WEDNESDAY 20TH MAY 2020

Emefiele Rallies Industrialists in Rebuilding the Economy James Emejo in Abuja The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has urged industrial conglomerates to support efforts aimed at revamping and growing the Nigerian economy.

He also warned that the CBN would not support the importation of items that can be produced in Nigeria as it could not spend the nation's foreign exchange reserves on what would not boost the economy and generate jobs for Nigerians.

A statement from the central bank yesterday quoted the CBN governor as saying this while speaking during a virtual meeting with chief executive officers (CEOs) of conglomerates in Nigeria.

Emefiele said the CBN, in line with President

Muhammadu Buhari’s desire, was determined to return the economy to the period when the manufacturing and agricultural sectors formed its base.

The governor, while acknowledging the challenge of low crude oil prices to

major economies of the world, expressed confidence that the price of crude would not remain low for a long period.

While also emphasising that the low crude oil prices were surmountable, he added that Nigeria’s foreign reserves of about $37 billion remained

robust to support the economy.

He, therefore, enjoined the conglomerates to key into the current administration’s drive to diversify the Nigerian economy by taking advantage of its large population to Continued on page 10

FIRS Extends Deadline for Financial Institutions to Submit Reports... Page 8 Wednesday 20 May, 2020 Vol 25. No 9172. Price: N250

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Police Embark on Strict Enforcement of Curfew, Interstate Travel Ban Bow to pressure, amend no-exemption directive against journalists, health workers FG holds self-medication responsible for most COVID-19 deaths Trains 12,000 health workers on infectious diseases control 226 new cases push total to 6,175 with 1,734 discharged, 192 dead Buhari celebrates 'irreplaceable' Nigerian professor who recovered in UK Omololu Ogunmade, Olawale Ajimotokan, Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja, Chiemelie Ezeobi, Segun James and Martins Ifijeh in Lagos Saying it was tired of taking the blame for the flagrant violation of COVID-19 restriction guidelines, the police yesterday began strict enforcement of the nationwide curfew and interstate travel ban imposed

by President Muhammadu Buhari two weeks ago.

The police commands, particularly in Lagos and

Ogun States as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), acting on the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Muhammed Adamu, locked down their areas of operation from 8 pm, insisting that there was no exemption for anybody including essential workers.

The virus’ infection tally increased by 226 to 6,401 yesterday sparing 1,734 that had been discharged while 192 had died.

The new cases were reported Continued on page 10

Enahoro: It’s Time to Restructure Nigeria Martins Ifijeh A veteran journalist and activist, Mr. Peter Enahoro, yesterday called for the restructuring of Nigeria with a warning that the continued delay to address the issue was dangerous for the country.

He said there was no better time to make the drastic

decision for equity between the North and South than now.

He, however, explained that for this to happen, militant southerners and progressive northerners must collaborate to rejig the country.

Speaking yesterday on ARISE NEWS Channel, the Continued on page 10

PRESIDENTIAL CONSULTATION...

Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (left), and Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Hon. Umar El-Yakub, during the speaker’s visit to the president at the Presidential Villa, Abuja...yesterday godwin omoigui

Buhari Obliges Senate, Approves Military Offensive on Bandits in North-west... Page 9

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NEWS

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

FIRS Extends Deadline for Financial Institutions to Submit Reports

James Emejo in Abuja The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has extended the deadline for the submission of 2019 financial accounts reports under the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) to September 30, 2020.

Financial institutions were initially directed to file their reports under the Automatic Exchange of Information Common Reporting Standard (AEOI-CRS) regulations on May 31.

However, Executive Chairman, FIRS, Mr. Muhammad Nami, in a statement posted on Twitter yesterday, said the adjustment in submission deadline was in recognition of the challenges faced by financial institutions, which may result in the delay in reporting financial account information.

He said the service had been inundated with requests for an extension of the time of filing reports by the institutions.

Nami explained that the FIRS was committed to providing, as a priority, support to all taxpayers to ease their tax compliance obligations at all times, particularly during the COVID-19 restrictions.

He urged all financial institutions to take advantage of the extension to prepare and finalise relevant information as required under the Income Tax (Common Reporting Standard) Regulations 2019 and its related guidelines for reporting by September 30.

The service had earlier outlined measures to support taxpayers in managing their tax obligations during the current challenging times occasioned by the effects of COVID-19.

Earlier this month, it had announced a decision to waive interests accruable to debts as well as the related penalties for defaulting taxpayers if they fully settle their indebtedness on or before May 31.

Nami had said the concession was only valid for taxpayers who make full payments within the deadline.

He had previously directed businesses to commence payment of their annual returns earlier than the due date, apart from their normal monthly obligations.

The revenue agency had earlier issued the Income Tax (Common Reporting Standard (CRS)) Regulations, 2019 pursuant to its powers under Section 61 of the FIRS (Establishment) Act, 2007.

The regulations, which took effect from July 1, 2019, gives effect to the provisions of many instruments.

The regulations require a financial institution in respect of the 2019 calendar year and every subsequent calendar year, to file an “Information Return� with the FIRS. However, where a reporting financial institution has identified no reportable account, the regulations require such an institution to file an Information Return with the FIRS, stating that it maintained no reportable

COVID-19: FAAN Proposes Guidelines for Flight Resumption Chinedu Eze The Federal Airports Authority of Nigerian (FAAN) has proposed what it described as a new standard operating procedure (SOP), which would be followed on resumption of flight operations even as the country grapples with COVID-19.

The procedure, which is awaiting the approval by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), is aimed at protecting passengers and other airport users from contracting COVID-19 after the resumption of flight operations.

Airports and aircraft have been identified globally as critical places that can enhance the spread of the virus.

This has fuelled the need for stringent efforts being made by governments, airlines and airport managers to ensure that the spread of the virus by air travellers is checked.

FAAN, which is managing about 22 airports in the country, intends to unveil the new SOP before flight service would resume after endorsement from the NCAA. The agency said it has put together the SOP, which would be followed on resumption of flight operations, noting that the main objective of the procedure is to protect all “our stakeholders and prevent further spread of COVID-19.�

In order to protect passengers and other airport users, FAAN said it has established coordinated and monitoring team at its headquarters to ensure smooth take-off of passenger facilitation.

“Airports would also establish their team that would report to headquarters. This team would consist of the following: operations, aviation security (AVSEC) to ensure crowd control and enforcement of directives, safety and environmental protection. “The Corporate Affairs Department would sensitise and educate our stakeholders and the travelling public on new travel procedures and guidelines at our airports. This would be done using media such as radio jingles, handbills, newspaper publications as well as social media handles. "Announcements would be made intermittently from the announcement rooms, on the new guidelines and procedures at our airports,�

FAAN said.

On departure and boarding procedures, FAAN proposed a minimum of two metres apart between passengers to ensure physical distancing, which would be designated by floor markings and guided by ropes and signage.

FAAN also proposed that officials from aviation medial and port health would screen each passenger’s temperature, and ensure the use of other personal protective equipment such as hand gloves. “Passengers are required to wash their hands before proceeding into departure halls. Hand sanitisers would be provided for passengers’ use before entrance at the waiting halls, lounges and pre-boarding gate. All passengers luggage must be disinfected before entry into the departure halls,�

FAAN said.

accounts for that year.

The deadline for the submission of the Information Return under the regulations

was initially May 31, of the year following the calendar year to which the return relates.

The regulations further

stipulated various penalties for non-compliance with reporting requirements, up to a maximum sum of N10 million in the first

month of the default and N1 million for each subsequent months in which the default continues.

NEW LORDSHIP...

Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai (left), and a new High Court judge, Justice Amina Ahmad-Bello, during the swearing-in of new judges in Kaduna‌yesterday

House Recommends Recall of Sacked Warri Refinery Workers Investigates recent recruitment by NNPC Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The House of Representatives has recommended to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) to reinstate the over 300 persons whose appointments were terminated, pending the investigation by its Committee on Public Petitions.

The House also mandated its Committee on Petroleum Downstream to carry out a forensic investigation into the recent recruitment of graduate trainees by the NNPC with a view to determining how many persons were recruited from the various host communities.

The resolutions of the House followed the adoption of a motion on the urgent need to investigate the termination of the employment of over 300

casual staff of WRPC, moved

by Hon. Thomas Ereyitomi.

In his lead debate, Ereyitomi said in the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic that is ravaging Nigeria and the world at large, the WRPC sacked over 300 casual staff despite the federal government’s directives that no government agency or private establishment should sack or lay off any of its staff.

He said all the affected persons are indigenes of the host communities where the refinery is located, which is made up of Itsekiri and Urhobo communities.

The lawmaker recalled that in July 2019, Hon. Ben Bakpa presented a petition to the House on behalf of the host communities seeking amongst other things de-casualisation of the employment status of indigenous workers with WRPC.

He explained that NNPC despite the petition, went ahead to recruit 1,050 graduate trainees against the resolution and recommendations of the committee.

"This recruitment did not reflect the principles of fairness as enshrined in Section 28(2) of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Act, which provides inter alia that the board shall ensure that the operator or project promoter maintains a reasonable numbers of personnel from areas it has a significant operation.

"While the casualisation status of these workers and the non-concession to the host communities in the recent recruitment of graduates trainees is a matter before the House Committee on Public Petitions, the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company

has gone ahead to lay off over 300 indigenous staff against the clear and unambiguous directive of the federal government that no worker should be dropped or sacked at this precarious time that the country is passing through," Ereyitomi noted.

The lawmaker expressed concern that if the House does not step in immediately to arrest the situation, there might be a breakdown of law and order and interruption of the smooth operations of Warri refinery and its subsidiaries.

The House, therefore, directed the "Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the management of Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) to reinstate the over 300 persons affected by this action pending the investigation by the House Committee on Public Petitions."

Rivers Withdraws Charges against Caverton Pilots, Passengers Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt The Rivers State Government has withdrawn the charges it preferred against two pilots of Caverton Helicopters Limited, Mr. Samuel Ugorji and Mr. Samuel Buhari, and their 10 passengers before the Port Harcourt Chief Magistrate’s Court.

The state government had arrested the pilots and their passengers in the wake of the imposition of restrictions on movements and closure of the state borders to check the spread of COVID-19.

They were subsequently arraigned before a Chief Magistrate’s court on April 7 and remanded in custody for allegedly intentionally disobeying

the Executive Order issued by the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, aimed at checking the spread of the virus in the state.

The Chief Magistrate Court, presided over by D. D. Ihua-Maduenyi, on April 14, granted the two pilots and their passengers bail.

At the resumption of the trial yesterday, the Rivers State Government, through the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Professor Zaccheus Adangor, withdrew the case.

A statement issued by the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Paulinus Nsirim, yesterday stated that the state had withdrawn and

discontinued the two separate charges: PMC/532C/2020 and PMC/533C/2020 preferred against the two pilots and the 10 passengers on board before the Port Harcourt Chief Magistrate's Court. “Consequently, the presiding Chief Magistrate, D. D. IhuaMaduenyi, has struck out the two charges and discharged all the defendants,� he stated.

The court had remanded the two pilots in prison custody for allegedly disobeying the Executive Order.

However, Caverton Helicopters had denied any wrongdoing, explaining that it received approval from the Minister of Aviation to operate essential services during the lockdown.

But the pilots were on trial on a four-count charge of conspiracy to commit misdemeanour to wit: disobedience to lawful order, intentionally disobeying the lawful order issued by the Governor of Rivers State as contained in paragraph 8 of the Executive Order RVSG -01 2020 made pursuant to Sections 2, 4, and 8 of Quarantine Act Cap. Q2 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and Regulation 11 of the Quarantine (Coronavirus (COVID-19 ) and other infectious diseases) regulations, 2020, by flying the Twin-Otter Caverton Helicopters into Air Force Base, Port Harcourt and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 5 of the Quarantine Act Cap Q2 LFN , 2004.

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Buhari Obliges Senate, Approves Military Offensive on Bandits in North-west

Deji Elumoye, Omololu Ogunmade and Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Hours after the Senate called for special military operations in the North-west, President Muhammadu Buhari approved a plan by the Ministry of Defence to flush out bandits that had been terrorising the region.

The Senate had yesterday flayed the continued bandits' attacks in various parts of the North-west of the country and urged the federal government to extend the ongoing special anti-banditry military operations to Sokoto, Zamfara, Kaduna and Niger States where banditry is now rife.

The president responded swiftly, approving the defence ministry’s “Operation Accord,� a major military offensive conceived to flush out bandits in the troubled region.

A statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, described the proposed beneficiaries of the operation as contiguous states of Kaduna, Niger, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto and some parts of Kebbi State.

The statement which described yesterday’s Senate resolution which commended Buhari on the military offensive, he ordered in Katsina State, as perfectly in order, explained that the president in his duty as the Commander-in-Chief had already approved the commencement of this North-west operation.

According to him, no other details on the mode, scope, timing and other essentials of the operation would be revealed beyond this announcement to avoid compromising its success.

He stated: "It is, however, important to outline the fact that all the states of the federation are equal and important before the president.

"None has suffered any discrimination up to this point, and none will be made to suffer any such discrimination in dealing with security and all other matters on the account of their political differences with the government at the centre.''

The Senate had yesterday flayed the continued bandits'

attacks in various parts of the North-west of the country and urged the federal government to extend the ongoing special anti-banditry military operations to Sokoto, Zamfara, Kaduna and Niger States where banditry is now rife.

It also urged President Muhammadu Buhari, who last weekend directed the military to flush out bandits from Katsina State, to order them to extend the operations to Sokoto and Niger States.

The call was a sequel to the adoption of a motion moved by the Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, who had in the motion anchored on orders 42 and 52 of the Senate Standing Rules, lamented that the daily occurrence of banditry in Niger State requires urgent intervention of Buhari.

Abdullahi said the Senate was “aware through a presidential spokesman that President Muhammadu Buhari has authorised the commencement of a major military operation to sweep bandits and kidnappers out of Katsina State; as major proactive measures by Special Forces to replace the reactive strikes against the camps of these bandits and criminals.�

According to him, “the criminalities by these bandits and kidnappers are carried out mostly under the cover of the contiguous forests reserves and areas stretching from Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna and Niger States with pockets of safe havens in Kebbi and Sokoto states.�

The lawmaker expressed concerns that “a major offensive in Katsina State alone is likely to make the armed bandits and kidnappers seek safer haven in Zamfara, Kaduna and Niger States, which host the Zurmi and Kamuku forests among others, further compounding the plight of hapless and poor communities along these forest corridors.�

While seconding the motion, Senator Ibrahim Gobir (APC Sokoto East) had told the Senate that his constituents were at the mercy of Nigerien soldiers protecting them against bandits, as the Nigerian Army had

Ban Ki-Moon Hails Gambari's Appointment Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja Former United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Mr. Ban KiMoon, yesterday described the appointment of Prof. Ibrahim Gambari as Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari as a great asset to Nigeria and Africa.

Presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement, said Ki-Moon, in a congratulatory letter to Gambari on Monday said he was confident that the experience the new chief of staff gained at the UN would be useful to Nigeria this period.

He said: ''I would like to sincerely congratulate you on your recent appointment as Chief of Staff to H.E. President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria. ''Your appointment is a great asset not to the president of Nigeria but also your country Nigeria and Africa in a broader sense. ''I am confident that your invaluable experience gained

while serving the UN, with various important leadership roles, will help your leadership in addressing these challenging times caused by COVID-19. ''I shared this good news with the former Minister Yoo Chong-ha, your good friend and former Foreign Minister of Korea. He sends his warmest congratulations to you.''

The statement added that Ki-Moon, who wrote his congratulatory letter from his base in Seoul, South Korea’s capital, said he looked forward to meeting his former colleague at the UN again and wished him success in his new assignment.

The statement also said the UK High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, expressed delight over the appointment of Gambari as the chief of staff to the president.

"The High Commissioner said the Mission looks forward to working closely with the chief of staff on 'our shared agenda in the challenging COVID-19 times," the statement added.

allegedly abandoned them.

He described the security situation in Sokoto East senatorial district as being worse than in any other parts of the country.

According to him, within the last three months, no fewer than 300 people have either been killed or kidnapped daily by the bandits.

"The situation in Sokoto East as far as armed banditry is concerned, is pathetic and tragic because it is only Nigerien Army that had been coming to their rescue while the Nigerian Army looks the other way.

"In fact, based on very reliable and verifiable information from the area, many at times, that the people of the affected areas

called on Nigerian Army for help and protection against the bandits, no response.

"But graciously, the Nigerien Army has been assisting in wading off the bandits, the very reason no fewer than 5,000 people in the affected areas have migrated to Niger Republic for safety," the lawmaker said.

He added that hundreds of cows and other animals, worth about N2.5 billion, have been rustled by the bandits.

"The fallout of this is grinding poverty ravaging the affected people in the form of serious hunger since their cows and other animals are on a daily basis being stolen while some of them are even made to hurriedly sell some of the cows.

"The situation is so bad that we only get help from Niger Republic and not from Nigeria at all, be it from the military or the police.

"The affected people cannot be perpetually at the mercy of Nigerien soldiers and still be expected to proudly see themselves as Nigerians.

"Very urgent drastic action is required from President Buhari through the military in form of expansion of the anti-banditry operation currently being carried out in Zamfara and Katsina States to Sokoto State," he said.

The Senate accordingly appealed to the president to expand the scope of the military operations to include

Niger and Sokoto states and any other surrounding areas or states that the bandits may want to seek safe haven following the massive operation in Katsina State.

It also called on the military and the police to increase their surveillance operations to track the bandits' movements to prevent them from relocating to other states they considered safer.

In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, said the security challenges were enormous but surmountable.

"Nigeria is definitely up to the task and Mr. President will deploy military in the areas for restoration of sanity as gradually being witnessed in Zamfara and Katsina States," he said.

SECURING THE PLATEAU...

Nigerian Air Force Special Forces personnel deployed in Plateau State during their arrival at the 205 Combat Search and Rescue Group Headquarters in Kerang village, Mangu Local Government Area‌yesterday

Rewane: Nigeria Needs $200bn Investment to Reduce Poverty Level Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja A member of Nigeria's Economic Advisory Council (EAC) and Chief Executive, Financial Derivatives Limited, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, has said that to reduce the growing number of poor persons in Nigeria, the current $88 billion investment threshold must be increased to between $160 billion to $200 billion.

Speaking during a web conference tagged, “Strategies to Navigate the Oil and Gas Business Through the Global Pandemic," witnessed by representatives from First Bank of Nigeria, Oando Energy Resources, Banwo and Ighodalo, Standard Chartered Bank PLC and others, Rewane stated that the low investment in the country’s economy was responsible for the nation's high poverty rate.

According to him, Nigeria will continue to depend on oil revenues, noting that because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government must begin to 'nurture' the proceeds from the oil sector to grow other areas of the economy.

The economist explained that with a meagre 14 per cent of total investment to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), there is no end in sight to the increasing number of severely impoverished Nigerians.

He said: “Nigeria will

continue to depend on oil, but the question is why is oil contributing 10 per cent to GDP and 90 per cent to export and 76 per cent to revenue? “The truth is that GDP is an output measure; therefore, the Nigerian government now is going to incentivise upstream, midstream and downstream . We need to nurture this goose (revenues from oil).

