WEDNESDAY 19TH AUGUST 2020

CBN: N1.66bn Cases Treated under New Debt Recovery Initiative Recovers N50m in nine days Mulls extension to corporate accounts Dike Onwuamaeze and Nume Ekeghe The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said that between August 1 and 9, 2020,

when it commenced the implementation of the Global Standing Instruction (GSI) it introduced to checkmate the growth of non-performing loans (NPLs) in the Nigerian

banking system, it has handled cases involving 26,057 accounts valued at N1.660 billion.

The GSI, whose implementation commenced this month, gives banks the

power to debit loan and accrued interest due from bank accounts of loan defaulters across the Nigerian banking system.

The Nigerian Interbank

Settlement System manages the entire operations of the GSI on behalf of banks using customers' Bank Verification Numbers (BVN).

CBN Director of Financial

Policy and Regulation, Mr. Kevin Amugo, said yesterday at a virtual conference with the theme: ‘Non-Performing Continued on page 33

NNPC Partners EITI, to Disclose Tax, Contract Beneficiaries... Page 8 Wednesday 19 August, 2020 Vol 25. No 9263. Price: N250

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Diri Files 11 Grounds of Appeal against Tribunal Judgment... Page 5

Renewed War over 774,000 Public Works Jobs as N’Assembly Rejects Slots It’s of no consequence, Says Keyamo Deji Elumoye, Onyebuchi Ezigbo and Udora Orizu in Abuja The controversy over the 774,000 public works jobs of the federal government resurfaced yesterday as the National Assembly said that it would not be part of the ongoing recruitment in which 30 slots were allotted to each member of the federal

legislature.

Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinanya Abaribe, while responding to THISDAY's enquiries about the job scheme yesterday, said: "As far as the National Assembly is concerned, we are not participating in any form because of our earlier reservations about Continued on page33

Again, Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu Trade Blame over Threat of Violence Chuks Okocha in Abuja, Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt, Martins Ifijeh in Lagos and Adibe Emenyonu in Benin

The two leading candidates in the upcoming September 19 governorship election in Edo State, Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday continued to trade blame over the mounting

threat of violence in the state.

Speaking on The Morning Show, a programme of ARISE NEWS Channel, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers, Ize-Iyamu accused Obaseki of orchestrating violence in the build-up to the election, “because of his desperation for a second term.”

He said the governor was fuelling crisis to forestall his imminent defeat in the election.

Continued on page33

CASE FOR GOOD NUTRITION...

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) delivering his keynote address at The Aisha Buhari Foundation’s virtual conference on nutrition in Abuja…yesterday

Buhari, Oyetola, NGE Mourn Wada Maida... Page 5

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

Buhari, Oyetola, NGE Mourn Wada Maida Former NAN chairman buried

Omololu Ogunmade, Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja and Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo President Muhammadu Buhari; Osun State Governor, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola; and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) have expressed shock at the death of former Chairman of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Malam Wada Maida.

The remains of Maida, who died on Monday, were yesterday interred at the Gudu Cemetery in Abuja.

Buhari said he received with deep sorrow, the news of the passing of Maida, his former chief press secretary when he was a military leader.

He said the loyalty and stewardship of Maida for many years had been with great distinction.

Buhari, in a condolence message by a presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, said: "I am profoundly shocked by the sudden death of Malam Wada Maida, my former press secretary, a man who possessed one of the highest qualities of professional integrity throughout the course of his journalistic career.

"Wada Maida was a very dedicated, hardworking and loyal professional for whom I have the deepest respect and admiration.

"The passion with which Maida did his job accounted for his professional success in life, making it possible for him to attain the pinnacle of excellence in his career."

The statement said the president joined Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State, members

Diri Files 11 Grounds of Appeal against Tribunal Judgment Alex Enumah in Abuja Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has filed 11 grounds of appeal against Monday’s judgment of the state’s governorship election petition tribunal that sacked him from office.

The tribunal, in a split decision, had ruled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) erred when it disqualified the candidate of the Advanced National Democratic Party (ANDP) from contesting the election for allegedly having an underage candidate as his running mate.

INEC had defended its decision, saying the governorship candidate of the ANDP, Mr. Lucky King-George, was not properly nominated to run for the election, explaining that it excluded ANDP from the elections because Mr. David Esinkuma, the party’s initial deputy governorship candidate, was 34 years old and did not meet the age requirement of 35 years as stipulated by the constitution to contest the election.

But while delivering Monday’s judgment on ANDP’s petition, the panel held that the election was unlawful due to the exclusion of ANDP and its candidate.

Justice Yunusa Musa who read the lead judgment had ordered INEC to conduct a fresh election in Bayelsa within 90 days.

Two judges on the panel – Justices Yunusa Musa and Sikiru Owoduni – in upholding the petition filed by the ANDP, held that INEC lacked the power to exclude any party from an election.

But the chairman of the tribunal, Justice Ibrahim Sirajo, in his dissenting judgment, dismissed ANDP’s petition.

However, Diri, through his lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche (SAN), yesterday filed a notice of appeal containing 11 grounds at the Court of Appeal, in Abuja, saying that the tribunal erred in law.

He urged the court to set aside the majority judgment and affirm Justice Sirajo’s minority judgment of the tribunal.

Uche noted that the tribunal erred in law when it held that ANDP’s petition was not statutebarred.

According to the appellant, the cause of action arose on November 16, 2019, being the Election Day from which ANDP claimed to have been excluded and the party had 21 days within which to file their petition but did not file the petition until more than five months after.

The governor’s lawyer said the ANDP’s petition was statute-barred and in breach of the provisions of section 285(5) of the constitution.

He added that the tribunal erred in its majority judgment that ANDP’s candidates for the November 16, 2019 election were validly nominated.

He contended that INEC never rejected or disqualified the candidate of ANDP in its September 13, 2019 letter but merely informed the party that the nomination of its candidates, “was invalid for the reason of their being underage and below the constitutional age threshold.”

He added that the decision of the tribunal “was in conflict with the evidence” of the party “voiced out through the highest organ” of the party that its deputy governorship candidate was not disqualified by INEC. Uche said the tribunal erred in law when it held in its majority judgment that ANDP possessed locus standi to file and maintain its petition.

He added that it was erroneous for the tribunal to have held in the majority judgment that ANDP’s case is not a pre-election matter.

He said by virtue of section 285(14)(c) of the constitution, the allegation of disqualification from an election constituted grounds for pre-election and not postelection cases.

The appellant urged the Court of Appeal to “set aside the entire majority decision of the tribunal (per Hon. Justice Yunsa Musa and Hon. Justice S. M Owodunni) appealed against and to dismiss the 1st respondent’s petition.”

Uche also urged the court to “uphold the minority judgment of the chairman of the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, Hon. Justice Muhammed I. Sirajo, which clearly appreciated the law and correctly applied the same to the facts, and rightly dismissed the petition.”

of his cabinet and the family of the deceased in mourning the sad loss, and called for prayers for the state.

Buhari commiserated with the staff and management of NAN where Maida served as chairman of the board until his demise.

According to the statement, Maida served NAN extensively as European Bureau Chief, based in London, before his appointment as Buhari's press secretary when he was head of state in 1984, after which he returned to the agency to continue as editor-in-chief and managing director.

"The president also sends condolences to Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigerian Guild of Editors, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, International Press Institute, Peoples Daily Newspapers, which Malam Wada established and chaired, and Pan African News Agency (PANA), where he played a pioneering role in founding and remained an inspiration for many years.

"While sympathising with friends and family of the former managing director of NAN, the president undoubtedly believes Malam Wada left a legacy of modesty, loyalty and commitment

to the goals of national unity and development that will continue to resonate with everyone who crossed his path.

Oyetola in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Ismail Omipidan, said Nigeria had lost one of its finest, credible and veteran journalists, noting that the late Maida contributed to the growth of journalism in the country.

He added that his demise was a collective loss to the media industry and Nigeria at large, as he would be remembered for his humility, dedication to work and passionate service to the nation.

In its condolence message, NGE said it was shocked at the death of Maida, who was one of its former presidents.

The statement issued by the President of NGE, Mr. Mustapha Isah, and the Secretary-General, Mr. Mary Atolagbe, described Maida as a thorough-bred professional, who contributed immensely to the development of the Nigerian journalism profession.

“His achievements as president of the guild will never be forgotten. The death of this veteran journalist has

robbed African journalism of the services of a man who was fully committed to the development of the profession.

He was a shining role model for those behind him in the journalism profession, where he stood out as a defender of free speech, promoter of the finest ethics of journalism and successful media entrepreneur,” NGE stated.

Meanwhile, the remains of Maida were yesterday interred in Abuja. He was buried at about 2.20 p.m. after a Muslim funeral rite, including prayer at the Shehu Shagari Mosque, Area One, Garki, Abuja by the Chief Imam, Rabiu Shehu Suleiman.

Some of the personalities at the funeral included Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Bello Masari; Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika; Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu; Chairman of Editorial Board, THISDAY Newspapers, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi; and the senator representing Katsina Central, Senator Kabir Barkiya.

Others were the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Aliyu Modibbo; former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission

(EFCC) Chairman, Malam Nuhu Ribadu; a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Yayale Ahmed; presidential spokesman, Shehu; and Chairman, Board of Directors of Media Trust Limited, Malam Kabiru Yusuf.

Masari described the death of Maida as a personal loss to him and the people of Katsina State.

He said the deceased was a patriotic citizen of the country who dedicated his life to the service of the country.

“When we lose somebody in Islam, we say to Allah we all come from, and to Him we shall return. Apart from being a personal friend, late Wada was a patriotic citizen of the country.

He spent his life in the service to humanity. He was my age mate, we had so many associations together and we normally give assistance to the needy," Masari said.

Adeniyi said the deceased was not only an elder in the media profession, but also a fantastic gentleman.

He said: “Most of us looked up to him for guidance because he was a very good man. I pray that may the hereafter be a better place for him."

AMBASSADORIAL VISIT...

United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms. Mary Leonard (left), and Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during the ambassador’s visit to the governor in Lagos…yesterday

NERC Enforces Rules on Faulty Meter Installation Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has said that it is tightening the noose on Meter Service Providers (MSPs) to curb billing errors and the incessant impact of erratic installations on power consumers.

The regulatory agency said that some electricity consumers were still recording billing errors and safety hazards that affect human life and property despite all efforts to ensure that the highest standards of safety are adhered to.

NERC told the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry that the guidelines for the certification of metering service providers, which were released before now, was to ensure that only qualified persons are certified to perform the functions.

It said henceforth only duly certified persons from the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) would now be allowed to carry

out such operations.

The guidelines issued by NERC and tagged: “Approval of curriculum/ certification of energy meter installers”, noted that sections 32 and 96 (1) and (2) of the Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA), 2005 gives the commission the powers to, amongst others, develop codes, standards, regulations and guidelines to be able to effectively carry out its mandate.

“The guideline was developed to ensure that only qualified persons are certified to perform the functions required of Metering Service Providers in the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

“Despite the existence of the guidelines, faulty metering installations still persist, which results in billing errors as well as safety hazards with adverse effects on human life and property,” it said.

The commission added that in consideration of the above, NAPTIN’s curriculum

for training meter installers now remains the minimum benchmark for their training and retraining.

It said all prospective applicants as meter installers in the electricity supply chain should provide evidence of training from NAPTIN or any other NERC approved training institution whose curriculum on meter installation is not below the NAPTIN’s benchmark.

The certificate, it said, was mandatory for the issuance of NERC professional installer certificate for new (intending) applications, effective from August 1, 2020.

“It is illegal for anyone to install meter and metering equipment in the NESI without the appropriate NERC certificate,” the agency added.

On safety in the industry, NERC said in spite of arrays of technical operating codes and regulations that extensively outline safety requirements for the safeguarding of persons and equipment, cases of accidents

were increasing.

“During planning, construction, installation, operation, maintenance, repairs and utilisation of electricity, the spate of electrical accidents in the sector has been disappointingly on a progressive trend year after year,” it said.

To reverse the trend, NERC stated that all electricity work safety practitioners and operational staff in NESI must provide evidence of NAPTIN or any other NERC approved training and certification.

It added that all those concerned should continuously engage in retraining by NAPTIN or any other NERC approved training institution whose curriculum on electricity work safety is not below the NAPTIN’s benchmark.

The guidelines also stipulate that NERC will issue the certificate to meter manufacturers, vendors and installers, valid for two years, while for importers the validity lasts only one year.

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NNPC Partners EITI, to Disclose Tax, Contract Beneficiaries

Chineme Okafor in Abuja

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has agreed to open up its operations for broader public scrutiny by disclosing the beneficiaries of its tax and contract payments, a statement from the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) stated yesterday.

According to the EITI, the NNPC has signed to become an EITI-supporting company, joining a group of over 65 extractives companies, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), commodity traders, financial institutions and industry partners that have committed to observing EITI’s supporting company expectations.

For years, the NNPC has reportedly kept its operations opaque with few Nigerians abreast of its activities. The corporation has also been accused repeatedly of corruption, but the EITI noted that becoming a supporting company could change all that.

The EITI explained that all supporting companies are expected to publicly declare support for the EITI Principles and by promoting transparency throughout the extractive industries, help public debate and provide opportunities for sustainable development.

They are also expected to publicly disclose taxes and payments and where companies choose not to, they should state the reasons; ensure comprehensive disclosure of taxes and payments made to all EITI implementing countries and publicly disclose beneficial owners and take steps to

identify the beneficial owners of direct business partners, including joint ventures and contractors.

The NNPC as an EITI supporting company will also be required to engage in rigorous procurement processes, including due diligence in respect of its partners and vendors, as well as support Nigeria to disclose future licences and contracts entered into that govern the exploration and exploitation of oil, gas and minerals.

In addition, the corporation will be expected to work together with the government to deliver natural resources in a manner that benefits Nigerians.

EITI stated that the NNPC has grown to become the largest asset holder across Nigeria’s oil and gas industry value chain, and is transitioning towards becoming an integrated energy company with an interest in power generation and transmission.

“The state-owned company has recently taken measures to become more transparent.

In June 2020, it published audited accounts for 20 of its subsidiaries. NNPC also publishes monthly financial and operations report on its website, in national dailies and online media as part of efforts to be accountable.

“It is working with Nigeria EITI (NEITI) on an action plan to routinely disclose information and it currently publishes some of the data required by the 2019 EITI Standard on its website.

“These disclosures demonstrate NNPC’s commitment to its journey to become a more transparent national oil

company.

Adherence to the EITI supporting company expectations will give further impetus to NNPC’s corporate vision of greater transparency and accountability,” it added.

According to it, the three areas of focus for the NNPC will be revenues and payments to government, contracts governing petroleum exploration and production and consolidated group-level financial statements.

The board chair for EITI, Hon. Helen Clark, in the statement, welcomed NNPC’s commitment to the EITI. Clark said: “NNPC plays a vital role in Nigeria’s economy. Joining the EITI

as a supporting company is a welcome step in the NNPC’s journey toward achieving greater transparency and to help ensure that Nigeria’s citizens benefit from their natural resource wealth.”

Similarly, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, underlined the importance of ensuring that natural resource wealth contributes to sustainable development, saying that “increased transparency of Nigeria’s national oil company revenues is contributing to improvements in our country’s domestic resource mobilisation efforts.”

Group Managing Director at NNPC, Malam Mele Kyari,

stated that the corporation will remain committed to the EITI expectations.

