommunicationwith ourAgentstoeducatethem.”

Shogaolu,furtheremphasisedtherelevanceofsocialdistancingatatimelike this,aswellastheimportanceofcashmanagement.Agentswereadvised totakeadvantageofthefactthatsomebankbranchesmaybepossibly closed,todiversifytheirservicesbyhavinganexcellentproductmixand exploringtheintroductionofcashdepositmachines.

UK Supports Commonwealth Veterans

UKaidissupportingCommonwealthveteransandwidowslivinginpoverty indevelopingcountrieswithtwomealsaday.Coronavirusisthebiggest threattheworldhascollectivelyfacedindecades,withmanyCommonwealth veteransstayingathometostaysafe.Owingtothis,theCommonwealth VeteransProgrammehasquicklyadjustedtoregisterstaffasessential workers,sotheycancontinuetodeliverthemealstopeopleintheirhomes, whileobservingsocialdistancing.

TheCommonwealthVeteransProgrammesupportsover6,000veterans and widows, many of whom served inWorldWar II, across 29 countries, includingBangladesh,SriLanka,GhanaandZimbabwe Last year, Department for International Development (DFID) provided 12,000mealstoveteranslivingbelowthepovertyline.

“NCC has not issued any licence for 5G technology in Nigeria and therefore the mobile network operators (MNOS) cannot switch on 5G network.

NCC is technology neutral, as such we don’t license technology but assigns spectrum to operators for deployment of any service” Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC),

Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta

T H I S D AY ˞ ͯͲ, 2020

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DISCARD 5G NETWORK RUMOURS, NCC TELLS NIGERIANS

CSOs Counsel Buhari on Oil Licensing Round

materials with no proven evidence are being circulated to link COVID-19 with 5G technology and therefore refutes the claim that there will be switching on of 5G in Lagos in its entirety. “The Commission also provided clarifications on the laying of fibre optic cables within Lagos and other parts of the country to the effect that the laying of additional fibre optic cables is to strengthen the existing 3G and 4G infrastructure to provide robust and pervasive telecoms infrastructure to improve network performance.

5G is a fifth generation of mobile technology which is an improvement of today’s 4G technology with enhanced capabilities. 5G technology provides the platform for new and emerging technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data to improve the way we live and work. “NCC has not issued any licence for 5G in Nigeria and therefore the mobile network operators (MNOS) cannot switch on such technology.

NCC is technology neutral as such we don’t license technology but assigns spectrum to operators for deployment of any service when allocated by National Frequency Management Council (NFMC),� the statement further added.

Chineme Okafor in Abuja

‌EXPERTS HIGHLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES FOR BUSINESS GROWTH IN 5G that can request network capabilities, present configuration options, determine prices, and orchestrate the order—all in real time and without human intervention in a step-by-step approach,�

Sahinoglu said.

He cited a recent MIT Technology Review Insights report, where senior Information Technology (IT) and network executives at telecommunications operators worldwide, including the Middle East and Africa, were asked to evaluate how they are preparing for the opportunities and challenges of 5G, and particularly how business model shifts will impact IT, network operations, and business support systems.

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria’s extractive sector have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to adopt transparent approaches and eschew exercising discretionary powers in determining eventual winners of oil blocks in the planned marginal fields bids round.

The CSOs - Publish What You Pay (PWYP) and Media Initiative on Transparency in Extractive Industries (MITEI) - stated this during a Webinar facilitated by the Facility for Oil Sector Reform (FOSTER) in Nigeria.

They posited that previous bid rounds were reportedly short of transparency and as such resulted to loss of investors’ confidence in marginal fields development.

In this regards, they requested the president to openly show his commitment to a transparent bid process, devoid of reported political manipulations which are rife in Nigeria’s oil bid rounds.

According to the CSOs, such public declaration by the president would be key to rebuilding public and investors’ trusts in marginal fields bid rounds. “If Nigerians are unable to extract such a public commitment from the president that he will not interfere at any stage in the bid process, prospective investors will still be afraid the outcome will be subject to official manipulations, without strict adherence to approved bid guidelines and rules,� said the CSOs in a communique signed by their respective National Coordinators, Peter

Egbule and Bassey Udo. The CSOs said discretionary award of oil blocks was one of the greatest bane to the growth of Nigeria’s oil industry, adding that past experience showed it was the key reason why stable and legitimate investors stay away from previous bid rounds.

According to them, the government’s main objectives for holding previous oil blocks bid exercises were to increase its oil revenues, grow Nigeria’s reserves and daily production levels; but these objectives were never met after the rounds because of discretionary allocations. “Evidences abound in several industry data to

show that Nigeria has not been able to collect more than $750 million in signature bonuses from the various bid rounds. Of the 175 marginal oil field licences issued between 2000 and 2007, only one has been developed into commercial production,� said the CSOs. They also noted that instead of growing, the country’s daily oil production, its production level has steadily declined, from about 2.3 million barrels per day (mbd) in 2014 to 1.6mbd in 2019.

The CSO noted that previous bid rounds indicated a sharp decline in interest from capable investors, with only 57 per cent of the oil blocks

on offer in the 2005 exercise receiving at least one bid.

According to them, by 2007, the figure dropped further to 40 per cent, with many of the capable investors expressing concerns about the law regulating operations in the oil industry. “Many of the serious investors opted out of the process as they felt the licensing bid rounds were mere cosmetic processes for government officials to reward their allies and associates with oil assets,� said the CSOs. To engender interests, the CSOs said: “Terms governing the licensing round must be open, transparent, clear and easily understandable by

all parties and Nigerians so that the government’s management of the process can be tracked by interested members of the public.�

They equally asked that stringent selection criteria be adopted during the process to ensure that only firms with the requisite financial and technical capabilities make it through and could develop the marginal fields.

According to them, successful bidder must be monitored to pay their signature bonuses in full into government accounts, while the Nigeria Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) must be allowed to audit the process afterwards.

Insurance Operators Urged to Restructure Operations Stories by Ebere Nwoji Insurance sector operators have been advised to leverage on the opportunities created by the COVID19-pandemic to adopt innovations and improve their operations.

Both Executive Director, AXA Mansard Insurance, Mrs. Rashedat Adebisi, and Managing Director, Scib Insurance Brokers, Mr. Shola Tinubu, who stated this at an insurance industry Webinar

recently organised by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) and Finance Institutions Training Centre (FITC), said the COVID-19 pandemic, has thrown up a lot of challenges and opportunities that would redefine the scope of their business.

Adebisi, said some of the opportunities and challenges created by the development include need for insurance awareness, development of

new products that would cover areas not covered by any insurance policy, technological development, among others.

She said post COVID-19 business operation would require business intelligence, artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Also speaking, the Managing Director Cornerstone Insurance Plc, Mr. Ganiyu Musa, said the pandemic would no doubt bring about

job loss and pay cut.

According to him, in the post COVID-19 era, business operators would not be in control of profit, but on cost.

He said the only guarantee for job retention would be improvement and efficiency.

He, however, said where there is need for job cut, employers of labour can do it in a most humane way that would leave the affected staff with dignity and hope.

On his part, Tinubu said in

post COVID-19, opportunities abound in areas which insurers were yet to explore.

He listed some of the areas to include technology and innovation, opportunity in both life and health insurance, increased government investment in health sector.

He also noted that there would be major changes in pattern of business, pointing out that value creation would be critical, while pricing would be more competitive.

NAICOM Explains Free Insurance Policy for Health Workers Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Senior Correspondent

Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents

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

Nume Ekeghe (Money Market) Nosa Alekhuogie (ICT)

The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has clarified issues around the free N11 billion insurance benefits provided by the sector for health workers fighting against the spread of the COVID-19 in the country.

The regulator said the policy was a complementary package to the existing insurance policies for the workers.

This explanation came against the backdrop of concerns by some observers who thought the cover was not big enough for the frontline workers.

The newly appointed Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Sunday Olorundare Thomas,

in a statement, said the health workers have an existing policy, Group Life Insurance Policy as mandated by the Pension Reform Act 2014 (PRA) on employers.

He further disclosed that the federal government which is the employer of the health workers on the frontline have paid for their Group Life policy before now.

He said states were also meant to have in place the Group Life Policy for their health workers.

He added: “The N11 billion benefit was paid for by the insurance industry as part of their support to motivate the

health workers to fight against Covid-19.�

He said the 5,000 people covered were from all the states of the federation, adding that the industry operators have assumed the liabilities on their own and are looking at a worst case scenario. “Nobody prays for a total fatality but where we have this kind of policy in place, we have the assurance that when it gets bad, the industry will always be there for us. “A lot of resources have been put into dealing with Covid-19 and of course the first port of call for us in the insurance industry is to look

at our business and see areas in which we can support the government. “We came together and we looked at the front line workers and doctors, nurses, laboratory workers, other workers that are involved in Covid-19 and we provided some benefits which is a top up to the one already provided under the Pension Reform Act (PRA) 2014. “It is assumed that majority of those that would be working will first of all have the baseline group life cover. The federal government has secured the group life cover and some state government have done the same�, Thomas explained.

He further said the cover has a one-year lifespan, adding that the industry does not expect that the Covid-19 would last up to one year looking at the effort the government has put into the fight.

According to him, “yes, COVID-19 is a new virus and is called novel but at the same time, we believe that with the Nigerian mentality in matters like this, we don’t have to go through the bend like other countries. “I believe that it is not even going to last up to one year, so that is why we gave it a period of cover that is 12 months�, he stated.

T H I S D AY ˞ ͯͲ, 2020

21

BUSINESSWORLD

INTERVIEW

Adebiyi: Revolution in Pemu: Affordable Telco Sector Has RedeďŹ ned Technology Will Enhance Businesses Businesses The Chief Sales and Distribution Officer, MTN Nigeria, Kunle Adebiyi, in this interview speaks on how the revolution in the telecom sector has impacted the nation’s businesses.

Raheem Akingbolu brings the excerpts:

Adebiyi

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hat is the essence of Turn It Up and what does it signify for MTN Partners?

Literally speaking, Turn it Up means when something is low and you want to bring it back to life. In line with MTN tradition, the campaign is an idea that was conceived to inspire Nigerians.

We are using it as a wakeup call to individuals and groups that there is a hidden treasure in them that can help them realise their dreams.

For instance, in the television commercial, we showed a young boy whose father is involved in a traditional festival but the old man is doing it the old way. As the father grows old, the boy too advances in age but the festival is losing its steam and flavour. Then suddenly, the young man becomes acquainted with the ICT and other modern technology applications that would bring about modern ways that could revitalise the old tradition. With it, he injects a new life into the festival and it picks up again and trends with the new generation of youths, urban adults and even the aged who consumes the aura of the festival better. We are saying that even if you are selling food on the roadside, with new ways you can turn it up and make it mega. A young entrepreneur in the village can come to the city and approach his or her business in a modern way and turn it into a big venture.

MTN is saying anywhere you belong to and any business you are into, you can make it bigger and be more successful. Succinctly speaking, it means transformation, progress and success in the new decade. It is a thematic campaign for 2020 under the slogan ‘Turn It Up!’ and it seeks to encourage Nigerians to look within to live their brightest lives by taking advantage of the varied opportunities around.

Let’s be speciďŹ c now, in what ways has MTN turned things up for its Partners recently?

In many ways, MTN has touched many lives.

We have seen many people who have gotten their lives changed through MTN scholarship. In the entertainment industry, we have seen a lot of young musicians who realised their dreams of becoming music icons through MTN initiative like Project Fame. For instance, Nigerians can connect easily with people like Chidinma and Praiz, who came on the platform, explored and thereafter became successful as musicians.

Today, these young people have continued to give credit to MTN. Chidinma came into the limelight after winning the third season of MTN Project Fame West Africa in 2010. Praise Adejo, who is popularly known by his stage name Praiz also came into limelight by participating in the talent show. Nigerians will remember that Project Fame, also known as Project Fame West Africa or MTN Project Fame West Africa was then a music talent TV reality show filmed in Lagos and aired in the West African subcontinent.

Again, MTN recently announced the start of a new musical reality television show, ‘Y’ello Star, to groom musical talent by providing a lifetime opportunity to turn their dreams and aspirations into reality. Besides, since 2006, through the MTNF/MUSON Scholarship Programme, MTN Nigeria has trained hundreds of young Nigerians in the art and business of music. Y’ello Star takes this further by bringing the process of creating the ultimate superstar to every Nigerian television screen.

Besides, there are many people who have become successful from a humble beginning of selling recharged cards under an umbrella but have now become successful businessmen. We have vendors, contractors, and other trade partners, who started small but became big through their partnership with MTN. Narrowing it down to common men and women on the street who got their jobs through the SMS, powered by MTN. There are also consumers; among 170 million Nigeria populace who connect and transact businesses through calls or data application and their lives and businesses are changing for better every second.

Do feedbacks from your Trade Partners inuence the kind of products you invest in?

One major driver for us at MTN is feedbacks from stakeholders. Anything we want to do, we interact with staff, trade partners and customers.

In all, what we are committed to is to better the lots of the customers. If you go to the market, you will see people moving up and down and what comes to mind is how to impact their lives.

Under such circumstances, one doesn’t need to wait for competition before taking action that will touch lives and improve services.

During the launch of Turn it Up, it was announced that military servicemen will be given priority treatment at MTN service centers nationwide, can you shed more light on this?

Well, we have already started with a partnership with the military. Like most Nigerians, at MTN, we cannot underemphasise the important roles being played by the military to protect Nigerians.

We are also aware of the risk involved while trying to protect us.

How does Turn it Up speaks to the daily experience of the average MTN customer or sales partner?

First, for the partners, we are committed to advance the benefits that are due to them. For instance, during the xenophobic attacks, we reward consumers; at least to cushion the effect of the crisis. We also involve in customer service awards annually where we give trade partners cash prize and other valuables for their loyalty.

It will boost their businesses and strengthen the bond between them and the MTN brand. For subscribers, we are appreciative of their loyalty and we are always taking steps to show that we are keen about them.

We have also introduced ‘MTN for me’ that will be tailored towards specific benefit that is for a particular subscriber alone. We want to deal with customers individually. If a subscriber is strong in data usage, we will direct whatever we are doing to appreciate him or her towards data.

The telco market has almost become saturated, how is MTN copping with competition?

We are happy that the sector has fully opened up and we also delighted with the fact that more players are now operating. Competition is good as it encourages innovation and adds value to consumers. At MTN, we are not intimidated because the company’s second name is innovation.

Besides, Nigeria is a big market and this allows everybody to operate alongside

The General Manager, Nairametrics, Mr. Chris Pemu, in this interview, spoke on the need for Nigerians to leverage new financial technology solutions to serve their business needs as well as how businesses will survive in post COVID-19 era. Emma Okonji brings the excerpts:

T

echnology is expensive to deploy despite its many advantages. How can small businesses leverage on technology to grow their business?

It is true that small businesses all over the world including Nigerian firms, typically find the cost of deploying technology as a barrier to adoption. However, there have been advances in the suite of technology solutions which micro-enterprises can leverage including in Nigeria. The key is for micro-enterprises to think critically about what their core business services, as well as, which business tasks they plan to outsource. Depending on the decision matrix, appropriate lower cost alternatives can be leveraged. As examples, businesses need to ask the questions: do you really need to rent an office space if you can start out with just a website and use shared workspaces for your meetings? Do you really need to hire advertising and marketing staff from day one, if you can reach followers on social media platforms? The use of lower cost technology objectives enables small businesses to keep overhead costs low during the startup phase and focus on core revenue generating services such as product development and customer service which drive growth.

As an advocate of ďŹ nancial literacy, what are your views about ďŹ nancial transactions in the informal sector, where there is heavy cash ow among traders?

I am assuming this question suggests that the majority of transactions in the informal sector is cash based. If so, I understand the perception that there are a lot of cash transactions in the informal sector. However, before we discuss Nigeria’s financially excluded population, we must first commend the authorities for the ongoing work being done to migrate the banked population from cash and cheque-based channels to electronic banking channels. The apex banking regulator releases an annual CBN Payments Channel report which, tracks volumes and values of financial transactions conducted across the various channels in Nigeria such as Cheques, ATM, as well as, electronic channels. If we accept ATM transactions to be synonymous with cash dealings, then what you can see from the report is that the use of manual cash/cheques is reducing as a proportion of overall activity. In 2015, ATM activity was 7.1 per cent of overall activity, which N3.9 trillion out of N56.3 trillion in total financial transactions. Cheques accounted for 11.0 per cent of overall activity, which is N6.2 trillion out of N56.3 trillion total financial transactions However, by 2019 ATM activity was only 3.8 per cent of total, which was N6.5 Trillion of N171.5 trillion. Cheques accounted for only 2.6 per cent of total or N4.5trillion of N171.5 trillion. In other words, ATM and cheques combined now account for less than seven per cent of financial activity in 2019 compared to 18 per cent of activity in 2015.

This dramatic change is simply reflected in the growth of alternative payment channels which facilitate the peer to peer cash transfers such as Mobile Money, Agent Banking, Web Transfers, as well as, mechanisms for seamless bill payments such as e-bills and Remita. The adoption of these new electronic channels by Nigerians has resulted in outstanding 400 per cent growth from N33 trillion in 2015 via electronic channels to N135.4 trillion in 2019.

However, the above improvements only benefits the “Banked� population in Nigeria.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is keen to have Nigeria as a cashless economy, but Nigeria is still regarded as a heavy cash nation, where volume of ďŹ nancial transactions is done with physical cash. How can this ďŹ nancial narrative be changed?

Financial products are not different to any service or application in the world. Everything requires a basic level of literacy. Even the use of mobile phones, television, driving a car all require a basic level of literacy. If we are being honest, Nigerians are great adopters of technology when they can clearly see the benefits and it fits the lifestyle of an average

Pemu Nigerian. As an example, 83 per cent of the Nigerian population have a mobile phone with smartphones adopted by a whopping 39 per cent. Notably for smartphone adoption, Nigeria is the 4th in Africa only behind South Africa, Tunisia and Kenya. In other words, adopting advanced technology isn’t the problem when the incentives are clear and there is minimal change to lifestyle including adoption costs. Thus, the challenge is in establishing the right incentives for Nigerians to leverage new financial technology solutions to serve their needs. Technology solutions which require the average Nigerian to download an app to make purchases on e-commerce platforms for goods which cost tens of thousands may be targeting the wrong market. However, a USSD/mobile phone based solution for getting micro loans of between N1,000 to N10,000 repayable at the end of the week will likely be of interest to the average Nigerian. In other words, FinTech startups need to continually deliver solutions focused on helping end users solve their existing problems. Fintech should continually deliver solutions which integrate into the existing workflow and lifestyle of Nigerians rather than creating new workflows.