So, we can use the proceeds of this nurturing to invest in other sectors. Investment as a percentage of GDP in Nigeria is only about 14 per cent. “For you to have an investment multiplier that has an impact on poverty, people’s lives, growth and inequality, we need to take it from the current $88 billion to at least $160 to $200 billion. That is what will make an impact.�

Reeling out the grim economic indices occasioned by the ravaging COVID-19, Rewane said the managers of the Nigerian economy were in a dilemma because any decision taken to rev up some of the indices would negatively affect others. “Nigeria already had a recessionary gap. What we are facing today is that we are going through a situation of stagflation, which is a recession plus an inflation. It is a very difficult situation to have both at the same time because if you lower interest rates you will push up inflation.

“If you keep interest rates tight, you kick people out of work. So, it’s a typical dilemma� he noted.

According to him, projected economic growth around the world will not only slow down, but be in the negative, adding that the efficiency with which companies and countries manage their situations will determine whether they will survive. “Globally, what we have today is a situation where in 2019 global growth was projected at 2.9 per cent, now the projection is -three per cent, a contraction of about six per cent. For the US, it is about eight per cent. It is the largest economy in the whole world with a GDP of about $22 trillion. “The US is contracting by eight per cent. China is going down from 6.1 per cent to about 1.2 per cent, a contraction of about five per cent . The EU was growing at 1.5 in 2019, but is now projected to grow at -7.5, so, it’s almost like that of the United States. “For Sub-saharan Africa, we are going from 2.1 to 1.6.

Now, no oil no Nigeria. It’s responsible for 10 per cent of GDP, 90 per cent of export and seven per cent of fiscal revenue.

For Nigeria, GDP growth was 2.27 in 2019 and IMF says it will be -3.45, but we see it as -five, others are saying -eight.

Whichever way you look at it, we are looking at a contraction

of -six to –seven per cent in GDP growth for the entire economy. “The balance of trade was $2.9 billion, it’s expected to be -$5 billion this year. Inflation was 11.39 last year, the high side was targeted at 19 per cent, but by June we think it should be at 15 per cent. The average exchange rate last year was N360, it’s trading at N430.

But it is projected to come to N412 averagely in the first half of this year� he explained.

He advised oil companies to raise their efficiency level so as to survive the current impact on their finances, adding that only then will they thrive. “In Nigeria, there is a whole range of producers. Inefficient producers cannot survive, efficient producers will thrive in the situation. If your marginal revenue is higher than your marginal cost, you are under water,� he said.

As for the most impacted sectors, Rewane said: “Impact on aviation will be very negative, hospitality negative, for trading, 15 per cent of the Nigerian economy is trading and trading is affected by the exchange rate, oil and aviation. “Impact on trading and outdoor activities will be high in the negative because there are no celebrations because of social distancing. Real estate is down. Transportation, will be medium, pension fund the same and health insurance.

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PAGE TEN EMEFIELE RALLIES INDUSTRIALISTS IN REBUILDING THE ECONOMY market their products, which he noted could be produced in Nigeria and exported to the rest of the world.

He also pledged the CBN's willingness to provide foreign exchange to companies that required such for raw materials

and machinery that could not be obtained in Nigeria.

With the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTFA) now billed to commence in January 2021, Emefiele said Nigeria provided the companies with immense opportunities

to produce their items and make huge profits through the Nigerian market, which he noted was large enough to support their respective businesses.

The CBN governor also assured the companies that

the bank will collaborate with government agencies to help check smuggling, while also promising to protect their businesses to ensure they succeed in Nigeria.

Similarly, he assured the CEOs of the bank’s willingness

to collaborate with other fiscal authorities to improve on their ease of doing business in Nigeria, with a view to simplifying their import and export processes.

On the issue of Direct Foreign Investments (FDIs), Emefiele said

the bank was not opposed to the conglomerates seeking alternative but legitimate sources of foreign exchange to boost their businesses, just as he said the CBN would not hinder the companies from repatriating their dividends.

makes it possible for the far North to always live at the expense of the South, which has the resources.

He said: “People go to Mecca virtually every year when the Koran has said you can go once in your lifetime. Where do you think the money for the waste is coming from? It is from oil. This is a scandal and that is where we are today.

What is needed is that states which work hard should be the richest. The richest public officeholder in America is not the president. When Bill Clinton was governor for 12 years, his salary was

less than that of a mayor in New York because New York had more money. Nigeria has deteriorated because we have leaders without a clue. “We have allowed the far North to dictate to this country.

The amalgamation of the North and South was only because the North had no money and it was always broke, whereas the South had a surplus, and Lord Lugard at the time just merged the two.

"Money from the South was used in assisting the North.

The far North is the spoilt child of the federation.�

He explained that without

restructuring, the brilliant Nigerians in certain states would not get their dues because of the present quota system.

He stated that such persons could not get into institutions of learning they deserved to because people from other regions with fewer qualifications would also have slots to fill.

He described the system being operated in the country as one where the hardworking ones were being pulled down, adding that this was reflective in the standard of education and healthcare in the country.

COVID-19.

According to the data, Lagos has tested the highest number of persons with 14,886 samples, followed by the FCT and Kano with 4,688 and 2,653 samples tested, respectively.

"This well-considered decision was taken out of an abundance of caution, current experiences from different countries and expert advice.

I must add also that we were persuaded by the history of global pandemics because it is replete with evidence of exponential rise in pandemic upon early lifting of restrictions, for which the 1918 – 1920 influenza remains the most recent example in human history.

"Nigeria, judging from these historical perspectives, must in our present approach, delicately maintain a balance between safety and economic considerations before we reopen the economy fully. Again, I wish to repeat that the decision is not punitive; we share your pains and also share your concerns.

However, our future remains in our hands and compliance is one of the keys to opening that future," Mustapha said.

National Coordinator of the PTF, Dr. Aliyu Sani, at the briefing said: “The PTF certainly appreciates the adverse impact this is having on people’s livelihood but as I keep on saying, we are trying to balance saving lives with saving livelihood. We are in the process of moving towards further relaxation of the lockdown but as far as the next two weeks are concerned nothing has changed. “We have been given approval by Mr. President to extend those same conditions we had two weeks ago for very good reasons. One, being that we are not convinced that the time has come in terms of the impact of the pandemic to further relax those restrictions.

ENAHORO: IT’S TIME TO RESTRUCTURE NIGERIA broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers, he said the far North had depended on the South for too long and that some parts of the country had suffered the decision since the British rule.

He said: “Nigeria cannot be great without restructuring. If we had militant southerners, by now we will be on the brink of breaking up. But right now, we don’t have them and no one is ready to do it. The only people who tried it are the Igbo and they were defeated. I don’t think anyone will try it again, but power has to be taken away from people who squander it.

How long can this go on? This has got to stop if Nigeria is to progress, and it will only be done if an alliance is made between militant south and the progressive north. This will not happen without pressure.

Nationhood takes time, and this is the time. “A colleague was interviewing someone on restructuring recently, and the interviewer said North-west will not permit restructuring. I almost fell from my bed. Who is the North-west to decide for the whole country? We must accept the fact that it cannot go on like this anymore. If you

are from the Delta region, you will see that your waters and fishes have been polluted. You will have to go several miles to get fishes. When these same people need something from the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), they will have to go to Daura for help.

This is a country where fellow citizens say they were born to rule over others. This got to stop.�

According to him, the kind of restructuring Nigeria needs is the type where states or regions that work hard would have to benefit more.

He said the present situation

POLICE EMBARK ON STRICT ENFORCEMENT OF CURFEW, INTERSTATE TRAVEL BAN from 16 states, including Lagos 131, Ogun 25, Plateau 15, Edo 11, Kaduna seven, Oyo six, FCT five, Adamawa five, Jigawa four, Ebonyi four, Borno four, Nasarawa three, Bauchi two, Gombe two, Enugu one, and Bayelsa, one.

The president had with effect from May 4 relaxed the lockdown of FCT, Lagos and Ogun States he had imposed on March 30, emplacing a nationwide curfew from 8 pm to 6 am and a ban on interstate travel. He, however, maintained the exemption of essential workers, including health workers, and journalists as well as movement of food, medicines, and other essentials.

However, state governors and the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 complained loudly that security agencies were not enforcing the guidelines effectively, leading to rampant disobedience by citizens.

Yesterday, the task force ordered strict enforcement of the curfew and the travel ban.

Complying, police boss Adamu had a teleconference with the top brass of the force and directed strict enforcement of the restrictions, rescinding the pass given to journalists and health workers to operate beyond 8 pm and warning that anyone, including ministers found on the road during the curfew would be arrested and prosecuted.

But following outcry and pressure, Adamu last night rescinded his non-exemption directive and restored the privilege of essential workers to move during the curfew.

In a terse statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba said: “All essential workers including medical personnel, firefighters, ambulance services, journalists, etc are exempted from the restriction of movement associated with both the partial lockdown and the national curfew across the federation. “The IG, Mohammed Adamu has therefore directed all Zonal Assistant Inspectors General of Police and Commands Commissioners of Police to give effect to these exemptions whilst enforcing the restriction orders.�

The Lagos State Command Commissioner, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu, had earlier yesterday confirmed that there would be no movement of essential workers by 8 pm, stressing that “once it is 8 pm, there will be no more human or vehicular movement.�

When contacted, the Force spokesperson, DCP Frank Mba stressed that the curfew had now been extended to everyone, including policemen

and government officials.

Mba made this disclosure after THISDAY sought clarifications on the strict enforcement directive reeled out by the IG. He said: “Nobody is exempted from the curfew - absolutely nobody. Even policemen who are not on duty have been warned to stay back in the office once it’s 8 pm.�

When asked about journalists, he reiterated that nobody was exempted, including government officials, adding that the policemen will enforce the IG’s directive to the letter.

In a press statement issued

by Mba, the IG ordered strict enforcement of the national curfew and interstate movement restriction orders emplaced by the federal government.

The IG gave this directive to the zonal assistant inspectors general of police and state commissioners of police during a virtual conference.

According to the statement issued by Mba, the police hierarchy reviewed operational strategies and took decisive measures aimed at evolving customised security solutions to cope with crime trends and other security challenges relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The IG, while evaluating security reports from various states commands, charged the Commissioners of Police particularly in states with recent incidents of attacks on communities, to rejig their security architecture to forestall further attacks and keep the communities safe and secure for the citizenry. The IG also expressed concerns over reports bordering on human rights infractions between the public and personnel of the force. He, therefore, called for mutual respect between the public and members of the force and charged the strategic managers to place more premiums on the supervision of police personnel under their watch,� the statement explained.

FG Holds Selfmedication Responsible for Most COVID-19 Deaths Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, has linked most of the COVID-19 deaths recorded in the country to self-medication and delayed reports of cases to treatment centres.

He told reporters yesterday in Abuja during the media briefing by the PTF that Nigerians should be prepared for the best or worst outcomes in the days ahead.

He said whatever the progress that would be recorded or lack of it would depend on the level of compliance with safety measures and health advisories outlined

by the authorities.

Ehanire noted that there had been a disturbing picture emerging whereby many of the casualties were drawn from well-to-do persons who chose to remain at home to receive treatment until their cases became worse.

He said: "Even though this (fatality) figure seems low compared to other countries, a disturbing picture emerging from statistics is that not only are most fatalities observed to be linked with pre-existing diseases, many are educated, well-to-do people, who chose home-based care where they develop sudden complication and have to be rushed to the hospital. Experience is showing that breathing complications in COVID-19 patients can arise with little or no notice. This is an added reason why all persons should seek medical attention when they test positive."

He advised infected persons not to delay action but to seek immediate medical attention.

On the status of recovered health workers, the minister explained that the practice is for them to observe 14 days of monitoring during which they are expected to recover fully from hospital stress.

The minister also spoke on the use of hand sanitisers, adding that some of the brands in the market do not meet the required specifications.

He advised members of the public to always check out for the approving stamp by NAFDAC. "A study carried out by a department in the Ministry of Health has shown that not all the hand sanitisers are up to standards. So in buying sanitiser, there is an advisory on it. You must look out for the NAFDAC number.

"Secondly, it should have a place where the ingredients are displayed, among these ingredients, you must see that it contains about 60 per cent alcohol," he said.

Ehanire also cautioned that Hydroxychloroquine should only be used based on a doctor's prescription.

FG Trains 12,000 Health Workers The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, at the press conference, said about 12,000 health workers nationwide had so far received special training on tackling infectious diseases.

He added that some key aspects of healthcare services have also benefited significantly from measures being adopted to curtail the spread of COVID-19.

He said adequate and proper

use of personal protective equipment was necessary to prevent health workers from contracting the virus from patients. “Given that we didn't learn sufficiently from Lassa fever outbreak, now is for us to learn collectively from COVID-19.

Today, we have trained close to 12,000 health workers and this is an ongoing process," he stated.

Buhari Celebrates 'Irreplaceable' Nigerian Professor Who Recovered in UK The president yesterday joined the United Kingdom to celebrate a Nigerian-born renowned and "irreplaceable" consultant surgeon in the UK, Prof. Olagunju Ogunbiyi, who was discharged from a hospital in London after recovering from COVID-19.

A statement by presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, said Ogunbiyi had taught several generations of UK doctors and had remained an eminent surgeon at the Royal Free Hospital, one of London’s leading reference hospitals.

According to him, he was under care for two-and-a-half weeks and has now recovered.

Shehu said a hospital source described Ogunbiyi as “irreplaceable� adding: "Such was the regard he was held in the UK healthcare community."

The president, on behalf of all Nigerians wishes Ogunbiyi quick recuperation and early return to work.

A message circulating on social media about the professor and colorectal surgeon at Royal Free Hospital, yesterday, said after being infected with the virus, the best of UK doctors battled to save Ogunbiyi's life.

According to the message, aside from being humble despite being highly placed, Ogunbiyi, upon his discharge from the hospital was received by a large gathering of hospital staff celebrating his recovery.

NCDC Conducts 35,983 tests, Says Only One Done in Kogi A situation report released yesterday by the NCDC showed that out of 35,983 tests carried out in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) so far, Kogi and Cross River states have the lowest figures of samples tested.

The two states are yet to record any positive COVID-19 case.

While Kogi has only tested one sample, Cross River has tested seven samples, all of which returned negative for

No Invoice from Madagascar for Herbal Drug, FG Insists The federal government has denied receiving any invoice from Madagascar in respect of the consignment of the herbal mixture touted as a cure for COVID-19, which was delivered at the weekend to Buhari by the President of Guinea Bissau, President Umaru Embalo, who was in Abuja on an official visit.

Reports had claimed that the Indian Ocean Island country had handed Nigeria an invoice of 170,000 Euros (N78 million) as the cost of five cartons of COVID- organics.

But Mustapha said at the press briefing that he did not receive any invoice for the drugs.

"In terms of the question of whether it comes with a cost, well it was handed to me without an invoice. So, I assume it doesn't come at any cost. That is my assumption. For that, I think the Madagascar issue and the Chinese issue should be laid to rest because these two issues are not central to the problem that we have at hand now. So, we should try as much as possible to minimise the judicious use of our time to deal with important issues.

"I am going to engage the Minister of Health who has the responsibility of validation through his institutions that are chartered by law to do that and the president was upfront with that even when he took the delivery from the President of Guinea-Bissau. He said it quite clear that what we were going to do with the consignment will be guided by science. After the processes of validation, we will now know where to go,'' Mustapha stated.

He urged Nigerians to learn from the history of global pandemic, notably the plaque of 1919-20, which was replete with evidence of an exponential rise in pandemic upon early lifting of restrictions.

Mustapha said the decision by the federal government to extend the curfew and restrict interstate movements for another two weeks until June 1, was inspired by caution, current experiences from different countries and the lesson from the influenza pandemic of 1919, which claimed more than five million souls following a spike in the cases after restrictions were lifted.

Continued on page 30

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WEDNESDAY MAY 20, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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WEDNESDAY MAY 20, 2020 •T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY MAY 20, 2020

MIDWEEKPOLITICS

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

A N A LY S I S

Travails of ‘O To Ge’ Movement in Kwara Hammed Shittu writes that the lingering crises of confidence within the leadership of the All Progressives Congress in Kwara State has taken a turn for the worse

Abdulrazaq

K

wara, the State of Harmony is one of the states in the federation that witnessed a paradigm shift in political leadership on May 29, 2019 after several years that opposition groups in the state had been making frantic effort to wrestle political leadership from the Saraki political dynasty.

The 2019 effort yielded positive result following the combined efforts of the leaders of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in the state and the formation of pressure group popularly known as “O to Ge” movement in the state.

The APC leaders, the movement and some elements within the state jointly fought and ensured that the last general election was used to send the Saraki dynasty back to political oblivion with the massive votes cast for the APC and all its candidates during the elections.

For the first time in the last 40 years of political domination of Saraki dynasty in the state, these elements in political opposition worked in unity, purposeful confidence and zeal of enthusiasm to ensure that the game was up for the Saraki dynasty in the state thereby leading to defeat of the scion of late Dr. Olusola Saraki and immediate past Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and his party, Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in that election.

The APC recorded electoral victory in all the state and national assembly seats and also crowned it with the governorship position of the state with the election of one of the sons of the first Senior Advocate of Nigeria from the northern region, former private secretary to late Sardauna of Sokoto and former Nigerian ambassador to the Cote D’Ivoire, Alhaji AbdulGaniyu Folorunso Abdulrazaq, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq under the banner of the APC in the state. The governor who had been trying for many times under different political platforms in the past political dispensation could not get it until the last general election.

Although, several factors have been raised over the defeat of the Saraki political dynasty during the polls but the only singular factor was that, the opposition elements and some residents of the state were said to have been tired over the continued control by the dynasty and therefore sought for a change of leadership in the state.

Apart from this, the perceived continued stay of Dr. Bukola Saraki in Abuja where he believes that those that he left the home for to be managing his political dynasty did a lot of harm to the dynasty, coupled with his crisis with some of his former political foot soldiers in the state, among others effected his total defeat.

Prior to that election, the members of the “O to Ge” movement who were mainly those that had benefited a lot from the Saraki political

Oyedepo dynasty in the past years formed themselves into a pressure group to ensure the downfall of the dynasty, believing that, it will be to their advantage at the end of the day to the control the political leadership of the state.

Radio stations in Ilorin especially the private ones were awash with various comments against on the activities of the government then led by the Share town born politician and immediate past governor of the state, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed and the administration of the Dr. Saraki when he was the governor of the state.

The movement also sponsored series of programmes in one of the private radio stations in Ilorin and ensured that they criticised the administrations of Saraki and Ahmed. This development provided the needful information that inspired the masses to turn against the dynasty and candidates of the PDP during the polls. At the end of the day, victory was recorded for the APC in the state.

However, the present administration in the state which came into office through the “O to Ge” movement has been enmeshed in series of crisis as the centre cannot hold again in the last one year of the administration. There is Yoruba proverb that says the house that is built with falsehood, will not last? This is seriously manifesting in the movement now in the state.

The believe of the members and leaders of the movement that worked for the “sacking” of Saraki political dynasty was that they would be in the forefront in determining who gets what political position with the support of the governor. But the reverse has been the case.