“Becoming an EITI supporting company aligns with NNPC’s corporate vision and principles of transparency, accountability and performance excellence.

Our partnership with NEITI and EITI strengthens our commitment towards commodity trading transparency, contract transparency and systematic disclosure of revenues and payments.

“We are on a journey towards greater transpare ncy and look forward to deepening our collaboration with the EITI to further this work,” he said.

Also, the Executive

Secretary of NEITI, Mr. Waziri Adio, commended NNPC’s move to support the EITI. Adio said: “NNPC joining the EITI as a supporting company is a major inflection point in the quest for transparency – for the company, for Nigeria's oil and gas sector, and for the country as a whole.

“This is so given how critical NNPC is to the sector and to the country.

NEITI welcomes this bold commitment. We will continue to work and walk with NNPC to translate its espoused commitments to transparency and accountability into concrete and sustained actions and results.”

FRIENDSHIP BEYOND BORDERS...

Ambassador of Norway, Mr. Jens-Petter Kjemprud (left), and Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai during the visit of the ambassador to the governor in Kaduna…yesterday

FG Seeks Increased Private Sector’s Investment in Healthcare Obinna Chima The federal government has called for increased private sector investment in the health sector in order to improve the nation's healthcare system.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, said yesterday that the federal government was striving to ensure increased access to high-quality healthcare for every Nigerian, remove debilitating constraints and create sustainable structures to strengthen the sector.

She spoke during the virtual inauguration of the NSIA-Umuahia Diagnostic Centre (NUDC), alongside the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu.

Other top government officials that participated in the event were Minister of State for Health, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora and Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Mr. Clem Agba.

Ahmed said: “Indeed, investing in our people is investing in the economy.

The administration recognises that progress in the health sector is handicapped by several bottlenecks. With full appreciation of this issue, we have worked and continue to work to ensure that systems are introduced to bridge these gaps.

“One such step in this direction is our intervention in addressing non-communicable diseases such as cancer. We have created an enabling environment for institutions such as the NSIA, to execute high-impact projects that deliver immense value for the people of Nigeria.

“We recognise that these modest efforts to address the gaps in our secondary healthcare system alone are insufficient to address all the challenges facing the sector.

We expect private investors to increase their participation so that we can have more of such healthcare facilities.”

In his remarks, Ikpeazu expressed optimism that the medical facility would redefine healthcare service in South-east and South-south regions of the country.

“As the leader of the state, I promised to support the facility by ensuring that there is an enabling environment for it to thrive for many generations to come,” he added.

On his part, Mamora urged the NUDC’s management team “to take up the challenge of ensuring that the confidence reposed in them is earned by guaranteeing that the quality of service at the facility is never allowed to deteriorate.”

“As a medical doctor, I understand the challenges of operation with sub-par equipment. Government is stepping in to address this difficulty and therefore the team running the centre must justify the investment,” he stated.

The Managing Director/ CEO, NSIA, Mr. Uche Orji, said the agency’s vision for healthcare was a three-fold one which centres around reducing medical tourism, developing and investing in centres of excellence, which will provide world-class healthcare services domestically and lastly, providing tools to ensure that healthcare professionals are

able to deliver at the highest level.

Orji said the inauguration and operationalisation of the centre was a journey that started in 2015.

He said the NSIA embarked on the project because it discovered acute deficit of modern and automated medical diagnostics infrastructure which had led to the prevalence of delayed or inaccurate diagnostics for critical medical cases.

“Consequently, the NSIA commenced a diagnostics programme, which aims at developing and operationalising modern centres in each of the geopolitical zones. Each of these centres is like a collection point across the surrounding states. So, we expect that this will play a very big role in terms of improving the quality of healthcare, not just in Umuahia, but across the sub-region.

“The NSIA Umuahia centre was built in 18 months. This project is a build-operate-andtransfer via a special purpose vehicle that born 90 per cent by the NSIA and 10 per cent

by the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia,” he explained.

According to Orji, the completion of the centre will raise the bar in the quality and standard of diagnostic services in the South-east and South-south region.

The NUDC facility is the second advanced diagnostic centre to be inaugurated by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) in six months and the third healthcare centre of excellence operationalised by it, following the commencement of services at the NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre in Lagos in 2019 and the NSIA-Kano Diagnostic Centre in Kano in 2020.

The Umuahia medical diagnostic centre is located within the premises of the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia (FMCU).

Structured under a publicprivate partnership (PPP) arrangement between the NSIA and the FMCU, the project is a $5.5 million Greenfield investment for the construction, equipping and operation of full-range advanced diagnostic centre co-located in FMCU. The centre is equipped

with a gamut of radiology equipment including a CT scanner, X-ray machines, mammography machines and ultrasound machines. It is expected that the centre will conduct up to 35,000 patient investigations within the first year of operation, providing high quality diagnostic services that had previously been unavailable in the South-east and South-south region.

The centre is operated by Statpath, which is a joint venture company between Synlab (formerly Pathcare) and Crestview. Synlab is a world-renowned provider of pathology services and Crestview is a renowned provider of radiology services in Nigeria.

The boards of NSIA and FMCU are confident that this project, along with the other healthcare investment by the NSIA, will serve as proof of concept to attract additional investment to Nigeria’s healthcare sector, thus encouraging other organisations to join the effort in bridging the healthcare infrastructure gap in Nigeria.

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COMMENT

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

OBADIAH AND SOUTHERN KADUNA CARNAGE Sonnie Ekwowusi writes that are our strength lies in our common humanity

H

e says his first name means “man of peace�. His surname means “servant of the most powerful God�.

He comes down severely on the rulers of darkness who are sponsoring the genocide against the Christians in Southern Kaduna. He is eloquent as much as he is vociferous. He is courageous. He calls things by their names. He says he is ready to lay down his life to save his people. Like prophet Obadiah, one of the prophets of the Old Testament, he exhorts the people to trust in the power of God and justice of God, and not in the fleeting and precarious power of tyrannical rulers. Southern Kaduna is the kingdom of God not the kingdom of the devil. Justice is coming, nemesis is coming, he announces. He is unruffled. “I am not making this up. I have a PhD from Oxford. I am not a sensationalist, I am an economist and a central banker; by nature we are not given to sensation.

Let me make it clear: I am a humanist; I am a man of peace. Even my name, Mailafia, means a man of peace. From the bottom of my heart, I love our country dearly and I abhor all the killings and violence which the innocent people of this country have been subjected to. I pray that Nigeria will never experience another civil war. The most elementary duty of government is to protect its citizens. When a government fails to protect its citizens, to protect little children that is a serious matter.

Any innocent boy or girl that is killed is my own child. I love Nigeria.

Like Mandela, let me say if need be, I am prepared to give my life for Nigeriaâ€?, he said last week In case you are still aghast wondering whom I am referring to, he is the former Deputy-Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Dr. Obadiah Mailafia. Last week his voice rang out like a lone voice in the wilderness in condemnation of the sponsored genocide against the Southern Kaduna Christians. Hear from Obadiah, â€œâ€Śthey told us that one of the Northern governors was the commander of Boko Haram in Nigeria. Boko Haram and the bandits are one and the same. They have a sophisticated network. During this lockdown their planes were moving up and down as if there was no lockdown. They were moving ammunition, moving money, and distributing them across different parts of the country. “They are already in the South, in the rain forests of the South.

They are everywhere. They told us that when they finish these rural killings, they will move to phase two. Phase two is that they will go into urban cities, going from house to house killing prominent people.�

This is weighty. It serves no useful purpose to dismiss it with a wave of the hand as if the blood being shed is not the blood of human beings.

Of course, it is the blood of our fellow human beings: It is the blood of our brothers and sisters, members of the same human family. Look, the killing of our fellow human beings ought to stir in us the revulsion to hate our human existence. If I may ask you one question: How would feel if you are told that some religious-fanatic-murderers had forcefully gained entrance into your parents’ house, seized your parents and your sibling including your three-year old baby-sister and hacked all of them to death, and, thereafter set fire on the entire house? Obviously the tragic news will likely make you go insane.

Well, this is the tragedy that occurs in Southern Kaduna almost on a daily basis - families are wiped out just like that. It is a tragedy that is known to the whole world. In fact the fundamental reason why the U.S. has placed Nigeria on her Special Watch List, her travel ban list and visa restriction list is mainly traceable to the Southern Kaduna genocide.

We don’t need a Dr. Obadiah to tell us what we already know about the Southern Kaduna genocide. But let’s assume for a moment that

WHAT DO MURDERERS GAIN BY SPILLING THE BLOOD OF INNOCENT CHILDREN? NOTHING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!

Obadiah is a rhapsodic rabble-rouser who is mischievously inciting the people against the government as the DSS would want us to believe; just google “Nigerian Soldiers and Fulani herdsmen/Boko Haram killings� and you will read the complaints of some Nigerian soldiers to the effect that the war against Boko Haram is failing in Nigeria because the war is being sabotaged by some people at the top. If the Nigerian soldiers in the frontline are telling us that, who are we lesser mortals to doubt them? In fact some soldiers fighting Boko Haram in the North-East have expressed their anger against President Buhari over his release of over 1, 400 “repentant Boko Haram� terrorists. The soldiers could not understand why their killers are being offered amnesty. In February 2020, the Borno State Commissioner for Information, Babakura Jato, frayed up in anger upon discovering that the so-called “repentant Boko Haram� terrorists were not repentant at all because they had gone back to join their killer-colleagues in the killing fields. He also said that a lot of soldiers are not happy about this ugly development. According to one Nigerian soldier, “We were at the Maimalari barracks when some of these Boko Haram people were released. The authorities are releasing them, but Boko Haram are killing soldiers that they capture. This does not make sense to us at all. We continue to sweep across the bushes to flush these people out, and then the government will release them. Does that not amount to wasted efforts?� Another soldier said, “You wonder why Boko Haram members are on the increase? When we arrest them and bring them here, some top people would come and start negotiating their release.

But, I will tell you some of these so-called suspects are returning to the bush and they were never repentant.� The objective of Boko Haram, said Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah, is to enthrone an Islamic dominance in Nigeria. Bishop Kukah persuasively argues that there is no difference anymore between the government and Boko Haram except that the latter uses bombs to achieve its objective.

You see, no man, no woman of good conscience can keep quiet over the Southern Kaduna killings. No street can remain silent amid the stillness of death everywhere in Southern Kaduna. In some of the lines of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem entitled; “We Wear the Mask�, we may be wearing the masks covering the grins and lies. With torn and bleeding hearts we may be smiling but we may not know peace until the blood of the murdered innocent children of Southern Kaduna is avenged. What do murderers gain by spilling the blood of innocent children? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!! What do the living gain by keeping quiet in times of religious persecution and religious genocide?

Nothing! Absolutely nothing !!. And if they do at all gain anything it is the hottest places in hell as Dante teaches in his Inferno. Since civilization is not an attribute of religious fanaticism or religious killing or curl of hair or curve of the lip or human accent we should re-scrutinize our heritage with sharper eyes than before in order to win our civilization.

Though tribes and tongues may differ; though some self-serving politicians may ride on the crest of religious fanaticism to murder our parents and sibling and set our houses ablaze, our strength lies in our common humanity. It is our only weapon with which we hope to conquer fundamental wrong, fundamental error, fundamental injustice in order to arrive at fundamental truth. If the government wants her name removed from the U.S. Special Watch list, U.S. travel ban list and the U.S. visa restriction list then she should stop the Southern Kaduna genocide forthwith.

THE FUTURE IS ANOTHER GOVERNOR

äĂ?Ě‹ ĂŁĂ‹Ă—Ă&#x; ĂĄĂ“Ă–Ă– Ă?Ă™ĂœĂœĂ?Ă?Ăž ÞÒĂ? Ă—Ă“Ă?ÞËÕĂ?Ă? Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? ÚËĂ?Ăž Ă“Ă˜ ĂŽĂ™Ëœ ĂĄĂœĂ“ĂžĂ?Ă? Ewujowo B. Ewujowo

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do State Governor Godwin Obaseki did’nt just declare that ‘Edo is not Lagos’ without certain assurances howbeit false. Early enough, he drew the battle line with his political benefactor and predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole. He attempted to destabilize the estranged boss’ political machinery and strategically placed his acolytes in strategic positions for the day of war.

Obaseki deployed strong-arm tactics to coerce those with divergent political views and opponents.

Unfortunately, he lacks the political dexterity and temperament of infusing diplomacy and tradeoffs to achieve his goal.

He got his fingers burnt with the Edo State House of Assembly where he inaugurated his lackeys who are in the minority and shut out pro-Oshiomhole lawmakers who are the majority.

They were 17. The governor had sneaked into the legislative complex at night and inaugurated his boys.

The court provided a temporary succor for the impunity. Obaseki got court ruling affirming the legality of the charade. He brandished the court papers to the media and anyone who challenged him on the dastardly act. He game the system for his selfish goal, but for only a period of time.

The political equation and realignment of forces within Edo State separated the men from the boys.

The 17 lawmakers who were victims of Obaseki’s injustice roared back to life and vowed to take back their suppressed right to represent their constituents. Jittery that the seven lawmakers he unjustly

treated had openly declared for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the governor went berserk as imminent doom looms.

Ize-Iyamu is not a pushover any day. He knows Edo State like the back of his hand and has been in the trenches for years when Obaseki was hustling as stock broker in Lagos capital market. The pastor on the ballot was the darling the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2016. They knew his electoral worth and vast acceptances across all spectra in Edo. The intimidating political profile and rating of Ize-Iyamu gives the governor and his handlers migraine. It was then a double jeopardy for Obaseki when 17 lawmakers who are in bed with Oshiomhole demanded to take their rightful place in the Assembly. Aside availing Ize-Iyamu their robust political assets in their respective constituencies, the emperor feared impeachment as nine can longer be greater than 17.

To avert a political shame, the governor who was boasting and issuing orders to party leaders scampered to the Assembly complex to repair a non-leaking roof. He was thrown off balance as the siege became fierce. He needed tutelage on how to have a firm grip on critical political infrastructure in the state. Oshiomhole beat him to it.

The sustained attacks to smear the image of the APC standard-bearer from the propaganda mill of the PDP also suffered setback when Ize-Iyamu met with President Muhammadu Buhari in the seat of power and got his blessings. It demobilized their lies that Buhari is not in support of Ize-Iyamu’s

aspiration. Now the world knows that and that Abuja is involved in the Obaseki project.

Tactical commander of the PDP troop, Nyesome Wike played to the gallery over Ize-Iyamu’s visit to Abuja. The APC continues to break into new frontiers, building alliances across political tendencies in the state.

Rather than resorting to violence, the 17 lawmakers appealed to higher authority to guarantee enforcement of their constitutional rights.