Technology is evolving with ArtiďŹ cial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT). How can your ďŹ rm leverage big data analytics to provide appropriate solutions for the ďŹ nancial market?

From our perspective, we have recently launched our own app that both Android and Apple users can download to keep up to date with actionable business on the go.

Given our core focus of financial literacy and investor advocacy, we see huge opportunities in big data analytics, specifically, in the areas of market research and predictive analytics.

As an example, we have been tracking prices of household items such as food, and plan to expand this market research to other areas.

The underlying data presents interesting insights at a very basic level with which we correlate with macro stats from CBN and NBS to give our audience actionable insights. As we expand our data repository and the functionality on our app, we expect to deploy more bespoke real time analytics for the Nigerian retail investor. So, this is a space to watch.

Government is keen about ďŹ nancial literacy, which is at the very core of Nairametrics’ vision. What is the level of commitment from Nairametrics to achieve this goal?

In the Nigerian school curriculum there is a gap and absence of personal finance courses, a situation that has left many individuals with no training on personal finance, while some have to be self-taught. We have come up with various initiatives as our contribution to improve financial literacy in the country. We have ‘Everyday Money Matters’, which is a show powered by Nairametrics on Lagos talks 91.3 FM where a litany of issues pertaining to personal finance are discussed. If Nigerians can create wealth individually it will have a multiplier effect on the nation.

22

T H I S D AY ˞ ͯͲ, 2020

Repositioning Nigeria’s Ending Female Genital Agriculture Sector Mutilation Oluchi Chibuzor writes on the need to Ugo Aliogo examines the progress made in the reposition Nigeria’s agricultural sector through eradication of Female Genital Mutilation in Nigeria improved funding. emale Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a

F

I

n the face of dwindling oil revenue and the global economic challenges necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic, there is need for the federal government to focus on its economic diversification agenda.

This leaves the country with no other options but to urgently embrace the revival of the agricultural sector as the present price of oil clearly points to the fact that its economy can no longer be financed by the produce from crude oil again.

It is a known fact that agriculture remains the largest sector of the Nigerian economy and employs two-third of the entire labour force.

But production hurdles have significantly stifled the performance of this sector and recently the coronavirus pandemic has further expanded its susceptibility and vulnerability to external factors.

According to Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), over the past 20 years, value-added per capita in agriculture has risen by less than one per cent annually and it is estimated that Nigeria has lost $10 billion in annual export opportunity due to continuous decline in the production of some commodities.

Factors undermining agricultural production experts said include reliance on rain-fed agriculture, smallholder land holding, and low productivity due to poor planting material, low fertilizer application, and a weak agricultural extension system and absence of long term accessible cheap funds amongst others.

But, according to the Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Muda Yusuf, with COVID-19 induced lockdown in some states, the food situation was most likely to worsen with farmers having to cope with movement restrictions and paralyzed supply chains as transport restrictions and quarantine measures are likely to impede farmer’s access to markets thus curbing their productive capacities and hindering them from selling their produce.

He also said, in addition, farmers might be hindered from working on their land and buying seeds or other essential inputs, adding that there is also the challenge of shortages of labour, which could disrupt the production and processing of food, especially for crops that are highly labour intensive.

However, the LCCI boss said the Nigerian agricultural sector needs a total overhauling to be able to propel food production and exports in the post COVID-19 lockdown era, adding that it is obvious that the current settings under which the sector operates lacks the required strength and drive to push the nation’s agricultural sector to the required heights going forward.

According to him, “There is need for government to create an enabling environment for private investment in produce transportation and cold-storage facilities for on-farm and off-farm operations. “It is incredibly sad that in this time and age, fruits, vegetable and other perishable food commodities are transported in crude and unsafe manner in Nigeria under the full watch of federal and state ministries of Agriculture,� he added.

The DG advised that there should be increased efforts geared towards commodity value chain development to open up the various investment opportunities along each commodity value chain, saying this would drive investment in the agricultural sector and provide employment for the teeming unemployed youths who may become actors along the value chain.

He stressed that in a country where rural infrastructure is practically non-existent, government should consider a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) approach towards provision of infrastructures in the rural areas where

over 70 percent of agricultural production presently takes place.

This, according to him would act a booster for and provide the needed infrastructures for agricultural development in Nigeria.

Muda acknowledged that, “while various efforts have been put in place by the government through the CBN to make credit available to farmers and other players in the agricultural sector over the years�, believes that the “outcomes can be better if there were complementary interventions from the fiscal authorities to fix the structural bottlenecks in the sector.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) recognising that COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented disruptions to global supply chains, sharp drop in global crude oil prices, turmoil in global stock and financial markets, noted that these outcomes have had severe consequences on households’ livelihoods and business activities, resulting from drop in global demand, declined consumer confidence and slowdown in production.

This motivated the CBN to introduce the N50 billion Targeted Credit Facility (TCF) as a stimulus package to support households and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The General Secretary, Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Scale Enterprise, Lagos Chapter, Mike Alade, said saving SMEs in the country was a matter of life and death, especially as they are the driving force of every economy.

He added: “It is obvious that agro allied SME’s in Nigeria needs to be financed and with the N50b from the CBN, we will breathe a huge relief if accessed.�

Alade said the facility would boost so many businesses as the nation. “This will help in terms of expansion, raw materials, working capital, asset acquisitions, employment generation and value creation to mention just as a few. Overall it will impact on productivity level across so many agro chains in the country if effectively disburse in a timely manner. “With the recent COVID-19, there would be a lot of vacuum and SMEs will cushion this effect, so to stimulate the economy SMEs as a matter of urgency needs to get this fund.

Most of them are experiencing COVID-19 shock as we were not prepared,� he said.

Also, the President, Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN) Mr. Adeola Adegoke, called for immediate disbursement of fund to his members to enable farming activities progress in line with the commencement of raining season.

He agreed that stakeholders must wake up and see agriculture as the bedrock of Nigeria’s economy, noting that the survival of from this pandemic was for agriculture to thrive. “That is why as an association we are pursuing grants from the CBN for the small scale farmers in Nigeria to make inputs available and better credit facilities for the farmers to pay back,� he added.

Reiterating the significance of increasing funding to the sector, the National president, Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria, Salim Muhammad, noted output production may be 30 -35 per cent of expected output total 12,000 hectares cultivated.

The Catfish and Allied Fish Farmers Association of Nigeria (CAFFAN), National President, Mr. Oloye Rotimi, advocated for structural marketing in the fish farming industry. He, however, solicited for government to give exception status to the sub-sector, saying fish is a necessary protein required for attainment of the SDGs.

harmful traditional practice involving the cutting or removal of the external female genitalia.

Based on World Health Organisation (WHO) definitions, there are four types of FGM, the first known as clitoridectomy is the type I which involves partial or total removal of the (external) clitoris and/or the prepuce. The type II is known as excision and it involves partial or total removal of the (external) clitoris and the labia minora, with or without excision of the labia majora.

The type III is known infibulation and it involves narrowing of the vaginal orifice with creation of a covering seal by cutting and positioning the labia minora and/or the labia majora, with or without excision of the clitoris. The type IV involves all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, for example: pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterization.

Globally, 200 million women and girls have been mutilated. In Nigeria alone, 20 million women and girls have been mutilated and this figure represents 10 per cent of the global total.

What this implies is that one out of every 10 mutilated girl or woman in the world is a Nigerian. In Nigeria, the zones with the highest FGM prevalence rates are the South West and the South East.

From a legal point of view, 13 States in Nigeria have their own State laws expressly prohibiting FGM. These States includes Lagos, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Ogun, Delta, Ebonyi, Oyo, Imo, Edo, Cross-River and Rivers State.

WHO Report In Nigeria, data from the 2018 National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) shows that 20 per cent of women age 15-49 have been circumcised. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in a report stated that the most common type of FGM in Nigeria is type II (some flesh removed), with 41 per cent of women who had FGM, while undergoing the procedure.

Meanwhile, 10 per cent percent of women underwent a type I procedure (clitoris stitched, no flesh removed) and six per cent underwent a Type III procedure (also known as infibulation).

The report also noted that the NDHS 2018 also indicates that seven per cent of circumcisions carried out on girls’ age 0-14 and 8.6 per cent of women age 15-49 were carried out by medical professionals with majority of female circumcisions carried out by traditional circumcisers.

The report further explained that in addressing the menace, the Nigerian government developed the first National Policy and Plan of Action for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation in Nigeria, 2013 – 2017; which was revised in 2018. Significant milestones were recorded in the implementation of the policy over the past six years which includes the enactment of legislation outlawing FGM. However, implementation of this legislative framework remains low across the States in the country.

Experts; View To create a basis for proper understanding of FGM especially from a stakeholder’s viewpoint, THISDAY spoke to the Programme Officer, Action Health International (AHI), Funsho Bukoye, who stated that several advocacy campaigns have been put in place towards elimination of FGM in Nigeria.

She affirmed that in 2015, the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act was passed into and it involves punishing offenders who perpetrate the act, adding that domestication of the law has been poor, “as it is only few states that have domesticated the law.�

Bukoye argued that due to poor domestication of the law, the practice still continues in rural areas where there is little or no understanding of the law.

According to Bukoye, “FGM is a cultural, rooted traditional belief such as child marriage.

Thus, it requires more than awareness creation, but intense advocacy and behavioural change communication to eradicate this practice. “For example: How are the circumcisers

Genital mutilation

engage after abandonment of practices? A lot of Civil Society Organisations are doing great works especially in States where they are high prevalence cases of FGM such states include Oyo, Osun and Ebonyi. There are a lot of intense advocacy and engagement programmes. “There have been a lot of communities that have declared abandonments especially in Osun and Oyo with the headship of those towns passing laws that persons involved FGM will be punished. “For instance, in Osun, the traditional ruler of a particular community passed a law that anybody involved in FGM banished from the town. Another law passed was that if any person is caught in the act of FGM, their movement in the town will be restricted for two market days, and if it is a continuous practice they will be sent out of the community.�

She added: “Section 6 of the VAPP Act provides for a set of punishments for FGM. Some of these punishments include; Anybody who performs or engages another to perform FGM on any person is liable to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 4 years or to a fine not exceeding N200,000 or to both. “Anybody who attempts, aids, abets, or incites another to carry out FGM is liable to a term not exceeding two years imprisonment or to a fine not exceeding N100,000 or to both.�

Also commenting on the issue, a social activist on the issue of FGM, Melony Ishola, asserted that three million girls are been mutilated globally, and Nigeria has the highest number of mutilated girls worldwide.

She also stated that there are laws put in place to prohibit the issue of FGM such as the Violence Prohibition Act, which she said is very effective in the country.

Ishola maintained that FGM as a practice falls under the aspect of the law which concerns any harmful traditional practices, therefore in the country; there are laws and policies prohibiting FGM. According to her, “From States to States; there exist laws that govern FGM prohibition and it varies. There are some States that actually prohibits this. For instance, in Oyo State, there are two laws; one of the laws is 2006 Child Right Act which is stipulates a fine of N20, 000 and a jail terms of not more than two years for any offender. The state also has the 2016 Violence Against Women Law which stipulates a fine of N100, 000 and a jail term not exceeding four years. “In Oyo state, you will realise that the duplicity of this law is a problem especially when you consider the fact that there are two laws penalizing offenders. There was a report I read about some members of the judiciary in the state not being aware that there are legal provisions criminalising FGM in the state. There is also a part in the report where police officers asserted that they are not supposed to carry out arrest of offenders of FGM; they feel that the responsibility should belong to the officers of Nigeria Civil Defence.

She argued that FGM is an age-long traditional practice that is rooted in culture and tradition, however espoused that the religious leaders Christianity and Islam have debunked that the fact their Holy Books recommend FGM, “yet a lot of research shows that FGM is very prevalent in Muslim dominated population.�

The activist said that there is hypocrisy of religious leaders believing that mutilating women would help sexually to sanitise the society, adding that it is very strange, though true.

23

T H I S D AY ˞ ͯͲ, 2020

How Not to Waste Family COVID-19: As BoI Moves Jewels to Save its Customers Patrick Okigbo

Bisi Daniels

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or the over 10,000 enterprises that benefited from the Bank of Industry’s N234 billion disbursements in 2019, the outbreak of COVID-19 with its negative impact on business must have left some of them wondering if the support was a blessing or a curse.

With the lockdowns and shrinking demand for goods and services, some of them must have wondered how they would service their debts, or even stay afloat in a raging economic storm.

But the Bank says it has not been unmindful of their fears. It noted in a statement last week, “The COVID-19 pandemic is a clear and present danger to the world, especially the developing nations like Nigeria from a health as well as an economic perspective. “BoI understands that these are very challenging times for all Nigerians, including our dear customers and it has been working tirelessly to provide the critical support required by our customers not only to survive but to thrive in these difficult times.�

The Bank moved quickly to implement measures in compliance with the Federal Government’s directives on moratoriums for loans given by government-owned financial institutions, while also implementing its measures to ensure that customers are wellsupported in line with its developmental mandate.

It will be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had in his presidential address on March 29, announced palliatives for the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Bank said it promptly responded to the presidential directive as follows: r $PNNVOJDBUFE UIF NPSBUPSJVN QFSJPE of three months to customers and further advised that customers requiring more than three months can apply for a further extension, which can be up to 12 months; r 3FEVDFE UIF JOUFSFTU SBUFT PO BMM BOI-funded projects by two per cent per annum from 10 per cent to eight per year with effect from April 1. This has also been communicated to customers and partnering commercial banks; r 8PSLFE XJUI PVS GVOEJOH QBSUOFST UP obtain interest rate reductions on some of the funds that we manage. In particular, the Bank worked with the Nigerian Content Development Management Board to reduce the interest rates on credit facilities approved under its managed fund from eight per cent per annum to six per cent per annum.

This reduction in interest rate, as well as the extension of the moratorium period, has been communicated to all customers; r "MM JOUFSWFOUJPO GVOET HSBOUFE CZ UIF Central Bank of Nigeria and disbursed by the Bank of Industry have been covered by the CBN’s palliative measures, which include moratorium extension and interest rate reduction to five per cent per annum, which has also been communicated to the relevant customers. r 5IF #BOL IBT XSJUUFO UP BMM UIF Managing Directors and Chief Risk Officers of partnering commercial banks, officially notifying them of the Bank’s position on these initiatives. r "MTP JO UIF #BOL T CJE UP TVQQPSU UIF government and private sector initiatives to fight COVID-19, the Bank donated N700m to both the CACOVID Fund, as well as the Lagos State Government and the FCT Ministerial Committee on COVID-19 Despite ending the 2019 financial year strongly to the delight of shareholders and other stakeholders, the Bank’s reputation in the socio-economic headwinds from COVID-19 was at stake. It had to show it had a responsibility to its customers as much as it cares about its balances and shareholder interests.

An official of the Bank said on Friday, “We don’t just provide loans, we work continuously with our customers to ensure that they succeed. “We provide business advisory services other than just providing loans; and we continuously engage our customers, espe-

F

igeria’s government intends to auction some marginal oilfields. What should Nigerians do to improve the outcomes and ensure history does not

repeat itself?

Let’s start with a hypothetical scenario which, in a few minutes, will become obviously an empirical one. Imagine that your father inherited land from your forefathers to hold in trust for you and subsequent generations. For decades, he has leased out portions of the land to farmers for rent and a share of their harvest. However, he has been unable to collect neither rent, share of the harvest, nor reclaim the land. Your father has just announced his intention to lease out more land. Given his track-record, will you support him or insist on a change in approach before you lend your support?

These are the decisions you have to make as Nigeria plans to auction more marginal oilfields.

A marginal oilfield is any land where crude oil has been discovered but, for whatever reason, the owner of the lease has decided that production will not be commercially-viable. If the land is left undeveloped for 10 years, Nigeria’s president is empowered by law to reclaim it and offer it up for auction. The fact that an oilfield is not viable for one party does not mean that it won’t be attractive to another party. Different return profiles for different oil companies.

There are three main reasons why Nigeria seeks, from time to time, to lease out its marginal oilfields; to increase revenues, proven crude oil reserves, and daily crude oil production. Like the hypothetical family above, Nigeria has performed woefully on all counts with all the oil license bid rounds held since 2000. For instance, about $0.75 billion in rent (or “signature bonus�) is yet to be collected from the lessors. Nigeria’s target of 40 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves by 2020 will not be met.

Instead, it has declined from 37.45 billion barrels in 2014 to 36.97 billion barrels in 2019. Similarly, crude oil production targets of 4 million barrels of oil per day by 2020 is an illusion. Production has dropped from 2.3 million barrels in 2014 to 1.6 million barrels in 2019.

There are no great surprises here. None of the oil license bid rounds of the last 2 decades upheld the principles of transparency. Rather, licenses were awarded to companies without the requisite technical and financial capabilities. It is no wonder that of the 175 marginal oilfield licenses issued between 2000 and 2007, only one have gone into production.

Over time, Nigeria’s oil license bid rounds have seen a decline in interest from serious investors. For instance, only 57 percent of oil blocks offered in 2005 drew a bid; by 2007, the number dropped to 40 percent.

The fact that the Minister of Petroleum Resources is empowered by law to award or revoke licenses based on his or her discretion has turned the licensing process into a channel for dispensing political favours.

This has dissuaded many serious investors from participating.

On the use of proceeds, common sense dictates that funds from the sale of a jewel should be tied to specific national development objectives. Yet, this has not been the case with any of the signature bonuses collected over the last 20 years. Instead, like the Biblical prodigal son, the government has spent most of the funds on Nigeria’s bloated bureaucracy.

The Buhari administration recently announced her intention to auction off some marginal oilfields. Should Nigerians support this initiative?

The short answer is in the affirmation especially as Nigeria is in dire economic straits and needs to unlock value from its dormant assets. However, if Nigeria’s decades-old history with licensing marginal oilfields is anything to go by, the proposed auction will be another wanton waste of the family

Buhari

jewels. It will not deliver the expected increase in revenue, increase in proven crude oil reserves, or increase in daily crude oil production unless the government makes the process more transparent.

There are specific actions the administration can take to improve the outcomes of the licensing process. As a pre-requisite, President Muhammadu Buhari should declare that he would not invoke his discretionary powers as Minister of Petroleum Resources during this process. This is a critical requirement to rebuild the trust and confidence of the serious investors that this licensing process is not just a charade or a way to take care of political loyalists before the end of this administration.