The development however turned many of these leaders into despair in view of the fact that, what was happening to them was not what they bargained for as the governor allegedly refused to look their way as the administration commenced its programmes for the people of the state.

Eshinrogunjo The administration operated for almost four months without any cabinet member but later the governor announced top political office holders in the state like Chief of Staff, Secretary to the State Government, Senior Adviser/ Counsellor and cabinet members without allegedly consulting the major stakeholders in the election victory. This ugly development disrupted the prevailing harmony within the APC and “O to Ge” movement in the state.

All the appointees were directly picked without input either from the ruling party or the movement. The governor was allegedly having a running battle with some of the leaders of the party that worked for his election in the state. All efforts by the stakeholders of the party both at the national secretariat of the party and the presidency is yet to yield positive results.

The exclusion of the APC leadership and movement in the day-to-day administration of the state in the last one year of the overthrown of Saraki dynasty from the political control of the state has continued to cause disaffection within major stakeholders in the state.

The scenario recently evolved into another dimension as one of the members of the movement, Hon. Musibawu Eshinrogunjo in a viral video released and circulated in Ilorin issued a damning threat to the state governor, Alhaji Abdulrazaq, who he accuses of harbouring ill feelings against his mother.

Eshinrogunjo was one of the APC chieftains and strong members of the “O to Ge” movement in the state and worked day and night for the success of the party during the last general elections.

His outburst according to THISDAY checks might not be unconnected with the fact that he was not considered for any political position in the current administration in the state.

Some people close to the governor told THISDAY that, the governor was said to have

The administration operated for almost four months without any cabinet member but later the governor announced top political office holders in the state like Chief of Staff, Secretary to the State Government, Senior Adviser/Counsellor and cabinet members without allegedly consulting the major stakeholders in the election victory. This ugly development disrupted the prevailing harmony within the APC and “O to Ge” movement in the state. All the appointees were directly picked without input either from the ruling party or the movement

offered him the position of special assistant and commissioner but he declined the positions.

It was gathered that, Eshinrogunjo is determined to contest the chairmanship position of Ilorin West local government area which he previously sought, but could not win.

Based on this issue, the politician was said to have released a voice video where he castigated the governor on a number of issues especially that, he worked for the governor during the election but was abandoned. He said the governor has rewarded people who contributed nothing to the success of the party with the governance of the state.

Apart from this, he alleged in the video that, there was a meeting in Abuja with the governor and other two APC chieftains where he alleged that, the governor allegedly sought to enter an understanding for financial gain in return for ensuring that he gets the chairmanship position.

However, following the leak of the video to the whole world recently, Eshinrogunjo was invited by the state Director of the State Security Service(SSS) ,Ilorin to substantiate all the allegations.

Sources said that, Eshinrogunjo was said to have denied the video in question.

But, Hon. Kehinde Mogaji Ibrahim, one of the aides to Hon. Eshinrogunjo came out through another video to defend the governor .

He said that, “Eshinrogunjo was not a sincere leader because he has benefited immensely from the governor before and since he assumed office as the governor of the state.

“Apart from this, the governor has bought him many cars and even gave him unfettered access to him through various empowerment that Eshinrogunjo had benefited from the governor”.

Hon. Ibrahim added that, “All what he said in his video were tissues of lies and wondered how he can be attacking his benefactor like that.”

Another leader of the movement and former Chief Whip of the state house of assembly, Hon. Iyiola Oyedepo in his reaction to the ugly development said that, “The last time I saw Esinrogunjo was 31st January 2020 and that was the day I unveiled my Institute, Nations Leadership Institute, Ilorin.

“The Speaker of Kwara State House of Assembly, Rt Honorable Danlad Yakubu, did the unveiling. Esinrogunjo was one of the invitees.”

He said that “When the young man (Eshinrogunjo) complained about his frustrations about the government, I told him about the brewing intra party crisis which I said could be worse than inter-party crisis.”.

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

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COMMENT

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

COVID-19, BILL GATES AND THE FAMILY (2) Abortion, by whatever name called, is illegal in Nigeria, writes Sonnie Ekwowusi

R

emember Ms. Margaret Louise Sanger (1879-1966), founder of Planned Parenthood of America? Remember Sanger’s racist philosophy of exterminating the black population through imposed legal abortion, contraceptives and sterilization of black women? If your answers to the above queries are in the affirmative, you will probably recall also that Sanger’s racist philosophy inspired Adolf Hitler in his view of eugenics and murdering of the “socially undesirable people�. Except that while Hitler committed his havoc against European Jews and others in the Nazi regime, Sanger directed her Planned Parenthood of America specifically to the extermination of Afro-Americans through forced abortion and sterilization of black American women. I have met Alveda C. King, niece of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. several times in the U.S. On one occasion I met her at a coffee shop in New York City. In fact, she invited some of us who had attended a conference in New York City to have a taste of New York City coffee. On learning I was a Nigerian, she turned to me and said, “Don’t let what happened to us happen to you�. By “us� she meant the Afro-Americans. And by “you�, she meant Nigerians.

The infanticide in the U.S. otherwise called the black genocide is aimed at the elimination of Afro-Americans. For example, the No. one abortion clinic in New York City is called Dr. Emily’s Women Health Centre. This clinic is situate right in the black neighbourhood in the Bronx, NY 10455. It is a clinic that specializes in killing the babies of Afro-Americans and black American girls. I have been to this clinic a few times. Whenever I am in New York City and have some free time I do not hesitate to go to this clinic to campaign against the murder of defenseless babies. Every day especially on weekends Afro-American girls and other black girls including some Nigerian girls are seen pouring in uncontrollably like water into this clinic to have their babies killed through abortion and painful abortificient injections.

Undoubtedly the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is continuing where Margaret Sanger stopped in the elimination of the so-called “socially undesirable people� who, in its “wisdom�, are unfit to live. From Microsoft business Bill Gates has moved into the abortion contraception and eugenic business. Even Bill Gates’ dad, William Henry Gates II, better known as Bill Gates Sr., was on the board of abortion promoting giant called Planned Parenthood of America before the popular case of Roe V Wade which legalized abortion in the U.S was decided. It appears as if abortion runs in the DNA of the Gates family. By the way, I want you to google, “Bill Gates is continuing the work of Monsanto�. If you do, you will listen to Vandana Shiva, 1993 Nobel laureate, environmental activist and author of Oneness Vs The 1%, explain to you the “nefarious strategy� of Bill Gates to destroy agriculture and agricultural yields in Africa. She said that her aforesaid new book contains avalanche of evidence substantiating Bill Gates’ destructive impact in Africa. Prior to the outbreak of coronavirus and the raging controversy about Fauci-Gates Moderna Vaccine-mRNA-1273 and all that, Bill Gates had viva voce

THE CONSENSUS REACHED AT THE VARIOUS UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCES IS THAT THE LAW PASSED IN EVERY DEVELOPING COUNTRY INCLUDING NIGERIA MUST REFLECT THE DIVERSE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS OF THAT COUNTRY

admitted both in his action and words that he is on a mission to reduce the African population. For example, in his article entitled: Did Bill Gates Admit Vaccination are Designed so Governments can depopulate the World and written as far back as 10th March 2017, Alex Kasprak, who in fact is defender of Bill Gates, clearly admitted in his said article that Bill Gates and Melinda Gates advocate that pregnant mothers can kill any “unwanted baby� in their wombs through the process of medical abortion or contraception in order to limit the number of babies mothers could have and so doing depopulate the world. According to Bill Gates:� When a mother can choose how many children to have, her children are healthier, they’re better nourished, their mental capacities are higher — and parents have more time and money to spend on each child’s health and schooling. That’s how families and countries get out of poverty�. At an international Family Planning Summit co-hosted by the British government with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the U.N. Population Fund in London on July 11 2017, Melinda Gates told the summit that birth control and abortion empower women, and that she was “deeply troubled� by U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw funding for abortion and birth control in Africa.

In Nigeria, under the cover of “family planning� conference, Bill and Melinda Gates have been mounting pressure on the Nigerian government to encourage pregnant Nigerian women to kill their babies either through abortion, abortificients and sterilization of women. This is not a conspiracy theory. It is the truth. If you are in doubt you may google, “Bill Gates, Vaccines, abortion and population control in Nigeria� to ascertain the veracity of my assertion. You see, a lot of people are yet to understand that the over-bandied phrase, “family planning� or “family planning services� is a euphemism or dodgy phrase for abortion. Bill Gates and others are hiding under it to promote their abortion atrocities.

Because the word “abortion� is repugnant in Nigerian socio-cultural and religious setting, Bill Gates and his cohorts have resorted to using euphemisms and dodgy words such as “family planning� or “family planning services� in order to avoid incurring the wrath of the Nigerian people. What is most incomprehensible is that abortion, abortificient, sterilization of women are illegal in Nigeria yet Bill Gates and others are habitually violating these laws. More importantly, the consensus reached at the various United Nations Conferences, is that the law passed in every developing country including Nigeria must reflect the diverse social, economic and environmental conditions of that country, with full respect for their religious, cultural backgrounds and philosophical convictions. With the greatest respect, I think it is improper for Bill Gates to violate Nigerian laws and begin to impose abortion on Nigerian girls all in the name of population control. Can multi-billionaire Aliko Dangote dare violate any American law and get away with it? Can he dictate to American families the number of children they should have in the name of population control? No. So, why is Bill Gates violating our laws and getting it away with it? Why is he dictating to Nigerian families to reduce the size of their families?

FORESIGHT, CREATIVITY AND COVID-19

Adebayo Ojo-Iyara argues that lack of leadership is hindering the fight against the pandemic

T

he most elementary challenges facing mankind since ages are food, clothing and shelter. However, here we are in Africa and Nigeria especially, as we are, battling with these basics. We are all living witnesses to our historical conditions in the 21st century today, and I need not bother readers with the pathetic details and all the sordid whys. Still, at these challenging and unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic times, the big vacuum of foresight and creativity in leadership, governance and policies in our land becomes extremely worrisome.

If only for enlightened self-preservation interests, one would think most of our elites in decision-making positions should have done better.

The Yoruba have a proverb, “Igi ganganran ma gun mi loju, okere la ti n wo,� literally meaning you must see far ahead the path if you don’t want a protruding twig to smack your face. Foresight, simply put, is seeing ahead correctly, while creativity is doing something new, differently, positively. Vision and innovation are fundamental needful for effective and efficient decision-making and impactful actions in government. Good leaders do not wait for things to happen before reacting. For meaningful progress and development in their society, leaders analyse realities minutely and comprehensively, anticipate emerging realities and innovatively plan ahead to get the better and best of it. This does not immune them and society from emergencies but those patently unforeseen or unforeseeable developments and force majeure will be few and far between. A credit to their deep vision, creative plans and anticipatory policies and actions.

On April 16, 2020 at the daily Presidential Task Force briefing on Covid-19, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola spoke about the Tropics and how heat and humidity, especially considering the housing type of the majority of citizens, make outdoor life compelling

and protracted total lockdown difficult. He then enunciated that since such lockdowns are presently inescapable, one component of the needful to make it successful in getting rid of the virus is mass production and enforced usage of the face mask nationwide in public places, complimentary to all the other guidelines and rules of hygiene; that if done and rigorously enforced, the virus can be contained within two weeks of total lockdown thereby making way for easing the lockdown. He even postulated on the economic benefits across several value chains of systematic mass productions of 100 million quality face masks from local fabrics, which at N500 each approximately equals a N50 billion injection into business and productivity.

Ogbeni Aregbesola was not the first to sensitise the global community on the potential of containing the virus with informed and enforced, total face mask use in public places. One of the most vocal advocates of this solution is Dr Jonas Sharma of the Philippine Academy of Family Physicians.

Once every citizen is sensitized or compelled to wear the mask once outside his house doorsteps and no one can spread the virus in public places, the spread is then limited to family and small communities where it can quickly be isolated and suppressed. Note that the solution is not advocated as a stand-alone solution in disregard of all the other rules of hygiene and physical distancing.

Despite that this idea was articulated since middle of April, it took most state governments and the federal government till May 4 to announce the compulsory usage of face masks in public places to coincide with the easing of the lockdown, rather than a precondition for it. We all know that during the preceding “total lockdown,� millions of people in the states of Lagos, Ogun, the FCT and others on “lockdown� continue to move around, essential and non-essential workers alike, even as distribution of

so-called palliatives in rowdy conditions abound; such that public spaces are littered with millions of people in close contacts without face-mask usage.

That was when the most community spread of the virus took place without a doubt.

The Yoruba have another proverb: “Ogbon Ologbon ni ki je ka pe Agba ni were,� literally meaning “it is the aggregate of other people’s wisdom that saves the elder from being adjudged insane.�

A leader worth his onions does not always need to lean exclusively on his personal knowledge-resources to make wise, timely decisions.

Intelligent, resourceful and innovative thinkers abound in Nigeria, much else on the global online platforms. Why leaders in decision-making positions in Nigeria fail to tap into these resources for making smart, timely decisions, especially when saving lives and fortunes is at stake baffles the mind.

It is not the first time Ogbeni Aregbesola is identified with making visionary policies far ahead of time to avert human sufferings. It is on record that the Minister of Interior, as Governor, State of Osun exhibited similar foresight in leadership and efficient management in anticipating and nipping in the bud the threat to peaceful coexistence posed by age-old and increasing tension between herdsmen and farmers, long before it became a national calamity that wasted several billions of naira in resources and thousands of human lives.

In June 2014, he set up a Special Committee on Peaceful Coexistence tagged “Committee for Peaceful Coexistence between Fulani/Bororo and Crop Farmers in the state of Osun� under the Chairmanship of Hon. Mudasiru Oguntola Toogun, having appointed the Seriki Fulani for Osun State, Alhaji Oluwatoyin Sule Muhammed as personal assistant on Peaceful Coexistence Between Fulani/Bororo And Crops Farmers in the State.

The result of the bold step taken by Ogbeni

Aregbesola was recognized and popularized through the publication of a research conducted by Johns Hopkins University, Maryland, United States on Nigeria Social Violence Database (NSVD) in relation to death from Herdsmen and Farmers Conflict (2016). The report showed that Osun is one of the few states with no ‘Death’ at all in the country during the year under review. Whatever happened later was after his exit as a governor for reasons that are open.

The award-winning “Opon Imo� Tablet of Knowledge launched in 2013 is another such exercises in foresight and innovation. The portable touchscreen Android powered e-learning device, first of its kind in Nigeria and unique globally, contains all the books in every subject needed by Senior Secondary School Students. It has written and audiovisual teaching/instructions by teachers in all those subjects and WAEC and UTME past questions and answers from inception till date. With 900 minutes of virtual classroom lessons, it has self-learning tools and exercise platforms as well as other materials on civic and general knowledge.

You don’t have to be online to access its contents and it can be solar-charged when there is no electricity supply. The import of the deployment of this powerful learning tool is already manifesting in the performance of Osun students in the last six years as they produce award and scholarship winning feats as some of the best secondary school graduating students in WAEC/UTME results.

How good, pleasant and effective it will be if all terminal Senior Secondary School Students in Nigeria today have these tools in the era of Covid-19? The Online alternatives being touted in a country with woeful power supplies and network services even if parents can afford data charges are simply turning out as exercises in futility.

Ojo-Iyara wrote from Akowonjo, Lagos

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T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020

EDITORIAL AFRICA AND COVID-19 PREPAREDNESS The continent could do more to contain the pandemic

I

n spite of the relatively low numbers of infection and death on the Continent, Africa may eventually be overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said last week that about 250,000 million people in Africa would be infected with the deadly viral disease out of which some 190,000 could die in the first 12 months. This projection is not all-inclusive as some north African countries like Egypt, Sudan and Libya were left out. According to the study published by the British Medical Journal, more than five million Africans would be hospitalised with the continent’s fragile health care systems gradually being overwhelmed.

These figures are consistent with the earlier report by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). In April, the ECA said over 300,000 Africans could lose their lives due to COVID-19. Vera Songwe, United Nations Under Secretary-General and Executive Secretary, ECA said the continent is particularly susceptible because a large percentage of its urban population is concentrated in slums or informal dwellings. In addition, only few African households have access to basic handwashing facilities, essential preventive COVID-19 HAS DIVERTED measures on the ATTENTION AND FUNDS spread of the disease.

FROM OTHER MAJOR According to the latest figures from HEALTH ISSUES LIKE MALARIA, MALNUTRITION the WHO, Africa has about 90,000 cases of AND AIDS WHICH Covid-19 with 2,900 KILL HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF AFRICANS deaths. South Africa, the most industrialised YEARLY on the continent, conducts about 16,000 tests daily while Nigeria with more than three times the population of South Africa has conducted less than 40,000 tests since the outbreak of the pandemic. The number of deaths on the continent represents less than one per cent fatalities worldwide even though Africa accounts for about 14 per cent of the world’s population. Experts are of the view that the low number of tests, a mere fraction compared to those in the developed countries, is masking the true picture of the crisis. Nigeria

Letters to the Editor

is a typical evidence.

Indeed, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) last week raised concerns that the “smart testing” option adopted by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has not revealed the real incidence of the virus in the country. The NMA opted for a “a fast -tracking of testing using innovative specimen collection and transport modalities to ameliorate this deficit in technique.”

B T H I S DAY EDITOR BOLAJI ADEBIYI DEPUTY EDITOR YEMI AJAYI, DAVIDSON IRIEKPEN, MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN MANAGING EDITOR JOSEPH USHIGIALE

T H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU, EMMANUEL EFENI DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS BOLAJI ADEBIYI, PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS PATRICK EIMIUHI, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO HEAD, COMPUTER DEPARTMENT PATRICIA UBAKA-ADEKOYA TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

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

My NYSC Experience

Southwest, Northeast And The Presidency

R

ecently a political group of 10 Northern APC organizations called upon the All Progressives Congress (APC) to present a ‘new young face’ from the Northeast as its Vice-Presidential candidate and zone the Presidency to the Southwest in 2023.

One interesting thing about the politics of 2023 presidency is the massive campaign in the Northeast to have the vice presidency zone to the geo-political zone instead of the presidency, though, it is mostly an APC affair.

For example, the 10 Northern APC groups’ spokesman Musa Aminu Azare, said in a press release sent to local and international journalists, that for fairness and to be politically correct for the APC, the southwest should produce the next president while the northeast should get the slot of the vice president.

Why is the group so much concerned about APC presenting a new face as its vice- presidential candidate?

The answer is anybody’s guess- the APC must play new cards to convince most Nigerians.

For instance, the APC group of 10 cautioned that if the party failed to use this opportunity for a paradigm shift in producing a young man from the northeast as its vicepresidential candidate, the PDP, and its coalition will have an easy ride because they will utilize that opportunity and the poor reward system in the APC-led central government to campaign against the APC in 2023 presidential election.

Many political analysts and people on the streets share this

esides, there is the need to create more awareness among the populace and reinforce measures instituted to contain community spread of the disease. Since the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory was partially lifted, many people have been crowding public places with little regard to social distancing and other directives of government and health authorities. Despite the Presidential order banning interstate travels, many still indulge in the risky business. The uncontrolled movement of some Almajiri across the country is a case in point. Some states in the South east recorded their index cases of Covid-19 during the course of the lockdown. The situation is not helped by the uncoordinated management of the pandemic as evidenced in the confused orders and counter-orders across the country.