In the letter titled, ‘Urgent and nationalistic appeal to intervene in the restoration of constitutional democracy in Edo State of Nigeria’, dated August 3, 2020 and signed by Dr Ehiogie West-Idahosa, the senior partner at of West Idahosa & Co narrated the ordeal of the 17 lawmakers: “The Assembly has been run by nine members for no justifiable reason whatsoever. By failing to inaugurate about 14 members-elect of the House, there is a huge social and political disequilibrium in the state. “The rule of law has been seriously eroded and replaced by strong-arm tactics in Edo State. This in itself is anti-democratic and ought not to be allowed in a democratic government such as the one operated in Nigeria. “Over 60 per cent of the population of Edo State are unrepresented in the House of Assembly and are therefore missing out on constituency projects, employment and other forms of government patronage. This has escalated poverty levels in such constituencies and there is a corresponding increase in crime and general insecurity in such areas.� “It is undemocratic and unacceptable to any

sovereign nation that the House of Assembly of one of the states making up the federation of Nigeria is operated by only seven members out of the 24 elected. “There is no feature of the law which precludes the said honourable members from taking their oath with the cooperation of sworn in members and the clerk of the House. “We therefore respectfully appeal to you as the Chief Law Officer of the federation to invoke your power pursuant to Section 150 of the 1999 constitution (as altered) to arrest the breakdown of constitutional democracy in Edo State by intervening to restore a functional House of Assembly in line with the provisions of Sections 90, 91, 101 and 104 of the 1999 constitution (as altered). Our clients shall be very obliged to have your intervention in order to save constitutional democracy in Edo State.�

The combined forces of the APC obviously will overwhelm the governor and his supporters. The massive turnout at Ize-Iyamu’s rallies is a testament to who is loved by the people. From Edo North senatorial district to the capital in Benin, Ize-Iyamu has become a movement which cannot be stopped.

On what strength would Obaseki earn a second term? Is it on the basis of his performance? That is below the benchmark of excellence bequeathed by the comrade governor. He eroded the gains he should have consolidated.

The judgment day is here when the Edo People will correct the mistake of choice and enthrone Ize-Iyamu as the governor.

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T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2020

EDITORIAL RESOLVING THE SOUTHERN KADUNA CRISIS Government must find an enduring solution to the carnage in Southern Kaduna

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or no rational justification, unbridled violence and blood-letting have in recent years defined the character of Southern Kaduna. That mindless waste of precious human lives and property has become the signature tune of an environment that was once a melting pot of well over 56 nationalities is troubling. Scores of people have been killed in attacks and reprisal attacks in no fewer than five local government areas of Southern Kaduna in the last two months. Dozens of others have been displaced in the violence that threatens the peace of the country because of its ethno-religious dimension.

In the face of this grim reality, the state government has had to impose dusk-to-dawn curfew in certain areas, yet that has not deterred the attacks.

The violence has continued unabated because this is an old problem. For decades, relations between the Hausa/Fulani and the indigenous communities in Southern Kaduna have been tense, stemming largely from competition over resources, including land, and political control.

THE BLOODBATH IN These tensions have SOUTHERN KADUNA often degenerated to deadly ethnic and EXEMPLIFIES THE sectarian violence.

ABSURDITY IN THE INDIGENE-SETTLER DIVIDE What compounds the problem is that IN NORTHERN NIGERIA those who ordinarily should help in finding peace on both sides are almost always fuelling the fire.

The recent call for the execution of a former military governor of Rivers State, Major General Zamani Lekwot (rtd) by the Supreme Council of Shariah in Nigeria is not only reckless, it is one of the reasons peace has so far eluded the area. Sentenced to death by the military administration of General Ibrahim Babangida, following the 1992 Zango-Kataf riot, Lekwot was later pardoned by the administration of the late General Sani Abacha. On the White Paper committee set up by Governor Nasir el-Rufai to revisit the issue, Lekwot has raised a poser: “Is this

Letters to the Editor

White Paper they are trying to produce going to be the White Paper on top of White paper?” While we commend Governor el-Rufai for being proactive in dealing with the problem and for reaching out to all critical stakeholders, it is important for him to temper his rhetoric.

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

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

he bloodbath in Southern Kaduna exemplifies the absurdity in the indigene-settler divide in northern Nigeria. While many of the local indigenes have blamed the attacks on Fulani militia targeting Southern Kaduna Christian communities on ethnic grounds, the Hausa-Fulani communities have also accused their neighbours of deliberately waylaying them “on international routes.” And the violence, which has the imprimatur of savagery, shows no promise of abating as the combatants on both sides cannot find common ground for peace.

We align with the call on the federal government to urgently deploy security forces into the hinterlands, including consistent aerial surveillance to track down the purveyors of the carnage and end the wanton waste of lives and property. Government at the federal and state levels should also muster the courage and political will to halt the incursion of non-state actors.

We advocate a return to the pre-2015 status of monarchs, with their approved nomenclatures as provided for by law. No price is too much to pay for peace to return to all parts Southern Kaduna in particular and Kaduna State in general. We hasten to say that there can be no plausible reason for not resolving the killings in Southern Kaduna, and restoring lasting peace in the area and the entire state.

For any enduring solution, there must be an end to mutual recriminations. While government must apprehend and prosecute perpetrators of the heinous crimes in Southern Kaduna and elsewhere, we cannot encourage retribution and violence as a way of redressing perceived grievances. Using unlawful means to settle scores cannot remove the fundamental basis of the strife that has plagued Southern Kaduna for decades.

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.

FALSE RAPE ACCUSATION: The Need For Sanctions

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ny man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. –John Donne.

Lately, I have read news about young men; supposed promising leaders of tomorrow taking their own lives after being falsely accused of rape. Presumably, they would have thought it is a mere ordeal they could deal with, but with vituperations from family and friends, and unending aspersions from social media platforms – the agony seems unbearable, and hence the thought of taking their own lives.

Recently, a young Nigerian, Izu Mmadubueze was reported to have committed suicide after having his name listed in a list of rapists released by one Twitter user who would not later give convincing evidence to back her claim, even after several agitations from Izu and some social media users as to why she tagged Izu a rapist. After much ado, Izu penned a suicide note and took his own life when the agony became unbearable for him. Unfortunately, the curator of the said list has, since then, deactivated her account amid reports that she had made advances at Izu in the past, which was rejected.

In recent months, a lady identified as Cynthia also falsely accused a man with the Twitter handle of attempting to rape her friend, Anita. Trying to battle the emotional trauma and have his image redeemed, the man came out to debunk the accusation, and after serving both girls court letters, the two ladies apologized - with Cynthia claiming Anita reported a false story to her. But the question remains, will the emotional state

of the man know about Cynthia’s excuse?

Public figures and celebrities are not left out of this menace, as well. Many of them have been falsely accused by ladies who were only trying to drag attention to themselves, hence they thought accusing celebrities falsely could have been the best means - as we have seen in the case of MC GALAXY who was falsely accused by an upcoming actress and singer during the heat of Busola Dakolo’s revelation against Fatoyinbo. Reading these and many other stories of false rape stories, one wonders: are these enough reasons to level rape accusation against a fellow human being? Or really, where is humanity?

Oscar Romero once wrote: “Every time we take a step forward in this issue of rape, there are always those that take us three steps backwards. How can we be fighting to create a safe space for victims to voice … and there are others weaponizing rape in a false manner to get back at others?” This is another eye-opener to the fact that some women take advantage of rape accusation for their own personal or selfish gains, and before they make the world lose empathy for real rape victims. Severe punishment needs to be meted out to these false accusers.

Rape is bad, False rape accusation is worse. It is more wicked an act than kicking one below the belt. It drowns the victims in pool of depression and emotional trauma. And before many other young minds become victims of this menace, government and our lawmakers should look into the issue and renew laws that stand against false rape accusation.

Hashim Yussuf Amao, @LegalBard

Who Are You Kidding?

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n all of the strange stories that elections seem to provide, either as a comment about one of the candidates or to distract from comments about one of the candidates, the weirdest is the reemergence of ones about President Donald Trump’s concerns about low pressure showers. These water saving devices were introduced as one of many environmental initiatives that the president doesn’t seem too familiar with.

As he says, “You turn on the shower - if you’re like me, you can’t wash your beautiful hair properly”. One of the few things I share with the president is beautiful but disappearing hair and I gave up on the comb over a long time ago. Surely, he wouldn’t need much more than a thimble of water to wash the remaining hair. Admittedly this also shouldn’t be a great concern with the, hopefully, incoming President Biden although both VPs have decent amounts of hair.

Let’s get back to serious reporting about serious issues and leave the fun stories to cat rescues or other positive matters.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia

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T H I S D AY ˞ ͯ͡, 2020

FEATURES

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

Winning Strategy for Wealth Creation in Delta Rebecca Ejifoma writes on the winning strategy of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, which is geared towards driving job and wealth creation component of his vision of prosperity for all Delta indigenes

A cross section of audio-visual services trainees

Step trainees at Chommy Confectionery receiving training by facilitator Franca

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othing captures the story of growing prosperity in Nigeria’s Delta State better than the endorsement by the World Bank of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s job and wealth creation scheme. At the maiden Products Exhibition and Business Fair for beneficiaries of the scheme in December 2017, the Senior Specialist in Education for the World Bank, Dr Tunde Adekola affirmed that “Delta State is the only state that has demonstrated its commitment to skills development in practical terms.�

Speaking further, Adekola declared that “the World Bank will continue to support the Delta State government in the areas of skills and technical development, and will work with the job creation office to strengthen the labour market observatory system in order to make Governor Okowa’s dream of re-creating the middle class a reality.�

This glowing endorsement gives both essence and credence to recent statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). This year, the NBS released two major statistics, first on Poverty-Population ratio among states in Nigeria, and second on unemployment rate in the country. Both statistics took cognisance of both the national average and prevailing averages across the 36 states.

On both instances, Delta State recorded appreciable improvement and growth both in terms of number of people rescued from poverty and those saved from the unemployment market. Delta did not only surpass and better the national average on both indices of development, it climbed up the rung in the rank of states especially in the poverty to population ratio.

The latest NBS report released in May this year showed Lagos leading the chart (4.5 per cent) of prosperous states on poverty-to-population ratio. This means that only 4.5 per cent of Lagos population survive on the breadline of less than $1 per day. Conversely, a good 95.5 per cent of Lagosians live above $1 per day. Lagos is closely followed by Delta (6.0 per cent), Osun (8.5 per cent), Ogun (9.3 per cent) and Oyo (9.8 per cent). Delta fared far better than other oil-rich states of Bayelsa (22.6 per cent), Rivers (23.9 per cent) and Akwa Ibom (26.8 per cent).

But it was not always so. The NBS statistics for 2015 on the same poverty-population index was not-too-impressive for Delta. That year, the states with best poverty-to-headcount ratio were, surprisingly, Niger State followed

by Osun, Ondo, Bayelsa and Lagos in that order. The worst states were Sokoto (sitting at the bottom), Katsina, Adamawa, Gombe, Jigawa, Plateau, Ebonyi (the only South- east state in the bottom bracket). Delta Statewas hovering between 6th and 10th position, which many considered unbefitting of its profile as an oil-producing state.

The legendary illustrious spirit of an average Deltan to dare and to excel were also considered as factors that ought to have made the state fare better on the national poverty-population index.

A study of the charts between 2015 and 2020 showed that Delta achieved the fastest transformation of dragging more of its residents out of poverty. The national poverty to population average for 2020 is 40 percent of 200 million Nigerians which translates to more than 82 million Nigerians presumably living on less than $1 per day, according to the NBS. By 2019, Nigeria was ranked the poverty

Loveth Enyenakpor capital of the world, a position hitherto held

by India. It means that between 2015 and 2020, more Nigerians had slipped into the extreme poverty club.

It’s something to be ashamed of, says Mr. Fred Muoka, a Lagos-based development economist. According to him, Nigeria with all her potential in human and natural resources ought to be among the top 20 economies of the world with very good income per capita.

He attributes the nation’s economic and overall development woes to poverty of leadership. “Over the years, Nigeria has not had leaders with grand vision and political will to execute the vision. All we have had were leaders who come to the stage unprepared for the job of leadership or in some cases ill-prepared. This gave room to several knee-jerk approaches to governance. “When you look at Nigeria’s contemporaries in Asia namely Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea (some of these countries were below Nigeria in per capital income and other indices of development in the 1960s), but today they are competing with the Americas and Europe in technology, trade and industry. The difference is that these Asian nations had the benefit of good leadership which Nigeria never had,� he said.

In Nigeria, the high poverty index is a function of bad governance both at the centre and at the various strata of government, be it state and local governments. Perhaps, President Muhammadu Buhari had long realised the overriding need to lift the economy. Perhaps, too, the president has also realised that having huge deposits of crude oil is not a guarantee for prosperity especially if the crude oil deposits are not well-managed by those entrusted with the mandate to do so.

Hence, the president has rolled out an ambitious agricultural programme with emphasis on grains cultivation and production. The result of this new push in agriculture through the

Central Bank of Nigeria’s Anchor Borrowers programme is the quantum leap in local rice production.

This is the sense in which the case of the job and wealth creation scheme in Delta State deserves a closer study. It’s an advanced version of the federal government’s initiative in that it focusses on a wider berth in the agriculture value chain. Beyond agriculture, the youth empowerment initiatives of Governor Okowa include a new wave of skills acquisition, training in entrepreneurship and ICT empowerment.

This might well explain why Delta raced up the ladder in the national poverty-population chart.

Analysts ascribed the leap from poverty to prosperity in Delta to the deliberate youth empowerment and engagement policy of the Okowa administration. Governor Okowa reeled out several initiatives to actualise his ‘Prosperity for all Deltans’ mantra which has over the years assumed a momentum far beyond mere sloganeering.

To achieve this, Governor Okowa created the Office of the Chief Job Creation Officer (the first of its kind in the State) as a Special Purpose Vehicle to drive the job and wealth creation component of his vision of prosperity for all Deltans. The office initiated three main programmes namely: Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurs Programme (YAGEP); Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP); and Production and Processing Support Programme (PPSP), all aimed at diversifying the economy of the state and empowering the beneficiaries to become makers of the cake rather than sharers of same. The programme has become a huge success to the acclamation of Deltans.

The barometer for measuring the success of the programme is in the NBS 2020 statistics on poverty-population among the 36 states plus the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. The verdict: More Deltanshave jumped out of the bracket in Okowa’s barely five years as governor. The average annual growth rate in

Delta State from 2013-2015 was 8.9 per cent but growth accelerated at annual average of 13.2 per cent from 2015-2017.

One remarkable social impact of the job creation programme is the mind-set shift, among youths, from government (salaried) employment to entrepreneurship and self-employment.

Through the training and reorientation modules of STEP and YAGEP, the youths are imbibing the principles of skills acquisition and entrepreneurship as a viable employment option.

They are now looking beyond and outside their academic certificates for employment and livelihoods, as owners and managers of skills-based enterprises.

Loveth Enyenakpor was jobless for nine years after graduation from the university. As one of the 2016/2017 Cycle beneficiaries trained and established in fish production, she has grown into a reputable farmer with specialty in catfish and fish feed production.

According to her, “when I graduated from the University 10 years ago, I never knew I would become an entrepreneur. I had wanted to work either in the State or Federal Civil Service, but it did not work out till I got enrolled with the State Government’s Youth Agriculture Entrepreneurs Programme (YAGEP). I did not know anything about managing a business. All I know and have are because of the training I received. This has had positive impact on my family as my kids attend one of the best schools in Abraka.�

Mrs Enyenakpor added another feather to her cap as she was enlisted into the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Foundation. “It is good news to be part of the Tony Elumeu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme,� she enthused. “Out of over 216,000 applicants from African countries, I was among the 3,050 selected. No doubt, my training under the Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurs Programme (YAGEP) gave me an edge. I am grateful and I believe this is the beginning of my entrepreneurship journey.�

The job creation programme is also impacting positively on the growth and development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSMEs) sector in the state. By providing services as training centres, facilitators and mentors to the programme trainees, hundreds of small and medium enterprises have been stimulated and supported to upgrade their technical, entrepreneurial and managerial capacities, increase visibility/patronage and improve the quality of their services and achieve enterprise development.