Before the commencement of bidding activities, Nigerians should insist on evidence of the following four key deliverables. One, a comprehensive national economic development plan and how the expected signature bonuses would be used to implement the plan. Two, a national data repository that would be used as the single source of verified data for all parties interested in the bid. Three, widely published information on the asset value to eliminate any arbitrage opportunities resulting from information asymmetry. Four, the terms governing the licensing round should be open, transparent, clear and easy to understand so the interested public can track how the government is managing the process on their behalf. Very importantly, the pre-qualification criteria should be empirical to eliminate bias.

During the bidding process, the selection criteria should be stringent to limit the pool of bidders to only firms with the requisite financial and technical capabilities. Comprehensive details of all prospective bidders should be published on platforms that are easily accessible by Nigerians. The successful firms must pay their signature bonuses in full. All payments should be made into government accounts.

In the post-bid phase, firms must post performance bonds to be drawn down by the government if they fail to commence work on the oilfield. The government should include a “drill-or-drop� clause so it can easily reclaim the license on grounds of non-performance by the winning bidders.

The National Assembly should provide oversight. The Nigeria Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative should audit the processes while civil society organisations should provide monitoring.

Without significant changes to the oil licensing process, the proposed 2020 oil licensing rounds would be another channel for peddling patronage without any commensurate benefits to Nigeria. This is the time to actively engage with President Buhari to ensure he understands that business-as-usual processes will deliver asusual-results. This will be bad for Nigeria and bad for the anti-corruption persona President Buhari has so diligently cultivated over the last half century in public life. His ability to derive value from the latent assets would bolster Nigeria’s chances. This is a unique opportunity to write his name in gold. Can he?

-Okigbo is the Founder and Principal Partner at Nextier, a public policy advisory firm

Pitan

cially during difficult times. “We are always conscious of our reputation as Nigeria’s oldest, largest and most successful development financing institution. “Among our operational principles are long-term relationship with clients, based on shared responsibilities for the success of enterprises; and equitable commitment to the prosperity of all stakeholders.�

BOI, a limited liability company, has a long history of strong performance, operating profitably since 2004 following its successful restructuring.

In line with its vision to operate under global best practices, BOI has been benchmarking itself against top-notch DFIs in Africa, Asia, South America and Europe; and it has continuously obtained favourable credit ratings from world class credit rating agencies The group’s Total Equity as at year ended 2019 was N293.09billion showing a 13.4 per cent increase over 2018 position of N258.24 billion. In the same vein, Profit Before Tax of the group grew to N39.33 billion marking a year-on-year growth of 7.2 per cent over N36.66 billion of 2018.

The increase in profitability is as a result of improvement in loan book, as well as the efficient management of the group’s other assets and liabilities. Despite a slow start in the first quarter of the year due to the build-up to the 2019 general elections, loans and advances grew by 16.7 per cent from N634.11billion in 2018 to N740.03 billion in 2019.

Interest Income and Interest Expense increased by 20 per cent and 54 per cent on a year-on-year basis respectively due to increase in loan book as well as the impact of borrowings (full year impact on the interest expense in 2019, while 2018 impact was for six months).

The accounts of the Bank of Industry group reflects a strong balance sheet as well as sustained business growth in line with both regulatory requirements and global best practices; as well as a strong alignment with the strategic objectives of the Federal Government, especially in the areas of industrial growth and job creation.

The Bank’s disbursed a total of N234 billion to 10,145 enterprises, thus facilitating the creating of an estimated one million direct and indirect jobs.

The disbursement to the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) segment increased from N33.9 billion in 2018 to N53.0 billion in 2019, representing a remarkable 56.3 per cent year-on-year growth.

The Bank also consolidated its role as the managing partner of one of the Federal Government’s Social Investment Programmes, Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP).

About N8.2 billion was disbursed to beneficiaries in 2019, thus bringing the total disbursed amount since inception to N36.9 billion to 2.3 million beneficiaries nationwide. In light of this outstanding performance, GEEP was recognised by the Desmond Tutu Fellowship for its role in driving financial inclusion. The programme also won the African Development Bank’s African Bankers’ Award as the most impactful Financial Inclusion programme in Africa.

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

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T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ ÍŻÍ˛Ëœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

IMAGES

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu (left) and Chief Judge, Hon. Kazeem Alogba during the swearing-in ceremony of newly appointed Judges of the State High Court, at the Executive Council Chamber, Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja...recently

Photo Editor ĂŒĂ“Ă™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă˜ ÔËÖË Email Ă‹ĂŒĂ“Ă™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă˜Ë›Ă‹Ă”Ă‹Ă–Ă‹ĚśĂžĂ’Ă“Ă?ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁĂ–Ă“Ă Ă?Ë›Ă?Ù×

L-R; SGF , Mr. Boss Mustapha greet the Chairman , ThisDay Newspapers , Prince Nduka Obaigbena at the commissioning the ThisDay covid -19 Isolation Center in Abuja..recently GODWIN OMOIGUI

Tricyclists and Small Bus Operators plying from Ile-Epo Market to Command gives Sanitizer and hand wash waters to their passengers before boarding the vehicles at Oke-Odo in Lagos...recently

Uneding queues of Tanker and Container Trucks on the ljora/Apapa Bridge by drivers is a dangerous attitudes that could cause mayhem if it is not properly checked by the concerned authority. abiodun ajala

Imo State Deputy Governor, Prof. Placid Njoku (left) receiving a copy of the Committee’s report on the Review of Imo State Sports Commission Law from the Chairman, Dr. Pat Ekeji at Sam Mbakwe Exco Chamber, Government House, Owerri...recently

Director- General, Public works, Mr. Sunday Awoyomi and Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi during the inspection of ongoing road rehabilitation by Ekiti State Public Works at Oke- Ila, Ado Ekiti...recently

Newly appointed Judges of the State High Court taking their Oath of OďŹƒce, at the Executive Council Chamber, Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja,..recently

THURSDAY MAY 14, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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26

T H I S D AY ˾ , MAY 14, 2020

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

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

COVID-19 and Shortage of Bed Spaces, Ventilators, PPE As Nigeria continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, shortages of bed spaces, personal protective equipment, testing kits and ventilators pose a huge challenge to winning the war in the country, Martins Ifijeh writes

E

arlier, the Director General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu mentioned that the country has only 3500 bed spaces for the growing numbers of COVID-19 cases, and that Lagos, Kano and Abuja were almost running out of spaces for patients.

He said due to this shortage, the federal government would consider homecare. “We are struggling at the moment, ultimately we might have to change our strategy a little bit and start considering homecare in certain circumstances, to provide a room where a patient can be managed sufficiently”.

Also, the National Coordinator, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr, Sani Aliyu during a webinar last week said before now, Nigeria had only 350 ventilators for its 200 million populations, and that 100 have now been added to it through donations and purchases; meaning 450 ventilators are what the country presently has.

Bed spaces and ventilators are not the only medical supplies and equipment in short supply. Nigeria is currently battling with lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for its health workers and test kits to check for samples of suspected cases.

While these important tools are no doubt in short supply globally, they pose peculiar challenges for Nigeria considering that the country’s COVID-19 number is far from reaching its peak; which suggests in few weeks, its health system will begin to shrink, and if no urgent measures are taking, may overwhelm the system at the expense of the lives of Nigerians.

As at Wednesday, the country had 4,787confirmed cases, 959 discharged persons and 158 deaths; statistics which suggests not less than 3,670 active cases are currently using isolation beds, leaving the entire country left

Isolation centre

with only 700 bed spaces.

A Public Health Expert and Epidemiologist, Dr. Frank Ndubuisi told THISDAY that with the gradual rise in COVID-19 cases, the country would most likely clock 10, 000 in three weeks, adding that soon, this will have a hold on the health facility in the country. He said: “Today, we are complaining of bed spaces. What happens when cases clock 10,000 before month ending? What happens when we reach our peak in June or July when cases must have reached 20,000 to 40,000?

“There is no better time to prepare emergency isolation centres than because soon, we may become helpless if this is not done.”

He said Nigeria’s peculiar setting will make homecare for COVID-19 patients challenging, adding that very few Nigerians can provide extra rooms for themselves for the treatment of the disease as seen in developed climes.

“If we are serious about addressing this, we will need to take everyone infected out of circulation. Such persons must be looked out for in hospitals, away from the communities,” he added. On the dearth of ventilators in the country, he called on the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) and the Nigeria Medical Research Institute (NIMR) to champion locally made ventilators as was the case with many countries, even in Africa.

On Tuesday, the Lagos State Government

said it was battling with shortage of reagents for COVID-19 testing.

The Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotosho said: “The shortage of reagents is a global problem. It is not peculiar to Lagos. The kind of tests we are conducting in Lagos and in Nigeria is called molecular testing, which experts say is 99.9 per cent correct. The people selling the reagents are now doing as if it is gold. Lagos is looking for ways of working directly with suppliers outside the country.

“The truth is that Lagos is battling with shortage of reagents, but we will keep on collecting samples.”

In the Federal Capital Territory, authorities said they were battling with shortages of test kits for COVID-19.

The Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of FCT, Abubakar Sani said: “The FCT is facing the global challenge of a shortage of test kits. The more kits we get, the more FCTA will perform tests to identify those infected and isolate them.”

The Chairman, Nigeria Medical Association, Lagos State Chapter, Dr. Saliu Oseni said the shortage of PPE was hampering the fight against COVID-19 in the country, adding that this has had a huge toll on health workers who are on the front line.

Oseni, who spoke on Arise News Channel, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers, Tuesday, said: “We presently have over 300 health workers infected by the virus in the line of duty. Government should provide PPE so this undue exposure will be minimized.

Many of our healthcare workers are getting infected because the government is yet to do what it is supposed to do. There is so much health workers can do when PPEs are not available.”

Oseni said if the country hopes to defeat the virus, it should ensure necessary tools were available, including PPEs, testing kits, facilities, bed spaces, among others.

5G Has No Capacity to Transmit Viruses to Humans, Says NIEEE Martins Ifijeh The Nigerian Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (NIEEE) has stated that the 5G technology does not have the capacity to transmit viruses or make viral infections worse in humans.

In a statement made available to THISDAY recently, the National Chairman, NIEEE, Kings Adeyemi said anti-5G claims of Electro-magnetic Field (EMF) lacks evidence, and hence should be discarded. He said: “The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as a state of

complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Staying alive and in good health have become major concerns of all. EMF is safe for human health.”

“There are many countries without live 5G network yet recorded high death rate as a result of COVID-19. Moreover, there is no appreciable difference in frequency used for 2G, 3G, 4G & 5G, since 5G can operate on all its predecessor network frequencies.

“Since the 20th century, artificial EMFs are added to existing natural EMFs.

Ionizing radiations occur when EMF signals carry enough photon energy to break molecular bonds and consequently damage the DNA, e.g. medical X-ray. They occupy the higher portion of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. At the lower portion of electromagnetic spectrum are Non-ionizing radiations, with no sufficient photon energy to break molecular bonds.”

He said human safety exposure limits to EMF levels were set by international Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP),

and that the WHO officially recognizes and adopts the guidelines developed by ICNIRP. “These guidelines are products of over 50 years’ great in-depth research, covering thousands of papers.

ICNIRP iterated severally that 5G technologies will not cause harm as long as the guidelines are adhered to.”

He explained that mobile telecommunication was based on radio wave propagation similar to other commonly known forms of radio communication such as broadcast radio and television.

According to him, these

systems operate in designated frequency bands within the electromagnetic spectrum, adding that every new generation of mobile networks has its excitements and skepticism.

“Each successive network generation was spaced by approximately 10 years; meaning that 5G is a product of 10 years of research, planning, testing and fine tuning. The three exciting goals of 5G are 20 Gbps download data speed by users, less than one millisecond response time for real-time critical-mission control system and 99.9999 per cent reliability, and then

connection density of 1,000,000 devices/km2 “The goals are specified by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) – being the ICT arm of the United Nation. Achieving these goals is a major concern to the frontline stakeholders. It is obvious that 5G is not just about human communication only, but machine/devices communications and interactions with applications. It therefore means that 5G will usher in, interconnection of people, things and applications with little or no human intervention,” he added.

Pharmaceutical Firm Rolls Out Emzor CARES COVID-19 Response Martins Ifijeh As part of measures to address the community transmission phase of COVID-19 in Nigeria, Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries has rolled out its COVID 19 response programme, tagged Emzor CARES. In a statement made available to THISDAY recently, the Group Business Manager, Emzor Pharmaceutical Industry, Ogun and

Lagos, Chinyere Kelvin said the programme includes series of interventions to complement the various measures of government and create the needed succour at various touch points with the public. She said: “Emzor also plays a support role by continuing production in all of our four factories in both Lagos and Ogun states, providing healthcare products to Nigerians

during this pandemic. Our goal is to continue to keep Nigerians safe by providing immune-boosting medications like vitamins, supplements and nutritional oils.

“The Emzor CARES Programme demonstrates our support and celebration of the front-line workers (the Police, LASTMA, FRSC and LSNC).

In meeting the increasing demand for face masks as a vital protective

measure against COVID-19, we are also reaching out to pharmacies, hospitals, customers and local communities with donations of relief and protective items. Beneficiary hospitals include Kupa Medical and Isolo General Hospitals. We have also sent palliatives to communities in Isolo in Lagos and Shagamu in Ogun State.” According to her, Emzor has provided Nigerians with health and

wellness products for over 35 years, adding that as an indigenous company, it was leading by example with more than 120 quality healthcare products to its name.

She added: “We have recently commenced production at our new ultra-modern factory at Shagamu. The world class factory is in compliance with World Health Organisation

standards which adhere to current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) protocols.

“With this development, we are poised to play a key role in supporting the Nigerian government to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the health sector. This represents a major milestone in our nation’s journey towards health self-sufficiency,” she said.

T H I S D AY ˾ , MAY 14, 2020

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HEALTH

Erhabor: Obesity is a Risk Factor for Asthma Prof. Gregory Efosa Erhabor is a renowned Professor of Medicine and Consultant Chest Physician at the Obafemi Awolowo University and the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife. He is also the President, Founder of Asthma and Chest Care Foundation. As the world marks World Asthma Day, he speaks on obesity as a leading cause of asthma while explaining effective management of the condition in this interview with Rebecca Ejifoma and high in sugar. There is a growing literature that the harmful effects of these dietary components could lead to increased neutrophilic inflammation which predisposes to asthma and increased bronchodilator response.

In addition, there has been some studies showing that obesity can lead to low circulating Vitamin D and vitamin D deficiency has been implicated in the development of asthma and obesity.

Can we say Nigeria is doing well in terms of Asthma management?

We have come a long way from where we used to be. The World Asthma Day (WAD) is an annual international event with goals to improve asthma awareness and care around the world.

Several chest physicians across the nation now celebrate WAD yearly to increase awareness in all the geopolitical zones by educating healthcare professionals, patients, caregivers and the public. This has improved public alertness; thereby, prompting quick response to patients with asthma when they need help.

Also, more resident doctors are showing interest in pulmonology and training to become chest physicians. This has resulted in more standardised ways of management in our various tertiary and secondary hospitals. Basic asthma medications, inhalational therapy and nebulisers are increasingly being used by a lot of hospitals and this shows some measure of progress. Although this still runs short of what is expected and there is still a big divide between what happens in tertiary hospitals and primary and secondary care services.

What are the statistics on asthma prevalence rate in Africa and Nigeria in particular?

Asthma prevalence ranges from high in countries like South Africa, which has a rate of 33.1 per cent to low in countries like Gambia with prevalence of 4.4 per cent. Nigeria’s prevalence falls in-between.

Works that have been done in the ISAAC study and studies done by scholars in Nigeria show that the prevalence ranges from five per cent to 18.7 per cent depending on the cohort being studied.

Most studies show that there is an urban-rural gradient with more asthma being diagnosed in urban than rural areas. Anecdotal evidence had shown that about 15 million Nigerians may have asthma. Works have been done in different regions of Nigeria with varying prevalence rates and meta-analysis is being conceived to see if we can correlate all the studies together to come up with something that will be more representative of the asthma picture in Nigeria.

Erhabor

Are there new risk factors associated with asthma management beyond smoking and other activities?

Basically, asthma results from interplay of genetic and environmental factors, a situation known as nature and nurture. Individuals with family history of asthma are prone to developing it. When individuals with genetic predisposition to asthma get exposed to certain triggers in the environment, they develop symptoms of asthma.

Triggers are extremely small and lightweight particles transported through the air and inhaled into the lungs. They precipitate asthma attacks and are usually found in the environment. Triggers include pollens, house dust mite, cockroach allergens, cold air, spores, fumes, smoke, sprays, perfumes;

exercise, certain drugs like aspirin, tobacco smoke, prolonged exposure to air pollution, and agents found at work place like chemicals among others.

How does obesity cause asthma?

Within the last few years, there has been a growing number of literatures on the obese asthma syndrome. How obesity contributes to asthma in an individual may vary. However, these are a few ongoing factors that have come up as the relationship: Obese people are more susceptible to many strong risk factors of asthma like allergens, chemicals, cigarette smoking and air pollution.

There are many things that have been attributed to it but the common one is that the western diet, which promotes obesity, has high levels of saturated fatty acids, low fibers, low antioxidants

Is Asthma prevalent in children?

Asthma is really not more prevalent in children as newer studies have shown. However, we need to do more multinational and intercontinental research to evaluate the prevalence because it appears asthma is still much underdiagnosed in both children and adults. Asthma runs a bimodal pattern – childhood asthma and adult asthma. Asthma tends to be more in number and in severity among boys than girls in childhood.

This becomes balanced at puberty between ages 12 and 14. However, from age 15 to 50, females predominate. Early childhood events may influence the development of asthma, the so-called hygiene hypothesis. What determines the progression is being debated. Some believe once you develop childhood asthma you continue to have symptoms.

Others believe that there is a rule of third; that following development of asthma, a third goes into quiescence, some recover and others progress.

In 2016, the Nigerian Thoracic Society predicted that about 100 million Nigerians would suffer from asthma in 2025. What is your take on this?

I am not sure of that prediction of 100 million Nigerians having asthma. This is rather nebulous because the world prevalence of asthma is about 350 million. I think they may have been misquoted. I do not think Nigeria will have one-third of asthma sufferers in the world. Considering the current trend, that may not be possible but there could be increase in asthma prevalence as some of the factors responsible for asthma are still with us as industrialisation takes over the rural environment.

COVID-19: West African College of Physicians Commend Govt Across Region on Surveillance Rebecca Ejifoma The West African College of Physicians (WACP) has commended the national governments in the Sub Region for vamping up capacities for surveillance among other steps taken in each

country to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic plaguing the globe.