This is why we welcome the public enlightenment campaign of the Lagos State government to strengthen the advocacy on physical distancing and other preventive measures in communities to engender compliance with directives on Covid-19. Even with the limited number of cases, bed spaces are increasingly becoming scarce and many of the health professionals we can boast of are being consumed by the pandemic.

Already, Covid-19 has diverted attention and funds from other major health issues like malaria, malnutrition and AIDS which kill hundreds of thousands of Africans yearly. Only last week, the federal government expressed concern on the steep decline in the number of outpatient population of non-Covid-19 ailments in hospitals nationwide. The time has come for the states to act collectively to mitigate the crisis as well as the depressing projections by the World health body.

view as well.

Pundits believe that the APC and its leadership including President Muhammadu Buhari himself will never imagine a situation where power will slip from their hands after being in power for just four years. The APC group also shares this view: “The 2023 presidential election is expected to be very tough because both APC and the PDP will be assessed on the same scale. Our group is determined and is insisting that next vice president should come from the Northeast and, we also call on ex-governors and serving senators not to think of vying for the slot because it is now the time for a young new face. I am making that very clear to you,” Aminu said.

There are many groups popping up in the northeast agitating for the post of the vice president, but the APC group of 10 is the most powerful. The group’s leaders said that their group will be at the forefront of the quest by Northeast to produce the next vice president in 2023, adding that even the youths and many groups in the Northwest and North central are clear in their calls for the northeast to produce the next vice president. And, the group will strongly campaign for the southwest as well to produce the next president. “All of us have this very tough and common agenda,” he explained.

The battle in the southwest will be very interesting looking at contenders like Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the many interests in the APC. Zayyad I. Muhammad, Jimeta, Adamawa State

N

YSC exposed me to Nigeria’s diverse tribal nationalities at the three weeks boot camp in Taraba State. I had never been to the North of Nigeria, prior to my service year. I later redeployed to Osun state and did the rest of my 11 months mandatory service at the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation, Ile Awiye, Oke baale, Osogbo. There I was deployed to the Radio News and Current Affairs department of the media conglomerate, where I served from June 2019 - May 2020.

With a background in Mass Communication at the ND level and English and Literature Studies at the degree level, I served my country as a news reporter, and I love the job. Mastering the trade of news writing, gathering and sourcing wasn’t difficult for me as I took my time in learning from my intelligent bosses. I can vividly remember snapping their news script and studying them when I got home. In no time I could source, gather and write news report for the radio station. The management and staff of the media outlet which include the radio news that was headed (as at the time

of writing this) by the Director of News and Current affairs, Mrs Abimbola Babatunde, the Editors, newscasters, and reporters were all generous to me and supported me.

They made me understand that anything is possible with hard work, smart work and dedication. I can’t thank them enough.

In my capacity to learn, I also partially worked to acquire more knowledge at the ICT and TV arm of the media conglomerate.

In fact, NYSC opened opportunities for me to learn and I learnt diligently, even when most of my colleagues felt putting in extra effort was a waste. I can truly say it wasn’t for me because it was a period of learning to work with people and above all, I learnt to be more patient with myself and the people I worked with. I decided to share my story, because I believe NYSC is a great scheme and to youths, who are yet to serve, they should look forward to their service year and pray for the best.

With all that I have learned, I can conclude that NYSC isn’t a scam as erroneously believed in some quarters, rather it’s a platform for personal development and connection.

Lanre Akinbo, Osogbo

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WEDNESDAY MAY 20, 2020 •T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY MAY 20, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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FEATURES

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

Bandits’ Onslaught on Katsina Puts Residents on Edge Francis Sardauna writes on the need for the federal government to beam its security searchlight on Katsina State to end bloodletting orchestrated by bandits and kidnappers

Minister of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Aairs, George Akume; Gov. Aminu Masari and others during the commissioning of Daura Isolation Centre

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n the past month, more than 200 people were massacred and scores kidnapped in fresh onslaughts orchestrated by armed bandits in some communities of DutsinMa, Danmusa, Safana, Batsari, Sabuwa, Faskari, Kankara, Dandume and Kurfi Local Government Areas of the state.

The renewed attacks have forced hundreds of residents of the affected local governments who survived the deadly invasions to flee their ancestral homes to the headquarters of the council areas including Katsina, the state capital.

Sadly, these local government areas have been under siege by the armed bandits and kidnappers with repeated attacks, killing, and maiming of women at many local communities in the areas, forcing thousands of farmers to abandon their farmlands.

For instance, the latest simultaneous onslaughts on Batsari communities, according to residents, had killed 34 people and forced residents of Kurmiyal, Yandaka, Maidoriya, Tashar Kadanya, Garin Goje, Watangadiya and Dutse Maizane to abandon their villages.

Hundreds of residents, mostly women and children who survived recent deadly invasions in Batsari communities are currently taking refuge in Batsari town and some of them have relocated to Shagari-low cost, Modoji, and Sabon Gida in Katsina metropolis.

One of the survivors of the attacks in Batsari, Tasi'u Farouk, said the hoodlums had within one month killed over 50 people and kidnapped several others in various communities in the council area, rendering hundreds homeless.

Farouk, whose wife and three children were killed in a recent attack in Tsauwa village lamented that Batsari has become a theatre of war due to prevailing attacks orchestrated by the armed bandits.

He said: "The bandits burnt my wife and three children beyond recognition in Tsauwa.

I left the village after the attack on February 14 and I am now taking refuge in Shagari-low cost with some of our relatives without food.

"They kill our people every day and cart away all their means of survival. We are appealing to the state government to come to our rescue because these attackers are bent on eliminating us all."

Another refugee, Sefinatu Idris, whose father, Idris Yusuf, and Uncle, Kabir Isa, were killed in Kurmiyal village, explained that banditry and other heinous activities have made life unbearable for her and the entire family.

Sefinatu, who wept uncontrollably while narrating her ordeal, said: "Since the untimely death of my father and uncle, I and my mother have resorted to begging as our means of survival. We hardly eat in a day. The government should please assist my mother."

The armed bandits had on February 15, 2020 launched attacks on Tsauwa and Dankar villages of Batsari, where they killed 30 people and burnt many children beyond recognition.

While the bandits met stiff resistance in Dankar from the security operatives and residents, they had a field day in Tsauwa where they sacked the village and looted shops, houses and rustled unspecified numbers of cattle.

Similarly, the hoodlums had last March, killed 73 people and rustled hundreds of cattle belonging to residents in Dutsin-Ma, Safana, and Danmusa Local Government

Areas of the state.

The multiple attacks, which started at Kuraichi village of Dutsin-Ma Local Government spread to 12 other villages across the three local government areas.

Residents said the miscreants invaded the affected villages on motorcycles, firing gunshots into the air and then started moving from one house to another killing people. Shortly afterward, they rode their motorbikes with abducted people and disappeared into the forest.

One of the residents, Turaki Sedique said: "The bandits killed five persons at Kuraichin Giye, six at Kuraichin Malam. They also killed one person at Dogon Ruwa and seven persons at U/Bera. All these villages are in Dutsin-Ma Local Government.

"While in Danmusa Local Government, they killed 17 at Gurzar Kuka and 13 at Gurzar Gamji. In Safana Local Government, the bandits killed 19 people at Makanwaci village and five were also killed at Daulai village. The total number of dead bodies evacuated in all the villages is 73."

He explained that the bandits attacked Kuraichi village but were repelled by residents and the vigilante, saying: "some residents went after Fulani houses, burning them and their foodstuff, which resulted to multiple attacks�.

Sedique said: "The bandits mobilised themselves as early as 6am and burnt down Balza, Gurzar Kuka and Gurzar Gamji villages and Makurachi. The bandits numbering about 100 on motorcycles, also injured many people in the villages".

Three days after the killing of 73 persons in Dutsin-Ma, Safana and Danmusa local governments, the bandits stormed Sabon Layin Galadima in Faskari Local Government Area of the state and killed three persons.

Residents said the bandits in large numbers on motorbikes invaded the village about 4:39 pm and launched the deadly operation for two hours, burnt down houses, and rustled many animals.

Malam Ibrahim Tsauri, who survived the attack said: "They killed a medical worker, Sanusi Bello, at Unguwar Doka; the two others are Safiyanu Abdullahi and Hassan Sani".

The marauding bandits had on April 12, 2020, also massacred 11 local hunters in Dajin Giwa forest of Kankara Local Government Area, injuring five others.

The victims, according to reliably sources were hunting in Dajin Giwa forest when the hoodlums ambushed them with sophisticated weapons, killing 10 on the spot.

The slain hunters, who were from Kaurawa, Gidan-Goge, Tashar Tsamiya and Zan-Bago villages, went to the forest for their normal hunting activities on Sunday night when the bandits launched attack on them.

A source said: "They (bandits) killed 10 on the spot and injured many others, we brought their corpses and those injured to Kankara General Hospital. Unfortunately, one of the injured persons died the following day, bringing the number of death to 11".

Governor Aminu Bello Masari, while speaking on renewed attacks by bandits in the state, lamented that the state was under siege again by bandits and kidnappers.

The governor explained that in the last 14 days, the marauding bandits have killed over

Equipment at isolation centre in General Ahmadi Specialist Hospital 50 persons and rustled an unspecified number of animals in some communities bordering the deadly Rugu forest.

Masari, was speaking when he received the Chief of Defence Training and Operations in the Army Headquarters, Major-General Leo Irabor, who paid him a courtesy call at Government House recently, said heinous activities orchestrated by the bandits were worrisome.

He added that because of the resurgence of banditry and kidnapping in the state, citizens were losing confidence in the ability of government to protect them and are threatening to resort to self-defense.

The governor who affirmed that the state was in a serious and desperate condition considering the resurfacing of banditry and kidnapping said food shortage might engulf the state following the inability of farmers to access their farmlands.

He added that the bandits converged on Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina before launching onslaughts on communities within the states, saying the recalcitrant among them were overpowering those who accepted the peace accord.

He said: "We are in a very serious and desperate condition. As the raining season approached, even those who can access their farms cannot because of the activities of bandits who have now taken over major parts of the state.

"Two weeks ago, we lost over 50 people.

The bandits now carry out operations on a daily basis. People are losing confidence in us and are threatening to take arms. Unless these miscreants are flush out of the state by security personnel, if not there will no be peace in Katsina".

Meanwhile, the evolving strategies put in place by Governor Masari aimed at tackling bloodletting and the heinous activities of armed bandits and kidnappers cannot be overemphasised.

The governor in his doggedness to restore peace in the state, granted amnesty to bandits after a tour to Fulani settlements and strong enclaves of the bandits in Rugu Forest on September 4-9, 2019, during which the famed bandits and their forest commanders denounced banditry.

He thereafter banned the activities of the volunteers popularly known as Yan'sakai, who were accused of extra judicial killings in the open markets and warned unrepentant bandits to stop their nefarious act of kidnapping and killing of innocent citizens.

The peace accord was adopted by the Northwest Governors following a Peace Summit convened in Katsina by the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, that facilitated discussions with representatives of the bandits from the affected states of Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, Kaduna, and Zamfara States.

Accordingly, agreements were reached between the state government and the bandits. These agreements include the release of their (bandits) members detained by security operatives by government, the release of all kidnapped persons in their custody as well as to surrender their arms and ammunition to security agencies.

Others were the provision of social amenities —schools, hospitals, roads, electricity, water to Fulani settlements and rehabilitation of houses destroyed during the skirmishes between bandits

and Hausa farmers and establishment of RUGA settlement in some communities in the state.

Accordingly, 70 per cent of the agreements are fulfilled by the state government and the bandits had so far released over 250 captives in their custody while the government, in turn, freed more than 50 bandits detained by security operatives in Katsina, Kano, and Kaduna correctional centres.

The governor, flanked by the Secretary of the State Security Council who is also the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Mustapha Inuwa, after the dialogue tour, held a series of security meetings with security chiefs, repentant bandits and their leaders to ensure the sustainability of the peace accord.

Despite the rapprochement between the state government and the hoodlums, banditry, and kidnapping resurfaces between November and December 2020 in Dutsin-Ma, Danmusa, Safana, Batsari, Sabuwa, Faskari, Kankara, Dandume, and Kurfi.

Irked by the resurgence of the menace, the governor quickly summoned security chiefs, repentant bandits and their leaders to an emergency meeting at the Old Government House, where he issued a two-day ultimatum to the bandits to desist from their evil ways and release the remaining captives in their custody.

Masari, who was represented at the meeting

by Dr. Mustapha urged the unrepentant bandits to end the resurgence of banditry and other nefarious activities bedeviling the state or face unprecedented fire-fight by the army and other security agencies in the state.

Interestingly, barely 48 hours after the government's ultimatum, the bandits released two Customs officers who were kidnapped on January 8, this year at Mallammawa town in Jibia Local Government Area of the State to troops of 17 Brigade of the Nigeria Army.

To further restore peace in the state, the governor had on January 15, 2020, signed into law an executive order restricting the movement of commercial motorcycles between 7 pm to 6 am every day across the 34 local government areas of the state.

The restriction was as a result of continuous effort in tackling cases of violent crimes in the state, particularly the influx of armed bandits from the neighbouring states which adopt the use of motorcycles to unleash mayhems on communities across the state.

Despite these measures by Governor Masari, there is an urgent need for the federal government through the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, to deploy adequate and well-trained personnel to Katsina State with sufficient modern war equipment that will crush the bandits and kidnappers terrorising communities in the state.

The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu should also deploy additional personnel to support the overstressed officers on the ground. Police in the state lack tools to fight the bandits and kidnappers. They need averagely 30 armored personnel vehicles to be stationed in eight frontlines local governments bordering the deadly Rugu forest.

Therefore, rather than dishing out mere orders, effectively containing the Katsina crisis in the immediate requires more serious practical security measures that are outside the ordinary approach of the federal government.

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BUSINESSWORLD

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

ÍŻ Íł Ëœ Í° ÍŽ Í° ÍŽ MONEY MARKET OVERNIGHT OBB

REPO 3.42 2.75

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

2.50 6.50 7.75

S & P INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY MONTH-TO-DATE

504.49% - 0.03% - -0.42%

S & P INDEX 1/4 TO DATE YEAR TO DATE

8.34% 4.85%

EXCHANGE RATE N361/1US DOLLAR* ĚŠ

Quick Takes TICT Supports COVID-19 Fight

THIS IS OUR SCORECARD

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Ferdi Moolman; Chairman, Board of Directors, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, and Company Secretary, Uto Ukpanah, at the firstpublicAnnualGeneralMeetingofMTNNigeriaCommunicationsPlcheldinLagos‌recently

Pandemic Hurts Experiential, Outdoor Advertising Companies Raheem Akingbolu Employees of major outdoor companies and experiential agencies are currently in panic over job security as a result of negative signals from their employers due to decline in fortune during the lockdown.

According to THISDAY findings, some firms in the sub-sector have stopped their existing activities.

Reacting to the current challenge facing his industry, the President, Experiential Marketing Agencies of Nigeria (EXMAN), Tade Adekunle, said the industry has started experiencing hardship because clients have suspended most of their projects, adding that what matters now to agency owners and their clients, is to keep safe.

He said: “Unfortunately, the lockdown, as a resort of the global pandemic, has started having effect on our businesses

ECONOMY because almost all projects are being suspended right now. The fact that the year was just about to kick off for most of us when this pandemic started made things worrisome,�

While calling on all to keep safe and keep hope alive due to the pandemic, the EXMAN boss admitted that post COVID-19 would bring its own challenges and that it would certainly not be business as usual. “No doubt, there are still challenges ahead, especially in our own area of business be it activation or event aspect of it. “No doubt there will be drastic loss in consumer spending which will affect revenue of most of our clients. To survive, we need to retool our thinking caps and come up with ingenious ideas for consumers to still experience the brands irrespective of cultural

nuances. And the time to start thinking about it is now,� he added.

Another practitioner and the chief executive officer of GDM Experiential Company Limited, Victor Afolabi, expressed fear that if the crisis persists, it may lead to budget spending on marketing being frozen because of the business rejig that would be necessitated by the pandemic. “However, budget spend on marketing as a whole may be frozen as companies are currently struggling with lack of raw materials. Besides, there is slow consumer spend and weak demand. As things are, the problem is not only about experiential agencies but the entire marketing industry, including advertising. “All the sub-sectors of the marketing communication industry will heavily be impacted at the end if the global problem continues.

“But for experiential, this will be more imparted except agency Managers come up with creative and innovative ways to engage consumers without direct contact,� he stated.

Speaking further, Afolabi predicted that digital would no doubt be a leading channel of engagement at this time, adding that consumers will naturally spend more time consuming social media.

Meanwhile speaking recently on the Global Business Report segment of Arise News, Assistant General Manager, Corporate Communications at the Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agencies (LASAA), Temitope Akande, admitted that the effect of the coronavirus pandemic and by extension, digital have dealt a terrible blow on Lagos outdoor business.

Akande, who pointed out that Continued on page 20

Report: Loan Recovery May Be Challenging for Fintechs Post COVID-19 Obinna Chima Financial technology (Fintech) companies may have a harsh time in loan recoveries post COVID-19 as majority of them do not have transparency mandates that would support their loan recovery process, a report has stated.

This was disclosed in the latest edition of a report by Debtors Africa – an independent searchable database of recalcitrant and delinquent debtors in Africa was at the weekend unveiled in Nigeria, that was carried out in partnership with Proshare.

It pointed out that a situation where many people would have lost their jobs during the COVID-19 period would make it difficult to enforce recovery as the delinquency would be more of a problem of revised individual

ECONOMY cash flows than any deliberate attempt at the avoidance of loan repayment.

It stated that post COVID-19, lenders would be condemned to a new age where the character of borrowers must be established as a more critical and pronounced part of the lending process. “The review of a borrowers’ character as depicted by a borrowing history (captured

by Credit Bureaus) and a digital registry of delinquency (captured by debtorsafrica.com) will combine to add rigour and sharpness to the process of approving loans. “In the post COVID-19 period loan default and delinquency will naturally escalate. However, part of the process of default

mitigation would be debt resolution compelled by negotiations around loan workouts, this would be the preferred option for most borrowers as a digital registry of delinquency would provide a permanent public record of hardcore loan indebtedness until resolution with the lending institution. “The register would be updated by the lending institutions as the borrower makes good on paying down agreed outstanding liabilities,� it explained.

According to the report, some sectors that would likely be most severely affected by loan delinquencies once the pandemic is over would include fintechs because they offer short-term credit payments and financial services. “If there is one characteristic that will define the success of winners and losers in the new

loan ecosystem it is transparency, banks hiding delinquency behind a stump of grass will soon discover that their nakedness is as clear as that of a day-old baby. “The only way for banks and their borrowers to create a sustainable credit environment is for them to stand digitally undressed, with the delinquent borrower’s character open to the world to see and make judgment calls. “A bank must become as transparent as its borrowers to validate its credit process, no bank can claim transparency without a digital footprint that enables engagement with recalcitrant and delinquent borrowers in the court of character evaluation and credit history. “If banks do not publish the list of their delinquent debtors on a Continued on page 20

The Tin Can Island Container Terminal (TICT) has donated N100 million to the federal government’s Covid-19 Relief Fund. TICT, a multinational port operating company with its terminal located at the Tin Can Island Port Complex Lagos, made the contribution to support the ďŹ ght against the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. “The donation to the federal government is in line with the company’s collaborative approach to act and be recognised as a proactive and pioneering change agent, keen and able to positively contribute to the development of Nigeria and the well-being of the citizens. “We must also observe all other precautionary measures including social distancing, frequent hand washing with soap under running waterandtheuseofmasksandglovesasmaybeapplicable,â€?Managing Director of TICT, Etienne Rocher said.