Mrs Alaegbu Franca has been a facilitator for the job and wealth creation scheme for over four years. She is full of praise for the programme because “it is a particularly good concept for government to help youths acquire vocational and entrepreneurship training for self-employment. I am proud of majority of my previous trainees. They are making a living out of the skill they gained.�

According to MukoluEmmanuel, Head of Training and Educational Services, Schoolville Training Centre, Asaba, “the partnership has been good and there is always room for improvement,� adding that “tackling youth unemployment through skills training for job and wealth creation is what everyone is clamouring for. When they graduate from the programme and are established, they are bound to employ themselves if even they do not employ others.�

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T H I S D AY Ëž AUGUST 19, 2020

FEATURES

Beyond the Sacking of Service Chiefs Victor Mayomi

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ublic Service is a thankless job. The Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs should therefore be comforted by this truism, stay focused and undeterred, in spite of persistent calls, on the President, by various groups in the Country to remove them from office.

Indeed, it must really be traumatising for the Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs expecting their sack while going to their respective offices daily. It effectively sends a wrong signal to the enemies of the State that our military chiefs are undeserving of their offices, thereby rekindling their confidence to re-group, re-strategise, and unleash further mayhem on us.

It sends a wrong signal to the Armed Forces regarding the capacity of its chiefs and guardians to provide it with purposeful leadership in a difficult period, such as we are in today. It disturbs its balance and adversely affects its collective well-being. It diminishes the leadership of the military and the institution, as well as the heroic symbol that the Armed Forces of Nigeria represents as an institution of national prestige and pride.

And why do these organised and powerful groups and individuals want the military chiefs sacked? A point has been made about their extended tenure, based on a misconception that their services should have been dispensed with after two or three years in office, like some of their predecessors in office. Another is their perceived inability to conclusively win the war on terrorism, insurgency, banditry-and other forms of security challenges in the country.

The rising acts of indiscipline and wilful desertion in the Armed Forces of Nigeria – presumably an indication of uninspiring, fractured and weak leadership – have been mentioned as additional points. The rumblings within the Armed Forces about the disturbing trend of capable successors retiring before their principals have also been mentioned as an added factor.

These observations are weighty and persuasive. Accordingly, they cannot be waved aside. But are they sufficiently compelling to force the hands of the President to replace his military chiefs prematurely at the beck and call of interest groups within the polity?

My sense says NO. Indeed, a leader who bows to popular pressure to replace his defence and security chiefs without an objective reality of the facts on the ground is considered a weakling. Thankfully, President Muhammadu Buhari is not one of such leaders. He has expressed his confidence, repeatedly, in the Defence and Service Chiefs, although the President feels that they should have done far much more. The discretion to hire and fire the military chiefs lies with the President. The President has said it loud and clear.

You should also READ The President‘s Broadcast Dictates Another Broadcast Lately, General Alani Akinrinade, a military chief of uncommon pedigree, has also reinforced it. Every Nigerian, therefore, ought to respect the President’s sense of judgment about the performance of the military chiefs, so far, and refrain from exerting undue pressure on him to change them without any just cause. No king occupies a throne for ever except the Sovereign God, the Almighty, wills it.

Definitely, the Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs will go at God’s appointed time. But, they ought to be celebrated rather than vilified for what they have accomplished so far.

The Chief of Defence Staff and

The service chiefs Service Chiefs are not being celebrated because we are a nation in self-denial that we are at war. Months ago, Senator Ndume said it loud and clear that we were at war. But we have refused to acknowledge this reality that stares us in the face. Perhaps, because we have relative peace in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Lagos, Kano, Sokoto, and most of our cities, while the epicentre of the war – the North East – is far away from many of us. We are at war that we are not adequately prepared for. We are at war in a state of economic meltdown, so the resources for diligently prosecuting the war are not even there for us to harness. We are at war with agents of death who prefer death to life. We are fighting with daemons of religious extremism, perverters of truth and apostles of strange ideologies backed by foreign interests. We are at war with ethnic jingoists and revisionists. And we continue to misjudge the depth and ferocity of the war, as well as the resolve of its backers, to inflict maximum pain and damage on us.

Wars against insurgents and terrorists are not easily won or else the Soviets, British and Americans would have overcome the Taliban in Afghanistan; and Russia and Iran would have imposed peace on Syria long ago. Libya has been in total chaos after Muammar al Gaddafi was removed from office by NATO’s forces, and the major powers have so far failed to impose peace therein. It took 26 years (1983-2009) of decisive military campaign for the Sri Lankan Armed Forces to defeat the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka in a war of attrition.

Virtually all nations of the world are combating one form of extremism, militancy and insurgency or the other. We must, therefore, change the narrative and be better organised, and informed that we are not alone in this unpleasant situation. There are no quick fixes in this war.

You should also READ Avoiding or mitigating recession in post COVID-19 Nigeria One other trend that I have observed in the country is the tendency on our part not to appreciate that in all war situations, there are gains and reversals. What is most intriguing, and annoyingly embarrassing, is that our military is often not praised when they make gains on the war front.

And the Armed Forces of Nigeria have made massive gains in the North East which are either glossed over or under-reported. On the other hand, every reversal is celebrated with glee

in our mass media, with the intention to cause panic and present the military as habitual losers on the war front.

How do we continue to motivate the military to face the bullets of the enemy courageously, when we are not loud enough in celebrating the patriotic and sacrificial service of its officers and men or ratings on the war front?

When nations are at war, the citizens unite behind their leaders and their military. There are many actors, and indeed powerful interest groups, within the country that have refused to acknowledge the gains of this Administration in decimating Boko Haram.

So facts are distorted in order to present the Administration as failing in fulfilling its promise to effectively secure the nation. And sometimes, the government of the day panders to the views of the opposition about the security challenge rather than maintain its stance that it is not only winning the war, but also winning it well. And the Ministry of Defence ought to do more in mobilising national intelligence capacity and galvanising national and international efforts to enable the nation prosecute the present war more efficiently, effectively and economically.

The Ministry must be structured as a fit-for-purpose vehicle to lead from the front to enable it give efficacy and traction to the strategy and tactics of the Armed Forces for prosecuting the war, and securing the nation from all forms of internal and external threats on a sustainable basis. The Ministry of Defence must be further strengthened to enable it enlist the overwhelming support of the citizenry for prosecuting this war, no matter its complexity and duration.

The multiple security challenges facing us also means that the Nigerian military is over-stretched. The time to take the military out of police duties has come, and we must work towards it. The Nigerian military cannot be deployed perpetually to be performing police duties.

Urgent reforms must therefore be undertaken in the country to empower the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) to enable it undertake its duties unhindered. In a fair and balanced Federation, the establishment of State Police is proper and legitimate.

Accordingly, it is reasonable to tinker with the national architecture of police operations in Nigeria by recognising the need to emplace the State Police as an additional layer of support to Force Headquarters.

You should also READ The finality

of the Supreme Court Maybe worthy of note, also, is the need to further overhaul the governance structure of the Defence and Security sector in the country.

I have observed, curiously, that the Defence and Service Chiefs have multiple masters, given the plethora of reporting lines and authority or accountability relationships within the system presently. Serving too many masters, especially without a sense of proper alignment is tasking, hazardous and counterproductive.

In a war context, the Nigerian military needs freedom to act decisively.

This does not make the institution less accountable. Spirited efforts must, therefore, be made to reduce the existing layers of bureaucracy and reporting lines for speed of operations with a view to enhancing efficiency.

Divisive policies and actions which tend to further fuel insecurity in the country need to be interrogated and dispensed with. The military must coordinate itself better and work more cooperatively. The smear campaigns against military chiefs in sponsored videos and video clips must be discouraged.

The military is an institution that operates within the boundaries of law and due process. Aggrieved officers and men of the Armed Forces ought to channel their grievances through institutional mechanisms for resolving them. And we must believe in the capacity and commitment of the Armed Forces to act rationally and impartially to deal with all cases before it.

Human rights campaigns must not be pursued relentlessly to cause harm to the synergy and internal workings of the Armed Forces. Boundaries, and red lines, must be established to protect the Armed Forces from implosion and combustion because the larger interest of our beloved nation cannot be served if there is a breakdown in the military institution’s command structure and internal disciplinary process.

We must dignify the Armed Forces of Nigeria by celebrating it. And, eventually when there is need to change its leadership; it must not be undertaken as a market place exercise to cause injury to the institution. Garlands of honour must be given to the present leadership as an inspiration for their successors to continue on the path of rectitude, sound judgment, professionalism, patriotism and sacrificial service. ... Mayomi is a public analyst, commentator and retired civil servant.

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T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19, 2020

MIDWEEKPOLITICS Obaseki Ends Campaign in Edo North on Promising Note

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

Nseobong Okon-Ekong writes that Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has completed an extremely tiring and demanding campaign tour of Edo North Senatorial District, the constituency of his running mate and Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Phillip Shuaibu

L-R (front row) Chairman, Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA), Mr. Ganiyu Musa, Speaker, House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, DG NIA, Mrs. Yetunde Ilori; House leader, Rep. Alhassan AdoDoguwa; and others after a courtesy visit to the Speaker by members of Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA)

L-R Chairman, Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship Campaign Council, Chief Dan Orbih; Edo State Governor and candidate of the PDP, Mr Godwin Obaseki; the party’s campaign coordinator in Edo North, Mr. Pascal Ugbomeh, addressing supporters, during the Obaseki/Shaibu reelection campaign rally in Auchi Ward 4, Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State

N

to establish a new technical college in Uzebba, Owan West Local Government Area to boost Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the state, as part of strategies to build a vibrant workforce to drive the state’s industrial growth.

The governor said his administration has, in the last three years and eight months, continued to pursue reforms and policies that have seen the development of critical sectors of the education sector, including basic, technical and tertiary education.

Speaking to party faithful at wards 9 and 10 in Uzebba, Owan West LGA, the governor, who is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 19, 2020 governorship poll, said his government is determined to transform the education sector and properly direct the resources of the state towards human capacity development.

Leader of PDP in wards 9 and 10, Barr. Adelaja Ogun, commended the governor for his administration’s investment in education and other sectors of the state.

On his part, Chairman of Owan West Local Government Area, Frank Ilaboya, applauded the governor’s developmental strides across all sectors of the state, which he said have positively impacted on the lives of the people.

In another development, Obaseki, said the ward-to-ward campaign embarked upon by his party is designed for assessing the needs of Edo people at the community level, in order to bring more impactful projects closer to the people.

The governor reassured that his administration will continue to put the interest of the people first in his development plan for the state.

Obaseki spoke during his reelection campaign rally in Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area. He said the ward campaign provides opportunity to ascertain the impact of government’s projects in the last three years in the various wards of the state.

On his part, PDP leader in Auchi Ward 4, Mr. Yusuf Busari, said the people have decided to reward the governor with their votes, for his performance.

Receiving thousands of defectors from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the PDP, Chairman, Edo PDP Governorship Campaign Council, Chief Dan Orbih, noted: “Governor Godwin Obaseki is a good man; the people of the state love him and are going to vote for him in the forthcoming gubernatorial election.”

While on his reelection campaign trail the Odibiado of Sobe, His Royal Highness (HRH) Anthony Ero Aleburu 1, endorsed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mr. Obaseki, for the

September 19, 2020 governorship election on the back of successes recorded by the administration across all sectors of the state.

The monarch also conferred the Aideloje of Sobe (You Do Not Change the King) chieftaincy title on Governor Obaseki, noting: “You are already a king and no one can change the king.”

Receiving the governor and the PDP campaign team in his palace in Sobe, OwanWest Local Government Area of Edo State, the traditional ruler applauded the governor for ensuring his people benefited from the developmental strides of his administration.

Chief Barr. Dan Udugbezi, the Palace Adviser, who read the speech on behalf of the Odibiado of Sobe noted: “We want to assure you of our unalloyed support in the September 19 Governorship Election. In the 2016 election, we massively voted for you under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Now that you are contesting on the platform of the PDP, we have all moved with you to the PDP and we are ready to vote massively for you and your deputy because of the wonderful works your administration has accomplished in education, healthcare, job creation, infrastructural development and sports, among others.”

On his part, Governor Obaseki noted: “I have awarded the contract for the rehabilitation of the Sobe-Sabongidda-Ora road. We have gone into agreement to acquire farm lands along that road for the cultivation of cassava under a special programme with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The road is an economic road that must be constructed and by dry season, bulldozers will commence work.

Addressing the people of Imiekuri Okpella, Governor Obaseki said that his administration would construct the Imiekuri-Okpella Road and also expand opportunities for jobs creation through strong synergy with private sector players in the minerals and mining sector operating in the area.

Speaking to party faithful in ward 6 Imiekuri Okpella, Etsako East Local Government Area, Governor Obaseki said the state of the road was worrisome, adding that his administration would ensure it gets fixed.

Obaseki assured that he would meet with the management of the two notable investors in the area, Dangote and BUA industries, whose investments in Okpella are worth N6 billion, to harmonise how best to engage more residents in the area in their factories and other key mid-level and management positions.

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

From left- Representative of Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Anofiu Elegushi; Oluwo of Iwo, Oba AbdulRasheed Adewale Akanbi; Governor State of Osun, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, representing Vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo; Guest Lecturer, Sheikh (Dr.) Muhydeen Ajani Bello and others, during the 8th Day Fidau Prayer of Princess Suebat Amope Akanbi and 20 years Remembrance of High Prince Liadi Kolawole Akanbi at Iwo Palace

L-R: Edo State Governor and guber candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, after his investiture as the Aideloje of Sobe (You do not Change the King); the Odibiado of Sobe, HRH, Anthony Ero Aleburu I; Edo State Deputy Governor and running mate, Rt. Hon. Philip Shaibu; and his wife, Mrs. Maryann Shaibu, during a courtesy visit to the monarch, in Sobe, Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State

L-R: Dr. Tammy Danagogo, Secretary to Rivers State Government, Governor Nyesom Wike and Mr. Yibo Koko, Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the Rivers State Tourism Development Agency at an event in Port Harcourt

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BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET OVERNIGHT OBB

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

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

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EXCHANGE RATE N381/1US DOLLAR* *AS AT LAST FRIDAY

Quick Takes AfDB Seeks Support for Entreprenuers

CSR-IN-ACTION

L-R: Head of Operation, Slum2School Innovation Hub, Dr. Ruth Ebe; MD/CEO, Prudential Zenith Life Insurance, Mr. Chuks Igumbor; Executive Director/ Founder, Slum2School Innovation Hub, Mr. Otto Orondaam, and Chief Commercial Officer, Prudential Zenith Life Insurance, Mrs. Isioma Olowu, during the chequepresentationof$100,000donationtosupportSlum2Schooleffortsatbridgingtheeducationgapamongstthelessprivilegedstudentsduringthis COVID-19pandemic,heldinLagos...recently

Report: COVID-19 May Slow Pension Assets’Growth by 8.5% Goddy Egene

ECONOMY

The Nigerian Pension industry’s assets under management (AuM) has been predicted to witness a slow growth in 2020 and 2021, due to impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As at 31 December, the Nigerian pension industry’s assets AuM stood at N10.2 trillion , representing an 18.6 per cent growth from the N8.3 trillion recorded at the end of 2018 and a 17.2 per cent compound annual growth rate over the last five years.

However, Agusto & Co, in its 2020 Pension Industry Report, said the growth would continue to grow albeit at a much slower pace of 8.5 per cent in 2020 and rising to 12 per cent in 2021, which is well below the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.2 per cent over the last five years.