Some of the steps it listed as contained in its press release include: programmes on palliatives taken to ameliorate the impact of lockdown on vulnerable population groups, vamping up

of the capacities for surveillance, diagnosis and clinical care of infected persons. Other steps are, the motivational packages of incentives offered to Healthcare Workers (HCWs): provision of life insurance/indemnity cover, salary enhancements, and the

Firm Partners Kebbi Govt to Tackle Malnutrition Omolabake Fasogbon Vegetable Oil brand, Power Oil has partnered Kebbi State government to tackle the scourge of malnutrition in the state.

This is as a recent report has pegged the rate of malnutrition among children in the state to 60 per cent while statistics of stunted children stands at 60.3 per cent, a figure that is above 32 per cent of national average in 2017.

Responding to the situation, the firm donated 200 cartons of Power Oil (sachet) to complement government efforts to combat a major health challenge in the state.

The items were delivered to Medicaid Cancer Foundation, founded by Wife of the Governor of Kebbi State, Dr Zainab Shinkafi Bagudu.

Speaking on the gesture, Brand Manager of Power Oil, Ms. Prerna Parthe stated that the act was in fulfilment of the company’s commitment to the health and well-being of Nigerians.

She said in addition to malnutrition challenge, the gesture would go a long way in ameliorating the effect of coronavirus during lockdown and serve a lot of household during the Ramadan fast.

“It is our belief that our

humble contribution will support the overall effort in combating the rate of hunger in Kebbi State, while cushioning the effect of the pandemic as we continue to hope life returns to normalcy as soon as possible,” she said.

Receiving the product, Bagudu hailed the company benevolence.

She disclosed that in recent times, some local governments in the state have battled with measles outbreak occasioned by malnutrition.

She added that the firm’s intervention has come at a right time when the state is in dire need of corporate support.

commitment to provision of work materials like personal protective equipment (PPE) required to assure the protection of HCWs. According to the President FWACP, Dr Yveline Houenou, there has also been the regular appreciation and commendation

of the efforts of HCWs in their life saving endeavors/services during these trying times.

She added: “The College is also desirous of thanking the many corporate bodies, development partners, donor agencies, overseas governments and friends of

the sub region and Africa, and philanthropic, public spirited individuals and organisations.

Adding, she said their contributions and pledges in cash and or kind towards assisting with the response to the pandemic in the sub region was laudable.

For Better Healthcare, Improve Funding for Emergency Preparedness, PHCs, FG Told Martins Ifijeh Experts have called on the federal and state governments to raise budget line for health, especially epidemic preparedness and primary healthcare, if they are serious about addressing the challenges in the sector.

Speaking during a virtual meeting on Covering COVID-19 in Nigeria by the Epidemic Preparedness in Naija Project held recently, the Founder of BudgIt, Oluseun Onigbide said the long years of neglect of the health sector was part of why Nigeria was grappling with tackling the COVID-19 pandemic that has infected almost 5,000

people and killed over 160 persons in the country.

At the meeting powered by the Nigeria Health Watch, Onigbide said: “When this outbreak first started in Nigeria, my first worry was on our level of preparedness for outbreaks because the health sector has been neglected for a long time.

Most states in Nigeria spend below four per cent of their entire budget on health. Even our federal government spends too little on health. Governments would rather spend monies on infrastructures, bridges and the likes. They often do not think health is critical.

“For instance, recently, we

saw in a video of a primary health facility in Katsina with tattered mattresses, drip stands on sticks, and the likes. It clearly showed neglect. We have underfunded healthcare to the point it is obvious we can’t manage so much cases of COVID-19. New York, Italy and even France have reached their peak so soon, how much more Nigeria without necessary healthcare platform.”

He said in the United Kingdom, Germany and even South Africa, budgets for health span between 15 and 25 per cent adding that it was time Nigeria does something about health funding.

28

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍ˛Ëœ 2020

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

‘Economic Sustainability Plan Will Reduce Impact of COVID-19’ James Emejo Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, has emphasised the need to implement the economic sustainability programmes of the government amid crippling losses suffered by businesses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He noted that the pandemic which has so far affected 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has paralysed economic activities and caused loss of income for households and businesses as well as huge revenue setback for the government. The minister noted that the Bonny Light crude oil price had dropped from a peak of $72.2 per barrel as at January 7, 2020, to below $20 recently, and had necessitated an adjustment of the crude oil benchmark in the 2020 budget.

He added that there had been a global shutdown in virtually every aspect of manufacturing, services and commerce.

Speaking at the opening of the 10th edition of Community of Practice (CoP) meeting, theme: “Minimising the Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on the Nigerian Economy: A strategic Approach,� he said there was an urgent need to reduce the impact of the pandemic as well as minimise the decline in economic activities and ensure diversification of the economy.

He said most of the federal government’s intervention programme would require active state and local government participation and support to achieve the desired success.

Agba, said the federal government was committed to building a resilient health system through favorable tariffs to support do-

mestic pharmaceutical companies and allied manufacturers as well as improving infrastructure in public secondary and tertiary health institutions.

He said the government would also invest in agriculture and food security to create mass employment and focus on increasing land under cultivation with state governments while contributing between 20,000 hectares to 100,000 hectares and constructing rural roads on the agro- corridor to facilitate transportation of agricultural products to markets.

According to a statement issued

by Director, Information, Budget and National Planning, Victoria Agba-Attah, the minister also said the federal government had set out to create jobs for the youths post COVID-19, through mines and steel development, artisanal and small-scale miners in six zonal clusters.

Notore Distributes Relief Items in Rivers State Notore Chemical Industries Plc has cushioned the socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Rivers State, with the donation of truckloads of food items and relief materials to its host communities in the state and the Rivers State government.

The Group Managing Director of Notore Chemical Industries Plc, Mr. Onajite Okoloko, who was represented by the company’s Group Chief Technical Officer, Bode Agagu, presented the donation to the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, in Port Harcourt, as part of the company’s corporate

social responsibility (CSR) in the wake of the pandemic.

According to a statement, Notore, in line with its mission to enhance the quality of life and assist in cushioning the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequential lockdown in Rivers State, supported state government with relief materials. “This also is complemented by donation of food relief items directly to Notore’s host communities in Alode, Koniju, and Onne. “In addition to the donation of food items, we also embarked on community awareness campaigns to sensitise the people on the severity of the

pandemic and urged them to stay cautious,� the statement added.

It disclosed that the distribution of food items to Notore’s host communities held in the different communities and ran from May 1 to May 5, 2020, to ensure even distribution of the materials to the most vulnerable members of the communities.

Branded T-shirts displaying COVID-19 safety and prevention measures were also shared among members of the community in addition to mounting of billboards and banners at strategic locations as well as distribution of posters on the awareness campaign.

Keystone Launches Online Platform to Empower SMEs Keystone Bank (Nigeria) Limited has launched an online platform to empower small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) with knowledge to manage and grow their businesses in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bank disclosed this in a statement yesterday, noting that one way to identify an SMEcentric bank was the length it was willing to go in finding new ways to help SMEs to survive and thrive in the current harsh business environment. According to the lender, “The Keystone Bank Online MSME Academy is aimed at helping SMEs cope with the operational stress of the current pandemic and will

serve as an enabler for business owners to create an active online presence, digitalise their product and services, and find new ways to connect with their customers.�

Speaking on the initiative, Keystone Bank’s Head of MSMEs, Helen Nwelle, said, ‘it was no accident that Keystone Bank came up with such an initiative because the bank has always had a culture of helping SMEs grow through the provision of diverse business solutions.�

Nwelle said, “This culture is clearly spelt out in our tagline as a bank – WE GROW TOGETHER - because at Keystone Bank we believe that SMEs are the engines of socio-economic transformation

as they offer opportunities for jobs and wealth creation as well as income redistribution within our society.�

She said, “The current pandemic and its untold impacts has caused a lot of panic in the business scene all around the world and Nigeria is not left out.

We are aware that many SMEs are worried about what the future holds for their businesses and how to manage their businesses in order to guarantee business continuity post-Covid-19 crisis.

This was why we considered it important to proactively create an enabling environment for them to thrive even in the midst of the pandemic’’

Jumia Assures Customers of Quality Service Emma Okonji Jumia, Africa’s e-commerce platform has reiterated its commitment to serve customers better despite market challenges occasioned by the effect of COVID-19 on global businesses.

Aside the impact of COVID-19 on businesses, the buying pattern of Africans is also posing some challenges to e-Commerce business, where many still largely believe in physical market place where they can converge to buy household items and foodstuff, rather than shopping online in today’s digital era. Former CEO of Jumia, Marek Zmyslowski, said e-Commerce business could

be challenging in Africa at the moment, but assured customers of the future prospect of eCommerce business and promised that Jumia would continue to provide quality services and products for customers, despite the challenging moment.

According to him, the success of Amazon’s story could be regarded as far from a smooth ride. He explained that the same Amazon that has become a global brand in e-Commerce business today, had its own teething challenges that they later overcame.

He said the media went as far as writing negative stories about Amazon, even though those stories were written by people

who claimed to be journalists but without formal journalistic training.

Zmyslowski, therefore assured Nigerians and Africans that with the current business strategies of Jumia, which seek to serve customers better, the e-Commerce company, which currently plays big in the African e-Commerce space would become as big as Amazon in few years time.

According to Zmyslowski, Jumia’s average Short Volume Ratio, which is the number of shares short in a stock divided by the stock’s average daily trading volume, for the last 12 months was around 25 per cent.

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

SEPTEMBER 2019 Money Supply (M3)

35,029,779.72

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

7,374,356.91

Money Supply (M2)

27,655,422.82

-- Quasi Money

116,533,891.21

-- Narrow Money (M1)

11,121,531.60

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,625,047.69

---- Demand Deposits

9,496,483.91

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

13,911,335.83

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

21,118,443.89

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

35,918,179.45

---- Credit to Government (Net)

10,452,199.38

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

11,007,422.79

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

25,465,980.07

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

-14,799,735.56

--Other Assets Net

7,000,253.07

Reserve Money (Base Money

2,005,600.83

--Currency in Circulation

4,677,530.81

--Banks Reserves

317,121.43

Ëž Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? Ě‹

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

Ëž Ă™Ă˜Ă?ĂžĂ‹ĂœĂŁ ÙÖÓĂ?ĂŁ Ă‹ĂžĂ? Ě‹ ͯ͹Ϲ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE Ëœ ÍŻÍ° Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

Vienna, Austria, 13 May 2020—The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $22.83 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $22.71 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), ZaďŹ ro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

29

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍ˛Ëœ 2020

MARKET NEWS

Airtel Africa Posts $3.4bn Revenue, $598m Profit Before Tax Goddy Egene Airtel Africa Plc has reported a revenue of $3.422 billion for the year ended March 31, 2020, showing an increase of 13 per cent from $3.077 billion recorded in 2019. Profit before tax rose 77 per cent from $348 million in 2019 to $598 million in 2020. However, a higher tax payment that jumped by 330 per cent, made the telecommunications firm to end the year with a profit after tax

(PAT)of $408 million in 2020, compared with $426 million in 2019.

Commenting, the Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Africa Plc, Mr. Raghunath Mandava, said these are a strong set of results which were delivered against their aspirations set out at the time of the Initial Public Offering (IPO), with performance sequentially improving during the year. “These results also demonstrate the strength and

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

resilience of our business and the effectiveness of our strategy – with all three business services, voice, data and mobile money, contributing to revenue growth. We have also continued to invest in future growth opportunities as we expanded our distribution, modernised and expanded our network with 65 per cent of sites now on 4G, acquired new spectrum in Nigeria, Tanzania, Malawi and Chad, and entered into strategic partnerships in

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

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

our mobile money business,� he said.

According to him, more recently, the markets where they operate have begun to be impacted by the COVID-19 and the related actions that governments have implemented to reduce the risk of contagion. “Our priority has been to keep our colleagues, suppliers and customers safe whilst supporting the communities in which we operate. Telecoms businesses provide strategically

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

essential services to ensure the functioning of economies and communities and are, therefore, more resilient compared to some other sectors. In Africa, the spread of the COVID-19 has lagged the rest of the world and, therefore, it is difficult to precisely forecast what the impact of this will be on customers and business.

However, our performance during the month of April has been resilient as the business continued to deliver constant

O F

currency revenue growth, although at a lower rate,� the CEO added.

He said that as they enter this period of increased volatility in a strong financial position and their view on the medium-term opportunities across our footprint has not changed, noting that these markets would continue to benefit from strong population growth and the need for increased connectivity and financial inclusion.

1 3 / 0 5 / 2 0 2 0 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

30

THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

Cadbury Nigeria Shareholders to Receive 49kobo Dividend Per Share Goddy Egene Shareholders of the Cadbury Nigeria Plc will receive a dividend of 49 kobo per share on June 25, 2020 after approval at the annual general

meeting(AGM). The dividend is for the 2019 financial year ended December 31.

In a notification to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Cadbury Nigeria, which is a leading food and beverages

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

firm, said the dividend would be paid to shareholders whose names appear in the register of members as at the close of business on the May 22, 2020.

According to the company, its AGM will hold by proxies

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 12May-2020, unless otherwise stated.

at its premises in Ikeja, Lagos, where shareholders would approve the dividend and other proposals.

Cadbury Nigeria posted a revenue of N39.3 billion for the year ended December 31,

2019, showing an increase of nine per cent compared with N35.9 billion achieved in 2018.

Gross profit was N8.32 billion as against the N7.95 billion posted in 2018, indicating a growth of five per cent.

Profit before tax (PBT) rose 26 per cent from N1.54 billion to N1.7 billion, while profit after tax (PAT) grew faster by 30 per cent to N1.07 billion, compared with N823 million in 2018.

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 113.64 117.29 -22.43% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 3.76% Nigeria International Debt Fund 301.14 301.14 -3.66% ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.92 0.93 2.07% ACAP Income Funds 0.78 0.78 9.86% 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 6.79% AIICO Balanced Fund 2.58 2.64 4.92% info@anchoriaam.com ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 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 13.69 14.11 -10.60% ARM Discovery Fund 325.51 335.32 -5.77% ARM Ethical Fund 27.38 28.20 -5.87% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 5.60% 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 91.21 91.85 -5.07% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 6.00% CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Paramount Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Women's Investment Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 5.49% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 96.39 96.60 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 104.25 104.50 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 4.39% Coronation Balanced Fund 0.88 0.89 -5.45% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.39 1.39 4.46% EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A N/A N/A N/A EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B N/A N/A N/A EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,250.07 1,251.63 3.10% FBN Balanced Fund 140.96 141.96 -3.99% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.25% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional N/A N/A N/A FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail N/A N/A N/A FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 110.88 112.19 -14.79% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 6.35% Legacy Debt Fund 3.75 3.75 2.55% Legacy Equity Fund 1.02 1.04 -9.67% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.10 1.10 1.71% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund 2,980.33 3,014.48 -0.06% Coral Income Fund 3,159.52 3,159.52 15.25% FSDH Treasury Bills Fund 100.00 100.00 6.02% 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 28.02% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 118.53 119.05 10.18%

GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gdl.com.ng Web: www.gdl.com.ng ; Tel: +234 9055691122 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn GDL Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 4.38% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.20 2.23 0.17% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 9.81% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 142.19 142.73 -0.86% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.19 1.21 1.98% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,121.96 1,121.96 4.09% 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 1.44 1.46 16.99% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.96 12.00 6.06% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 3.54% PACAM Equity Fund 1.01 1.02 PACAM EuroBond Fund 104.29 106.45 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 117.82 122.53 -9.56% 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 3.72% 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 N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 1.11 1.13 -8.16% United Capital Bond Fund 1.80 1.80 3.68% United Capital Equity Fund 0.61 0.62 -13.89% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 7.25% United Capital Eurobond Fund 114.57 114.57 2.44% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.05 1.05 -3.86% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 9.90 10.03 -3.62% Zenith Ethical Fund 11.47 11.59 -1.24% Zenith Income Fund 23.43 23.43 5.37% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 3.71%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

3.40 114.44 52.79

-64.85% 2.22% 1.42%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

8.07 82.90 65.01

8.17 84.62 66.19

-7.20% -10.38% -11.84%

Fund Name FSDH UPDC Real Estate Investment Fund SFS Skye Shelter Fund Union Homes REIT

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund SIAML Pension ETF 40 Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

2.73 4.00 11.00 10.24 178.68

2.77 4.08 11.10 10.44 180.68

-23.08% -32.13% -9.07% -1.43% -4.86%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

108.29

16.90%

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 MAY 14, 2020 • T H I S D AY

31

32

THURSDAY MAY 14, 2020 •T H I S D AY

33

THURSDAY, ÍšÍźËœ ͺ͸ͺ͸ Ëž T H I S D AY

NEWS XTRA COVID-19 VACCINE: NO ONE HAS APPLIED FOR APPROVAL, SAYS NAFDAC created between traditional medicine practitioners (possible patent holders) and drug manufacturers, whose responsibility it would be to formulate the products."

NHRC Releases Mechanism for Protection of Patients' Rights The NHRC has introduced measures to enhance the protection of the rights of patients.

The move was occasioned by the alleged incessant violations of the rights of patients in treatment centres in some parts of the country.

The Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Mr. Tony Ojukwu, at a press conference in Abuja, blamed protests and abscondment by patients on alleged violations of their rights in some treatment centres.

The guidelines, according to Ojukwu, are to ensure that the basic rights of patients are guaranteed and protected.

While commending government and health authorities at federal and state levels for the efforts already made to put facilities in place at the centres as well as other palliatives, he urged them to “study and put a mechanism in place to implement the standard minimum guidelines.�

The NHRC boss also noted that patients whose rights have been violated will have the option of seeking redress before the commission or in court.

Ojukwu said the guidelines were issued in line with the mandate of the commission to protect and promote human rights in accordance with its establishment Act. He said Section 5(1) of the National Human Rights Commission (Amendment) Act 2010 mandated the commission to “prepare and publish, in such manner as the commission considers appropriate, guidelines for the avoidance of acts or practices

with respect to the function and powers of the commission under this Act.�

According to Ojukwu, “persons who have tested positive to COVID-19 and placed in treatment centres are in extremely vulnerable situations and their human rights to life, health and personal dignity should be of paramount concern and a major responsibility of the state. “The guidelines have been designed to reflect the physical, emotional and mental needs of COVID-19 patients and have provided a basis for the protection of the rights of every patient without any form of bias or discrimination, including vulnerable persons such as children, persons with disabilities and older persons.�

Other major highlights of the guidelines are the protection of medical personnel and staff of the treatment centres, persons in intensive care units and participation of patients in clinical or during trials.