In addition to measures taken by TICT to prevent the disease, the company has also advised port workers and port users to adhere strictly to safety guidelines issued by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and other governmental authorities to stop the spread of the virus.

TICT ensures continuity of Nigerian supplies and is unwaveringly committed to continue investment in port development in Nigeria, even as it positions itself as a recognized industry player within the African continent. TICT has made signiďŹ cant investments in infrastructure work and equipment and employs nearly 625 people, with the goal of making its terminal the most eďŹƒcient terminal in Nigeria’s economic capital, linking with the metropolitan area and its industrial centers through motorways and the promotion of waterways development.

Life Beer Unveils New Campaign

Nigerian Breweries Plc, makers of Life Continental Lager beer, has launched a new campaign for the beer brand in the country, Ndu ka, which connotes, Life Is Important. The new campaign, which heralds the launch of Life Continental beer’s new look executed by popular music duo of Flavour and Phyno recently, during their live talk-show, Beer Parlour Conversations, on Instagram, speaks to the global Covid-19 pandemic as well as the attendant socio-economic challenges, ravaging world economies with the messages of hope and optimism of ‘light at the end of the tunnel’, so long as we stay safe and alive as a people in readiness of progressive pursuits in the days and years ahead. The live Instagram show, anchored by Igbo music genre sensation, WAGA-G, saw Phyno and Flavour, extolling the relevance of the newly embedded features on the brand’s label design to the commerce of Eastern Nigeria and their everyday enterprise pursuit to their fans, who participated in the online conversation in their thousands. ‘The Golden Crown on the new label symbolises Life beer’s ‘market leadership in the country and the people’s unyielding spirit in the pursuit of success’, while the Sun Rays represents ‘the bright future ahead,’ Flavour explains.

DAT Launches Delivery App

The Digital Afrique Telecom (DAT) has announced the successful launch of a smart delivery app to enable businesses to simplify their order and delivery process.

This smart delivery application allows each customer to place an order based on the available stock and select its date and place of delivery. Besides, one can control its order status in real time. “DAT makes the life of both customers and businesses simple. A company can now save time and money through this innovative app when it comes to generating extra business with a delivery service,� a statement from the company explained.

The Founder and CEO of DAT, Simplice Anoh, emphasised: “The Smart delivery app is bringing together customers and businesses on a whole new level of delivery service experience. Consumers can remain safe at home in these critical times and receive their order while businesses keep track of their sales objectives�

Smart delivery is also geared to manage the delivery sta, knowing in real time who is delivering what and calculating at the end of the day the stock depending on each order delivered.

“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�

General Manager, Nairametrics,

Mr. Chris Pemu

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PANDEMIC HURTS EXPERIENTIAL, OUTDOOR ADVERTISING COMPANIES the sector contributes between four and five per cent of the state’s internal generated revenue said the last few weeks have been challenging but the agency is coping with the situation.

President of the Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN), Mr. Emmanuel Ajufo, also corroborated the position of the LASAA spokesman, but was optimistic that his members’ partnership with government at various levels would help the industry to bounce back. “One of our unique strengths is that we are outdoors where our audience is. Now that coronavirus has forced us to stay indoors, the audience we used to use as our strength has been forced to stay indoors. “Of course, this means that our clients will look for more appropriate channels to reach their audience. To this extent, we are receiving a lot of suspension and cancellation orders. “Indeed, our sector is seriously hit and we hope that things will normalise soon enough for the lockdown to be lifted,� he added.

REPORT: LOAN RECOVERY MAY BE CHALLENGING FOR FINTECHS POST COVID-19 searchable data base, they create a systemic challenge that hurts all lending institutions and gives delinquent debtors an avoidable advantage in gaming the credit system,� it added.

The report represents a culmination of a detailed review of the credit experiences of local Nigerian banks in the last two decades and revealed the challenges of a local lending cycle that has seen lenders become victims of the tyranny of bad and delinquent debtors.

The report makes a case for a new approach to the lending cycle to ensure that integrity, professionalism and evidence-based best lending practices are strictly followed to guarantee the sustainability of the financial system and the prosperity of the larger economy. Credit agencies can also make use of the data base as a source of quickly searching the credit position of a number of loan applicants across lending institutions.

Group Business Editor

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

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MTN Commits N600bn to Network Expansion in Nigeria Oluchi Chibuzor MTN Nigeria plans to spend an estimated N600 billion on technical infrastructure over the next three years as it looks to expand its network coverage across the entire country by 2024.

Speaking at the company’s first public Annual General Meeting which held in Lagos, recently, a statement quoted the CEO, MTN Nigeria, Ferdi Moolman, to have said: “Due to the nature of our business, we always have to keep up and innovate new technology which is capital intensive, our target is to have coverage across the country and a minimum of 4G network service across all locations. “Cash collateralised Letters of Credit, Forwards contracts, and favourable credit rating with major partners and vendors will make funding relatively easy for us, but we will also be cautious in our approach to limit foreign currency exposure.�

The statement pointed out that presently, the company’s 4G network covers approximately

40 per cent of its coverage locations which translates to about 65 million data customers.

It noted that a significant amount of investment would be made to not just extend the 4G network, but to also cover more rural locations in Nigeria.

The telco expressed excitement

about the possibilities that the transition to digital platforms presents it as growth in voice revenue was also expected to remain healthy. “We closed the year with 132 cities covered by 4G and became the first mobile network operator in West Africa to demonstrate

the capability of 5G technology,� said Moolman. “We are excited about its potential for our customers and the country’s national development plans.� “We maintained our leadership position in network net promoter score (NPS) as we continue to invest to improve

service quality and drive expansion and innovation. “This investment in infrastructure will enable the company to accelerate its 4G network expansion, deepen population coverage, and support the federal government’s broadband initiatives,� it added.

STOCK-TAKING

L-R:CompanySecretaryWemaBankPlc,JohnsonLebile;MD/CEO,AdemolaAdebise,andNon-ExecutiveDirector,SamuelDurojaye,duringthebank’s2019 AnnualGeneralMeetingheldbyproxyinLagos‌recently

BudgIT Launches COVID-19 Fund Tracking Portal Peter Uzoho BudgIT, a civic organisation committed to fiscal transparency has launched its COVID-19 platform for tracking and monitoring of the utilisation of all donations from both local and international donors for COVID-19 response.

It stated that the platform hosted on a website, through the network of its project tracking officers across the country, would also monitor the distribution of palliatives to the underprivileged and vulnerable communities across all states.

The organisation noted that the recent crash in global oil prices and reduced demand for oil in the global market had resulted in at least a 60 per cent cut in oil proceeds, which is the federal government’s main source of revenue. This invariably means that the economy is now stretched thin of resources, thus, every fund earmarked by the government for COVID-19 response out of the already limited resources and donations from external bodies need to be judiciously spent and accounted for, it stressed.

According to the Lagos-based

organisation, to ensure proper monitoring, it has launched the COVID-19 platform, to ascertain if funds are being expended on not only measures that effectively combat the COVID-19 pandemic, but also on citizens’ welfare. “So far, the federal government and sub-nationals have received a sum of over N200 billion from local and international donations in cash and in kind,�

BudgIT’s Principal Lead, Gabriel Okeowo revealed. Recently, the IMF also approved its largest COVID-19 emergency financing package of $3.4 billion Rapid

Financing Instrument (RFI) for Nigeria. This financing package is primarily meant to support the health care sector and assist to cushion the effects of revenue decline on the economy. “It has therefore become expedient to hold the government accountable on every penny dispensed for the COVID-19 response “If these emergency donations are not properly tracked, monitored and accounted for, the funds can be misappropriated, embezzled and diverted into private coffers, without any

tangible impact or benefit to the health sector, citizens and the economy as a whole,� Okeowo added.

He implored the government to ensure its commitment to open data and full transparency by making available, comprehensive and detailed breakdown of how funds are dispensed on health infrastructure and citizens’ welfare.

He also enjoined members of the public and other CSOs to collaborate, support and join BudgIT in demanding accountability from both the federal government and the sub-nationals via the platform.

Olugbemi Sworn in as CIBN President Mr. Bayo Olugbemi has been sworn in as the 21st President/ Chairman of Council of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN).

Olugbemi, recently took over the CIBN leadership from Dr. Uche Olowu, where he outlined the strategic focus of his administration in the next two years into the acronym “A-TEAM�.

The new CIBN leadership would oversee affairs of the institute for the next two years.

Olugbemi was sworn in by Justice Adesuyi Olateru-Olagbegi (Rtd) in Lagos.

He is expected to bring his knowledge of over 38 years’

experience as investment banker to bear on the Institute.

Olugbemi, who is also the Managing Director/CEO, First Registrars & Investor Services Limited had served as the First Vice President and Chairman, Board of Fellows and Practice Licenses at CIBN as well as the President/Chairman of Council, The Institute of Capital Market Registrars and Treasurer, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).

He has also served and is still on several committee of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigerian Stock Exchange; Central

Securities Clearing System (CSCS); Institute of Directors; Institute of Chartered Secretaries & Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) and Institute of Capital Market Registrars (ICMR) among others.

Olugbemi in his acceptance speech paid tributes to the founding fathers of the Institute who sacrificed and contributed immensely to its growth and development over the years.

He recognised the enormity of the tasks ahead of him and pledged to transform and propel the Institute into global limelight through his administration’s strategic focus.

Olugbemi told over 700

participants who connected to the event through Zoom and YouTube across the globe that, “Our strategic focus is crafted into an acronym “A-TEAM� in line of the 2020-2024 strategic plan of the Institute which encapsulated in the acronym A-TEAM - Accelerated Development, Technology and Digital Enhancement, Engagement for Growth, Accountability and Transparent Leadership and Membership Drive for Value. “Our desire is to be a global referenced point, an institute that everyone is proud to associate with, one that sets the agenda for the banking industry, for

businesses and the economy as a whole.�

He promised stakeholders to explore the possibilities of developing physical structures for the various branches of the institute where they have landed properties and to pursue acquisition of lands for the various branches where they have prospect.

He further assured members that he would further explore an advance technology-driven mode and channel of conducting and monitoring the institute’s examinations without prejudice to the integrity and acceptability of the certificates.

Comms/e-Business Editor

Ă—Ă—Ă‹ Ă•Ă™Ă˜Ă”Ă“

AIICO Insurance Posts N50bn Premium

Senior Correspondent

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

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Ebere Nwoji AIICO Insurance Plc has announced gross written premium of N50.1billion for the year ended December 31, 2019.

This represented a 33 per cent growth from a gross premium of N37.7 billion gross premium recorded by the company in the same period in 2018.

According to the company, the performance was driven by growth across all lines of business within the Group.

AIICO Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer, Babatunde Fajemirokun, said profit before tax (PBT) of the company rose to N6.2 billion, an increment of 78 per cent, compared to the N3.5 billon achieved in 2018.

Also, profit after tax (PAT) grew by 88 per cent to N5.9 billion, compared to N3.2 billion in 2018. Basic earnings per share (EPS) increased by 89 percent from 44k in 2018 to 83k in 2019.

Speaking further, Fajemirokun said: “Over the course of 2019, we undertook a thorough review of our businesses with a clear aspiration to attain market leadership through

profitable growth. “Stemming from the progress made so far, it is my belief that we are on course and have the right strategy in place to deliver even more sterling performance in the years ahead. “In accordance with our commitment to fulfilment of our obligations to our clients, gross claims grew by six per cent from N29.0 billion in 2018, to N30.6 billion in 2019.

“From this amount, about 75 per cent was for benefits and claims payment in our Life business with the remaining 25 percent incurred in the Non-Life business.� He said the group, however, experienced an underwriting loss of N6.34 billion in 2019, driven by the increase in life technical reserves (change in life funds) in the Life business.

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Kuru: Timing Essential in Polaris Bank Sale The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, Mr. Ahmed Kuru, in this interview speaks about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the corporation’s debt recovery drive and provides insight into the planned sale of Polaris Bank Limited. Obinna Chima brings the excerpts: How will you assess the country’s response so far to the challenge posed by the coronavirus?

Honestly, personally I think they have done very well. Don’t forget our environment and don’t forget what was the situation in this country before this pandemic surfaced. We had budget deficit, the price of crude oil was also low and other challenges. And you saw that immediately the virus came into the country, the Central Bank Governor mobilised the private sector and they immediately raised substantial amount of money. Along the line, people were motivated, some were sensitised and even brought in to see the extent of the challenge the country was faced with. You can see that everybody in his or her on little way has contributed to this fight. We saw how very hard decisions such as closing the airports, stoppage of inter-state travels, lockdown and others were taken. Again, look at the palliatives by both the government and private sector. Even the National Assembly, despite the pandemic, they were still sitting almost every day. We also saw the engagements between the National Assembly, the CBN Governor and the Ministry of Finance, just to ensure that the economy doesn’t suffer. Really, if you look at what has happened outside this country and compare it with what the federal government has done so far, I think the Nigerian government has done very well. We also see daily, all the efforts by the Presidential Task Force as well as the state governors. Honestly, I think they have all done well.

Has this pandemic in any way affected AMCON’s drive for debt recovery?

It has and I can explain that to you. There are two types of obligors. We have the willing obligors that we had arrived at settlement with and they have a payment plan and they have been paying. For example, somebody has a brewery at Aba and he is paying let’s say N100 million monthly and now because of the pandemic, the factory is closed and he cannot meet his obligation. Or someone that has a factory and is producing roofing sheets in Kano and was paying us N200 million monthly, but because of the lockdown, the factory is closed, you don’t blame such persons. That is because when we entered into a resolution with him, we knew his sources of repayment and we now know that the sources of repayment are challenged. Obviously, for those kind of obligors, just like what is happening in the banking industry, we have to give them respite and a moratorium of about six months. And if in six months this virus doesn’t go away, you may have to extend it. So, we have to give such persons moratorium to the extent that this pandemic is addressed. This is one angle. Another angle are those obligors that have refused to sit down with AMCON to negotiate. Those ones, you have to continue fighting them, regardless of the pandemic.

That is because, even when there was no pandemic, they were hiding. So, we have to continue pursuing them. If it is their assets or anything we can hold on to, we would seize them through the legal system. We have to pursue such persons up to the extent that in our judgement we now discover that such persons have been challenged by the pandemic, before you can turn back and then give him respite. So, for those categories of people, we would continue to pursue them as if there is no pandemic. When their businesses were booming, they were not listening to us, which means that they never intended to pay. We have quite a lot of court cases going on and the courts have been very cooperative and they have been giving us priority hearing. So, generally, like every other thing, the situation is affecting everybody. It is affecting the judiciary, the physical visits to assets, valuations and every other thing. And you must understand that recovery is primarily driven by the human element. But we still go to work to look at the

Kuru cases and we now do meetings with wider group of our staff. What this pandemic has also done to us is that it has shown us that we can hold a meeting and have a larger number of staff. We are now running training programmes online and everybody will be involved. We now have more engagements with our staff than it used to be before.

So, far how much has AMCON recovered?

So far we have recovered N1.1 trillion as at the end of first quarter 2020 and that was before the lockdown was announced. But, even within the lockdown, we have recovered between N5 and N10 billion. There are some people that are still meeting their obligation and there are assets that were forfeited that we have sold. So, even within this period, money is still coming in.

AMCON wholly-owned bank, Polaris Bank Limited recently released its ďŹ rst full year ďŹ nancial statement which was positive. I remembered last year you spoke about commencing the sale process for the bank. How far have you gone with that?

It is work in progress. Like I always tell

So far we have recovered N1.1 trillion as at the end of ďŹ rst quarter 2020 and that was before the lockdown was announced. But, even within the lockdown, we have recovered between N5 and N10 billion

people, once you put money in a bank, the most fundamental is that you try and see how you can improve the financials of the bank.

This is because those that would come to buy the bank would not be buying it based on the money that you put in there, but they are buying the value that has been created in the bank. So, you try to see how you can improve on the financials. But once you improve on the financials, you don’t keep it too long because nobody wants a temporary situation. The staff would not want a temporary situation; the board would not want a temporary situation; the exco and even the customers. And you know banking is a highly competitive sector, if the tag, ‘AMCON Bank’ hangs around you, it becomes a challenge, even in marketing.

So, we are hoping that very soon something would happen. The positive figures they just churned out shows that this is a good time, but again, you can’t ignore the global economic situation. You don’t sell your assets in a distressed economy. If you have a house that you wanted sell last year, but you couldn’t sell it then and you now want to sell it, you must know that by default you want to give the buyer special discount. So, timing is very important. I believe that any asset that is of value at this stage, you should extend it because there are very few people that want to take risk now. So, what they would do is to price in the risk because nobody knows how this pandemic is going to end and if they don’t know, they would price the asset lower because of the risk of the pandemic. So, this is not the best time to sell any asset really. As expected, people would want to hold on to cash to know which of the industry or sector would pick up and where to invest before any decision. So, on the issue of the sale of the bank I would not be too categorical. Left for me, really the sale should be concluded this year, because the longer you keep it, the more problematic it becomes because it is a competitive industry. So, what will determine it would be how we are able to manage this

COVID-19 pandemic.

If this pandemic prolongs, do you foresee a situation whereby some banks may have to go back to AMCON to sell their bad debts?

No, I don’t foresee that. AMCON is not an undertaker. If they do, then the whole essence of the asset management framework is defeated.

We shouldn’t have a situation whereby if any bank has a challenge it would come to AMCON, because that comes at a cost and doesn’t make sense anymore. A bank is a business. Unless there is a general global kind of situation that government needs to strongly intervene, then a case would be made. Otherwise, we shouldn’t have a situation whereby if any bank has a challenge it should just walk up to AMCON. Compared to what we saw in 2008 that led to the creation of AMCON, do you think the banking system today is more prepared to absorb the shock that this pandemic is going to create?

The previous crisis was economic-based, but this one is health-based. So, they are totally different situations. With this pandemic, quite a number of people are learning how to walk around it and some pundits have said we may come out of it in the next 12 months, some have even said it would take two years for us to come out of it. So, there are so many things that are not known. But people are now strategising on how to operate within this framework. Now, some people have taken loans from banks and some of the banks have given moratorium for six months or one year, because of the situation. Obviously, it is affecting the economy. But one cannot sit down at this stage to compare both crisis because they came with different challenges and different situations warranted them. It is always good to make such comparison towards the end. Really, that is why you see in some developed countries that in spite of the fact that they couldn’t control the pandemic, they were very eager to open the economy because they don’t want to have an economic crisis in addition to a health crisis.