“Going forward, Agusto & Co expects a considerable slowdown in AuM growth driven by lower contributions as unemployment is expected to rise significantly given the weakened macroeconomic environment following the COVID-19 pandemic. Job losses are expected to trigger higher benefit withdrawals as disengaged enrolees seek access to the 25 per cent lump sum drawings permitted by PenCom regulations for employees out of work for more than three months. “Investment performance is also expected to fall considerably in line with the lower yields on government securities, which account for over 70 per cent of the Industry’s asset allocation.

Nonetheless, we note positively

the favourable demography of enrolees, which has over 73.8 per cent below the age of 50 indicating relatively low expectations of liquidity events such as lump- sum payments, annuities and programmed withdrawals.�

The report, however, noted that despite the notable strides in pension reforms and double-digit average growth in the last five years, Nigeria continues to lag behind some emerging markets in terms of pension penetration, with a pension AuM to gross domestic products(GDP) ratio of 6.8 per cent. “The Industry’s AuM to GDP ratio falls below those of Kenya and South Africa with 13.2 per cent and over 120 per cent respectively but compares well with Ghana’s five per cent. The weak pension penetration has been due in part to the previous

exclusion of Nigeria’s informal sector (which accounts for an estimated 65 per cent of GDP) and the low compliance rate of eligible organisations. Nonetheless, we note increased efforts by the Commission to ensure compliance and drive enrolee participation.

Most notable is the micro pension scheme (MPS). The micro pension scheme allows previously excluded self-employed persons and organisations with less than three persons to participate in the contributory pension scheme under more flexible rules. We remain unconvinced by the structure of the scheme for informal sector operators, given that compliance is optional and prior lessons from the National Health Insurance Scheme indicate voluntary compliance is unlikely to yield significant levels of enrolment,� the report added.

Insurance Firms Adopt ‘Work from Home’as Cost-saving Strategy Ebere Nwoji The COVID -19 pandemic has compelled insurance operators to adopt ‘work from home’ as a cost-saving strategy.

Under this arrangement, insurers have adopted earn as you work payment model.

Findings by THISDAY shows that in most insurance firms, less than 30 per cent of the workforce work in offices while greater number of them work from their respective homes.

Others alternate their working days to adopt “two days on, three days off� strategy.

This new working strategy adopted by the sector employers has been made possible by the use of technology at their disposal.

It was also gathered that in

ECONOMY terms of emolument, the employers calculate the daily pay of each worker and multiply it by few number of days they came to office and pay the same to the workers.

THISDAY learnt that this has drastically reduced the amount of money operating firms spend on salaries and wages. Some operators said there was no difference between workers’ output now and when they were going to their offices regularly.

As a result, some employers said they would continue with this working model for some time.

AIICO Insurance recently announced that it has extended

its ‘Work from Home’ policy to allow more of its employees work from home till January 2021.

The company attributed this to shut down of third mainland bridge and its attendant heavy traffic jam on major roads in Lagos as well as the impact of the virus.

The company, in a recent statement to this effect, said currently, about 50 per cent of its staff work from home, while others enjoy the flexibility of running weekly rotation as a social distancing measure.

AIICO’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Babatunde Fajemirokun, had said: “We are in unprecedented times and we keep evolving and adapting to the new normal. We are mindful of what our employ-

ees go through, commuting to and from work. “Our robust business continuity plan, which we implemented during the lockdown period, has proven to be quite effective in running business operations either on premise or remotely. Our employees’ productivity during that period was quite impressive.

We will continue to leverage our business continuity arrangement to deliver value to our customers while ensuring our employees’ well-being and safety.�

Commenting on the development, the Managing Director, Anchor Insurance, Mr. Augustine Ebose, said in real terms, businesses, insurance firms inclusive are currently much more concerned about survival than any other thing.

TheAfricanDevelopmentBank(AfDB)hascalledforgreatersupport of young entrepreneurs in the continent. The Bank made the call during a virtual event organised by the Tony Elumelu Foundation.

The webinar was timed to coincide with International Youth Day, which was marked recently. “Africa is young, and we need to do whatever it takes to empower our youth because they are the future of the continent,� said the Bank’s Acting Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, Wambui Gichuri, who spoke during the forum. “Entrepreneurship is an essential part in addressing Africa’s employmentchallengeandwhereweneedtoputourfocus.�Headded.

Thewebinarthemed,‘InvestinginAfrica’sFuture:YouthEmpowerment Through Entrepreneurship,’ invited a range of private and public sector representatives to discuss the challenges young African entrepreneurs face, and more broadly the continent’s economic future, in light of the ongoing pandemic. The event was part of an ongoing series the Foundation has been hosting.

ThepopulationofAfricansaged18-35wasexpectedtohit830million people by 2050, creating a youth bulge which experts predict could create a corps of young workers to fuel the continent’s long-term economic growth, but also poses immense job-creation challenges. “Africa is the epicenter for the economic devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic.Nowisthetimetocometogetherandrethinkandreimagine our commitment to young African entrepreneurs,� said Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu, the Foundation’s CEO and panel moderator. “Investing in our future means awaking the entrepreneurial spirit of every young person on the continent.�

Facebook Launches Digital Solution

Facebook has launched Avatars in Africa to give people new ways to express themselves online.

It explained that avatars are digital personas that enable people to engage across Facebook and Messenger in a more personal and dynamic way. “You can use your personalised avatar to share a range of emotions and expressions via a digital persona that is unique to you. There are many ways you can use your avatar including in comments, Stories, Messenger and soon, text posts with backgrounds too. “With so many emotions and expressions to choose from, avatars let you share your authentic reactions and feelings with family and friends across the app. You can customise your avatar with hairstyles, complexions, outďŹ ts, COVID-19 support stickers and more,â€? a statement from Facebook explained.

To create your avatar, go to the Facebook or Messenger comment composer, click on the “smiley� button, and then the sticker tab.

Click “Create Your Avatar�. “Facebook is home to some of your most personal content and we want to allow people to share and react to that content in the most personalised way possible,� the Regional Director, Facebook Africa, Nunu Ntshingila said.

ICELLPOWER Unveils Tubular Batteries

ICELLPOWER a renewable energy manufacturer has launched its tall tubular batteries into the Nigerian market. Speaking during the launch which took place in Lagos recently, the Business Manager, Mr.TundeTowolawi, said in the quest to meet the increasing demand for more durable and longer lasting batteries, “we are delighted to introduce ICELLPOWER tall tubular batteries with optimised fast charging capabilities and also long back up time produced under the highest industry standards.�

Towolawi also said ICELLPOWER was working endlessly to improve on quality with new innovations as far as the renewable energy industry is concerned.

According to him, “Our products are the best in the Nigerian market for a long time now, and we have the best after sales support, this has led to the tremendous growth we have experienced in recent years.“At ICELLPOWER, we have continually delighted our evergrowing customer base with pocket friendly prices and regular promotional oers just like with the newly introduced tall tubular batteries.â€?

“The traditional ways of doing business cannot suffice.

Therefore, every bank or financial institution needs to get very creative about the products they sell�

CEO, Nova Merchant Bank,

Mr. Anya Duroha

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BUSINESSWORLD

ANALYSIS

Boosting Economy through Commodities Exchange As the Lagos Commodities and Futures Exchange prepares to commence operations, top securities dealers have advised the federal government to leverage the platform to create jobs and grow the country’s foreign exchange earnings,writes Goddy Egene

I

t has become very obvious that the COVID-19 pandemic will impact negatively on many sectors of the economy, a development that has made it imperative for the government to enhance the growth and development of commodities exchanges as alternative sources of revenue.

And one of the areas that is believed has great potential to boost growth of the economy is agriculture. Apart from putting relevant structures that will enhance the growth of local industries to boost agriculture, encouraging commodities exchanges will equally bring many benefits.

Securities dealers in the Nigerian capital market are already upbeat in that regard, saying the Lagos Commodities and Futures Exchange (LCFE), which is their brain child, will play a major role in the diversification of economy and promote alternative source of revenue.

In his opinion, the Chairman, Association of Securities Dealing Houses of Nigeria (ASHON), Chief Onyenwechukwu Ezeagu, explained that the negative impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on most sectors of the economy had made it imperative for the government to enhance the growth and development of commodities exchanges as alternative sources of revenue.

He said: “The need to encourage the establishment and growth of commodities exchanges in Nigeria cannot be over-emphasised in the wake of the crippling impact of oil glut and the COVID-19 pandemic. If Nigeria is serious about diversification of her economy and forex earnings, the route to take is via functional commodities exchanges where all asset classes: agricultural, hydrocarbon and solid minerals, etc are tradable in a most efficient and transparent manner and the quality of tradable commodities are guaranteed. “This is even more so for local industries that need to be assured of regular and uninterrupted raw materials supply as their production input.

The farmers, miners etc would benefit from an efficient commodities exchange platform as they have opportunity for prices discovery and an assurance of off takers of their output.�

According to him, the economy would be better off as economic activities are catalysed and sustained, noting that any serious minded government cannot but be conscious of the importance of viable commodities exchanges and use them as catalysts for economic development and sustenance. “This informed part of the reason why ASHON and other progressive minded Nigerians floated the LCFE so that through its establishment, we can assist the government of the day in not only doing all the above, but also in helping to create employment for our teeming youths in this country,� said Ezeagu.

Also speaking, Chief Executive Officer, Global Asset Management, Mr. Babatunde Shobamowo, noted that government all over the world utilise commodities as a veritable means to hold value in bearish period or when the currency is facing imminent depreciation. “Nigeria is blessed with untapped and adequate natural resources but the market needs to be developed to reach its potentials .Some of the products that can be traded in an exchange are crude oil, Natural Gas, Gold, Silver, Cocoa and Cotton, Beni seed. A commodity is an economic

Akeredolu-Ale

Ezeagu

good that has full or substantial fungibility. Commodities over time tend to provide return that differ from stocks and bonds In addition, there are other inherent advantages that may accrue to the Government if well developed,� Shobamowo said.

To the Chief Executive Officer, Wyoming Capital and Partners, Mr. Tajudeen Olayinka, price discovery is a major driving force in an organised market as it provides a mechanism through which prices come to reflect known information about the market.

He said: “There are numerous benefits to an economy, especially, a developing one like Nigeria as it provides appropriate support to the orderly functioning of a Commodity Exchange in the country. Commodity Exchange facilitates trading of agricultural produce, metals, and mineral resources in standardised contracts, whether on spot or cash basis, or for future delivery, at prices that have been agreed upon by parties to the contract. This therefore suggests that activities in the market are largely driven by publicly available information around demand and supply of commodities, which should ordinarily arouse government interest. “The presence of an organised commodity exchange facilitates trade and investments in an economy. It makes it possible for small-holder farmers who are not so literate to deal directly on the Exchange, and who may not have capacity to meet trade size requirements of an organized Exchange. They can come together as an association, or take advantage of warehouse receipt financing available in the system, to scale up their capacity for bigger contract delivery. This way, the small-holder farmers become an integral part of the commodity value chains, with job creation opportunities for unemployed youths and adults,� said Olayinka.

In same vein, the Chief Executive Officer, Highcap Securities Limited, Mr. David Adonri, explained that commodities exchanges formalise

commodities business, facilitate de-risk agro lending, enhance quality of agricultural produce, facilitate export and enhance tax revenue to government. “The positives are too numerous to cover. The Development of the Commodity Exchange space needs maximum support from government and banks to maximize its benefits,� Adonri said.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, LCFE, Mr. Akin Akeredolu– Ale, who said the exchange would soon commence trading on agricultural commodities, solid minerals, currencies and oil and gas, stressed that a credible option for Nigeria’s accelerated economic revival would be for the government to put in place structures to promote agriculture and commodities exchanges.

According to him, the direction of the exchange underlined its uniqueness as commodities exchange that will trade on fungible assets rather than pre-occupy itself with warehouse operations.

He added: “Our business model is to trade fungible assets. We have carefully selected globally acceptable operators in various fields. Our core business is to trade electronic receipts. The receipts must be signed off by relevant agents before trading.

We are not out to operate warehouses. We have certification agents for warehouses to ensure global best practices. Our focus is on aggregators that already have certified warehouses. We shall engage with all members in the ecosystem.�

Preparatory to expected commencement of the operations, the LCFE in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), had exposed stockbrokers and other securities dealers to the fundamentals of commodities trading.

Akeredolu-Ale, noted that the partnership between LCFE and CIS was informed by the statutory position of the Institute as the only body recognised by law in Nigeria to train and certify dealers for commodities trading.

He said: “From the inception, the strategic documents of the commodities exchange laid

down two things: The issue of capacity building in personnel and the issue of certification and standardisation. We have gone past registration by the regulators. We are moving into products development. And for us to generate the products and the contract that are going to be tradable on the floor of the commodities exchange, we have to start building capacity. “There has to be certification by a credible institution, recognised by law to train and certify operators in the capital market. So, we decided to partner the CIS to activate the capacity of stockbrokers in products development, understanding the commodities market and how to trade in the commodities market.�

He explained that the training exposed participants to tradable products on the commodities and futures exchange and the four asset classes scheduled for commencement of trading. He listed the assets as oil and gas, agricultural commodities, solid minerals and currency aspects of the trade.

Speaking on the paper titled: “Introduction to Commodities Market and Trading,� the CIS Registrar/ Chief Executive, Mr. Adedeji Ajadi stated that commodities exchange had become imperative in order to deepen the Nigeria’s capital market.

Ajadi, who also spoke on the derivatives products, explained its concept, nature and purpose, risk management, basic forms of derivatives instruments, growth in the global derivatives, characteristics of derivatives, participants in the derivatives market, plain vanilla and exotic derivatives and trading platforms. He emphasised the importance of commodity derivatives such as futures contract, swaps, exchange-traded commodities as becoming globally traded instruments in the commodities market and therefore urged LCFE to leverage its unique products towards deepening the Nigerian capital market.

Wapic Insurance to Enhance Investment in Technology Ebere Nwoji Wapic Insurance Plc has said it will embark on innovative technological investments that will bolster its core systems and capabilities as well as strengthen its operations.

This, is said, would also prepare the company for the anticipated stiff competition likely to confront insurance sector in the current challenging year.

The company, at its 61st Annual General Meeting held in Lagos, informed shareholders that it has resolved to embark

on several activities that would enhance customer experience, such as the adoption of artificial intelligence, digitalisation , new and improved sales platforms, among other innovations, which form part of its on going five year transformation agenda.

Wapic Insurance Managing Director, Adeyinka Adekoya, while speaking at the meeting, assured shareholders of improved growth, efficiency and higher productivity.

Adekoya, noted that year 2020, would likely experience continuous macroeconomic pressure and very challeng-

ing market situations and likely customer reluctance to insure According to her, Wapic Insurance would continue to leverage its strategic partnerships with entities that add value to its business while remaining steadfast to its objectives. “We remain focused on our goal to deliver sustainable returns to you our shareholders and with our evergrowing experience, excellent talent and total dedication of our staff. The trust and loyalty of our customers, the expert guidance of our

dedicated board of directors, your continued support and improved processes we have no doubt of our position as a true market leader in the insurance industry,� she stated.