111 Residents Test Negative in Kogi, Says State Govt The Kogi State Government has said it tested 111 residents for COVID-19 but that the tests returned negative.

TheCable quoted the state Commissioner of Information and Communication, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, as saying that the tests were conducted using guidelines of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

He said the state procured about 5,000 testing kits and the tested residents were randomly selected. “Kogi State got testing kits independently but followed NCDC guidelines. One hundred and eleven COVID-19 rapid tests were conducted in Kogi State yesterday and all results came out negative. �We brought in about 5,000 testing kits. Testing centres are located in three places. You can do it at the Ministry of Health. “We shall not go to streets

to pick people to be tested for COVID-19, but hospitals where people with similar symptoms are found and also based on any information of suspected cases.�

Kogi and Cross River are the two states yet to confirm a single case of the disease.

Lagos Discharges 26 More Patients The Lagos State Government has discharged 26 more patients from its isolation centres, bringing to 528 the total number of successfully treated persons in the state.

According to the state Governor, Mr. Babajide SanwoOlu, 13 of the patients are females and the other 13 males.

He said: "Six of the patients were from Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba, 11 from Onikan and nine from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) isolation centres.

"They tested negative twice consecutively to COVID-19.

With this, the number of patients successfully managed and discharged in Lagos has risen to 528."

Lagos Subjects Fresh Lockdown to Online Vote The state government has also launched online voting for people to decide whether or not it should reintroduce lockdown in the state.

It said the decision was informed by the disregard for social distancing and other guidelines issued by the NCDC and health experts.

Commissioner for Information, Lagos State, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, told THISDAY that the state would make its decision on reversing the lockdown relaxation based on experts' advice and recommendations from residents.

The online poll, organised by the Ministry of Health on its Twitter handle, gave residents until tomorrow to vote in any of its three categories – Lockdown,

Don’t Lockdown and Neutral.

The health ministry said: "Considering the level of compliance with government's directives on limiting the spread of COVID-19 in Lagos State, should the government impose another lockdown or not?"

So far, 63,299 Twitter users have voted in the poll with 50 per cent calling for the reversal of lockdown relaxation, while 39 per cent do not want another lockdown. Eleven per cent voted neutral.

In an interview with THISDAY, Omotoso said the state was going into another phase of the COVID-19 intervention, which includes home care, adding that a lockdown would not be totally out of place to achieve it.

He said: “Lagos is not one that will do things anyhow. The decision lies with the public, and we will follow expert advice. If experts in the Ministry of Health in their wisdom feel we should do a lockdown for us to halt this spread, then we will do it. “I think if the lockdown will come, it will help us prepare for a new stage in tackling the disease. The new stage of care will involve personnel entering communities, movement of logistics, among others.�

He added that any decision taken by the government will be for the interest of the public.

Ekiti to Start Random Testing for Residents Also, to avert the community spread of the pandemic, the Ekiti State government will next week begin random testing for residents.

The government also restated its commitment not to allow security agencies enforcing the lockdown to infringe on the rights of suspected offenders.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mojisola Yaya-Kolade, spoke in Ado Ekiti, yesterday while giving an update on the pandemic in the state.

The commissioner added that all the claims by institutions

that they have produced a herbal cure for the virus must be scrutinised and made to pass through medical screening before approval.

She said the random testing, which will be done across the 16 local government areas, must be undertaken in view of the geometric increase in a number of victims.

He said it would not be done by coercion, but through sensitisation and volition.

Yaya-Kolade stated that the state would soon set up a molecular laboratory to boost its testing capacity, so that many people can know their status and be aware of their safety.

for COVID-19 regarding the management of confirmed cases and will soon issue the guidelines.

The new strategy may require patients to be discharged after testing negative once for the disease, unlike the present case where patients test negative twice before discharge.

TheCable quoted the spokesman of NCDC, Mr. Emeka Oguanuo, as saying that the agency will soon publish the new guidelines with further details.

Pandemic May Never Go Away, Says WHO

Meanwhile, NCDC has reviewed its testing strategy

Despite all the global efforts to find a cure for the novel virus disease, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the virus may never go away.

Executive Director of WHO’s Emergencies Programme, Mr. Mike Ryan, said the virus might just become one of the viruses around the world that kill people annually. “This virus just may become another endemic virus in our communities and this virus may never go away. HIV hasn’t gone away. “We’ve come to terms with the virus and we have found the therapies and we have found the prevention methods, and people don’t feel as scared as they did before. “There are no promises in this and there are no dates,�

Ryan said yesterday.

According to him, an early discovery of vaccine is the only way out.

"We may have a shot at eliminating this virus but that vaccine will have to be available; it will have to be highly effective; it will have to be made available to everyone and we’ll have to use it. “I’m not comparing the two diseases but I think it is important that we’re realistic. I don’t think anyone can predict when or if this disease will disappear. “This disease may settle into a long-term problem or it may not be,� he added.

deserved but also reflective of the uncommon wisdom of President Buhari as the father of the nation. From his resume alone, you will see that the new Chief of Staff is eminently qualified and very experienced in public service,� the APC national chairman said.

Also, in a message, Tambuwal said the appointment of Gambari “is not only welldeserved but timely as the nation along with the comity of nations struggle to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, which brings along with it so many economic strains, in which you are well-positioned to support Mr. President and our dear country navigate for us to come out stronger, using your vast network and contacts with the international community. �

Tambuwal’s counterpart in Kwara State, AbdulRazaq, also congratulated Gambari on his appointment, describing it as a befitting development that is rooted in dedication, loyalty, and history. “The appointment is clearly fit for purpose and deserving for our own Professor Gambari whose record of service as a diplomat and global statesman is unblemished. On behalf of my family, the government and people of Kwara State, I congratulate the Wambai Ilorin for this historic appointment,�

AbdulRazaq said in a statement by his spokesman, Mr. Rafiu Ajakaye.

“Professor Gambari has always been one of the ‘President’s men’ for decades and it is not surprising that he has been appointed at this crucial moment to serve as his chief of staff. We commend Mr. President for yet again honouring not just one of his renowned loyalists of all time but also the people of Kwara State who still, relive his relationship with one of Nigeria’s finest military officers and son of Kwara late Major General Tunde Idiagbon,� the statement added.

The Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF) also welcomed Gambari's choice as CoS. The Chairman of the forum and Governor of Plateau State, Mr. Simon Lalong, in a message issued by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr. Makut Macham, yesterday in Jos, described the appointment as well- deserved.

He also described the CoS as an accomplished diplomat and administrator, whose vast experience and qualifications, both at home and abroad, would help him discharge his duties diligently. “The professor comes into the job with huge experience and knowledge on governance and service, which we believe will enable him to perform well. �As Northern governors, we assure him of our support and prayers, as he takes on this very important role,� he said.

FG Sends Special Teams to Lagos, Kano The federal government yesterday sent a team to the two epicentres of the pandemic, Lagos and Kano, to help encourage the frontline health workers in their intervention to contain the spread of the virus.

A source at the Federal Ministry of Health told THISDAY yesterday that President Muhammadu Buhari had asked the presidential task force to immediately send a tripartite team comprising representatives of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and National Association of Resident Doctors to visit Lagos and Kano States as a way of showing the federal government's support and concern for the difficult challenges facing the health workers.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, also confirmed the development to THISDAY, saying he was represented in the team by the Director of Occupational Health in his ministry.

NCDC to Issue New Testing Guidelines

BUHARI UPENDS POLITICS, GAMBARI PLEDGES LOYALTY AS NEW CHIEF OF STAFF diplomacy, culminating in his appointment as the first United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Africa (1999-2005).

Between 1990 and 1994, he served as the Chairman of the United Nations Special Committee Against Apartheid and from 1994 to 1999, he served in the UN Committee on Peace-Keeping Operations.

He headed the United Nations Department of Political Affairs from 2005 to 2007 and also served as UN SecretaryGeneral’s Special Envoy on Cyprus, Zimbabwe, and Myanmar as well as Special Representative in Angola.

After serving as the Minister of External Affairs from 1984 to 1985 and later as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations from 1990 to 1999), Gambari served as Joint African Union (AU/UN Special Representative in Darfur and Head of UNAMID (2010-2012).

Until his appointment, he was the Chairman, Panel of Eminent Persons of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

APC, Atiku, Saraki, Tinubu, Govs, Others Hail Appointment Shortly after the formal announcement of his appointment, goodwill messages

poured in with APC, Atiku, Gbajabiamila, Saraki, Tinubu, Oshiomhole, Ekweremadu and governors congratulating him.

The National Publicity Secretary of APC, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, in a statement yesterday said Gambari’s appointment demonstrated Buhari's avowed commitment to good governance by bringing on board competent Nigerians from all parts of the world to assist him in taking Nigeria to the next level.

The APC said Gambari would bring to bear his scholarly intellect, international network, professional and administrative experience in ensuring the smooth running of the office of the president and supporting the government to provide good governance.

Issa-Onilu noted that Gambari's experience and suitability for the position was not in doubt, adding that his appointment is well thought out and speaks volumes of the president's preference for excellence.

In his message, Atiku on his verified Tweeter handle said: "Congratulations Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari (CFR) on your appointment as Chief of Staff to @MBuhari. It is my hope and expectation and those of millions of Nigerians that you will deploy your varied skills garnered over the years in the service of our nation."

Saraki, who also congratulated

his fellow Ilorin indigene, said: "I congratulate Prof. Ibrahim Agboola Gambari on his appointment as Chief of Staff to President @MBuhari.

"Professor Gambari is a decent man, a cerebral academic, disciplined diplomat and he is coming in with the necessary pedigree that will help him to do well on the job.

"I have no doubt that he will succeed on this onerous assignment. I urge all Nigerians to give him all the support that he needs to perform in office."

Ekweremadu, who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment also took to his Twitter handle yesterday to congratulate the new appointee whom he described as a cerebral scholar and public administrator par excellence.

"I congratulate the #ChiefofStaff to President @MBuhari, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari. A cerebral scholar, public administrator, and pan Nigerian, I have no doubt that he would bring his wealth of experience to bear on the job.�

Obaseki congratulated Gambari, saying his appointment was well-deserved.

The governor said the chief of staff would bring his wealth of experience from the diplomatic and academic communities to bear in handling matters of state.

According to him, “I heartily congratulate Prof. Ibrahim Gambari on his appointment

as the Chief of Staff to President Buhari. As a seasoned diplomat and scholar, he brings immense experience to his responsibility in government.�

Gbajabiamila, in a statement by his spokesperson, Mr. Lanre Lasisi, described Gambari as a round peg in a round hole, considering his experience over the years.

He said as a foremost diplomat and an outstanding academic, Gambari would bring his experience to bear on his new national assignment.

Tinubu, in a statement, described the appointment as a laudable one. “Prof. Gambari is a renowned diplomat, statesman, and scholar, who has served this nation in many important positions. His intellect, broad experience and skills in administration and diplomacy have adequately prepared and equipped him for the important job he now has. I congratulate Professor Gambari on his selection and commend President Buhari for making such a thoughtful and prudent choice at this crucial moment,� he said.

Oshiomhole said the world-renowned diplomat and celebrated scholar would add value to the Buhari administration in terms of new ideas, leveraging his clout as a global player. “For us in APC, we see the appointment of Professor Gambari as not only well-

34

THURSDAY MAY 14, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Katsina Assembly Kicks as Bandits Massacre 16 People Francis Sardauna in Katsina Members of the Katsina State House of Assembly have lamented what they termed worsening insecurity situation in the state, saying both the state and federal governments had failed woefully in securing lives and property of the citizenry.

The lawmakers, who could not control their emotions during yesterday plenary, said the deteriorating security condition of the state, if not curtailed by relevant security agencies and government, would engulfed the entire citizens soon.

This was coming as bandits massacred 16 persons in a multiple

attacks on four local government areas of Safana, Dutsin-Ma, Batsari and Faskari.

The legislators, while citing renewed onslaughts on communities in the state, insisted that the rapprochement between the state government and bandits had collapsed.

Moving a motion under matters of urgent public importance, the member representing Safana

constituency, Hon. Abduljalal Runka, said the bandits had last Tuesday invaded two communities in his constituency and massacred six persons.

He said: “They attacked these villages in the night last Tuesday and killed six persons. During the attack, I called security personnel but nothing was done. These bandits carried out their operations

successfully.”

The lawmaker called on the state government to allow and empower the vigilante groups in the state to protect the lives of the rural dwellers, saying “they perform far better than the military and police.”

Seconding the motion, the lawmaker representing Sabuwa constituency, Ibrahim Danjuma, added that banditry and kidnapping

have becoming a daily occurrence in his constituency and other local government areas.

He explained that bandits riding on six motorcycles stormed a village in Sabuwa Local Government Area and kidnapped seven persons, including a four-month- old baby last night, adding that the hoodlums were threatening to kill them if ransom is not paid.

Soldier Kills UNIJOS Student Seriki AdinoyiinJos A student of the University of Jos, Mr. Rinji Bala, was yesterday gruesomely killed by a suspected soldier during a lockdown hour.

THISDAY gathered that the 20-year-old student was arrested along with five friends close to the National Library for breaching the lockdown order in the state.

They were taken to a security post at Sector 1 headquarters of police/military joint Special Task Force (STF) near Jos-Zaria Road stadium where they were tortured before they were released after an hour.

A friend of the deceased, who was also arrested, narrated: “As we left the military post after the torture, some soldiers asked us to run. When we took off, they opened fire and Rinji fell few metres from the gate of the military post. I stopped to help him up but a soldier

came close with his gun pointed at me, but turned back when another soldier shouted ‘ceasefire’.”

Reacting to the killing, the task force in a statement signed by its Media Officer, Major Ibrahim Shittu, confirmed the incident and regretted the unfortunate death of the student.

The statement said: “At about 10p.m. on May 12, 2020, information was received on the activities of suspected armed robbers and cultists operating around No 18th Street, Jos South Local Governmet Area of Plateau State. The criminals took advantage of the lockdown and curfew to perpetrate crimes.

“Consequently, Sector 1 patrol troops of OPSH (task force) swiftly responded and arrested seven suspects who were immediately moved to the headquarters of Sector 1 for preliminary investigation.

Thereafter, five out of the seven suspects were cleared and asked to leave the premises.

Kogi PDP Expels Former Guber Aspirant over Anti-party Activities Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kogi State chapter, has expelled its governorship aspirant in the November 2019 election in the state, Abubakar Ibrahim, from the party for alleged involvement in anti-party activities.

Ibrahim, who is also the son of former Governor Ibrahim Idris of the state, was said to have been found guilty of his actions by the disciplinary committee set up by the PDP in Icheke Ward in Omala Local Government Area to investigate allegations against him.

The notice of expulsion letter in accordance with chapter 10 and section 57 of the PDP constitution (as

amended), signed by the PDP Ward Chairman of Icheke, Mr. Sunday Idakwoji, which was made available to journalists in Lokoja yesterday reads: “The Disciplinary Committee set up by the PDP in Icheke Ward to investigate allegations against you (Ibrahim) has submitted its report and found you guilty of the offences.

“After due consideration of the report and your blunt refusal to appear before the disciplinary committee to defend yourself of the allegations leveled against you, we the members of Icheke Ward Executive Council of PDP at a meeting on April 15, 2020, have unanimously resolved to expel you from our party.”

Dangote Donates 35 Patrol Cars to Lagos Dangote Cement Plc and the Lagos State Government yesterday, strengthened further their private-public partnership to make the state more investor-friendly with the donation of 35 fully equipped security operational cars by the company to the state government.

Presentingthecarsto the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, Non-Executive Director of Dangote Cement, Mr. Emmanuel Ikhazobor, who led the management of the firm to Marina, Lagos House, said the gesture was part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, which was being done in appreciation of the effortsofthestateGovernor,Mr.Babajide

Sanwo-Olu to make the state secure for the people and investments.

He added that the donation of the cars was in response to the challenges of securing Lagos State as a destination of choice to investors and the face that security is essential to economic development remains one of the major demands of investors.

“We are presenting 35 saloon cars today to strengthen the operations of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund.

We commend the government of the state for instituting a Trust Fund with the mandate of utilising donations from corporate bodies and individuals to equip the security agencies operating within the state.”

COLLABORATION FOR A SAFER LAGOS...

L-R: Group Managing Director, Dangote Cement Plc, Mr. Michel Puchercos; Non-Executive Director, Dangote Cement Plc, Mr. Ernest Ebi; Non-Executive Director, Dangote Cement Plc, Mr. Emmanuel Ikazoboh; and Executive Secetary , Lagos State Security Trust Fund, Mr. Abdurrrazaq Balogun, during the presentation of 35 police patrol cars to Lagos Security Trust Fund by Dangote Cement Plc in Lagos... yesterday

Ondo Assembly Queries Finance Commissioner over Utilisation of N34bn James Sowole in Akure The Ondo State House of Assembly has quizzed the state Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Wale Akinterinwa, on how the N30 billion bond approved by the Assembly was accessed and spent by the executive arm.

Also, the Assembly raised questions on the N4 billion reportedly lodged in a third generation bank without due process over 10 years ago.

The state legislative House at

its resumed hearing, requested for information on how much of the bond amount has been accessed as well as the breakdown of projects on which the fund was spent.

While addressing the Assembly, the Commissioner for Finance noted that only 14.8 billion has been accessed out of the initial N30 billion raised.

He said the remaining N14. 2 billion would be accessed soon as the required documents have been perfected.

The commissioner noted

that the accessed N14.8 billion was spent on ongoing projects such as the building of teaching hospitals in Akure and Ondo; the construction of fly-over on Lagos- Benin expressway in Ore and the Ikare road dualisation project.

Answering questions on why the Assembly rehabilitation was not captured in the first tranche of the fund, the commissioner, who explained the technicality behind it, pledged that the second tranche of N14.2 billion would capture the

Assembly rehabilitation project.

The inquiry on the lodged N4 billion followed an audit query to that effect from the office of the Auditor General of Ondo State as verified and presented in the report of the Assembly Committee on Public Accounts.

Chairman of the Committee, Hon Edamisan Ademola, while presenting the report at plenary, sought to know details of all transactions on the bank account up to the date the account was discovered.

EFCC Docks Oyo Permanent Secretary over Alleged N4.4m Scam Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan The Ibadan xonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a Permanent Secretary in the Oyo State Ministry of Agriculture, Alhaji Rasaq Kolawole, for allegedly defrauding one Ibikunle Alonge of N4.4 million.

Kolawole was arraigned before Justice Aderonke Aderemi of the state High Court yesterday on one-count charge of obtaining money under false pretence.