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Examining Impact of COVID-19 on Insurance Sector As business operators globally battle the Covid-19 pandemic, Ebere Nwoji writes on the impact on the insurance sector As the global business community looks forward to returning to their normal daily business activities after months of lockdown on account of the coronavirus pandemic, insurance sector operators have continued to weigh the impact of the virus on their businesses.

The COVID-19 has got both positive and negative impacts on the sector.

Indeed, industry stakeholders viewed that the pandemic, has thrown up challenges which if embraced by the operators would reposition the industry for better growth and development.

Clearly, one of the major fallout from the COVID-19 outbreak in Nigeria is that it has brought about upsurge in health, travel and business claims. There were reports of insurers paying millions of naira claims through their e-payment channels notwithstanding the lock down on businesses occasioned by the virus.

For instance, companies like AIICO Insurance, FBN Insurance, Leadway, among others, were paying claims notwithstanding the lockdown, just as firms such as Wapic Insurance, Allianz Nigeria, Leadway, OldMutual refunded some percentage of claims to their clients as a way of cushioning the effect of the lockdown.

One of the leading professional services companies, PWC, in its recent report on the impact of the COVID- 19 on Nigerian insurance sector, stated that in addition to other impacts, there was pressure on sales from reduced business activity, and less use of face-to-face channels.

It further observed that the gathering economic slowdown emanating from the pandemic was also driving interest rates even lower and increasing credit risk exposures from businesses facing possible default. “This raises the possibility of regulators asking for extraordinary solvency tests to ensure insurers can withstand the immediate and knock-on impacts. “Put together, this daunting list of issues represents a stern test of resilience for an industry already weighed down by enduringly low interest rates and slow growth in mature markets,� the PWC report added.

Recently, the industry regulator, the National Insurance Commission, said it was studying the impact of the pandemic on businesses and would come up with new guidelines on recapitalisation of the industry.

Furthermore, within and outside the shores of Nigeria, one of the negative impacts of the pandemic on insurance is that whereas it is a new development that is not covered by any known insurance policy, based on special consideration, members of the insuring public are insisting that insurers pay some business interruption claims.

For instance, in Nigeria, most aviation passengers, insist that insurers should refund premium they paid on their travel insurance policy because of cancellation of their flights due to the state ordered lock down, whereas insurers are saying that legally, the only premium that should be refunded is that paid under

Thomas aircraft hull insurance as stipulated by aviation insurance contract regulation.

This they will do under the Premium Adjustment Agreement with their airline clients in order to effect return premium to them.

Outside Nigeria, in United States for instance, insurers are currently battling with demand for payment of business interruption claims.

The insuring public is even pushing for a legislation on compulsory payment of such claims which is officially not covered.

This has compelled the United States Treasury to write an official letter to state legislators through the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Fredrick W.Vaughan opposing the wholesale forcing of business interruption claims on insurers.

The letter opposes any legislative moves that could force retroactive business interruption claims related to the Covid-19 pandemic onto the insurance and reinsurance industry.

Part of the letter reads: “As we explained last week, any legislative moves to force retroactive business interruption claims into the insurance and reinsurance industry could cause significant damage.�

Meanwhile, global rating agency, A.M. Best, had estimated that if such business interruption claims are to be paid by insurers and reinsurers, as much as 50 per cent of re/insurer capital could be wiped out with just two months worth

of claims being forced through.

The US treasury in the letter to the legislators argued that it’s not just the volume of claims either, it’s the fact that forcing coverage of a risk that was never designed to be covered in the insurance product would go against contract law, potentially opening the floodgates for class actions in other lines of business.

On the positive side, the Managing Director /Chief Executive officer, Anchor Insurance plc, Mr. Ebosa Augustine, has said that the impact of COVID-19 has created deeper awareness for insurance, noting that it has made most people to come to terms with the importance of risk coverage.

He expressed optimism that with everyone now knowing the damage which situations like the pandemic could cause to businesses, economy and human lives, more persons were likely to embrace insurance post COVID-19.

Ebose, who expressed displeasure over government’s nonchalant attitude toward insurance and welfare packages for its workers, stated that some state governments have no health insurance, public liability, group personal accident or even group life policy for their staff just as he called on them to learn from the experience so far from COVID-19 to provide the necessary insurance covers for their workforce.

According to him, before now, most business looked away from taking business interruption covers for their operations.

Furthermore, Ebose anticipated increased adoption of information technology. “Before now, face mask and hand sanitisers were not in our budget, but now we have to add them,� he said, adding that the need for social distancing would see firms buy more vehicles for their staff to avoid getting caught up with the issues that attend to using public transport and to ensure they remain healthy and productive.

The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), recently said it was studying the impact of the pandemic on businesses worldwide and would at the end of the study come up fresh regulations.

The Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Sunday Thomas, said post COVID-19, there would be change in regulation, adding that the commission aside reviewing its recapitalisation, consolidation initiative would focus attenuation on market development responsibility and knowledge based development.

He also said the commission would pay priority attention to fast claims settlement and would consider interest paid on delayed genuine claims. “Things cannot remain the same, the distribution pattern cannot be the same for brokers, underwriters cannot continue from end to end systemic terms of products patterns and claims management, there will be data extraction for the industry, consumers will know there is benefit in insurance currently, illiteracy is generally felt more in insurance even by the educated class,� he added.

Brokers, according to him must change their way of doing things looking at collaboration with underwriters in creating products and reduce competition.

Also, Managing Director Cornerstone Insurance Plc, Mr. Ganiyu Musa, said the COVID -19 will no doubt bring about job loss and pay cuts.

He said its major concerns now is revenue challenge, observing that there would be escalation in claims just as its devastating impact on investment and investment returns is unspeakable.

For Managing Director, Scib Insurance brokers, Mr. Shola Tinubu, the pandemic has ushered in the era of digitalisation in insurance business.

He also said post COVI-19, opportunities would abound in areas which operators were yet to explore. He listed some areas of COVID-19 emerging opportunities as 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 businesses in the sector, pointing out that value creation would be critical, while pricing would be more competitive.

He said under this circumstance, insurers should strive to achieve maximum penetration of their product by making their policy statement concise, be conscious of claims as well as transparent in claims’ handling

COVID-19: Capital Market, Key to Economic Recovery Augustine Arunah With the downturn of the economies around the world, businesses are operating below capacity and, in some cases, downsizing and shutting down as funds are running out. The question now is, does the Nigerian capital market still have the capacity to revive the economy? Now more than ever is the time to show it.

A main idea behind the creation of a stock market was for capital and wealth mobilisation for corporate bodies, individuals or groups and societies. The Nigerian Capital Market has had its own ups and downs (more downs in recent years), reflecting the Nigerian economy at large and suffering from low patronage due to shortage of household savings from individuals, while corporate bodies chose the option of attracting foreign investors and foreign debts in recent years.

The capital market is an important part of the financial system that provides the mobilization of long-term funds from the private sector (Individuals, corporate bodies and mutual Funds) and

the public sector too. Noting that the Nigerian Capital Market was setup for provision of a well-structured and regulated market place where promoters can source equity investment of long term nature needed for the financing of businesses, industrial sector and the economy at large.

The capital market plays a strong role in promoting economic development and corporate growth through an efficient and effective exchange of savings for securities, offering opportunity for government to finance projects aimed at providing essential amenities for socio-economic development, attracting foreign investments and stress free exit plans.

The benefits that could be derived from the capital market option of post Covid 19 recovery cuts across all levels of business and investment participants in the country. These benefits includes sourcing of long-term equity investment cash by the business community, thus attracting foreign capital through investments; providing the public and interested investors an organized platform to

invest their savings in wide range of stocks and other instruments. On the economic side of the capital market, Nigerians can achieve economic growth through the promotion of capital formation, wealth mobilization and distribution.

Coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses and governments (Federal, States and municipals) will need operating funds, development funds, growth funds, and recovery funds (or whatever it will be termed) and they will preferably be long term funds. The capital market, through the Nigerian Stock Exchange, is the only institution in the country that has the capacity to adequately and sustainably handle Nigeria’s industrial and economic development needs post Covid-19 for the coming years.

This is the time that business promoters should be evaluating their entire business operational process and planning for restructuring, coming up with focused and realistic 10-year projections that would be attractive to both local and foreign investors. They should consider the engagement of a good and experienced financial and business

adviser to guide and plan their growth process.

Capital Market Regulators need to look inwards to see where roles can be adjusted to attract and accommodate potential listings, while The Federal Government (Ministries and Agencies) needs to make adjustments to policies that would encourage such developments and growth within their industries and sectors.

The Nigerian capital market has the capacity for the provision of long-term capital for private and public sectors, which in turn can stimulate a sustainable economic growth and recovery, this is the road to be followed moving ahead.

Leaving government to focus on governance and viable economic policies. N250 billion government advances can go a long way to solve a handful of business problems with very little impact on the economy. Anybody who doubts the ability of the Nigerian Capital Market should think back to 2005 - mid 2008 era. t"SVOBI #VTJOFTT %FWFMPQNFOU "EWJTFS CBTFE JO -BHPT

WEDNESDAY MAY 20, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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EDUCATION Physically Challenged Teacher Makes Maths Exciting, Records Outstanding Results in FourYears Disability has turned to ability for a physically challenged teacher who brings enthusiasm and performances to the teaching of mathematics, resulting in successful outcomes for his students.

Michael Thompson Showunmi shared his teaching experience with Funmi Ogundare

I

n four years, all the students he taught mathematics passed with good grades in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) or the Basic Education Certificate Examination. Mr. Michael Thompson Showunmi has turned his disability into a basis for teaching and inspiring a cohort of students who now take to mathematics with delight.

He walks with the aid of crutches; though life threw stones at him, he has not allowed this to deter his hope and dreams of making sure that his students succeed in the subject.

His success story in teaching mathematics is inspirational. As an assistant maths teacher in Good Shepard School, Lagos, where he taught students in terminal classes, he recorded 100 per cent score in the subject.

For instance, at the 2017 WASSCE, out of the eight students that sat for Further-maths, three had a B3, while five others, scored C. In the 2018 examination, out of seven students that sat for the subject, four had B2, while three others got C. For the 2017 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for students in the junior secondary school, out of the 51 students that sat for the 2018 Mathematics examination, 12 got distinction (A1), 18 had B, while 21 had credit score. In the 2018 and 2019 mathematics examinations, out of the 46 students that sat for the subject, 16 had distinction, 12 had B, and 18 had credit score; six had distinction, 17 had B, while 23 had credit score in both examinations.

The Chemical Engineering graduate of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), said since he started teaching in 2016, he has not felt that he is physically challenged, but has made his disability his ability. “In fact, I use to forget I’m using crutches. I teach with enthusiasm, I dance in class, I use rhythms to teach at times to aid in remembering the topic. I teach with all my energy. I feel my mind and soul when I am teaching, and it makes me forget about other things that I am supposed to be worried about because it is what I love doing; it is my passion,� he said.

His zeal and energy go to any length to see his students successful and filled with knowledge and understanding.

Before the closure of schools and lockdown, THISDAY encountered him in the school located at Alakuko area of Lagos, where he teaches.

He narrated his experience to this reporter of how he had been teaching in many low-income community schools after closing hours just to help the schools. “When I started teaching, my students pitied me so much to the extent that they thought I wouldn’t be capable of teaching them, considering the number of periods per day that I had to teach Mathematics and Further Mathematics,� he said.

As time went on, when they saw his zeal in imparting knowledge in them, they loved him more and even fell in love with the subject. “My worst experience is resuming in this school, and at the first instance, it brought tears to my eyes. The students said it right in class, ‘gow can they employ a guy using crutches to be our maths teacher? What can he teach us?’ They made a jest of me each time I went to their class, especially when I wanted to write the day’s date because my hands could not reach the top of the board.

They called me ‘crutches’ to my face. “At first I felt awful and almost crying in every class because it’s my first experience in such kind of hostile environment within the school. Later, I changed my perspective.

I stopped reacting, and I started focusing on things I can change. I wore a blooming smile to the class and even responded with enthusiasm each time they called me crutches. “With time, the students not only loved me, but they also fell deeply in love with Mathematics. You will

Mr. Michael Thompson Showunmi in the classroom with his students always see them solving maths or going along with maths textbook even during break time because none of them wants to score the least even in classwork.�

On teaching with a physical challenge, Showunmi said, life does not happen to us, it happened for us. Being physically challenged did not occur to me or my mind, it happened for me to let the whole world know that despite my challenges, I can choose to be whatever I want to be. I have gone beyond the level of ‘there is ability in disability’, I believe and act as ‘my disability is my ability. “Sometimes, it is incredibly stressful, especially transportation, climbing the stairs to and from, but the truth is that I only feel the stress when I get home, especially in my arms. I leave school around 7/8 pm or 9 pm because I must mark my students’ assignment to motivate them for the next day. Principals always pity me at first, but later, when they saw the level of my performance through the students’ performance in exams, they gave me more subjects to teach.�

Showunmi has taught more than Mathematics and Further Mathematics in his career. His teaching assignments include Physics, Chemistry, Basic Science and Technology and Physical Health Education (PHE). He has also taught Biology and Agricultural Science in some schools. “My impact on my students is ever-lasting because I’m not only a teacher to them. I serve as a source of inspiration. Some watch me walking to school, mounting on bikes, crossing the expressway, climbing the staircase, playing football, playing tennis and they tell me personally, ‘if you didn’t give up despite going through all these struggles, I will never give up’. I also do share some of my story with them graduating as a Chemical Engineer with CGPA of 4.21/5.00. “There is this empathy between my students and I such that none of us wants to disappoint each other when it comes to mathematics exam.

None of my students wants to disappoint me, and that is why till now, none of my students has ever failed in the subject I teach at both internal and external exams like WAEC.

“What I impact on my students is beyond just Mathematics within the walls of the school.

I affect empathy, kindness, love especially each time I donate sanitary pads, sandals and school uniforms to the students in my community from the little income I earn�, Showunmi stressed.

His Supervisor and Head, Department of Mathematics and Science at Good Shepard School, Lagos, Mr. Friday Evbotokhai Ohien lauded Showunmi’s resilience, saying that he has a good determination for success. “He possessed some exceptional qualities while he worked with the school,�Ohien stated. “He had a good interpersonal relationship with the students. This quality made him accessible and approachable to the students.

They were able to discuss their problems with him even after classes freely.�

He noted that Showunmi had a mastery of the subject and taught with pleasure. “He had good determination for success.

This also reflect in the performance and results of his students. He made the students to love Mathematics and learn with ease. I discovered that some students who hardly talk or respond to questions in other classes, find it exciting and easier to express themselves in his class,� he stressed.

During the lockdown, THISDAY also met with some of his students. They told this reporter how their grades had improved for the better in Mathematics and Further-maths.

The improvement affected their academics generally.

Master Timilehin Adeyemi said: “He taught me Further Mathematics from SS1 second term and since then, there has been a gradual improvement in my academics. He inspired me greatly. He taught me more as time went on and it was fun. Even those who were not good in the subject initially started improving, and they were able to solve questions independently.�

He described Showunmi not just as a teacher, but a motivational speaker and an inspirational teacher who helped him in various aspects of his life. “He affected my life positively with positivity and determination and helped us

wholeheartedly when we were preparing for WASSCE when he taught us overnight. This enabled us all to share our thoughts with him and learn from one another. I can call him an all-round teacher because he teaches me all subjects. No one is an island, but he is a definition of a true teacher.�

Master Oluwapelumi Olaosebikan said: “Mr. Showunmi taught me Further Mathematics.

The impact he had on me was a perfect one.

It could have been a lot better if he had been the one who taught me from the beginning.

I was nowhere near success, that is, I was an ‘F’ student before he started taking me Further Mathematics. Afterwards, I witnessed an improvement, and my F grade moved to a C.�

Olaosebikan, now an undergraduate of Physics Education, University of Ibadan, also described his maths teacher as one who has inspired and motivated him to work harder towards achieving success. “What I admired about Mr. Showunmi in and out of the class were his good vibes.

He is friendly, nice and an inspiring teacher.

I believe if he could make his disability an ability, then who am I not to make it. I have got no excuse. I am still in touch, and he’s been accommodating all along and always there to offer his advice.�

In her words, Miss Eniola Ajayi described Showunmi as a great teacher, who made her see Mathematics differently and simply, making it easier for her to solve problems related to the subject, especially in Physics and Chemistry. “Further Mathematics was a massive problem for me before, but when he started teaching me, I improved a lot more in it, and most importantly in mathematics. It has brought a great change in my academic life. “As a matter of fact, before Mr. Showunmi started teaching me Further Mathematics, my result was not satisfactory at all, it became a problem for me to take my report sheet home to my parents to see, but afterwards, my results improved a lot, and I was delighted and confident enough to take my report sheet home to my parents.�

She described her maths teacher as a very bright and knowledgeable man. “He tries to explain every topic in the simplest way he could, using real-life situations to explain mathematical problems and making it easier for students to understand. “He even takes his time to teach us overnight in school, and out of class, he is a very cheerful and fun-loving person. It’s effortless to get along with him, but when it is time for work, he gets serious,� she said.

Master Oluwaseyi Akinlade said: “Mr. Showunmi taught me Mathematics in 2016, while I was preparing for my WASSCE. His impact on me was that I understood the subject better and there was a big and positive change in the way I saw Mathematics. The truth is, I had issues with the subject while I was in SS2. I was asked to repeat the class in my old school, but my dad just decided to change my school. On resuming at the new school, I met Showunmi, and I got better in maths.

I believe that if someone like Showunmi can take out time to go over a topic till you get it, why shouldn’t I now go back to study it, and it got simpler,� he stressed.

He described his teacher as hard working; made maths fun and could go over a topic as many times as possible in class till students get it. “We had jokes in between solving equations, not just the regular writing on the board, and you will see yourself assimilating what he is teaching you. Outside the classroom, he would sit with us to laugh, talk and tell stories of how he survived in the university.

I loved how friendly and generous he was to us.�

WEDNESDAY MAY 20, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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26

T H I S D AY ˞ Ͱ͎˜ 2020

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

RenCap Foresees Crude Oil Price at $40 by Q4 Obinna Chima Analysts at Renaissance Capital, an international financial advisory company have predicted that crude oil price will rise to about $40 per barrel by the fourth quarter of this year and higher by 2021.

They stated this during an online press briefing held recently. The benchmark Brent crude closed at $34.45 to a barrel yesterday.

The research and investment firm, however, pointed out that lots of damage has already been done to the Nigerian economy due to the disruptions caused by the coronavirus. “But we are assuming oil will go back to about $40/bl

by Q4 and higher in 2021. But this is not an ideal scenario for

Nigeria until it turns itself into an industrial economy, it’s going to be a few challenging years for Nigeria, with the budget not being sustainable at this exchange rate, in order to keep that budget manageable. “Nigerian authorities have done well to take the International Monetary Fund loan, to unify the exchange rate and to suggest that the fuel subsidy is gone forever – that is an improvement for Nigeria in the mid-term. However, Nigeria is going to be in a difficult phase,� they added.

Commenting on the impact of lockdowns in large-population low-income emerging and frontier markets, the Global Chief Economist, Head of Macro-Strategy Unit, Renaissance Capital, Charles Robertson, said

testing data suggests lockdowns do not work in lower income countries where the virus has arrived in significant numbers already, but clearly do in high income countries.