Speaking further, she said, “With the devastating effects of coronavirus on the country and the global economy as a whole , the crash in crude oil prices and the attendant effects on exchange rates and interest rates, it is hard to deny the expectation of an economic recession, which may likely span beyond the third quarter of the year.�

Announcing the company’s financial performance for the year ended December 31, 2020, the company’s Chairman, Mr. Mutiu Sunmonu, said Wapic Insurance in 2019 posted N15.2 billion Gross Premium Written (GPW) According to him, this represented a 9.42 per cent growth from the N13.89 billion premium written by the company in 2018.

He noted that Wapic General Insurance paid N2.03 billion claims in 2019 and has paid over N814 million claims in half year 2020.

He further said in spite of the lockdown, brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the company has received regulatory approvals for Bancssurance model which is in final stages of development, adding that the firm hopes to conclude and deploy the Bancassuance model before the end of 2020 financial year.

Speaking at the meeting, the National Coordinator.

Progressive Shareholders Association, Mr. Boniface Okezie, said a lot of transformation has taken place within the Wapic Insurance group.

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Duroha: With Covid-19, Banks Must Be Creative in their Product Offering The Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director, Nova Merchant Bank Limited, Mr. Anya Duroha, in this interview advises financial institutions to look beyond their traditional means of operation and embrace innovation. He also speaks about the performance of the three-year old bank as well as shed more light on its recent bond offering. Obinna Chima brings the excerpts: critical sectors. Are you also looking tapping those intervention funds for you customers?

Exactly. It is an area we are working on. And we have few deals in the pipeline. We are going into manufacturing, pharmaceutical and health sector.

Again, we just got an approval from the Bank of Industry to be able to work with the development finance institution. So, we are very conscious of our role as a merchant bank to support in terms of economic growth. Those sectors you talked about are sectors we play in and that was why we went for that long-term fund.

Can you tell us about your recent bond issuance, how much did you set out to raise and what you are going to do with the proceeds from the bond offer?

As part of Nova Merchant Bank’s strategy, we knew that at this point we needed to get long term fund to be able to finance long-term assets.

Being a merchant bank, we would like to do a lot more developmental financing and you need long term fund to do that. So, that was why we went to the market to raise those bonds. Our plan was to raise N10 billion through a 7-year tenor, callable after five years, subordinated bond, such that it would count as tier-2 capital. But it was oversubscribed by about 300 per cent. That means that we had investors subscribing to about N31 billion, whereas we set out to get N10 billion. But the instructive thing was that the investors were diversified – from individuals to corporate entities, asset management companies, insurance companies, foreign investors and other investment groups.

The bond was issued at 12 per cent, so it was a good outing for us. Like I mentioned earlier, the proceeds is to finance long-term corporate loans for our customers. We have a rich pipeline of such loans and we feel this is the right time to do this.

SpeciďŹ cally, what sectors are you looking at supporting?

We are looking at creating some medium to long term loans. Specifically, we would be looking at sectors such as agriculture, fintechs, telecoms and healthcare. These are the areas where we see opportunities now. And substantial part of the money would also go into building capacity for export for the country.

How has the bank performed since its establishment in the past three years and particularly, how has the virus impacted your operations this year?

I can say that in the last three years, the bank has done very well. We have seen our earning grow from about N1.2 billion in 2017, to about N5.8 billion in 2019. We have also seen profitability in the upswing. It is instructive that in the first year, the bank made N510 million. In my 28 years of banking in Nigeria, I can’t remember any bank that made profit in their first year, but we did.

And by the second year we actually doubled it to about N1.15 billion and by 2019, it printed at N1.65 billion. Now, as you rightly pointed out, the Covid-19 pandemic has really affected everybody all over the world. But I think the good thing is that Nova Merchant Bank foresaw this. The moment we heard about the outbreak in China, we knew that inevitably it was going to filter down to everybody. So, right from when it surfaced, we started looking at what to do to make sure that we continue doing well and doing business. Our first quarter results are unaudited, so I won’t give the figures. But, I can tell you that the results were very good. The second quarter was also much better than the first quarter. So, let’s just say that in the first six months of operations in 2020, we have done extremely well and much better than

Duroha

we had expected under this Covid-19. I think it is all thanks to our being proactive, looking ahead as well as identifying areas where we can do business and make money.

Now, with the pandemic which would be here for quite some time to come, are you re-writing your medium to long term strategy for the bank, looking at the disruptions in the global environment?

A strategy document is a living document and we would keep tweaking it to bring it in line with prevailing conditions. But at the core of Nova Merchant Bank, from inception we knew we were going to run a very lean structure that would depend a whole lot on technology, to do business. As a matter of fact, at the beginning, the question we kept asking our client was why do you need to go to a bank? At Nova we don’t even see the need for our customers to go to a bank. So, Nova was set up to use technology to support businesses. So, today we have customers, not just in Lagos, but all across the country. So, our strategy has helped us. What has become apparent with this pandemic is that most banks would have to do contactless banking in order to succeed, not just in Nigeria, but anywhere in the world. So, we are in a good place, the prevailing

conditions have actually played to our strength and perhaps that was why we made positive results in the first half of 2020.

What has been the impact of the virus on the bank’s non-performing loans?

The non-performing loans (NPLs) of the bank has remained nil from 2017, 2018, 2019 and as we speak now, we have zero NPLs. Beyond having zero NPLs, in the category of ‘Delay in Payment,’ we don’t have any delay in repayment that is more than seven days old. Again, that speaks to our risk management framework and how we approach lending in this market. If you look at our portfolio of risk assets, you would find out that over 45 per cent of that portfolio are companies that are rated standard Grade A and above. So, these are investment grade levels. And if you come down to the other 55 per cent, you would also see that almost 80 per cent of them are collaterised by cash or near cash items. So, that portfolio has been very healthy and we have been deliberate in growing that portfolio and we would continue growing that portfolio.

We have seen a number of pronouncements from the CBN with regards to intervention in the manufacturing, healthcare and other

What is the outlook for the bank and also, how are you coping with the continuous Cash Reserve Requirement deductions by the CBN or are you not affected?

Of course, every bank in the country is affected by the CRR debit. But again, you must also sympathise with the regulator because they are trying to solve all kinds of problems in the economy – the lowered forex reserves, rising inflation and other challenges. So, you must sympathise with them because they have to use every tool available to them to manage the situation. In as much as we would have loved a lower CRR, since we are part of the country, we are doing the best we can to manage the situation. In terms of the outlook, as you pointed out earlier, this Covid-19 is not going away in the short-term and the most dangerous thing about the virus is that people are no longer afraid. So, it is a tough operating environment for everybody. But has come out clearly is that the traditional ways of doing business would no longer suffice. Every bank and every institution would have to get very creative about the product that they sell and how they offer those services in the market. But, even with the pandemic, there are clear winners in the market. If you look at information technology, fintechs, healthcare, these might be the clear winners. So, banks would need to refocus and support these sectors, even while fulfilling their role of working with the sectors that are not performing very well, to bring them back on stream. It is something we take very seriously.

One of the things we do on the advisory side of our business is also to work with industries that we have identified that are struggling, to see how we can be of help to them.

Why did Nova opt for a merchant banking license and how is the competition in that sub-sector of the market So, whether you are a merchant or a commercial bank, once you are entering a mature market, the competition is stiff. I may not be able to speak for other banks, but I know that at Nova Merchant Bank, what we did was to look at where we have core competence and where we want to focus on, which clearly is in the corporate space, advisory services, asset management and securities business.

So, we feel that working with corporates, we should be able to offer them the whole gamut of financial services. That was why we went for a merchant banking license. It fits into our strategy.

Anchor Insurance Records N5.1bn Premium in 2020 Ebere Nwoji Anchor Insurance Company Limited, said it realised total premium of N5.1 billion in its unaudited account for the 2020 year .The company also said it raked in a total premium of N4.2 billion in 2019.

Speaking with journalists in Lagos recently, the Managing Director of the Company, Mr. Ebose Augustine, disclosed that despite the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on business

operations, Anchor Insurance was still able to achieve the positive result, noting that the underwriting firm’s production would have risen above N7 billion by now if the pandemic had not set in.

According to him, “we started the year well and from all our efforts and aggressive marketing, it was clear we were going to hit at least N7 billion by mid-year 2020, but for the pandemic since March which has made the insuring public to

review their insurance budgets downwards.�

According to him, “despite the Covid-19 challenges, we have surpassed the N4.2 billion premium income we wrote in 2019 as I can confidently tell you that as at second week of this month of August, our performance stood at N5.1 billion.�

He was optimistic that for the remaining months in the year, the company will raise this result to a greater figure.

Responding to how the company has been marketing its products since the advent of Covid-19, Ebose, explained that, “it was like we at Anchor Insurance foresaw this pandemic period when we invested in most modern information technology to drive our business. “So, it was not difficult for us to continue to navigate the insurance market using what we had already put in place and it has really helped in ensuring we never suffered any panic

in this era of doing business differently.�

He added, “This manifest new approach to doing insurance business even before the advent of Covid-19 alongside other giant strides made by the company.�

He hinted further that the company was strongly pursuing its recapitalisation in line with the order of the National Insurance Commission, noting that Anchor Insurance would recapitalize without any merger plan to retain its brand identity.

“As for the recapitalisation ordered by our regulator, our Board of Directors does not want anything that will alter the company’s identity.

It is, therefore, our resolve to recapitalise alone as Anchor Insurance Company Limited.

We do not have plans for now to acquire any company that might not be meeting up with the recapitalisation requirements but we can buy over their policy portfolios where the need arises,� he explained.

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T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

Adedeji: SMEs Need Tax Rebates to Grow The General Manager, Amber Energy Drink Limited, Ms. Lola Adedeji, in this interview enjoins both the federal and state governments to come to the rescue of small and medium scale enterprises by granting them tax rebates and curbing multiple taxations. Buchi Ubani provides the excerpts: the regulation of the federal government but we are meeting Nigerians at every point of the way.

What is your assessment of the energy market in Nigeria?

The Nigerian energy drinks market is no doubt a very big market; it is one that can accommodate anyone and everyone. Nigeria’s energy drink sector is a lucrative industry with market research fore-casting a yearly consumption growth of over 6.5 per cent by 2022. This is slightly an increase in the five per cent annual growth experienced between 2014 and 2016, which made the average consumption to be about 25.5 liters according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) report January this year. The questions would then be who are you targeting and what are you delivering?

So, it is the best market and I think that if you understand who you are targeting, where you are going, you will play perfectly well in it.

So, who are you targeting and where are you going with Amber brand?

We are targeting the man; woman or girl who understands quality; who understands what it means to have a healthy lifestyle.

How prepared is your company to face the stiff competition in the market?

We are ready to play ball. For us, we have done everything possible; we have even gone the extra mile to which many other companies cannot go to prepare ourselves. We have taken our time to study not just the market but also who our consumers are, and we have decided that every step of the way, Amber will meet the needs of that consumer anyway we can. So, if you say it is competitive, yes it is. To ask if we are ready to play ball, yes we are. So, as we unveil, as time goes on you will see the wonders of Amber.

What do you perceive as the challenges in the market and what strategies would Amber deploy to surmount these challenges?

One of the biggest challenges in the Nigerian market is that quality is not what a lot of Nigerians understand. For instance, for an energy drink, the first question they ask is “Is it cold? How much is it? Is it sweet? Is it bitter? These are their four main questions. On our part, we have taken our time to come up with the Amber brand. Besides answering all those questions it also nourishes the body. The challenge is communicating to the average Nigerian why this is the best option for him/her. That is what we have taken out time to study and find ways to get to them easily.

Once they have it or they come in contact with the brand, every step of the way they are being informed about the good things about the brand and why they should take Amber as their preferred brand. It will take time; but we will get there.

What are the unique selling points of Amber?

Just for the lay man; let’s assume that you like coffee and you can have three cups of coffee and feel like you have had enough of it. But with Amber energy drink, you will have three Cans of it, and he total caffeine intake is equivalent to that of one strong cup of coffee. However, with one Can of Amber you are energised!

We played with the caffeine level; we introduced Guarana which is natural caffeine. It will boost

Launching a new product at this COVID 19 era; you must be bold and courageous. Despite the challenges occasioned by the lockdown, here you are expressing conďŹ dence at the success of Amber. Where is that conďŹ dence coming from?

For me as a person, I have always been intrinsically motivated. One of my key words is “Nothing is impossible.� Second, I believe in the Nigerian market; the Nigerian market is not one that will wither away because of the storm.

We have been through many storms and we know how to weather them. I am a Nigerian with the original naija spirit. I am resilient and my brand is resilient.

Adedeji

you naturally without being detrimental to your heart or to your liver, but it will give you the boost that artificial caffeine will give.

Mind you, I am not saying that there is no artificial caffeine in it at all; but the quantity is reduced. We also packed it full with vitamins and nutrients that would help to energize your body. For instance we all know that sugar is an energiser but too much of it is a death trap; These are the things we took into consideration when creating a Can of Amber, such that even if you decide to take three Cans a day you are still within limit. That is why Amber is your best option. It gives you a better taste; it gives you a lasting impression; the Can is beautiful.

And it’s also going to meet with some of your nutritional and economic needs But, then, I don’t want to give out all our secrets. But it will meet all your needs when you become a loyalist to Amber because it is not just refreshing you, it also builds your energy and gives you a better quality of life.

What activities are you creating to launch and communicate Amber brand in this global lockdown occasioned by COVID-19?

We have launched digitally. We launched in the new normal way. We had to go back to the drawing board to assess and identify areas and places where the government have allowed people to meet and gather in line with the Covid-19 safety protocols. We identified what the people are looking at now, we discovered that most people are watching their TV, listening to their radios, they are seeing billboards, they are looking at buses, they are reading newspapers, and they are looking at things that will create excitement for them because it has been a trying time for the whole world. For us, therefore, we key into those areas to make sure that Amber is available at every point. If you wake up in the morning and walk out, you find Amber on the BRT buses.

When you get out and you are in the BRT bus and you look at your phone screen you will see Amber. When you listen to your radio or put on your TV you find Amber on your TV. When you get into a supermarket, you will find Amber there. So, we are taking our time to track the lifestyle of an average Nigerian and we are following them there to ensure that we are within

Is Amber your ďŹ rst experience with the Nigerian business environment?

No, I am a serial entrepreneur. I have been around in the market. I have been in the Nigerian business environment for a long time.

What has been your experience doing business in Nigeria?

First of all, I would say that the Nigerian market is not for the faint hearted. If you want to do it you have to do it. With the Nigerian business experience I learnt that every challenge is there to teach you something; not that it is not going to break you down temporarily but you will definitely come back stronger. And over the years I have learnt that every time there is something blocked, when I go back and look at it properly, there is a solution in it. So, using this theory, there are many things people are scared of. Most of the time fear is a function of the mind, it’s not reality. That is how I see life. So, for me every time something shows up, I sit down and look at it properly. You take self away from it with business, self means emotions, because we all have our fears; once you are able to push past that, that means, nothing is impossible, absolutely nothing.

What is your advice to the federal government on how to support businesses at this time?

I think they should support businesses, by looking at tax rebates for Nigerian brands whether it is produced here or elsewhere but it is marketed in Nigeria and it is for Nigerians. For instance, Amber is produced in South Africa but you see if the federal government has provided us with enabling environment production in Nigeria is good. However, to produce the quality we need, certain raw materials which were imported from all over the world to ensure that every Can has top quality. Now bringing it down here, the first issue we have is with the ports, in the process of clearing, some of our things have been vandalized. So, it is safe to bring the finished products in Cans. Nonetheless, over time, our plan is to produce Amber in Nigeria at some point; but when I cannot tell you.