The offence is against Section 1 (2) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act. THISDAY learnt that the victim of the alleged crime had written a petition to the anti-graft body in which he accused the top public servant of fraudulently collecting the money from him as part payment for a piece of land situated at Alabata Olosoko area of Moniya, Ibadan.

He further alleged that it was

after making the payment that he knew that the land actually belonged to one Mrs. Ali (now deceased), adding that all efforts to get a refund thereafter was unsuccessful.

The one-count charge read: “That you, Alhaji Kolawole Rasaq, on or about October 2, 2018, in Ibadan within the Ibadan Judicial Division of this court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N4,400,000 (Four Million and Four Hundred Thousand Naira only) from one Alonge

Ibikunle through Pastor Adeyemi Fabayo by falsely pretending that it was part payment of the cost price of 11 and half plots of land situated at Alabata Olokoso area via Moniya area in Ibadan which you purported to have sold to him.”

However, Kolawole pleaded not guilty to the charge, and in view of his plea, prosecuting counsel, Dr. Ben Ubi, prayed the court for a date for the commencement of trial.

Adamawa Police Arrest 14 Shilia Cultists, Recover Weapons Daji Sani in Yola The Adamawa State Police Command has arrested14 Shilia cultist and recovered two tricycles and dangerous weapons.

In its effort to ensure total sanity of criminal activities being perpetrated by the radical Shilla boys in the state, the police in a statement signed by its spokesman, DSP Suleiman Nguroge, said the Command has made some remarkable achievement.

Ngurege said the state Command Taskforce team set up recently by the state police commissioner to curb the activities of the notorious Shila boys terrorising the residents in the state has started yielding positive results.

“The police command has so far dislodged the cultists from their hideouts at the remote sides of Jambutu, Doubeli, Wuro-Jabbe and Sanda Primary School in both Yola-North and South Local Government Areas, and

apprehended 14 suspected Shilia boys.

“The Command equally recovered two tricycles with registration No. YLA 027 WZ and GRE 335 QE; 10 sharp knives, some quantity of illicit drugs, dry weeds suspected to be Indian hemp, among others.

“Following the formation of the taskforce team upon assumption of office by the state Police Commissioner, Olugbenga Adeyanju, frequent raiding

of black spots and criminals hideouts has been intensified as a crime preventive measures, which will be sustained,” he said.

The police spokesman said the commissioner of police appreciate members of the public, and further assured them that the suspects would be diligently prosecuted on completion of investigation, and that the police would not relent until every member of the gang is apprehended.

THURSDAY MAY 14, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

35

NEWSEXTRA

Feeding of School Children Wasteful, Says Obiozor Backs appointment of Gambari

Emma Okonji and Nosa Alekhuogie A former Nigerian Ambassador to Isreal, Cyprus and the United States, Prof. George Obiozor has said Nigeria’s greatest challenge is mismanagement of diversity, stressing that over the years, Nigeria has not been able to manage her economic diversity.

Citing the federal government’s school feeding programme, Obiozor said the idea by the federal government to embark on home feeding of school children during this lockdown was laughable and at the same time wasteful.

Obiozor has also hailed the appointment of Prof. Ibrahim Gambari as the new Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Obiozor spoke yesterday on the Morning Show of ARISE NEWS Channel, a sister broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers.

“The federal government’s school feeding programme is childish and the idea to extend

the feeding programme to school children at home during this lockdown is a wasteful venture because such project should be the responsibility of Local Government Chairmen and Councillors, while the federal government seeks for national projects that will boost the economy of the country.”

According to him, “I have never seen how wasteful the federal government could be to condescend so low as to embark on home feeding of school children. Federal government should be seen addressing national issues and challenges and not feeding of school children.”

“It is either the federal government lacks the vision and capability to coordinate or it is inefficient in her coordination of national issues”, Obiozor who is also the former Director General of Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), further said.

Obiozor, while reacting to China’s support for Africa, said such support later turned out as huge burden to African countries,

Kwara Gov Orders Sack, Query of Pandemic Team for Mishandling Case Kwara State Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq yesterday directed the sack of a government driver that unilaterally attended to an unkempt person who was evacuated with a COVID-19 ambulance in Ilorin, the state capital.

He also directed the issuance of queries to top officials of the state ministry of health for failing to act with necessary caution and expertise in the handling of the incident that was recorded in a video footage that has since gone viral.

“The governor totally condemns the shoddy handling of the gentleman who was clearly going through a hard time,” chief press secretary to the Governor, Mr. Rafiu Ajakaye, said in a statement.

“He (governor) has directed that the driver be fired immediately.

As the investigation revealed, the driver failed to heed clear directive not to take any action until the

Rapid Response Team (RRT) arrives the scene. He evacuated the gentleman with the help of members of the public without waiting for the arrival of the RRT.” The governor further directed that members of the RRT be queried, while other steps are being taken to ensure this incident does not repeat itself.

Involving just anybody in the evacuation of a suspected case, as was seen in the footage, was a clear and dangerous violation of COVID-19 safety protocols. The government equally finds it quite distasteful and unacceptable that the driver, who had long been involved in such operations, made unethical comments to somebody in distress.

“That incident was avoidable, and we sincerely apologise to the gentleman and to the people of Kwara State for the embarrassing development. We assure them this will not happen again.”

including Nigeria.

According to Obiozor, “China

has done Africans huge favour through various supports, but

over the years, such favour ended up in expectation of gratitude,

which has created huge burden on African governments.

READY TO DISPENSE JUSTICE...

L-R: Senior Magistrate Grade II, Mr. Umar Zikki Jubril; Deputy Chief Registrar (Administration), Kwara State High Court, Mr. Nureni Kuranga; Kwara State Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Chief Judge of the State, Justice Suleiman Kawu; State Grand Khadi, Justice AbdulKadir Ola; Chief Registrar, State High Court, Mrs. Olanipekun Sherifat Bola; former Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, State Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Funsho Dada Lawal Esq; and Deputy Chief Registrar, Court of Appeal (Akure), Mr. Hussein Toyin Kawu; during the swearing-in ceremony of five newly-appointed High Court Judges at Government House, Ilorin, yesterday

Falana: Appeal Court Judges Have Right to Hear Cases in High Court Davidson Iriekpen Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has disagreed with the judgment of the Supreme Court that Appeal Court judges lack the powers to go back to High Courts once they have been elevated.

He said Appeal Court judges are empowered to return to the trial courts to hear cases.

The Supreme Court had nullified the 10-year jail term conviction and sentence of a former Director of Finance

and Account at the Abia State Government House, Ude Udeogu, who was convicted for fraud alongside former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu, on the grounds that Justice Mohammad Idris, the presiding judge, lacked the jurisdiction to hear the case.

The apex court held that Justice Idris who had been elevated to the Court of Appeal as at the time of judgment lacked powers to preside over a matter at the Federal High Court.

The apex court had dismissed section 396(7) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) which allows a judge elevated to the court of appeal to sit over a matter at a High Court.

Falana in a statement, argued that the acts of both Supreme and Appeal Courts made provisions for its judges to exercise powers of the trial courts in such matters.

“Whereas section 396 (7) of the ACJA permits a Justice of the Court of Appeal to conclude

a part heard criminal matter in the High Court Section 16 of the Court of Appeal Act empowers the justices of the court to exercise the powers of a trial court as if the proceedings had been instituted in the Court of Appeal as a court of first instance. In the same vein, Section 22 of the Supreme Court Act has vested the Justices of the court of the apex court with the powers of a trial court as if the proceedings had been instituted in the court as a court of first instance,” he wrote.

Alleged N7.74bn Fraud: Kenny Martins, Three Others Get Trial Date Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The trial of Kenny Martins, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged N7.74billion Police Equipment Fund (PEF) fraud, has been rescheduled till June 30, 2020.

Justice Modupe Adebiyi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, had earlier scheduled April 28,

2020, for the trial.

But the April 28 date was not feasible in the light of the shutdown of courts by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, following the lockdown in Abuja and many other parts of the country to curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

The EFCC is prosecuting Martins, as the coordinator of the Police Equipment Fund, for

allegedly conniving with three others to perpetrate the alleged fraud.

Justice Mohammed Talba, then of FCT High Court in Gudu, Abuja, now elevated to the Court of Appeal bench, had on November 24, 2009, discharged Martins and his co-defendants in his judgment on the no-case submission filed by them.

But the EFCC appealed against the judgment.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on June 28, 2012, upheld EFCC’s appeal. The court, in its lead judgment read by Justice Regina Nwodo, held that Justice Talba of the FCT High Court erred by discharging the defendants.

The court ordered the Chief Judge of the FCT High Court to reassign the case to another judge for re-trial, the anti-graft agency said in a statement.

NSCIA Declares Nationwide Prayers Rivers Ritual Killing: University Undergraduate, Accomplice against Pandemic to Die by Hanging The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Assembly of Muslims in Nigeria has called for prayers todayto end the COVID – 19 pandemic “and rid all mankind from its devastative effects.”

A statement issued last night by the chairman, Fatwa Committee of the NSCIA and chairman of AMIN, Sheikh Shariff Ibrahim Saleh AlHussaini, said the United Nations Secretary-General had endorsed and blessed the move, as well as most Muslim scholars and leaders worldwide.

He outlined some verses of the Holy Qur’an which must be read by Muslims in Nigeria.

Al-Hussaini said, “Based on these noble verses, and in compliance with the guidance, teachings and the tradition of the master of the prophets and messengers (may God’s salutations and peace be

upon him), has encouraged supplications and prayers to Allah the Almighty, at times of crisis, pandemics and other calamities that afflict people, and at all times.

“On behalf of the Fatwa Committee of NSCIA, and on the advice of His Eminence Alhaji (Dr) Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, Sultan of Sokoto, and President-General of NSCIA, and on behalf of AMIN, we call on all Muslims, and all Nigerians, Christians and followers of other religions, as well as our friends and loved ones wherever they are, to pray fervently in one voice on May 14, 2020 AD, so that God Almighty ends this pandemic.

“It is well established in the prophetic tradition that, during prayer for rain, all citizens are encouraged to go out for prayers regardless of their religion, gender or age.

Justice Adolphus Enebeli of the Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, has sentenced one Ifeanyi Maxwell Dike to death by hanging for the killing of an eight-year-old Victory Chikamso, a female for ritual purposes in 2017.

Also sentenced to death alongside Dike is one Ugochukwu Nwamairo, his accomplice who reportedly requested for the supply

of the human body parts for money ritual.

Also, an ex-police sergeant who allegedly aided Dike’s escape from prison at night after his detention, Johnbosco Okoronze got one year imprisonment, for adding and abating escape of the murderer.

Dike, a 200-level Physics student of the University of Port Harcourt, (UNIPORT), on August 18, 2017

allegedly strangled his victim who was also his niece and primary two pupil of a private school in Port Harcourt.

Dike perpetrated the act in his (Dike’s) room at Eliozu community, in Obio/Akpor Local Government of the state, where he also removed the vital parts of her body.

Chikamso’s body parts such

as, breast, private part, fingers, ear, heart, eyelid, among others, were discovered missing when the remains were found with Dike.

He was on his way to the community central crash bin at midnight to dispose of what was left of the body of the child when he was apprehended by men of the community vigilante and was handed over to the police.

Wike to Resume Total Lockdown of Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor on Sunday Davidson Iriekpen inLagosand Ernest ChinwoinPortHarcourt Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike has declared that the total lockdown on Obio/ Akpor and Port Harcourt Local Government Areas will resume by 8pm on Sunday, May 17, 2020 until further notice.

In a state broadcast yesterday,

the governor said the total lockdown would no longer resume today (Thursday) because the State Security Council took into consideration the suffering of the people over the last two days.

He said: “In consideration of the foregoing, the concerns of our people, and the need for residents to replenish

their supplies, especially, the State Security Council has decided to impose a nighttime curfew and review the effective date of the complete lockdown on Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt City Local Government Areas from May 14, 2020 to Sunday, May 17, 2020 by 8.00 p.m.

“Consequently, there

will be: (i) a night-time curfew from 8p.m. to 6a.m. on Thursday, May 14, 2020, Friday, May 15, 2020, and Saturday, May 16, 2020; (ii) while the total lockdown on Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt Local Government Areas will immediately follow from 8p.m.

Sunday May 17, 2020 until further notice.

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THURSDAY MAY 14, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

Secondus Berates FG for Alleged Failure to Support States in Pandemic Fight Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, has condemned the federal government for refusing to assist state governments and provide direction for the country in the fight against COVID-19.

This is as former Nigeria’s Ambassador to South Korea, Desmond Akawor, took over as the new Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman.

Speaking yesterday in Port Harcourt at the inauguration of the new state PDP executive, Secondus

berated the federal government for not supporting states in their efforts to stop the spread of the pandemic in their various state.

He said: “The state governors are working without help from the federal government. But for God, the situation would have been worse.

“Governors are running from pillar to post. We must be grateful to Governor Nyesom Wike for the initiative that he took. What the governor has done has helped to drastically reduce the number of cases.

“Rivers State is lucky to have Wike as governor at this time

of crisis.”

Secondus said those who spread negative propaganda do so out of hatred, as he congratulated the new Rivers State PDP Executive Committee, advising them to work for the growth of the party.

Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Mr. Ikuinyi Ibani, administered the oath of office on the new executives led by Akawor.

In his charge, Wike called on the new executives to work towards consolidating the gains of the immediatepast executive led by Felix Obuah.

Security Agents Intercept 93 Northerners in Oyo, Ondo The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and

by Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs) yesterday intercepted 93 northerners in Oyo and Ondo states.

NSCDC in Ogbomoso yesterday stopped about 70 Ibadan and Lagos-bound northerners in the state despite the ban on interstate movement by the federal government.

Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Wasiu Olatunbosun, disclosed that the travellers, who

were being driven in a truck, were arrested following a tip-off by some residents of Ogbomoso.

He said task force set up by the state was informed that a truck loaded with passengers from the North was heading towards Takie area of Ogbomoso.

Olatunbosun said the arrested persons indicated that some of them were from different parts of the North.

He said, “Among them are Northerners from Katsina State, others are from Kano, Kaduna and Zamfara states. About 50

of them said they were heading to Ibadan while the other 20 persons said they were heading to Lagos State.”

Also a truck carrying 23 youths from the North was yesterday intercepted by VIOs in Igbara Oke, headquarters of the Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State.

The driver, who spoke in Hausa, said he was going back to the North after delivering cement in Ile Ife, Osun State, when the youths begged him to drop them off in Akure.

Delta Establishes 100-bed Treatment Centre Omon-Julius OnabuinAsaba The Delta State Government, yesterday, inaugurated a 100-bed Isolation/Treatment Centre (ITC) at the Permanent Orientation Camp of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Issele-Uku inAniocha North Local Government Area of the state.

The facility was rehabilitated and equipped under a partnership involving the state government, the NYSC and the private sector Coalition on COVID-19 (CACOVID).

The Secretary to the Delta State Government (SSG), Mr. Chiedu Ebie, who performed the official opening ceremony on behalf of the

Delta State Governor, Mr. Ifeanyi Okowa, explained that the facility is part of the state government’s proactive measures toward an effective management of COVID-19 pandemic in the state by treating a large a number of patients, adding that the state has 17 confirmed cases currently.

Ebie said that the establishment of the centre was sequel to the directive by the federal government to NYSC to make available some of its facilities nationwide for the treatment and management of COVID-19 patients.

He also said that the state

government rehabilitated the building while CACOVID provided the state-of-the-art equipment in the facility.

He thanked the private sector donors for their patriotic gesture and valuable support to Delta State in the fight against the spread of the pandemic and called for more support to win the battle.

According to the Delta State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mordi Ononye, the inauguration of the facility has bolstered the state’s capacity to deal with the pandemic.

Uzodimma Inaugurates Testing Centre in Imo Amby Uneze in Owerri The Imo State Governor, Mr. Hope Uzodimma, has commissioned a Nigeria Centre for Disease Control’s (NCDC) certified COVID-19 laboratory testing centre in Owerri, Imo State.

The testing centre, which is powered by Everight Diagnostics Centre (EDC), is a private sector contribution with assistance from the state government that monitored and ensured that all protocols are followed in setting up the centre in the fight against the

spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

Uzodimma said during the commissioning ceremony that Imo State has been further encouraged to carry out more tests with the establishment of the centre, emphasising that the state “is now more prepared than ever in the fight to stop the deadly disease from discomforting the people of the state.”

He reiterated that with the testing centre now in Owerri, Imo people would no longer bear the huge cost of logistics and other inconveniences in

taking COVID-19 samples to Abakiliki in Ebonyi State for tests, adding that the state would be commissioning another centre that would be provided by the NCDC. The state governor commended the management of EDC for their doggedness in realising the project, and expressed his profound appreciation to the NCDC for their support to ensure that Imo State is adequately prepared to checkmate the COVID-19 pandemic.

Borno Relaxes Lockdown Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri The Borno State Government has called off the lockdown imposed on the state to combat the spread of COVID-19.

The lockdown was imposed three weeks ago after an index case of COVID-19 was discovered in the state.

In a press release that was issued yesterday evening, The Borno State Deputy Governor, Mr. Usman Kadafur, who is also the Chairman of the State COVID-19 High Powered Committee,

announce that the lockdown has been lifted because it has achieved its purpose.

Kadafur said: “The lockdown is being suspended indefinitely to study the situation for the time being. However, government will revert to the status quo if the situation escalates. The use of facemasks by the public is still mandatory and enforceable.

“Government, traditional rulers, religious leaders, community leaders and opinion leaders should enforce social distancing especially in public gatherings

and worship places.

“There should be restriction in public gatherings. Funeral processions and rites, weddings, naming ceremonies shall not be attended by more than 20 people.

Henceforth Juma’at prayers and five daily prayers shall be observed in all mosques as recommended by Borno State Council of Ulamas in strict adherence with the social distancing and wearing of face mask.

37

THURSDAY MAY 14, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

COVID -19 UPDATE...

COVID -19 UPDATE...

Our Confirmed Cases Entered Enugu Illegally, Says Ugwuanyi Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, yesterday addressed residents of the state on confirmed positive cases of COVID-19, disclosing that all the eleven cases are people who entered the state illegally despite the presidential order on restriction of interstate movement and the state government’s closure of all boundaries and interstate

transportation.

Ugwuanyi further disclosed that the 11th confirmed positive case, announced by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on May 12, 2020, was a 40-year- old male who had been in Kano since April 2020 and came back to Enugu on May 4, 2020.

The governor declared that “it

We Don’t Have Any Patient in Our ICU, Bauchi Govt Insists Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi The Bauchi State Government has declared that there is no longer any COVID-19 patient in the state’s intensive care units.