The reality is that running lockdowns is not an option for many emerging and especially frontier markets, he added.

Also, in terms of epidemic’s political implications, he said, “while we cannot estimate the economic toll yet, we can for sure anticipate political consequences across countries with upcoming elections, including Ghana, Ivory Coast and Romania. As for oil producing countries, if oil remains low long enough, this may result in improved democracy or regime change, as was the case with the Soviet Union back in 1980s.�

Wema Bank Assures Stakeholders of Improved Returns Wema Bank Plc recently held its Annual General Meeting where it assured stakeholders of higher returns on their investments.

Coming several days after the bank’s 75th anniversary celebration, the meeting availed the investment community an opportunity to gain insight into the performance of the bank in the 2019 financial year.

The AGM, which held in proxy, in compliance with the guidelines of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), was moderated by the Chairman of the bank, Mr. Babatunde Kasali, with few shareholders and members of the bank’s board and executives in attendance. Others joined remotely via live streaming.

For the year under review, Wema Bank announced gross earnings of N94.89 billion, which was a 32.65 per cent increase from the previous year. The bank’s profit after tax (PAT) grew by 56.16 per cent to N5.2 billion, while profit before tax (PBT) year-on-year grew to N6.76 billion in 2019, up from N4.8 billion in 2018. The bank also reported an increase in customer deposits by 56.35 per cent in the year under review, to N577.28 billion.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Wema Bank, Mr. Ademola Adebise, attributed the performance to the bank’s strategy.

He added that the increase in customer deposit was as a

result of the aggressive marketing campaigns around the bank’s digital platform, ALAT. The shareholders in attendance endorsed the dividend payout earlier recommended by the bank.

Adebise assured the shareholders of continuous growth for the bank.

He noted that, “despite the current challenges brought on by the global pandemic, the underlining strength of bank, the quality of our assets and our position as the parent to ALAT, the first-ever digital bank in Nigeria has given us the competitive advantage to continue to deliver excellent banking services to our customers and gain the confidence of our shareholders.�

9mobile Partners Mobihealth in Kano Nume Ekeghe 9mobile and telemedicine provider, Mobihealth international, have gone into a partnership with the Association of Resident Doctors at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, AKTH, SHYO, and Northfield Health Services, to support the efforts of Kano State government to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and other health care challenges in the state.

The partnership was part of efforts aimed at protecting healthcare workers and citizens by providing access to telemedicine consultation to curb the further spread of the COVID-19 in Kano state.

The service would enable doctors to diagnose, conduct investigations, treat and remotely monitor patients for general medical problems. It will also help to decide the order of treatment for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 related illnesses.

The Chairman of 9mobile, Mr. Nasir Bayero, in a statement, explained that citizens and residents of Kano would have access to highly-trained and experienced medical doctors for primary care consultation via web, app, voice or video call from the comfort of their homes simply by downloading Mobihealth Consult App or dialling to the toll-free lines for consultation.

He said: “Mobihealth’s Telemedicine service marks a new beginning for the people of Kano because it provides them access to doctors both in Nigeria and diaspora. “We encourage residents to download ‘Mobihealth Consult app’ from their device app store or by registering on app. mobihealthinternational.com to enjoy the service. “9mobile recently, granted its customers free access to health and educational websites to support the increasing recourse to online learning by a growing number of academic institutions during this period of restricted movements.

Polo Luxury Group Supports Frontline Workers In a bid to support efforts of the federal and Lagos state governments to cater to the needs of Nigerians most vulnerable to the COVID-19 scourge, food items and essential commodities were distributed to members of the Nigeria Police Force resident at the Ikeja Police College by a delegation from Polo Limited.

The initiative by the luxury and lifestyle company, Polo Limited, was in alignment with its multi-level approach geared at providing assistance to frontline workers whose means

of livelihood have been deeply affected by the various lockdown measures put in place to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus in Lagos State.

Speaking during the visit, the Managing Director of the Group, Mr. John Obayuwana, expressed appreciation to the frontline workers for their tireless and unrelenting efforts to enforce the Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control prevention’s guidelines by members of the society in containing the contamination and spread of the Coronavirus disease.

Obayuwana, also urged other businesses operating in the region to live up to their corporate social responsibility obligations to society at large by also reaching out to members of the community most hit by the crisis.

In a statement to the Lagos State government, the Group’s Executive Director, Ms. Jennifer Obayuwana, commended all key stakeholders at the forefront of combating the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria and worldwide for their courage and service to humanity.

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

SEPTEMBER 2019 Money Supply (M3)

35,029,779.72

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

7,374,356.91

Money Supply (M2)

27,655,422.82

-- Quasi Money

116,533,891.21

-- Narrow Money (M1)

11,121,531.60

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,625,047.69

---- Demand Deposits

9,496,483.91

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

13,911,335.83

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

21,118,443.89

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

35,918,179.45

---- Credit to Government (Net)

10,452,199.38

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

11,007,422.79

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

25,465,980.07

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

-14,799,735.56

--Other Assets Net

7,000,253.07

Reserve Money (Base Money

2,005,600.83

--Currency in Circulation

4,677,530.81

--Banks Reserves

317,121.43

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Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

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OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE Ëœ ÍŻÍś

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $28.21 a barrel on Monday, compared with $26.54 the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

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

SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

27

T H I S D AY ˞ Ͱ͎˜ Ͱ͎Ͱ͎

MARKET NEWS

BUA Cement Records N61bn Profit, Recommends N1.75 Dividend Per Share Goddy Egene BUA Cement Plc yesterday announced a dividend of N1.75 per share for the year ended December 31, 2019. The dividend announcement followed the presentation of the audited results to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and capital market community.

Details of the financial performance showed that BUA Cement recorded revenue of N175.518 billion in 2019, up from

N119.013 billion in 2018. Cos of sales jumped from N59.060 billion to N93.075 billion in 2019.

Gross profit stood at N82.443 billion in 2019, compared with 59.952 billion in 2018.

The management strived to contain administrative expenses from N12.522 billion to N10.516 billion in 2019. However, distribution and selling expenses soared from N6.081 billion to N11.844 billion in 2019.

Operating profit printed at N71.428 billion in 2019, up

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

from N42.842 billion in 2018.

Net financing cost increased from N3.675 billion to N5.192 billion.

But a tax payment of N5.625 billion in 2019 as against a tax credit of N24.905 billion in 2018, made BUA Cement to end the year with profit after tax of N60.610 billion compared with N64.072 billion in 2018. Based on the performance, the board has recommended a dividend of N1.75 per share.

When the company was listed

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

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

early this year, the Managing Director of BUA Cement, Yusuf Binji, said the company was poised to add even more value to the Nigerian economy as a whole through this listing. “Over the past few years, we have significantly ramped up capacity and currently boast the most efficient and integrated operations in the Nigerian Cement Industry. This new publicly listed company will continue to deliver exceptional value to all stakeholders in the

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

foreseeable future.�

According to him, the merger provided a compelling opportunity to capture significant synergies and create value for the benefit of the shareholders of both companies in the form of stronger competitive position of the enlarged company, economies of scale, enhanced operations and administrative efficiencies that will accrue.

Meanwhile, the stock market sustained its positive performance yesterday as the

O F

NSE All-Share Index (ASI) gained 1.09 per cent to close at 24,202.87. Similarly, market capitalisation added N100.4 billion to close at N12.6 trillion.

Activity level advanced as volume and value traded rose 2.7 per cent and 33.9 per cent to 339.8 million shares and N3.9 billion respectively. The most active stocks by volume were Access Bank Plc (80.6 million shares) GTBank (41.9 million shares), and Zenith Bank Plc (39.7 million shares).

1 9 / 0 5 / 2 0 2 0 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

28

WEDNESDAY MAY 20, 2020 •T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY MAY 20, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

29

NEWS

Rivers Alleges Plot to Declare State of Emergency Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt Rivers State Government has alleged plot by some citizens of the state who reside in Abuja to cause a breakdown of law and order to make the federal government declare a state of emergency in the state.

A statement issued yesterday by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Paulinus Nsirim, said the politicians planned to create unnecessary tension to

create the impression that the indigenes of Ahoada, Eleme and Port Harcourt are fighting with northerners and stopping them from carrying out their legitimate businesses.

Nsirim wondered why politicians in the state would want to cause more problems in the state rather than unite to find solutions to the common challenges facing the state.

He said attempts by the politicians to declare state of

emergency in the state since 2015 have not succeeded because of God’s intervention.

“People forget history quickly.

Since 2015, there have farmers/ herdsmen clashes in Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba, Ebonyi, Cross River,

Kaduna, Yobe and Borno states.

“Throughout this COVID-19 pandemic, states like Enugu, Lagos, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Edo and Kaduna States have been intercepting lorries carrying human beings instead of foodstuffs.

“This is the same thing that the Rivers State Government is doing to protect the state from COVID-19.

Bandits have been killing innocent people in Sokoto, Katsina, Zamfara and Kaduna states and indigenes of these Ssates no matter their political

differences, are working together to protect their States.

“But here in Rivers State, instead of supporting our efforts, these Abuja politicians are busy looking for a state of emergency because they want to acquire power.”

Buhari Removes TCN Managing Director Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja and Peter Uzoho in Lagos President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday relieved the Managing Director of the Transition Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mr. Usman Mohammed of his duties, and replaced him with Mr. Sule Abdulaziz, an engineer.

Astatement issued by the Minister of Power, Mr. Sale Mamman, and signed by his Special Adviser, Media and Communications, Aaron Artimas, however, did not give specific reason for Mohammed’s removal, but said it was part of the reorganisation of the company.

In the statement announcing the removal of Mohammed, the minister said that Buhari

personally approved the sack of the erstwhile TCN boss.

“As part of the continuing measures to reposition and improve the performance of the power sector in the country, the Minister of Power, Sale Mamman hereby announces major changes at the Transmission Company of Nigeria.

“Accordingly, the Managing Director of the TCN, Usman Gur Mohammed has been removed from office with immediate effect.

He is being replaced with Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, as Managing Director, in acting capacity” the statement noted.

The minister also confirmed the appointment of four directors who had been in acting capacity at the company.

INEC to Release Policy Framework on Edo, Ondo Guber Elections Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has restated that the Edo and Ondo States governorship elections will take place as earlier scheduled.

However, after its meeting yesterday, the commission said it would on Thursday release policy framework of its operational activities.

According to a statement signed by the National Commissioner in charge of Voter Education and Public Informational, Festus Okoye, the commission said: “Based on this, the commission will on May 21, 2020, issue a policy framework for engagement with stakeholders on the conduct of the two governorship elections, outstanding bye elections and

future electoral activities.”

INEC reiterated its commitment to conduct the Edo and Ondo governorship elections on September 19 and October 10, 2020, as contained in the timetable and schedule of activities released on February 6, 2020.

It reassured Nigerians of its resolve to provide the requisite guidance, innovation and leadership in conducting elections in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The national commissioner said that the commission is committed to fulfilling its constitutional responsibility of conducting elections, but without jeopardising the health and wellbeing of the citizens, stakeholders or its valued staff.

Bandits Kill 12 People in Zamfara Bandits have attacked three communities in the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, killing 12 people and carting away animals.

The affected communities are Kurda, Unguwar Rogo and Bidda.

Confirming the incident, the state’s police Public Relations Officer, SP Mohammed Shehu, said, “It was a reprisal from the Fulani whose people were also killed by the Yansakai of Unguwar Rogo community.”

Shehu said the people of Unguwar Rogo village had intercepted some Fulanis

migrating from Daza village in the Bungudu Local Government Area of the state three days ago.

“Five of the Fulani people were able to escape and the remaining two were killed by the Yansakai.”

According to him, the Yansakai refused to surrender the two dead bodies to their people for burial, despite appeals by the Divisional Police officer in charge of the area.

Shehu said the aggrieved Fulani people attacked the three communities in order to retrieve the dead bodies of their brothers and also avenge their killings.

ROYAL VISIT...

L-R: Representatives of Ooni of Ife, Princess Kemi; Oba Adetokunbo Babatunde; Secretary to Delta State Govenment, Mr. Chiedu Ebie; Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Chris Onogba; and Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources , Mr.Julius Egbedi, during the presentation of motorised fumigators to Delta State Government by the representatives of Ooni of Ife, Oba Ogunwusi in Asaba...recently

Guber Aspirants to Pay N22.5m for APC Forms in Edo, Ondo Elections Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday released the timetable and schedule of activities for the forthcoming Edo and Ondo governorship elections, pegging the form at N22.5 million.

THISDAY had reported on Monday that the ruling party would issue the timetable and schedule of activities yesterday.

In a statement issued yesterday by the National Organising Secretary of the party, Mr. Emma Ibediro, the party said that the sale of form for Edo State governorship election would commence on Wednesday, May 20, and end on Tuesday, June 2, 2020.

According to him, “in line with the provision of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and the Independent National Electoral

Commission (INEC) guidelines, the All Progressives Congress (APC) hereby releases this timetable and schedule of activities for the conduct of the 2020 Governorship Primary Elections in Edo and Ondo States.”

He said the last day for the submission of completed forms and accompanying documents at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja is June 3, while

publication for claims and objections is scheduled to hold between June 8 and 9, 2020.

Ibediro said that the screening of aspirants would take place between June 10 and 11, 2020, while screening appeal is slated for June 12.

He noted that primary election is slated for June 22, while election appeal is slated for June 24.

Senate Seeks Reversal of Power Privatisation Wants suspension of new tariffs Deji Elumoye and Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Senate yesterday asked the federal government to suspend forthwith the proposed increase in electricity tariff scheduled to take off on July 1, 2020, bearing in mind the increased hardship associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

It also clamoured for the immediate reversal of the power

sector privatisation exercise carried out by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration due to what it called “failure to deliver.”

Adopting a motion entitled: ‘Power sector recovery plan and the impact of COVID-19 pandemic’, sponsored by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Gabriel Suswam, and 24 other senators, the upper legislative chamber also urged the federal government to consider

additional tariff support to cushion the effect of the shock over a fixed period to allow time required for TCN and Discos to access funds and implement performance improvement investments that would support increased tariffs to certain classes of customers especially during the pandemic.

The Senate declared that if the privatisation exercise in the power sector is not reversed,

Nigeria might stop having electricity in the next ten years.

The Senate also mandated its Committee on Power to investigate all federal government interventions in the power sector since the privatisation of the sector to date with a view to ascertaining the adequacy of such interventions and their desired impact, and report back within four weeks

FAAN Fumigates Airports ahead of Reopening The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has disclosed that it has commenced fumigation of International Airports in Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt ahead of reopening of flight operations in Nigeria.

General Manager, Corporate Affairs of FAAN, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, made this known

yesterday in a statement in Lagos.

Yakubu explained that the fumigation exercise was in line with the efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic ravaging the world.

She said though, it was not yet clear when the ban on flights would be lifted, the authority was taking the

proactive steps.

“This is to ensure the safety of passengers and other airport users when the airports eventually reopen.

“In March this year, the authority embarked on a similar exercise of disinfection and fumigation of all the international airports,” she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the Chairman, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, had in April announced the extension of the ban on flight operations by four weeks.

Kwara Loses FCC Commissioner-designate Hammed Shittu in Ilorin The Kwara State Government has lost a Federal Character Commission (FCC) Commissioner-designate, Mr. James Kolo.

The late Kolo died yesterday at the University of Ilorin Teaching

Hospital (UITH) after a brief illness.

He hailed from Patigi, Patigi Local Government Area of the state.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has commiserated with the Patigi community and the All Progressives Congress

(APC) on the sudden death of the politician AbdulRazaq, in a statement by his media, Mr. Rafiu Ajakaye described Kolo as a loyal party man and a team player whose death yesterday morning was a great loss to his family, the people of Patigi Local Government, and

the entire state.

“We are devastated by the death of Kolo after recently falling ill. He was a staunch party man and a bridge builder who worked hard alongside other patriots for the success of the APC in the state.

31

Ëœ ÍşÍ¸Ëœ ͺ͸ͺ͸ Ëž T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAYSPORTS

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

Ighalo’s Deal at Man Utd to Decide Martin’s Fate at Shanghai Duro Ikhazuagbe As Odion Ighalo and his Manchester United teammates are due to return to the club’s Carrington ground today to begin group trainings ahead of the restart of the Premier League middle of next month, whatever happens between now and end of the month may also decide the fate of another former Super Eagles Star Obafemi Martins in China.

Ighalo’s dream of a permanent deal with his boyhood team Manchester United is reportedly been hampered by the £20million fee reportedly demanded by his Chinese Super League side, Shanghai Shenhua.

While talks have been stalled on a permanent deal due to the Covid-19 pandemic that

Obafemi Martins...fate tied to Odion Ighalo’s fortunes at Man Utd

disrupted sporting activities globally, Ighalo’s loan spell is expected to end this month end.

Only an agreement with the Chinese team to allow him finish the season restarting middle of June in England can make the AFCON 2019 qualifiers top scorer stay at Old Trafford beyond May 30.

However, if Ighalo misses out on a permanent deal at United, his return to Shanghai where an improved $400,000-per-week deal is awaiting him could also put an end to the dream of Olafemi Martins to rejoin the Chinese team.

Martins has continues to train with Shanghai Shenhua ahead of a possible move before the start of the 2020 season in June or July.

The former Newcastle United player who has not seen topflight action in roughly two years since leaving the team, looks sharp in training with Shanghai.

Martins has scored twice in the last three friendly games he has been involved in, including Monday’s 5-2 victory against the White team in the Blue and White Competition.

The 35-year-old is waiting to see whether or not he will be offered a contract by Shanghai Shenhua. “I am still working hard to see what happens next,� Martins was quoted as saying by Sports Sohu.

“I’m very excited to come back here, and I am very happy to be able to score goals to help

the team. This game helped me adjust my state and recover to the best.�

In 59 outings for Shanghai Shenhua before he was released at the end of the 2018 season,

Martins was involved in an impressive 41 goals (32 goals, 9 assists).

Liverpool’s Manager Juergen Klopp (front, right) and his players doing light walk on fire day of resumption of training after two months of lockdown due to Covid-19

Six Fresh Covid-19 Positive Tests in Premier League Man Utd beg fans to stay away from Stadiums There were six positive tests for coronavirus (Covid-19) across three Premier League clubs on Sunday and Monday,

as the top flight prepares to resume in June.

The unnamed players or staff who have tested positive will now self-isolate for seven days.

A total of 748 players and staff from 19 clubs were tested. The remaining club did their tests on Tuesday so will be included in Saturday’s results.

Squads started non-contact trainingfrom yesterday.

The Premier League has been suspended since 13 March because of the Covid-19 pandemic, with 92 fixtures remaining.

Meanwhile, Manchester United have urged fans not to travel to stadiums when the

Premier League resumes after admitting remaining matches this season will be played behind closed doors.

United have written to season ticket holders to confirm they will be offered a refund for their remaining four home league games.

But within their correspondence, the club has also urged supporters not to turn up to grounds whenever they do take place.

It has still to be decided whether games will take place at ‘home’ grounds or at neutral venues, although it is anticipated Old Trafford would be used in either situation.