Given what you have said, would you advise investors to come and invest in Nigeria?

I will say yes to a large extent depending on

what you are investing in. Once you know what you are investing in and you have done your research and you have your data, go ahead and invest. A seed has to die to grow. But now, if you feel you just have the money to throw around, this is not the time to throw around money. For someone that doesn’t know what he is doing but just wants some kind of investment, I would say keep your money in the bank and let it be giving you some little returns till we find some stability.

How do you see your brand adapting and adopting to the local business environment?

My brand is a household name. That is how I see it. For me, therefore, adapting to the environment is a no brainer. The moment you experience the brand, you fall in love with it, you will take it home. Your kids will tell their kids and their kids will tell their kids. It becomes a household name.

Is it positioned for every segment of the market?

Yes, affordability is one of the things we pride ourselves in. Affordability is relative; that’s why I didn’t say cheap. Now, once you understand quality you will understand that it is affordable.

So, the most important thing is to get people to understand what they are getting first. Give people value, which is key. Let’s use, for example, the bus conductor; he is doing that because he is aspiring to be something. Every step of the way there is a value proposition for him and there is a value he is looking for. He feels like he is going somewhere else. Amber is there to show you that from the lowest to the top, you are always going to need Amber. So it is positioned that everybody should drink Amber, from the boy that is pushing Keke to the CEO, everybody should have Amber. It is positioned to meet the energy boosting requirements of everybody.

What’s your plan to sustain Amber’s market share in this new normal?

First and foremost, a brand takes the character of the owner and so if the owner is very fickle it is inevitable the brand will be fickle. We are indomitable. That’s my take on that.

What do you have for the consumer who is faced choosing either of two choices, food and Amber, to go for Amber instead of food given the times we are in?

The beauty of the drink is that everybody wants to unwind with something nice; even if I want to eat or drink water which is necessary. Sometimes I may want to have a drink. The pandemic changed only the way we associate with people and not the way we associate with the things we buy.

The new normal has not affected consumption and the needs that must be met. What we are trying to do is to make you experience Amber; once you like Amber it will make its way to your house. That’s the plan. Alongside that, we want to meet the needs of our consumers. Consumers’ needs are food, drink, life, shelter and money.

Those five things we are meeting. Amber will empower its consumers. We have plans on how we can ensure that because you interacted with a Can of Amber, your life will never be the same.

Apart from you giving us your money, we are going to give you a reason to live.

Old Mutual Partners Lagos on e-Learning Ebere Nwoji Old Mutual Limited has gone into partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Education to drive remote learning for students in vulnerable communities through the donation of 10,000 Radio Units to Students.

The company, said the move was in response to the COVID 19 that led to the closure of schools in Lagos State. The company, through a staff team led by

the Executive Head Marketing and Chstomer Experience, Alero Ladipo, and accompanied by the officials of Lagos State Ministry of Education, made a presentation of the 10,000 radio units to students at St. Francis Jnr Grammar School in Lagos, recently.

The programme, which involved the broadcast of curriculum-based education through radio, was targeted at students in vulnerable communities with limited or zero access to

internet-based virtual learnings.

According to her, with the gadgets, Old Mutual is ensuring that the remote learning initiative reaches 10,000 homes by donating free radio units to be distributed to schoolchildren across these underprivileged districts in Lagos State.

In her remark, during the donation, Ladipo said, “we understand that despite the impressive growth in internet connectivity and access in Nigeria, there are

low-income families who cannot afford to access internet-based virtual learnings, which is fast becoming the conduit of remote education. “As an organisation, we believe that no one should be left behind in the provision of quality education. So, we are proud to partner the Lagos State Government, who shares the same ethos and have evolved a low-tech and affordable strategy to drive remote education through

radio broadcasting. Our support is to enable children from 10,000 low-income families, who cannot afford a radio set, to be able to tune in to this remote education during this pandemic.�

The Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo, who was represented at the event by the Director, Public-Private Partnerships, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Dr.

Olufunke Oyetola, stated that the support from Old Mutual would help the state in its quest to broaden the scope of education in the state. “The Old Mutual support is coming at a critical time when we need more hands to help build the future of our children. This exemplary gesture will help us to accelerate the adoption of virtual and remote learning as education and schooling would never remain the same post-COVID-19,�

T H I S D AY ˞ ͯ͡, 2020

IMAGES

L-R: Director of Medical Services, Oyo state Hospitals Management Board, Dr Olufemi Adesanya; Chairman of the Board, Dr Gbola Adetunji; Permanent Secretary of the Board, Dr Olusoji Adeyanju; and Chief Consultant of Ring Road Specialist Hospital, Dr Oladimeji Olawale, during the inspection of facilities at the Ring Road Hospital by the Board, in Ibadan...recently

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

Son of the deceased, Mr. Rasheed Kashamu (left) and the widow, Mrs Susan Kashamu during the 8th day ďŹ dau prayer for the late Senator Buruji Kashamu at Ijebu Igbo, Sunday

L-R: Managing Director and Chief Executive OďŹƒcer, Lagos Commodities and Futures Exchange (LCFE), Mr Akin Akeredolu-Ale; Director, LCFE, Alhaji Rasheed Yussu; Technical Adviser to Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development on Knowledge Management and Communication, Barrister Richard-Mark Mbaram and Divisional Head, Heritage Bank Plc, Mr Gbenga Awe, during courtesy visit of Mbaram to LCFE in Lagos.. recently

L-R: Minister of FCT, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello and Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, during investigative hearing on the review of bilateral loan agreements and commercial contracts agreements by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) held at the National Assembly...recently PHOTO: JULIUS ATOI

L-R: COO Northcourt, Ayo Ibaru; MD beyond building, Lanre Howells; CEO GEMSTONES GROUP, Fela Durotoye and CEO of Cutstruct, JOHN OAMEN at the ag o of Phoenix mall in Lagos...recently

The Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission, Rev Yakubu Pam (left) and the Agwam Bajju Zonkwa, Mallam Nuhu Bature during a courtesy visit to the Agwam Bajju in respect of the Southern Kaduna crisis..recently

Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu (left), condoling with wife of the deceased, Mrs. Jumoke Rasak during a condolence visit to the family of late Chief Lanre Razak in Lagos...recently

SS3 students of Government Secondary School, Wuze 2 during their WAEC examination in Abuja...recently PHOTO: KINGSLEY ADEBOYE

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T H I S D AY ˞ ͯ͡, 2020

EDUCATION Schools Emphasise Safety, Resume with Intensive Revisions Ahead of the national examinations in the country which kicked-off with the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination on August 17, school proprietors and principals explained to Funmi Ogundare the efforts they have made to ensure that exit students succeed at the exams, including intensive revision while considering the safety guidelines put in place by the government against COVID-19

S

chools in Lagos State have rolled out a suite of actions and activities aimed at ensuring proper off-take and preparedness of their students for reopening and final examinations starting mid-August

2020.

The steps include the fumigation of school premises by recommended agencies of government, making available hand washing and sanitising stations at strategic locations, checking the temperature of students at the points of entry, and placing visual reminders of safety procedures including wearing of face masks.

School authorities in the six education districts of the state mapped out a timetable for online revision, especially for those in terminal classes.

Classes were also conducted online via Zoom/Google Meet and WhatsApp with regular assessments to discover their strengths and weaknesses. There were also one-on-one interventions arranged for students requiring additional assistance for them to succeed at the national examinations.

Evaluators from the Office of Education Quality Assurance visited schools across the six education districts to ensure compliance and prevention of infection and spread of COVID-19 among the students.

The Director General, Mrs. Abiola Seriki-Ayeni the agency had to issue guidelines on fumigation of all schools’ environment, including classrooms, chairs and desks, provision of running water and hand washing soap, provision of hand sanitisers and wearing of face masks.

Other safety guidelines are avoiding close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory challenges, maintaining social distancing and one-metre physical distancing in the sitting arrangement.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo also inspected some public and private schools. She was satisfied with their level of preparedness, noting that students must not exceed 20 per class in compliance with the social distancing guidelines. “The state government is very concerned about the safety of students and their teachers as their wellbeing is of utmost importance.�

Mrs. Olufunke Amba is the Director, Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls, Oregun, Lagos. She said the school was purified to prepare exit students for the national exams.

Vivian Fowler provided washing and sanitising stations at several locations in the school, and placed visual reminders of safety procedures

Lesson ongoing at Government Technical College, Agidingbi, Ikeja, following the reopening of schools for exit classes such as wearing of face mask at strategic points. “Entry into the premises has also been restricted to students and staff�, as the director added that the school conducts temperature checks at the point of entry and deploys separate gates for entry and exit.

The school has also equipped its clinic to provide isolation for students or staff presenting COVID-19 symptoms. “Students will be put in small clusters of five to six in a group to make contact tracing easy if necessary. Waiting areas will be assigned, keeping in mind the social distancing norms,� she stressed.

Right from the onset of the lockdown in March 2020, Amba said the school set up Google classrooms for the final year students and a rigorous timetable for online revision classes. Online classes were conducted via video conferencing. “Regular assessment were done to diagnose the strengths and weaknesses of students. They conducted numerous training sessions for the staff to ensure that they were able to use the available technology tools to teach online effectively,� she said. The school also arranged one-on-one intervention for students who required additional assistance. They conducted a second series of mock examinations in June to assess the readiness of students.

Based on the outcomes of the mock examinations, Amba said the school devised a new revision timetable to ensure that every student could face the exams confidently and secure good results.

The Principal, Government Technical College, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Mrs. Adebisi Akanni is preparing her students in the exit classes for National Business and Technical Education Board (NABTEB) examination scheduled to commence on September 21, 2020.

She said despite COVID-19, students were eager to return to school, adding that the school has arranged the classes according to social distancing rules. “We have just one stream, Tech 3 alone. We have about 400 of them for the final year, and about 80 teachers, so we have enough space to arrange them. The teachers are on ground and have been directing the students to their various classes. They asked them the section they are according to the skills they have come to acquire. Once they mention theit section, the teachers will direct them.

On how the college prepared students for success in the examination, she said: “Since March 23, we started online teaching in this school. We have 12 sections and each section has a WhatsApp learning platform, so we do online teaching every day. I have all on my

phone monitoring them, and at the end of the week, they do a test on whatever they have done between Monday and Friday; and we take attendance. “Now that we have resumed, we are going to start all over with a face-to-face revision. We are going to do intensive revision unlike the online before the NABTEB examination. We have our timetable of 45 minutes per class. We are closing at 2 pm, unlike the 3 pm before. We have ensured that there will be no mingling among them. We have also told the students to bring their food from home and eat in the classroom.�

The school requires students to come with their face masks, while it provides masks at the gate for those who do not come with one. “We also take their temperature with an infrared thermometer, so we are good to go.�

Elder Gabriel Olabode Fasanu is the Principal, Babcock Academy, Abeokuta, Ogun State. He said the school has prepared itself for the new order. The authorities fumigated the school area, classrooms, hostel and offices. They also provided running water/soap in the school.

He said they will now ensure that only two students stay per four-bedded room; as well as prevent parents/visitors from entering the school at the gate. The school practised some of these rules during the lockdown break. “We have already finished the scheme of work and currently, we are going through final revision before the commencement of WASSCE,� he said.

Mrs. Ibim Semenitari is the Director of Archdeacon Brown Education Centre, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. She said: “As a rule, our children in SS3 spend much of their second and third terms revising work and we ensured that we finished their syllabus way ahead of the exams, so we were not in a difficult place. “However, naturally children have been out of the physical school for long and that could have psychological effect on them. In our case, our schools had online lessons throughout the period they were not in school. We were teaching across three platforms; in-person instruction via Zoom, assignments and lecture via Google Classroom and using software specially developed by one of our teachers, and recorded video lessons for topics where teachers wanted to lay further emphasis. The exam classes went through a horde of questions.�

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

FITC Essay to Reward Innovative African Undergraduates Uchechukwu Nnaike

F

inancial Institution Training Company (FITC), a world-class, innovation-led and technology-driven knowledge organisation that provides learning, advisory and research services for financial institutions and other sectors in Africa, has launched the FITC Youth Connect Initiative.

The initiative focuses on youth empowerment, employability and supports youth-led innovation in Africa. To herald this, the organisation has unveiled the maiden edition of its essay competition for undergraduates in higher institutions across Africa.

Tagged ‘Youth Connect Essay Challenge’, the competition seeks to promote creative talents and spur innovative thinking among young people in Africa. It focuses on the theme, ‘Accelerating Growth and Development in Africa: The Role of Technology and Innovation’.

In a statement, the CEO, FITC, Chizor Malize, explained that given the wealth of talents

and resources in Africa, there is an explosive opportunity for growth and development. “It is no gainsaying that Africa needs to embrace technology to realise the African Union’s 2063 Transformation Agenda and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.�

To achieve this, Malize stressed that technology plays a crucial role and its adoption will accelerate economic growth and development on the continent. “The realities of modern civilization have shown that technology can speed up significant improvements in the social and political conditions of nations and can be a vehicle for innovative solutions to local challenges. “Africa is now the world’s second-fastestgrowing continent. Its fast-growing youth population presents exciting opportunities for economic growth and sustainable development.

With the bolstering number of innovation hubs, tech solutions, tech ventures and tech venture-builders, as well as investors in technology infrastructure, the continent can

bank on its emergent tech landscape for exponential growth. “The young tech community can help decision-makers to implement workable technology solutions from country to country.

To support this drive and to ensure youths’ participation in the transformation of the continent, FITC is investing in the future through the Youth Connect Essay Challenge. “This challenge is to awaken the well of ideas in young Africans and set their minds on the right course as it concerns the use of technology for growth,� he stated.

The theme ‘Accelerating Growth in Africa: The Role of Technology and Innovation’ allows young people to creatively express their ideas and explore the wealth of solutions that technology can proffer to Africa’s numerous challenges.

The objective is to develop in undergraduate students the habit of contributing to national and global issues, as well as providing policymakers with an accessible perspective.

Malize disclosed that entries will be judged on originality, creativity and appropriateness to the theme and context. “FITC Youth Connect Essay Competition is open to all undergraduates studying in any tertiary institution across Africa.�

For entry format, he said entries must be written in English or French, adding that the essay must not be less than 1,000 words; entrants should show originality, creativity, clarity and focus on the topic. Plagiarized, co-written and pre-published entries will be disqualified and each entrant is required to submit only one entry to the competition.

The first prize winner will get $1,000, laptop, leadership certification programme and one year mentorship programme; second prize: $500, laptop and a year mentorship programme; and third prize: laptop and one-year mentorship programme.

The announcement date will be on all digital platforms. Submission of entries is open and will close on August 31, 2020 (11:59 pm WAT).

25

T H I S D AY ˞ ͯ͡, 2020

EDUCATION

TVTC Clocks 10, Honours Exceptional Students in Cambridge Exams In keeping with its mission to continue to raise stars, in June this year, The Vale Tutorial College, Ibadan, a renowned sixth form college, broke new grounds when two of its finalists excelled in Cambridge Advanced Level, as John Pius-Obayemi, an Atinuke Ige Scholar acquired three A stars. It was a turning point in his life and the lives of others whose sojourn, and quality of education received at the college brought out the best in them. Sunday Ehigiator reports

S

erene and neat environment will greet a first-time visitor to the The Vale Tutorial College (TVTC) tucked inside New Bodija in the capital of Oyo State. The gigantic edifice painted in grey and white stands tall in the expansive compound.