This was announced yesterday by the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Aliyu Maigoro, when he briefed journalists on the efforts of the state government to curtail the spread of the COVID-19 in the state.

Maigoro stated that out of the 182 confirmed cases in the state, 23 have fully recovered from the disease and discharged.

He said: “As at today in Bauchi State, we don’t have any COVID-19 patient in our intensive care units, and also

we don’t have any severe cases of the virus.

“For COVID-19, you must wait for 14 days to see the level of condition of the patients whether they show any symptom of the virus or not.

“Immediately you get the first test result, you can discharge the patient if it is negative because the pattern in Nigeria that a patient eho tested negative for the first time will also be negative in the second test.

“So far, we have not put any of our patients on ventilation since the outbreak of COVID-19 disease in the state.”

The commissioner for health also said that the transmission of COVID-19 from mother to child has not been proved.

Medical Lab Scientists Urge Cross River to Conduct Aggressive Tests Bassey Inyang in Calabar Medical Laboratory Scientists (MLS) in Cross River State have raised the alarm that there are possible COVID-19 carriers in the state and called for the conduct of aggressive testing of samples of suspected carriers across the state.

The MLS, which raised the alarm through their umbrella organisation, the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientist of Nigeria, AMLSN, Cross River Branch, told journalists yesterday in Calabar that not more than ten samples have been sent, from the state that has a population of about 4 million, for testing since the report of the COVID-19 index case in Nigeria in February this year,.

The Chairman of Cross River Branch of AMLSN, Mr. Ndem Benedict, who addressed a press briefing yesterday, said: “We can only add that the best way to validate the success

of state prevention strategy is by testing, testing and more testing, since it remains the only method to ascertain the success or otherwise of the preventive strategy deployed thus far in the state.

“So far, since February 27 when the index case was recorded in Nigeria, of the almost 25,000 test performed in the nation not more than ten samples (persons) have been tested from Cross River State to our knowledge.”

Benedict said it could be misleading to conclude that there were no COVID-19 positive cases in the state because aggressive testing has not been conducted.

“Such low testing profile can only give our current zero-prevalence status a very fragile or artificial picture. We strongly recommend, and encourage active surveillance and testing for COVID-19 in the state.

FCT Arrests 68 Travellers Hidden in Trucks Olawale AjimotokaninAbuja The authorities of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have arrested 68 persons travelling through the territory from various parts of the country in violation of the ban on interstate travels enforced to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

They were nabbed yesterday by the FCT ministerial task-team on the enforcement of COVID-19 restrictions.

The apprehended travellers were hidden in two Dangote company trucks and another truck conveying fertilizers from Edo State.

They, however, ran out of luck around Zuba area when

the taskforce team insisted on the physical examination of the contents on board the trucks.

They were consequently arraigned at the Zuba Mobile Court presided over by Magistrate Ebiwari Damini.

The Mobile Court convicted one Abdul Sani, the Dangote truck driver and Mukhtar Usman, the fertilizer truck driver.

The magistrate ruled that those who were allegedly going back to Zaria, having been turned back at the entry of Edo State, be guided out of the FCT and allowed to return to their original place of departure which was Zaria, as he also fined them N5, 000 each.

has become imperative that we all take responsibility to protect our dear state from the illegal influx of people into the state”.

He therefore asked all those charged with the responsibility

of protecting all land boundaries in the state “to put more efforts to ensure that our boundaries are properlysecuredtocurbthisunfortunate importation of the COVID-19 into the state”.

Ugwuanyi urged the people of the state to continue to abide by the protocol of the NCDC, including the mandatory use of face masks/ covering in public, maintaining social/ physical distancing and high level

of personal and respiratory hygiene.

He reassured the people that his administration will continue to do all within its powers to effectively contain the spread of the pandemic in the state.

Gambari Good Choice in Nigeria’s Trying Moment, Says Ngige Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has described the choice of Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, as the new Chief of Staff (CoS) to President Muhammadu Buhari, as a good one.

Ngige, in a congratulatory message, described Gambari as a seasoned diplomat and scholar, who would no doubt bring his wealth of experience to bear on his new appointment

as Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Gambari was appointed to fill the vacuum created in the Buhari administration by the death of former CoS, Mr. Abba Kyari.

In the statement issued yesterday by the Media Aide to the Minister of Labour, Mr. Emmanuel Nzomiwu, Ngige equally commended President Buhari for choosing Gambari, an aristocrat of very high intellectual background, who is also imbued with vast public

service experience.

He said the President could not have made a better choice than Gambari, a renowned scholar and a front-line gladiator in international politics and diplomacy.

Ngige recalled that the new CoS had at different times in the past, distinguished himself as External Affairs Minister from January 1984 to August 1985, Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations from 1990 to 1999

and Chairperson African Union Commission, among other exalted positions.

“As a former External Affairs Minister and member of Federal Executive Council (FEC), the turf is familiar for Professor Ibrahim Gambari. It is our hope that his huge knowledge of public service and wealth of experience will be brought to bear on the domestic policies of the Buhari administration and foreign policy thrust, to chart a new course in these trying times,” he said.

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Ëœ ÍšÍźËœ ͺ͸ͺ͸ Ëž T H I S D AY

THURSDAYSPORTS

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

Shanghai Shenhua Give Ighalo Ultimatum to Return to China Femi Solaja with agency report The quest of former Super Eagles forward, Odion Ighalo, to transform his loan spell into a permanent deal with Manchester United has hit a dead end as parent club, Shanghai Shenhua yesterday demanded his return to China for the new Chinese Super League season starting next month.

Just two days ago, his ambition for longer stay at Old Trafford suffered a hitch when Manchester United legend and

influential football pundit, Gary Neville, advised his former club to snub the ÂŁ20million demand by the Chinese side for a permanent deal for Ighalo.

The 30-year-old’s contract is due to expire on 31 May but may enjoy extension to the end of the 2019/2020 season due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused the English Premier League season to drag beyond the usual early early May to end.

Now, a restart to the season is expected to begin on June 1.

UK’s Evening Standard

reported yesterday that Man Utd’s attempts to extend his loan have hit a wall.

Ighalo secured a ‘dream’ loan move to Old Trafford late in the January transfer window. And while the move was questioned and criticised by many, the Nigerian has proved to be a valuable addition.

Ighalo has started just three games for the Red

Devils, but has managed four goals in these games.

It was noted in March that United were ready to sign him permanently for around ÂŁ15m, while the striker has also recently admitted that he wants his loan to be extended so that he can remain at Old Trafford until the current season is complete.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ‘wants’

to keep hold of the former Watford man until the 2019/20 season is over, and the club have attempted to secure a short-term deal rather than a permanent move at this time.

However, the report adds that Ighalo ‘could’ have played his last game for United against LASK of Austria in the Europa League as his parent club Shanghai

Shenhua are demanding the player’s returns to China for the start of their new season.

Should United wish to make his move permanent, they would have to pay his £20m release clause - although Newcastle have since entered the running for Ighalo’s signature amid talk of a big money takeover.

FIFA Cancels ‘The Best’ Awards For the first time since 1991, the glamorous World Footballer of the Year will not hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The awards, started by France Football magazine later became a collaboration with the World Football body, FIFA with German captain and Inter Millan defender, Lothar Matthaus winning the inaugural edition of that merger.

The duo of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the awards as the winners of the most of the editions.

Messi was the winner in 2019. Since there will be no winner for 2020, the Argentine will be the defending champion for another year.

Virgil van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo were the runners up in 2019.

According to Marca last night, FIFA decided to cancel the ‘The Best’ awards ceremony because of coronavirus that has put all sporting activities on hold pending the time human race will conquer the pandemic.

The Spanish newspaper insisted that FIFA will leave the 2019/2020 season without a winner.

The ceremony was supposed to take place in September of this year in Milan, but social and health conditions have made FIFA cancel this year’s edition.

With FIFA no longer planning for this year’s award there is a likelihood of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) following in the path of the world body by also

cancelling it’s continental programme.

If that happens, the duo of Senegalese Sadio Mane and Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala are primed to retain their respective Men and Women’s titles for another 12 months., Meanwhile, FIFA will hold its first virtual Congress this year after the annual gathering of its member federations in Addis Ababa has been postponed.F FIFA pushed back the Congress in the Ethiopian capital from June to September in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Bureau of its Council has now decided to stage it as an online event.

FIFA said the Congress would take place on September 18.

It is not yet clear what technology and voting systems will be used for the Congress, nor whether Ethiopia will be given the chance to host a future edition of the annual meeting.

Governing bodies in sport have been forced to use video technology to hold key meetings during the coronavirus pandemic, which has severely restricted international travel and prompted Governments to ban mass gatherings.

FIFA is the latest International federation to announce plans to stage the annual meeting of its supreme body remotely.

The International Rowing Federation’s Congress later this year will hold remotely, while World Sailing is considering a virtual Annual General Meeting, including its Presidential election, if the event cannot be staged as planned.

The Bureau of the FIFA Council, comprising President Gianni Infantino and the heads of each of the six confederations, have also rescheduled two major women’s tournaments earlier planned to take place this year.

The Under-20 Women’s World Cup, to be jointly hosted by Costa Rica and Panama, has been pushed back from its initial August and September slot to January 20 to February 6.

The Under-17 Women’s World Cup in India, originally scheduled for November 2 to 21, has been rearranged for February 17 to March 7, 2021.

FIFA confirmed both Lionel Messi to remain FIFA tournaments would keep their Best til the next edition in 2021 original eligibility criteria.

Odion Ighalo faces the dilemma of abandoning his dream to return to China

Khashoggi’s FiancĂŠe Wants Newcastle to Reject Saudi’s ÂŁ300m Takeover Bid The fiancee of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi has written an open letter to Newcastle United fans asking them to consider if the club’s pending takeover is ‘the right way out of despair’ for them and the city.

The Premier League club are on the brink of a controversial ÂŁ300million takeover by a coalition backed by funds from the Saudi Public Investment Fund.

Several bodies have come forward to express their concerns over the prospective new ownership, including Amnesty International, with issues being

raised over Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.

One such issue was the murder of Khashoggi, who was killed after he entered the Saudi consulate on October 2, 2018, to obtain paperwork for his wedding to his Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz.

Turkey has charged 20 suspects, including two former aides to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, over the 2018 murder.

And Cengiz has now written to Toon supporters to ask them to consider the ramifications of a Saudi-backed takeover. ‘I write to you at a crucial

time in the history of your famous football club,’ she began. ‘Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the absolute ruler of Saudi Arabia, is aiming to take over your club by offering a huge sum of money. ‘I know that many of you are tempted by his offer to get out of the dire situation that has crippled your club for so many years. ‘But the Crown Prince is accused of ordering Jamal’s murder. All credible investigations have shown his responsibility.

He has not been put on trial in his own country as he controls it with an iron fist.

‘My plea to you is to think whether accepting Mohammed bin Salman’s offer is really the right way out of the despair for your club and City.’ Khashoggi, a Saudi insiderturned-critic, was strangled and his body cut into pieces by a 15-man Saudi squad inside the consulate, according to Turkish officials.

His remains have never been found.

The CIA, UN special envoy Agnes Callamard and Turkey have directly linked Crown Prince Mohammed to the killing, a charge the kingdom vehemently denies.

Italian Govt Issues Fresh Hurdle for Serie A to Commence Serie A’s hopes of finishing the current campaign are in real jeopardy after the Italian government warned clubs that the entire squad faces two weeks in quarantine if only one player or member of staff tests positive for coronavirus.

A medical officer from the Italian FA also sent a stark warning to Serie A clubs, claiming the season may be cancelled if no solution is found amid the ongoing pandemic. ‘If we don’t find a solution, Serie A will not resume,’ the FA doctor confirmed.

Undersecretary of the Ministry

of Health, Sandra Zampa, also reaffirmed this stance: ‘If one gets sick, the quarantine is for everyone. Otherwise we would go back to suspending everything. ‘Everything stops, no doubt if the quarantine is triggered, the championship also stops.’ Italian Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora added: ‘Someone asked why a supermarket does not close if the cashier is positive while if a player is, the whole team is sent to quarantine. ‘Because in football it is not possible to keep a distance.’ There was also an admission

from Italy yesterday that until a vaccine or medical solution is discovered, football outside the professional game cannot return.

But the Italian FA are looking to follow the model of the Bundesliga - which is returning this Saturday - of just isolating any player or member of staff that contracts coronavirus.

Italy was one of the first countries in Europe to be hit by the deadly disease and its top-flight has been suspended since March 9. There have been more than 30,000 fatalities in the country.

Italy’s Serie A clubs had been given the green light on Monday by the government to start team training from May 18 ‘with prudence’.

So far clubs have only been allowed to train on an individual basis and respecting social distancing rules, often with players having half a pitch to themselves.

In a joint statement from Health Minister Roberto Speranza and Sports Minister Spadafora, it said the committee had ordered some changes, which were not specified, but had given the green light for group training to restart.

THURSDAY MAY 14, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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MISSILE Femi Falana to Nyesom Wike “No constitution allows a governor to become the maker of a law, the accuser, witness, enforcer of the law, the prosecutor and the Judge at the same time. The (demolition of two hotels) is an embarrassment to the Nigerian Bar Association� – Mr Femi Falana, SAN, on the demolition of two hotels by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, on grounds that his lockdown executive order was violated.

OLUSEGUNADENIYI Putting an End to ‘Born Throw-away’ THE VERDICT

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

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ast Saturday, the Kwara Police Command announced the interception of a truck conveying 200 ‘Almajiri’ children about to be off-loaded in the state. “When the driver of the truck was interrogated, he said that they were coming from Funtua in Katsina State, despite the inter-state travel ban,� said Ajayi Okasanmi, Kwara Police spokesman who added, “the truck and the 200 Almajiri were escorted by fully-armed policemen to the Niger-Kwara boundary to where they will return to Katsina.�

One can only imagine how that large number of children survived inside one vehicle for such a long journey from Katsina to Ilorin and back. But then, does anyone care? After all, they are only ‘Almajiri’ children!

Two days earlier, the Taraba State government refused to take delivery of their own ‘consignment’. Hundreds of ‘Almajiri’ children reportedly arrived Jalingo from Lafia, escorted by officials of the Nasarawa State Ministry of Women Affairs. The children were restricted to the vehicle that brought them for several hours without being provided food or water, then eventually ‘deported’ back to whence they came. Mr Sunday Maiyaki, Permanent Secretary Political Cabinet Affairs and General Services, provided justification in a letter he handed to Nasarawa State officials: “The government of Taraba State wish to return the pupils to you and requests that the pupils should be properly profiled indicating their local government of origin in Taraba State and ‘individual status’ in respect of the pandemic.�

At about the same time in Zaria, Kaduna State government officials arrested a cleric

I

Gov. Lalong, Chairman, Northern Govs Forum who was running an ‘Almajiri’ business. The Commissioner for Human Development and Social Services, Hajiya Hafsat Baba narrated what they found: “Young girls of not more than eight to 10 years were mixed up with these boys. We were able to evacuate 327 out of the 500 children in the house. We also understand that he (the cleric) gives out these girls for marriage.�

Since the first COVID-19 index case was identified in Nigeria seven weeks ago, we have witnessed numerous defining moments in our uncoordinated response to deal with the pandemic. Governors are creating borders

on federal roads and enforcing such illegalities while some, like Nyesom Wike of Rivers, are using the restrictions to whimsically trample on the rights and liberties of residents. The role of Pentecostal churches is increasingly called into question as a result of unhelpful utterances of some otherwise respected clerics at a period when the Catholic Bishop Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has offered all its 425 health facilities across the country as isolation centres for COVID-19.

While the nation was on lockdown last month, we also witnessed dozens of fire incidences.

Notable were the Maola shopping mall in Ebute Ero, Lagos, (3rd April); ‘Treasury House’ Abuja which houses Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (8th April); Itire-Lawanson branch of Access Bank in Lagos (10th April); Ngala Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Borno which claimed the lives of about 20 persons and left dozens of others critically injured (14th April); headquarters of the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja and Dugbe Market, Ibadan (15th April); Muda Lawal Market, Bauchi (16th April); a section of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja (17th April); Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) office in Jos, Plateau State (21st April) etc.

Meanwhile, the news that Madagascar has found a ‘cure’ for COVID-19 developed from traditional herbs has excited a number of African countries, including Nigeria.

Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on combating COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, announced last weekend that President Muhammadu Buhari had directed

him to send a plane to Guinea Bissau to pick up a consignment of COV Organic remedy donated by the government of Madagascar.

While the Madagascar Institute of Applied Research (MIAR) indeed announced developing herbal tea using artemisia (which is available all over Nigeria) and other local herbs to treat malaria, how it suddenly developed into a COVID-19 cure is not the work of scientists but that of a smart politician and businessman.

From the World Health Organisation (WHO) to the Africa Centre for Disease Control, no recognised scientific body within or outside Madagascar has endorsed this ‘miracle cure’ of which President Andry Rajoelina is the sole promoter, producer and marketer. In fact, the National Academy of Medicine of Madagascar (ANANEM) is sceptical about this ‘preventive and curative’ drug that our officials are now so excited about. r/05& 5IF QJFDF JT DPODMVEFE PO QBHF

Bob Dee @ 60

Right from the beginning of the year, our dear egbon, Chief Dele Momodu began preparing for his 60th birthday which comes up on Saturday, 16th May. COVID-19 has now messed up the entire plan. I now hear of a ‘Zoom Party’, whatever that means.

Can I secure a plate of jollof rice on Zoom?

But as I told him during the week, we are only postponing the Big-Do for his 70th birthday in 2030, by the special grace of God. I wish Bob Dee happy birthday as he joins the sexagenarian club.