Given their fan base, it is accepted no matter where United played their games, there is a chance local supporters may turn up. “We ask for your co-operation not to travel to any stadiums at which we are playing on match-days,� United told fans. “By supporting from home and following government guidance, you will be playing your part to keep your friends, your family and all United fans safe. “This united effort to stay at home will give us the best chance of protecting the health of everyone in our community.�

Eboigbe Gets More Medical Support Ailing former Super Eagles defender, Sunday Eboigbe may soon be back on his feet following the intervention of the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare, and Edo State Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shuiabu to raise a team of medical experts to look into his medical condition.

Eboigbe had been bedridden as a result of a strange ailment that had made it impossible for the ex Bendel Insurance of Benin player to use his limbs.

His plight had attracted the attention of the Minister who sent

a staff of the Ministry to hand him some cash and also ascertain areas of further assitance.

After due consultations, the minister contacted the Edo State deputy governor who then raised a medical team to do a proper evaluation of the state of health of the former player.

A medical team visited Eboigbe at his Benin City residence on Monday for proper evaluation and will soon commence treatment to get him back on his feet.

The Minister promised to pick the medical bill of the former

International .

Eboigbe who played alongside the likes of Bright Omokaro, Stephen Keshi, Augustine Eguavoen, Friday Elaho among others was a member of the Super Eagles squad to the Morocco ‘88 and Algiers ‘90 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.

The poor welfare of ex internationals had prompted the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development to request the Nigeria Football Federation to come up with a welfare incentives for injured and ailing ex international footballers.

Watford Captain Refuses to Return to Training Watford Captain, Troy Deeney, has insisted that he will not return to training this week over fears he could pass coronavirus on to his five-month-old son.

Deeney has consistently voiced his concerns over the speed with which the Premier League hopes to return to playing matches despite the United Kingdom having the second-highest death toll in the world.

England’s top-flight clubs were to due to return to training in

small, socially distanced groups yesterday and today.

Training will then be stepped up to full contact with the aim of resuming the season by the middle of next month. “We’re due back in this week.

I’ve said I’m not going in. It’s nothing to do with financial gain,� Deeney said on the Talk The Talk podcast. “My son is five months and he’s had breathing difficulties. I don’t want to come home and

put him in more danger,� the Watford Captain said.

All players and staff will be regularly tested, but Deeney highlighted the contradiction of contact sport returning at a time when the public are told to continue following social distancing guidelines.

The 31-year-old also added he is willing to take a financial hit if not playing results in a reduction in wages.

Wednesday May 20, 2020

TR

UT H

& RE A SO

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Price: N250

MISSILE

Enahoro to FG

“We have allowed the far North to dictate to this country. The amalgamation of the North and South was only because the North had no money and it was always broke, whereas the South had a surplus, and Lord Lugard at the time just merged the two.

Money from the South was used in assisting the North. The far North is the spoilt child of the federation� – A veteran journalist, Mr. Peter Enahoro, advising that the continued delay to address issue of restructuring of Nigeria is dangerous for the country.

KAYODEKOMOLAFE The Case for Moral Capital THE HORIZON

kayode.komolafe@thisdaylive.com

T

here is a point that is often unstated in the discussion of the socio-economic consequences of the novel coronavirus.

It is the fact that the pandemic caused by the virus will worsen the crisis of global capitalism. Before the outbreak of the pandemic, the socio-economic landscape Â ÂŠÂœČąÂŠÂ•Â›ÂŽÂŠÂ?¢ȹÂ?Žę—ŽÂ?ČąÂ‹Â˘ČąÂ™Â˜Â&#x;Ž›Â?¢ȹŠ—Â?ȹ’—ŽšžŠ•’Â?¢ǰȹ two social scourges which are also virulent.

The microbial globalisation of the virus is ™žĴ’—Â?ČąÂ?‘ŽȹÂ?•˜‹Š•’œŠÂ?Â’Â˜Â—ČąÂ˜Â?ČąÂŒÂŠÂ™Â’Â?ÂŠÂ•ČąÂ’Â—ČąÂœÂŽÂ›Â’Â˜ÂžÂœČą jeopardy. When global capitalism was deemed to be booming, there was no distributive justice.

It was a game in which 1% gained while the poor became poorer especially in most countries of the south.

So, when politicians and their experts put together economic recovery packages, forces of human progress should insist on the clear Â?Žę—’Â?Â’Â˜Â—Čą ˜Â?Čą ›ŽŒ˜Â&#x;Ž›¢ȹ ’—ȹ Â?‘Žȹ •’Â?‘Â?Čą ˜Â?Čą Â?‘Žȹ momentous changes that would take place. 옛Â?ÂœČąÂŠÂ?ČąÂ›ÂŽÂŒÂ˜Â&#x;ÂŽÂ›Â˘ČąÂœÂ‘Â˜ÂžÂ•Â?ȹ™žÂ?ČąÂ?Â‘ÂŽČąÂ‹ÂŠÂœÂ’ÂŒČąÂ—ÂŽÂŽÂ?ÂœČą of the people at the centre. The class content of the dreamt economic sustainability should be examined.

Recovery should not only mean good news from the stock exchange and board rooms of banks amid increased growth rates.

The real indices of development should be considered. At least, a lesson from this crisis is that economic prosperity should also encompass the provision of basic needs of the people including an inclusive quality healthcare delivery system, potable water supply, social housing, nutrition and sanitation.

From the rhetoric of the socio-economic and political establishments, the twin anxieties about coronavirus and its socio-economic impact have primarily focussed on the havoc being wreaked by the coronavirus on the economic capital. ‘ŠÂ?ČąČąÂ’ÂœČąÂ Â‘Â˘ČąÂ˜ÄœÂŒÂ’ÂŠÂ•ČąÂŠÂ—Â?ȹŽ¥™Ž›Â?ČąÂ™Â›Â˜Â—Â˜ÂžÂ—ÂŒÂŽÂ–ÂŽÂ—Â?ÂœČą and statistics are more about the size of the economy: the economy is shrinking. Not much is heard about the expansion of poverty and inequality, which is making lives miserable for the people.

Yet, there is another important societal asset that the establishment and the people should think about in tackling the current crisis of capitalism. That is the moral capital. Here we are talking about the realm of institutions, values, virtues and morally-based choices to promote the common good.

Moral capital is often considered as the fulcrum of social capital.

In the context of the present crisis moral capital represents the people’s perception of the trajectory of governance and the habits of politicians.

That is why beyond rebuilding the structures of economic capital, moral capital should also be bolstered as a vital resource.

This current crisis has proved that when the moral infrastructure for common good is decimated the whole society including the capitalist structures are imperilled. Hence, even rich countries that failed to invest adequately in universal healthcare are now overwhelmed by a public health emergency.

Take a sample of the essential elements of moral capital and assess how much of each is embodied the Nigerian polity and society.

The results should interest the leadership and the people alike.

Save for the element of solidarity which is a salutary lesson of COVID-19, Nigeria would be

Buhari rated low in other fundaments of moral capital.

It is even more worrisome that the remnants of this crucial capital are still being squandered by the leadership at all levels in the most insensitive manner.

Trust of the leadership and the establishment is ‘Š›Â?Â•Â˘ČąÂŒÂ˜Â—ÂœÂ’Â?Ž›ŽÂ?ȹŠȹÂ&#x;’›Â?ÂžÂŽČąÂŠÂ—Â˘ČąÂ–Â˜Â›ÂŽÇŻČą ‘ŽȹÂ?’ĜŒž•Â?Čą process of breaking the chain of coronavirus is further bedevilled by lack of trust in leadership and institutions. Factoids have submerged facts in the public sphere. The other day, a survivor of COVID-19 reported that his sibling, a well educated person, said but for the experience of her brother (the survivor) she wouldn’t believe the pandemic was real. Even professors and some scientists are in this club of deniers. The activities of those studiously misleading the public in this crisis are , in fact, a continuation of what Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway describe eloquently in their book, Merchants of Doubts: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke and Global Warming. The social media is replete with conspiracy theories. Not a few believe Â?Â‘ÂŽÂœÂŽČąÂ?Â‘ÂŽÂ˜Â›Â’ÂŽÂœČąÂ?Žœ™’Â?ŽȹȹÂ?Â‘ÂŽČąÂ˜ÄœÂŒÂ’ÂŠÂ•ČąÂœÂŽÂ—ÂœÂ’Â?’œŠÂ?Â’Â˜Â—ČąČą about COVID-19.

Among the plethora of falsehoods in the cyberspace is that this pandemic is hyped in Â’Â?ÂŽÂ›Â’ÂŠČąÂ‹Â˘ČąÂ˜ÄœÂŒÂ’ÂŠÂ•ÂœČąÂ Â‘Â˜ČąÂœÂŽÂŽÂ”ČąÂ?Â˜ČąÂ–ÂŠÂ”ÂŽČąÂ–Â˜Â—ÂŽÂ˘Čą from the crisis. Some state governors are openly hostile to the national agency at the forefront of the anti-COVID-19 war, the Nigeria Centre Â?Â˜Â›Čą Â’ÂœÂŽÂŠÂœÂŽČą ˜—Â?Â›Â˜Â•Čą Çť ǟǯȹ Čą —ȹ Â˜ÄœÂŒÂ’ÂŠÂ•Čą ˜Â?Čą a state government alleged without proof on television that NCDC bribed members of the public in her state to pretend to have tested ™˜œ’Â?Â’Â&#x;ÂŽČąÂ?Â˜Â›ČąČąÂŒÂ˜Â›Â˜Â—ÂŠÂ&#x;Â’Â›ÂžÂœÇŻČąČą Œ’Ž—Â?Â’Ä™ÂŒČąÄ™Â—Â?’—Â?ÂœČą are treated with contempt. Fighting coronavirus has become more political than epidemiological in Nigeria.

Civility is fast disappearing in the public space. Those in position of authority talk down on the people. The manner in which this anti-COVID-19 war has been prosecuted by some state governors is anything but civil.

Some governors elect to stage theatrics on a Â–ÂŠÄ´ÂŽÂ›ČąÂ˜Â?ȹ•’Â?ŽȹŠ—Â?ČąÂ?ŽŠÂ?‘ǯ Respect begets respect, as they say. So does Â•ÂŠÂŒÂ”Čą ˜Â?Čą ›Žœ™ŽŒÂ?ÇŻČą ’Ĵ•Žȹ ÂœÂžÂ›Â™Â›Â’ÂœÂŽČą Â?‘Ž—ȹ Â?‘ŠÂ?Čą Čą Â?‘Žȹ public response in some instances has also been extremely disdainful. In this ugly reciprocity, insults, curses and abuse are rained on political Â˜ÄœÂŒÂŽČąÂ‘Â˜Â•Â?ÂŽÂ›ÂœÇŻČą Â?Č‚ÂœČąÂŠÂ•Â–Â˜ÂœÂ?ČąÂ’Â–Â™Â˜ÂœÂœÂ’Â‹Â•ÂŽČąÂ?Â˜ČąÂ‘ÂŠÂ&#x;ŽȹŠȹ civilised and productive debate on any issue.

Yet this country has a rich history of great debates mostly inspired by the leadership

0805 500 1974

ŠÂ?ČąÂ?’쎛Ž—Â?ČąÂ™ÂŽÂ›Â’Â˜Â?ÂœÇŻČą Â‘ÂŽČąÂœÂ?Â˜Â›Â˘ČąÂ’ÂœČąÂ?’쎛Ž—Â?ČąÂ?˜Â?Š¢ǯȹ ŠÂ?‘Ž›ȹÂ?‘Š—ȹŽ—Â?ŠÂ?ÂŽČą in logical disputations, all that you have now is a shouting match laden with prejudice and hate speech. Scholars also participate in this purveyance of hate. Even the legislators cannot be accused of rigorous debates of issues in a memorable and enlightening way.

Doubtless, in the public interest there are many valid grounds on which to criticise the handling of the Nigerian political economy by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. However, many otherwise legitimate critics miss the point when they begin their criticisms with the nonsense that the president ‘˜•Â?ÂœČąÂ—Â˜ČąÂœÂŒÂ‘Â˜Â˜Â•ČąÂŒÂŽÂ›Â?’ęŒŠÂ?ÂŽÇŻČą Â˜Â–ÂŽČąÂ˜Â?Čą ÂžÂ‘ÂŠÂ›Â’Č‚ÂœČą Œ›’Â?Â’ÂŒÂœČąÂŠÂ›ÂŽČąÂœÂ˜ČąÄ™ÂĄÂŠÂ?ÂŽÂ?ČąÂ?‘ŠÂ?ČąÂ?‘Ž¢ȹŠ›Žȹ¢ŽÂ?ČąÂ?Â˜ČąÂ–ÂŽÂ—Â?Š••¢ȹ concede that he won the 2015 presidential election, much less the one of 2019.

From the other polar end, the response from the presidential villa to the critics is sometimes supercilious. Arrogance of power is often on display instead of engagement of the public with truth and reason.

To reverse the current massive erosion of moral capital in the society, the leadership itself needs a lot of moral authority.

Buhari should endeavour to accumulate moral ŒŠ™’Â?Š•ȹ‹¢ȹ™Š¢’—Â?ȹȹŠĴŽ—Â?Â’Â˜Â—ČąÂ?Â˜ČąÂ Â‘ÂŠÂ?ȹ–Š¢ȹŠ™™ŽŠ›ȹȹ now as imponderables, but which are already tangible to the public given the groundswell ˜Â?Čą Â?ÂŽÂ˜ČŹÂ™Â˜Â•Â’Â?Â’ÂŒÂŠÂ•Čą Â?’œŠěŽŒÂ?Â’Â˜Â—Čą ’—ȹ ÂœÂ˜Â–ÂŽČą ™Š›Â?ÂœČą ˜Â?Čą the country. These lacking elements of moral capital include social justice and commitment to national unity.

The President’s moral choices on these factors could foster or reduce the moral capital Nigeria needs to develop as a nation even within the framework of the present capitalist system.

The President cannot inspire Nigerians to pay allegiance to national unity when complaints against nepotism and lopsided appointments and recruitment into sensitive agencies and departments are routinely ignored. The alienation of any part of Nigeria on the account of being discriminated against is a categorical derogation of the nation’s moral capital.

To be sure, as an ideal, the ethnic or regional ˜›’Â?Â’Â—ČąÂ˜Â?ČąÂ?‘Žȹ–Š—ȹÂ?Â˜Â›ČąÂ?Â‘ÂŽČąÂ“Â˜Â‹ČąČąÂ–ÂŠÂ˘ČąÂ—Â˜Â?ȹ–ŠĴŽ›ȹ provided there is the evidence of capacity for good performance. After all, someone once observed that no one would raise an eyebrow if all the members of the national football team were from the same village and they won the FIFA World Cup for Nigeria. This is an ideal. It’s hoped that the Nigeria of the future would function that way.

However, the reality now is that there is a

provision in the constitution that appointments œ‘˜ž•Â?ČąÂ›ÂŽÄšÂŽÂŒÂ?ČąÂŒÂ‘ÂŠÂ›ÂŠÂŒÂ?Ž›ǯȹ Section 14 (3) of the 1999 Constitution makes it quite clear: “The composition of government of the federation Â˜Â›ČąÂŠÂ—Â˘ČąÂ˜Â?ȹ’Â?ÂœČąÂŠÂ?ÂŽÂ—ÂŒÂ’ÂŽÂœČąÂŠÂ—Â?ČąÂ?Â‘ÂŽČąÂŒÂ˜Â—Â?žŒÂ?ČąÂ˜Â?ȹ’Â?ÂœČąÂŠÄ›ÂŠÂ’Â›ÂœČą ÂœÂ‘ÂŠÂ•Â•ČąÂ‹ÂŽČąÂŒÂŠÂ›Â›Â’ÂŽÂ?ČąÂ˜ÂžÂ?ČąÂ’Â—ČąÂœÂžÂŒÂ‘ČąÂŠČąÂ–ÂŠÂ—Â—ÂŽÂ›ČąÂŠÂœČąÂ?Â˜ČąÂ›ÂŽÄšÂŽÂŒÂ?Čą the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or in any of its agencies.â€?

The historical background to this was to forge a sense of belonging in all parts of Nigeria.�

This provision is meant to boost Nigeria’s moral capital. Â˜ČąÂ Â˜Â›ÂœÂŽÂ—ČąÂ–ÂŠÄ´ÂŽÂ›ÂœÇ°ČąÂ?Â˜Â›ČąČąÂŠČąÂ•Â˜Â—Â?ČąÂ?’–ŽȹÂ?‘Žȹ ÂŽÂ?Ž›Š•ȹ Character Commission remained comatose. Even a complaint rumbles on that the composition of this constitutional body that should monitor compliance with the federal character principle Â–ÂŠÂ˘ČąÂ—Â˜Â?ȹ‘ŠÂ&#x;ÂŽČąÂ›ÂŽÄšÂŽÂŒÂ?ÂŽÂ?ČąÂŒÂ‘ÂŠÂ›ÂŠÂŒÂ?Ž›ǯȹ Perhaps, more fundamentally as a factor of moral capital is the pervading sense of social injustice in the land. To garner the needed moral authority in the eyes of the millions of poor people who believed in Buhari during the elections, Buhari should do more to fundamentally structure policies against mass poverty and inequality.

The socio-economic structure of Nigeria is structured against the majority who are poor and denied the basic needs for decent living.

Meanwhile, members of the establishment squabble on the control of the levers of economic and political powers invoking the name of the poor in vain.

That’s not the way a leader can build moral capital.

Come to think to think of it, Buhari should be the last Nigerian leader that should need any persuasion about moral capital. In 2015 when he defeated an incumbent president in an election, all that he had then was his moral capital. The multitude of followers trusted him.

Â’ÂœČąÂŠÂœÂœÂŽÂ?ÂœČąÂ ÂŽÂ›ÂŽČąČąÂ?Â‘ÂŽČąÂŒÂ˜Â—Ä™Â?ÂŽÂ—ÂŒÂŽČąÂŠÂ—Â?ȹ‹Ž•’ŽÂ?ČąÂ˜Â?Čą the people in him as a candidate capable of being president and commander-in-chief.

In this crisis, the President certainly needs immense moral capital so as to optimally mobilise the creative energies of the people and the national spirit for development and progress.

It is time, therefore, Buhari stopped squandering his moral capital.

The president should instead be consciously building more moral capital as the bedrock of the legacy he would like to leave behind three years from now.

The Yoruba and Sovereignty Question Jimoh Ibrahim Amotekun: The six states of the Yoruba ethnic group of Nigeria recently demanded from the central Government more powers to control security in their region; despite the Nigerian Police and the Military already in place, the Yoruba states now set up the Amotekun paramilitary forces.

The question remains: could this be the security

arm of the proposed ‘Oduduwa Republic’ in the face of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?

Again, the Biafra Republic had once attempted a failed succession from Nigeria despite the support of some sovereign states. The author is worried about the consequences of a failed demand for sovereignty for a second time in Nigeria.

NOTE: This piece is concluded in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com Printed and Published in Lagos by THISDAY Newspapers Limited. Lagos: 35 Creek Road, Apapa, Lagos. Abuja: Plot 1, Sector Centre B, Jabi Business District, Solomon Lar Way, Jabi North East, Abuja .

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