The Productivity of Idleness

f nobody felt sorry for me during recent restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, I am certain Mrs Oloruntoyosi Â‘Â˜Â–ÂŠÂœČąÇťÂ–Â˘ČąČ Â˜Â˘Čą Â˜Â˘Č‚ÇźČąÂ”Â—ÂŽÂ ČąÂ‘Â˜Â ČąÂ?’ĜŒž•Â?Čą it must have been for ‘Boda Segun’ to be Č Â•Â˜ÂŒÂ”ÂŽÂ?Čą Â?Â˜Â Â—Č‚Čą Â?Â˜Â›Čą Ä™Â&#x;ÂŽČą Â ÂŽÂŽÂ”ÂœÇŻČą —ȹ Â?‘Žȹ ꛜÂ?Čą few days I didn’t know what to do with myself so I spent considerable time on the Â™Â‘Â˜Â—ÂŽÇŻČą žÂ?ȹŠ™™Š›Ž—Â?•¢ȹ‘ŠÂ&#x;’—Â?ČąÂ—Â˜Â?’ŒŽÂ?ČąÂ?‘ŠÂ?Čą Čą was behaving like those cranky aunties who spend their days spreading gossip and fake news on WhatsApp, the First Lady of Ekiti State, Mrs Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi sent me a Â?ÂŽÂ›ÂœÂŽČą –ŽœœŠÂ?Žǹȹ Č Â˜Â—Č‚Â?Čą Â?Ž••ȹ –Žȹ Â˘Â˜ÂžČą Š›Žȹ Â’Â?•ŽȂǯȹ —Â?Čą ȹ›Ž™•’ŽÂ?ÇąČąČ ÂŽÂ›Â˘Ç°ČąÂ&#x;Ž›¢Ȃǯ žÂ?Čą Â?‘ŠÂ?Čą –ŽœœŠÂ?ÂŽČą ÂŠÂ•ÂœÂ˜Čą Â?˜Â?Čą –Žȹ Â?‘’—”’—Â?ÇŻČą Since we are likely witnessing a historical moment in our country, I decided I should ‹ŽÂ?’—ȹ”ŽŽ™’—Â?ȹŠȹÂ?’Š›¢ǯȹ ČąÂ’Â—ÂŒÂ›ÂŽÂŠÂœÂŽÂ?ČąÂ?‘Žȹ—ž–‹Ž›ȹ of newspapers I buy every day from four to seven, and started to pick out interesting stories Â˜Â—ČąÂ?‘Žȹ ČŹĹ—Ĺ&#x;ČąÂŽÂĄÂ™ÂŽÂ›Â’ÂŽÂ—ÂŒÂŽČąÂ’Â—Čą Â’Â?Ž›’Šǯȹ ‘ŠÂ?Čą has not only kept me busy, it has meant I ŒžÂ?ČąÂ?Â˜Â Â—ČąÂ˜Â—ČąÂ?Â‘ÂŽČąÂ‘Â˜ÂžÂ›ÂœČą ȹ‘ŠÂ?ČąÂ?Â˜Â›Čą ‘ŠÂ?Âœ ™™ǯȹ Perhaps because my messages dried up, Mrs Fayemi quipped last Friday, ‘Are you still idle?’ I explained to her what I had been Â?˜’—Â?Čą  ’Â?‘ȹ –¢ȹ Â?’–Žȹ Â?Â‘ÂŽÂœÂŽČą ™ŠœÂ?Čą Â?ÂŽÂ Čą Â ÂŽÂŽÂ”ÂœÇŻČą Then came her reply: ‘That sounds like a great idea! I can just see the title now: The ›˜Â?žŒÂ?Â’Â&#x;Â’Â?Â˘ČąÂ˜Â?Čą Â?Â•ÂŽÂ—ÂŽÂœÂœČ‚ÇŻ While I doubt my ability to write such

a philosophical book, I am hoping that by next year I may be able to come up with a ‘Coronawahala’ book on this period in our ‘’œÂ?Â˜Â›Â˘ÇŻČą ŽŠ— ‘’•Žǰȹ ČąÂ–ÂžÂœÂ?ČąÂ?‘Š—”ȹ Â˜Â•ÂžČą Â?ÂžÂ—Â•ÂŽÂœÂ’Čą Â?Â˜Â›Čą Â‘Â’ÂœČą  ŽŽÂ?Čą Â Â‘Â’ÂŒÂ‘Čą •ŠœÂ?Čą  ŽŽ”Ž—Â?Čą ꛎÂ?Čą Š—ȹ unusual interest in my book, ‘The Last 100 Days of Abacha’ǯȹ ČąÂŒÂ•ÂŽÂŠÂ—ÂŽÂ›ČąÂŒÂ˜Â™Â˘ČąÂ’ÂœČąÂ—Â˜Â ČąÂŠÂ&#x;ÂŠÂ’Â•ÂŠÂ‹Â•ÂŽČąÂ˜Â—Čą Â–Â˘ČąÂ ÂŽÂ‹ČąÂ™Â˜Â›Â?ÂŠÂ•Ç°ČąÂ˜Â•ÂžÂœÂŽÂ?ž—ŠÂ?ÂŽÂ—Â’Â˘Â’ÇŻÂŒÂ˜Â–Ç°ČąÂ?Â˜Â›ČąÂ?›ŽŽȹ Â?˜ —•˜ŠÂ?ÂœÇŻČą Â‘ÂŽČąÂšÂžÂŽÂœÂ?Â’Â˜Â—ČąÂ–ÂŠÂ—Â˘ČąÂ›ÂŽÂŠÂ?ÂŽÂ›ÂœČąÂ‘ÂŠÂ&#x;ÂŽČą been asking me is which Abba Kyari did I •’œÂ?ČąÂŠÂ–Â˜Â—Â?ČąÂ?Â‘Â˜ÂœÂŽČąÂ Â‘Â˜ČąÂœÂžÂ™Â™Â˜Â›Â?ÂŽÂ?ČąÂ?Â‘ÂŽČąÂŽÄ›Â˜Â›Â?ÂœČąÂ˜Â?Čą General Sani Abacha to perpetuate himself in Â˜ÄœÂŒÂŽÇŻČą ČąÂ‘Â˜Â—ÂŽÂœÂ?•¢ȹÂ?Â’Â?ČąÂ—Â˜Â?ČąÂ”Â—Â˜Â ČąÂžÂ—Â?’•ȹ ‘Žȹ Š‹•Žȹ ÂœÂ?Â˜Â›Â˘ČąÂ˜Â?Čą žŽœÂ?ÂŠÂ˘ČąÂ Â‘Â’ÂŒÂ‘ČąÂŒÂ˜Â—Ä™Â›Â–ÂŽÂ?ČąÂ?‘ŠÂ?ȹ’Â?ČąÂ ÂŠÂœČą ›’Â?ŠÂ?’Ž›ȹ Ž—Ž›Š•ȹ ‹‹Šȹ ¢Š›’ǯȹ ‘Žȹ›Ž—Ž ŽÂ?Čą interest in a book last published in 2005 (all copies in circulation are pirated because I never reprinted after initial copies sold out) has also led to requests for my other books, including the latest, ‘NAKED ABUSE: Sex for ›ŠÂ?ÂŽÂœČąÂ’Â—Čą Â?Â›Â’ÂŒÂŠÂ—Čą —’Â&#x;Ž›œ’Â?Â’ÂŽÂœČ‚ÇŻČą —Â?Ž›ŽœÂ?’—Â?•¢ǰȹ Â?Â‘ÂŽÂ›ÂŽČąÂ’ÂœČąÂ•Â’Ä´Â•ÂŽČąÂ˜Â›ČąÂ—Â˜ČąÂŠÂ ÂŠÂ›ÂŽÂ—ÂŽÂœÂœČąÂ˜Â?ČąÂ™ÂŽÂ›Â‘ÂŠÂ™ÂœČąÂ–Â˘Čą most serious work, which is also available Â?Â˜Â›ČąÂ?›ŽŽȹÂ?˜ —•˜ŠÂ?ČąÂ˜Â—ČąÂ–Â˘ČąÂ ÂŽÂ‹ČąÂ™Â˜Â›Â?Š•ǯȹ ‘Ž›Žȹ Â’ÂœČąÂŠČąÂ‹ÂŠÂŒÂ”Â?›˜ž—Â?ČąÂ?Â˜ČąÂ?Â‘ÂŽČąÂŽÄ›Â˜Â›Â?ÇŻ In February 2012, a public hearing was conducted by the House of Representatives into the downstream sector of the Nigerian ™ŽÂ?Â›Â˜Â•ÂŽÂžÂ–ČąÂ’Â—Â?žœÂ?›¢ȹ ’Â?‘ȹ™Š›Â?Â’ÂŒÂžÂ•ÂŠÂ›ČąÂŠÄ´ÂŽÂ—Â?Â’Â˜Â—Čą to subsidy payments between 2009 and Ĺ˜Ĺ–Ĺ—Ĺ—ÇŻČą Â‘Â˜ÂœÂŽČąÂ Â‘Â˜ČąÂ?ÂŽÂœÂ?’ęŽÂ?ȹ‹ŽÂ?Â˜Â›ÂŽČąÂ?‘ŽȹŠÂ?ČąÂ‘Â˜ÂŒČą ÂŒÂ˜Â–Â–Â’Ä´ÂŽÂŽČą ’—Œ•žÂ?ÂŽÂ?Čą Â?‘Žȹ Â?‘Ž—ȹ ˜˜›Â?’—ŠÂ?’—Â?Čą

Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi OkonjoIweala; then Minister of Petroleum Resources, Â›ÂœČą ’Ž£Š—’ȹ Â•Â’ÂœÂ˜Â—ČŹ ŠÂ?žŽ”ŽDzȹÂ?‘Ž—ȹ Ä´Â˜Â›Â—ÂŽÂ˘Čą ÂŽÂ—ÂŽÂ›ÂŠÂ•ČąÂ˜Â?ČąÂ?‘Žȹ ÂŽÂ?Ž›ŠÂ?Â’Â˜Â—Ç°Čą ›ǯȹ ˜‘Š––ŽÂ?Čą Bello Adoke, SAN; two then Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Deputy Governors, (Dr Kingsley Moghalu and Mr Tunde Lemo); then Chair of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mrs Ifueko Omougui-Okauru; then Director Ž—Ž›Š•ǰȹ žÂ?Â?ÂŽÂ?Čą ÄœÂŒÂŽČąÂ˜Â?ČąÂ?‘Žȹ ÂŽÂ?Ž›ŠÂ?Â’Â˜Â—Ç°Čą ›ȹ Bright Okogu; then Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Mr Elias Nban; and the then Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Â˜Â–Â–Â’ÂœÂœÂ’Â˜Â—Čą Çť ǟǰȹ ›ȹ žœÂ?’—ȹ Â—Â’Â Â˜Â—ÇŻČą Depositions were also taken from heads of relevant institutions at the time (Nigeria Ports žÂ?‘˜›’Â?¢ǰȹ žœÂ?Â˜Â–ÂœÇ°Čą Ç°Čą Ç°Čą ȹŽÂ?ÂŒÇŻÇźÇŻČą –˜—Â?ČąÂ™ÂŽÂ˜Â™Â•ÂŽČąÂ Â‘Â˜ČąÂ?ÂŽÂœÂ?’ęŽÂ?ČąÂ?Â›Â˜Â–ČąÂ?‘Žȹ™›’Â&#x;ŠÂ?ÂŽČą sector were former Finance Minister, Dr Kalu Â?’”Šȹ ÂŠÂ•ÂžČąÂŠÂœČąÂ ÂŽÂ•Â•ČąÂŠÂœČąÂ•ÂŽÂ?ÂŠÂ•ČąÂ™Â›ÂŠÂŒÂ?Â’Â?Â’Â˜Â—ÂŽÂ›ÂœÇ°Čą ›ǯȹ Ž–’ȹ Š•Š—Šǰȹ ȹŠ—Â?Čą ›ǯȹ Â•Â’ÂœÂŠČą Â?Â‹ÂŠÂ”Â˜Â‹ÂŠÇ°Čą ÇŻČą Â‘ÂŽÂ›ÂŽČąÂ ÂŽÂ›ÂŽČąÂŠÂ•ÂœÂ˜ČąÂ?ÂŽÂœÂ?Â’Â–Â˜Â—Â’ÂŽÂœČąÂ?Â›Â˜Â–ČąĹ&#x;Ĺ™ČąÂ˜Â’Â•Čą –Š›”ŽÂ?ÂŽÂ›ÂœČąÂŠÂ—Â?ČąÂ’Â–Â™Â˜Â›Â?ÂŽÂ›ÂœÇ°ČąÂœÂŽÂ—Â’Â˜Â›ČąÂ˜ÄœÂŒÂ’ÂŠÂ•ÂœČąÂ?Â›Â˜Â–Čą the Nigerian Navy, the auditors appointed by the Ministry of Finance to verify subsidy claims, members of the professional bodies in the downstream sector, foreign oil traders, Â˜ÄœÂŒÂ’ÂŠÂ•ÂœČą ˜Â?Čą Â?‘Žȹ Â’Â?Ž›’Š—ȹ ÂŠÂ‹Â˜ÂžÂ›Čą ˜—Â?Â›ÂŽÂœÂœČą and Trade Union Congress as well as the managing directors of the Port Harcourt, Š››’ȹ Š—Â?Čą ŠÂ?ž—Šȹ Â›ÂŽÄ™Â—ÂŽÂ›Â’ÂŽÂœÇŻČą ¢ȹ Â?‘Žȹ Â?’–Žȹ

Â?Â‘ÂŽÂ’Â›ČąÂœÂŽÂœÂœÂ’Â˜Â—ÂœČąÂŽÂ—Â?ÂŽÂ?Ç°ČąÂ?Â‘ÂŽČąÂŒÂ˜Â–Â–Â’Ä´ÂŽÂŽČąÂ‘ÂŠÂ?ČąÂ?Š”Ž—ȹ Â?ÂŽÂœÂ?Â’Â–Â˜Â—Â˘ČąÂ?Â›Â˜Â–ČąĹ—Ĺ™Ĺ–ČąÂ Â’Â?Â—ÂŽÂœÂœÂŽÂœČąÂŠÂ—Â?ČąÂ›ÂŽÂŒÂŽÂ’Â&#x;ÂŽÂ?Čą ’—ȹŽÂ&#x;Â’Â?ÂŽÂ—ÂŒÂŽČąĹ™Ç°Ĺ–Ĺ–Ĺ–ČąÂ&#x;Â˜Â•ÂžÂ–ÂŽÂœČąÂ˜Â?ČąÂ?˜Œž–Ž—Â?ÂœÇŻ The public hearing was broadcast live Â˜Â—Čą Â?Ž•ŽÂ&#x;Â’ÂœÂ’Â˜Â—Čą Š—Â?Čą ŒŠ™Â?ž›ŽÂ?Čą Â?‘Žȹ ŠĴŽ—Â?Â’Â˜Â—Čą ˜Â?Čą Â’Â?ÂŽÂ›Â’ÂŠÂ—ÂœČąÂ?Â˜Â›ČąÂ ÂŽÂŽÂ”ÂœÇŻČąČą ČąÂ?ÂŽÂ ČąÂ ÂŽÂŽÂ”ÂœČąÂŠÂ?Â?Ž›ȹÂ?‘Žȹ sessions ended, I asked the chairman, Farouk Lawan and then Speaker (current Sokoto State Governor), Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, for copies of the entire proceedings and after several weeks of back and forth and the kind assistance of ÂŒÂ˜Â–Â–Â’Ä´ÂŽÂŽČąÂœÂŽÂŒÂ›ÂŽÂ?Š›¢ǰȹ ›ȹ ˜—’Â?ÂŠÂŒÂŽČą Â–ÂŽÂ—ÂŠÂ•Â˜Ç°Čą Čą Â ÂŠÂœČą ÂŽÂ&#x;Ž—Â?žŠ••¢ȹ ™›˜Â&#x;Â’Â?ÂŽÂ?Čą Š••ȹ Â?‘Žȹ ›Ž™˜›Â?ÂœÇŻČą These included raw (unedited) transcripts of testimonies, audio recordings of proceedings Š—Â?Čą Š••ȹ Â?˜Œž–Ž—Â?ÂœÇŻČą Â?Čą Â?Â˜Â˜Â”Čą –Žȹ Š•–˜œÂ?Čą Â?Â Â˜Čą years and several sleepless nights from June 2012 to March 2014 to sieve through the mass ˜Â?ČąÂ?˜Œž–Ž—Â?ÂœČąÂŠÂ—Â?ČąÂ•Â’ÂœÂ?Ž—ȹÂ?Â˜ČąÂ–ÂŠÂ—Â˘ČąÂ˜Â?ČąÂ?‘ŽȹÂ?ÂŠÂ™ÂŽÂœÇŻ But by the time I completed the work, I had ended up with 772 pages, even after ›’Â?Â˜Â›Â˜ÂžÂœČąÂŽÂ?Â’Â?’—Â?ÇŻČą ȹ”—Ž ȹ‹ŽĴŽ›ȹÂ?‘Š—ȹÂ?Â˜ČąÂŽÂĄÂ™ÂŽÂ—Â?Čą resources in publishing such a voluminous Â‹Â˜Â˜Â”ČąÂ’Â—ČąÂŠČąÂœÂ˜ÂŒÂ’ÂŽÂ?Â˘ČąÂ•Â’Â”ÂŽČąÂ˜ÂžÂ›ÂœÇŻČą ČąÂœÂ’Â–Â™Â•Â˘ČąÂ™ÂžÂ?ȹ’Â?ČąÂ˜Â—Čą –¢ȹ  Ž‹ȹ ™˜›Â?Š•ǰȹ ˜•žœŽÂ?ž—ŠÂ?ÂŽÂ—Â’Â˘Â’ÇŻÂŒÂ˜Â–ÇŻČą Â˜Ç°Čą Čą ÂŽÂ—Â“Â˜Â’Â—ČąÂ›ÂŽÂŠÂ?ÂŽÂ›ÂœČąÂ?Â˜ČąÄ™Â—Â?ČąÂ?’–ŽȹÂ?Â˜ČąÂ?˜ —•˜ŠÂ?Čąâ€˜The Â&#x;Ž›‹ŠÂ?’–ȹ ›Ž™˜›Â?Čą ˜Â?Čą Â?‘Žȹ ŠÂ?Čą Â‘Â˜ÂŒČą ÂŒÂ˜Â–Â–Â’Ä´ÂŽÂŽČą Â˜Â—Čą Â?‘Žȹ –Š—ŠÂ?Ž–Ž—Â?ČąÂ˜Â?ČąÂœÂžÂ‹ÂœÂ’Â?¢ȹ›ŽÂ?’–Žȹ‹¢ȹÂ?‘Žȹ Â˜ÂžÂœÂŽČąÂ˜Â?Čą Ž™›ŽœŽ—Â?ŠÂ?Â’Â&#x;ÂŽÂœČ‚ÇŻČą Â’Â?‘ȹÂ?ÂŽÂœÂ?Â’Â–Â˜Â—Â’ÂŽÂœČąÂ?Â›Â˜Â–ČąÂ™Â›Â’Â—ÂŒÂ’Â™ÂŠÂ•Čą actors, it is not only an authoritative report on the oil and gas sector in our country but ÂŠÂ•ÂœÂ˜ČąÂŠČąÂŒÂ˜Â–Â™ÂŽÂ•Â•Â’Â—Â?ČąÂœÂ?Â˜Â›Â˘ČąÂ˜Â?Čą Â’Â?Ž›’Šǯ

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