To a passerby, it is a citadel of learning, but for its occupants, it is more than a mere academic ground. It is exceptional. It is an upper sixth form college that has propelled its past and present students to excel and climb extra ordinary heights in national and international examinations. The feats made possible through its dedicated leadership and committed teachers.

Founded 10 years ago by Mrs. Funso Adegbola (nee Bola Ige), The Vale Tutorial College, an offshoot of The Vale College is an independent entity established because of the need to prepare students to be better matured for university admission as A-level is a solid foundation and pathway to foreign university and 200 level in Nigerian universities. For TVTC, it has been 10 years of propagating academic excellence.

In June 2020, the college recorded landmark results in its international examinations, as two of its finalists excelled in Cambridge Advanced Level with A stars. John Pius-Obayemi, who is an Atinuke Ige Scholar shone brilliantly with A stars (A* in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry having the (best result) and Al-Fatihi Abdulmalik also got (A* in Sociology, Economics and Mathematics) achieving second best result.

This is not the first time the college will put Oyo State and Nigeria on the global academic achievements. In 2014, Maryam Adeyanju got As in Chemistry, Physics and Biology, and emerged as 2014 best result. Boluwatife Adewale followed in 2015 with two A* and A in Chemistry, Physics and Biology; while AbdulHammed Babatunde achieved the same feat in 2017 with A* in Chemistry, Physics and Biology, while Joel Christiana also achieved A* and two Bs in Sociology, Literature and History and emerged 2019 best result.

On August 15, 2020, the school management in compliance with government’s directive to keep COVID-19 at bay, rolled out the drum to celebrate these exceptionally brilliant finalists during a valedictory service held for the graduation class of 2020 at the college premises. “I feel the aims and mission of TVTC are being achieved- it is a journey not a destination, and we are definitely on the right path. The vision was to provide an enabling environment for lifelong learning, training and nurturing leaders with the right kind of values,� said an elated Adegbola.

On what makes TVTC different from other sixth form colleges, Adegbola said it is a combination of many factors. According to her, TVTC is a place where students are well grounded. “We do an excellent job with our students achieving high grades and we have first-rate, comfortable hostel facilities. We are not just a centre, we are

L-R: Atinuke Ige Scholar, John Pius-Obayemi; convener, Atinuke Ige Scholarship and founder, The Vale Tutorial College, Mrs. Funso Adegbola; and Al-Fatihi Abdulmalik, during the valedictory service held for the graduation class of 2020 at the New Bodija, Ibadan Campus of the college‌ recently a full-fledged school. It is a safe and serene environment, extremely conducive to learning where parents do not have to worry whatsoever about the well-being and safety of their children.

Here, students have leadership training sessions every weekend; there are sessions on character development and there are mentoring sessions between the alumni and the current students.�

She added: “Students have entrepreneurship training at weekends, they also learn different skills like bead making, make-up, fashion designing among others, there is close inter-personal relationship between the parents and the school, students have days off to have a social interaction with the director who they see as a role model.

Selection of the best student in character and learning every session, low student-teacher ratio, one to one and effective online classes especially during COVID-19.�

Throwing more light on Atinuke Ige Scholarship, which has continued to bring succour to brilliant students from public schools in Oyo State, Adegbola said it is a way of giving back some of the values she imbibed from her late parents. “I started the Atinuke Ige Scholarship in 2013 for students who finished their WAEC

in public schools in Oyo and Osun States. One of the cardinal points of my father’s party then, Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) was free education for all at all levels. My parents believed in education not for their only biological children but education of other people’s children. They have three biological children but raised over 300 children. I just thought I cannot do free education like my father was able to do when he was governor. I know my mother too gave scholarships to people while she was alive. “About seven years ago, I started with Justice Atinuke Ige Scholarship for brilliant children in public schools in Oyo State who had completed secondary school and were given opportunity to do their ‘A’ Levels at The Vale Tutorial College so that they can go to second level in Nigerian universities. It is worth N2.5 million for each winner. The programme has been successful since we started. The past winners of a male and female, Boluwatife Adewale and Maryam Adeyanju are currently in University College Hospital studying Medicine and Surgery. Some of our alumni are studying in England apart from those in Nigeria. I believe in the vision of quality education for all Nigerian children,

irrespective of their backgrounds.�

Few years ago, Adegbola started an annual scholarship scheme in memory of her late father, Bola Ige for children in public schools. Every year she awards scholarship to the best boy and girl through examinations: written and oral. The best two gets scholarship worth N12 million for the six years post- primary education.

The scholarship has transformed lives. For instance, the N12 million awards have benefitted pupils whose parents are bricklayers, tailors, bread sellers, among others.

As the upper arm has continued to churn out excellent students, its sister arm, The Vale College, founded 26 years ago is a record breaker.

Apart from excelling in WAEC and its equivalent examinations, the school has continued to exhibit its academic prowess with students who have become Nigerian ambassadors and global icons.

One of its former students, Yewande Akinola got an award from Queen Elizabeth II of England in 2012 for being one of the best female engineers under 30 in the whole of United Kingdom. There are also a number of students who made first class in Pharmacy, Law, Accounting, among others.

At the recently released 2020 Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board Examinations (JAMB) results, seven of its students made the nation proud as they scored far above 300 out of 400 marks. For instance, Toluwanimi Soladoye 351; Andrew Alao 341; Mubarak Titilola 341; Kofo Oyeniyi 333; Lekan Adekanmbi 326; Oladele Omogboyega 324 and Bimpe Olukolo 309.

Still basking in the euphoria of his attainment, Obayemi, a former student of Command Day Secondary School, Odogbo, Ibadan, who is not new to winning academic laurels having scored 6As, 1B and 2Cs in his WAEC examinations, commended Adegbola for the scholarship. According to him, “coming top in my examinations, I felt very elated, I was proud of myself because it was a bit more than I had expected. I knew that these results were good enough to make everyone proud and get me into very good universities. Initially, I got a bit discouraged about achieving those scores later when we started coursework, but I put in my best. TVTC impacted my academic life. The teachers there are also very good and experienced and I am able to say that my academic strengths have been developed and advanced. “After this, I plan on seeking for international admissions into universities and scholarships to study Electrical and Electronics Engineering.�

On the next step for TVTC, Adegbola stated: “The reward of good work is more excellent work. Ten years is only the beginning, God has been faithful and we trust Him that the next 10 years will see increase and enlargement on all sides of TVTC- numerically, physically, spiritually and materially. In 10 years, our alumni would have become leading experts in their chosen fields and they will be mentoring the future students of the college, by God’s grace.�

Kwara Warns Principals, Parents against Exam Malpractices Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

A

s exit students commence the West African Senior School Certificate Examination in the country, principals and parents in Kwara State have been warned to shun any form of examination malpractice for students during the period.

The government instead urged school authorities and parents to encourage students to prepare well for the examinations rather than look forward to a system that aids and abets cheating and that anyone caught will be made to face the full wrath of the law.

The Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Hajia Fatimoh Ahmed said this in Iloriin during a meeting of the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of

Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), proprietors of private schools and the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) According to her, “as we all know, the examinations will start on August 17, 2020.

You should all go back home and relay this warning to all your invigilators “Secret invigilators and intelligent officers will be everywhere to ensure compliance.

Not only that, anti-corruption agencies will be moving round without notice. “Anybody caught aiding and abetting examination malpractice or involved in any form of sharp practices will be punished according to the law of the land.�

Ahmed reminded the principals and parents that the AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq administration had to pay N30.5 million penalty imposed

on the state following WAEC’s blacklist of 165 Kwara schools over rampant examination malpractices in 2019.

The commissioner said the new administration would not condone such behaviour under its watch. “The break occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic will not be an excuse to allow students to cheat during the forthcoming examinations,� she said, adding, “I know you are respected and responsible gentlemen and women who will not be ready to ruin your career for any amount. I therefore plead with you all to protect your names and the future of our children.�

The commissioner said “the administration is investing so much in education infrastructure and prompt payment of wages amid dwindling

resources.�

She also announced that junior secondary three students would resume classes on Monday ahead of their own examination in September.

She called for respect for all safety protocols to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.

Also speakimg, the state Chairman of ANCOPSS, Toyin Abdullahi, said the body would not be a party to examination malpractices and directed its members not to stay in their respective schools during the examinations. “On no account should any principal stay in their schools during examinations. There will be no hidden place for principals aiding and abetting examination malpractices,�

Abdullahi said.

26

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍˇËœ 2020

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

IFAD to Empower 1.7m Farmers in Nigeria, Others Oluchi Chibuzor About 1.7 million small-scale farmers in Nigeria, Kenya and Pakistan will soon receive personalised agricultural advice through their mobile phones as a means to improve their incomes, food security and resilience to economic shocks caused by COVID-19, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has disclosed.

According to a statement, the initiative is one of the 11 proposals to receive initial funding under IFAD’s Rural Poor Stimulus Facility (RPSF), comes as a result of a new partnership between IFAD and Precision Agriculture for Development (PAD), a global non-

profit organisation co-founded by Nobel Prize winning economist Michael Kremer.

It pointed out that using mobile phone technology, farmers would receive low-cost, customised advice to improve on-farm practices, input utilisation, pest and disease management, environmental sustainability and access to markets.

IFAD’s RPSF, which was launched recently by IFAD’s UN Goodwill Ambassadors, the actor and humanitarian Idris Elba and the model and activist Sabrina Dhowre Elba, aims to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the livelihoods and food security of rural poor people. “Funding for these first 11

initiatives, amounting to $11.2 million from the RPSF plus $5.2 million in co-financing mainly from governments and implementing partners, will benefit an estimated 6.7 million small-scale farmers in developing countries who are adversely impacted by the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Among the proposals financed are two regionally focused initiatives in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa that will provide emergency livelihood support through local farmers’ organisations, and eight countrylevel initiatives in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Nepal, Nigeria, Palestine and Rwanda. “The majority of these initia-

Prudential Zenith Life Donates $100,000 to Slum2School Africa Prudential Zenith Life Insurance has donated $100,000 to Slum2School Africa to help combat the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education in disadvantaged communities in Nigeria.

The donation was made through a corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund from the Prudence Foundation, the community investment arm of Prudential Plc in Asia and Africa.

Slum2School Africa is a volunteer-driven developmental organisation, transforming society by empowering underprivileged children in slums and remote communities with quality education, entrepreneurial skills and psychosocial support to enable them to realise their full potential and become social reformers.

Speaking during the presentation of the cheque, a statement quoted the Managing Director/ CEO, Prudential Zenith Life Insurance Limited, Mr. Chuks Igumbor, to have said: “Our contribution to Slum2School’s activities demonstrates our corporate social responsibility action plan which is targeted towards communities most in need of the support we provide.�

He noted further that, “the coronavirus pandemic has impacted all aspects of our lives including the education sector, with a steep widening of education inequality as children and youths from underprivileged communities are unable to access the learning materials that students from affluent backgrounds are able to access.

“The strategic partnership between Prudential Zenith Life and Slum2School, therefore, aims to bridge this gap and engage learners from Nursery to Senior Secondary School across twenty slums and communities in Lagos State.�

The $100,000 donation would be used to procure 300 tablets with internet connections, 34 laptops for Slum2School facilitators, 34 whiteboards, markers and board eraser sets, state-of-the-art learning studio for 50-90 pupils per session, stationery for students, as well as learning programs and software.

In addition to the cash donation, relief foodstuff was also provided to less privileged families within the identified communities to assist in these trying times.

Wapic Grows Half-year Profit by 58% Ebere Nwoji Wapic Insurance Plc said it grew its underwriting profit in the first half of 2020 by 58 per cent to N1.99 billion in 2020, up from the N1.26 billion recorded in the comparable period in 2019.

Also, the insurer recorded profit before tax of N825 million in the period under review, representing a year-on-year growth of 106 per cent.

Announcing its unaudited financial statement for the first half of 2020, Wapic said key drivers of the result for the period under review included the increases recorded in underwriting profit and total investment and

other income within the period. “Gross Written Premium of N9.3 billion, an eight per cent growth compared to same period in 2019. We sustained this consistent growth in premium by the attainment of leadership status on some major accounts and enhanced underwriting capabilities. “Wapic has paid a total of N1.6 billion in Gross claims for the year. The Gross claims to GWP ratio closed at 17 per cent as at half year 2020, a reduction when compared with the 28 per cent recorded in first half of 2019,� it stated. Commenting on the results, Wapic Insurance Managing Director, Yinka Adekoya, noted that the growth in premium income,

fees and commission income and decrease in claims’ expense during the review period had a positive impact on the performance.

She said the gross written premium for the Ghanaian subsidiary grew by nine per cent to N619 million, from the N571 million recorded in the prior year, adding that net claims incurred for the period was N246 million, which was a sligh increase as against the N237 million recorded in the comparable period in 2019. “The subsidiary closed with an N87 million in profit before tax for the period, Gross Written Premium for the Life subsidiary increased by 41 per cent to N2,596 billion from N1,839billion in the same period in 2019.�

Chinese Steel Company Denies Allegation of Poor Working Conditions The Inner Galaxy Steel Company Limited has refuted allegations of running a “modern day slave camp� in its facility at Umuahala, Obuzor Asa, Ukwa West LGA, Abia State.

The company in a statement yesterday, said it has produced a series of documentary evidence by way of photographs and archive materials dating back to its first year of operations in 2015, showing its culture of maintaining a healthy atmosphere for staff who are mostly Nigerian citizens.

The company last week came under heavy attacks on social media over allegation of unfair labour practices and unhealthy environment.

But in the statement signed

by Chief Counsel to Inner Galaxy Steel Company, Mr. Nnamdi Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe, the company, described the allegations as, “a deliberate fabrication, mischaracterisation and misinformation concocted by the operator of the said Twitter handle at the instance of those who engaged him for

the hatchet job.�

According to him, “There is no allegation that any such situation has existed in the previous years of the existence and operations of the company.�

It added, “With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide, individuals and companies were confronted with a situation of unprecedented crises the likes of which had not been witnessed by most people alive today and which no one predicted or planned for.

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

SEPTEMBER 2019 Money Supply (M3)

35,029,779.72

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

7,374,356.91

Money Supply (M2)

27,655,422.82

-- Quasi Money

116,533,891.21

-- Narrow Money (M1)

11,121,531.60

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,625,047.69

---- Demand Deposits

9,496,483.91

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

13,911,335.83

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

21,118,443.89

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

35,918,179.45

---- Credit to Government (Net)

10,452,199.38

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

11,007,422.79

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

25,465,980.07

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

-14,799,735.56

--Other Assets Net

7,000,253.07

Reserve Money (Base Money

2,005,600.83

--Currency in Circulation

4,677,530.81

--Banks Reserves

317,121.43

Ëž Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? Ě‹

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

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

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE Ëœ ÍŻÍľ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $44.94 a barrel on Monday, compared with $44.62 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 Ëž ÍŻÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

Neimeth Nine Month Profit Rises by 665% to N237.6m Goddy Egene Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc continued its impressive growth trajectory in the third quarter as it recorded a growth of 665 per cent for the nine months ended June 30, 2020.

Its turnover rose to N2.01 billion in third quarter 2020 as against N1.41 billion recorded in comparable period of 2019, while gross crossed the landmark of a

billion naira to N1.10 billion, up from N646.05 million posted in the corresponding period of 2019.

Profit after tax soared by 665 per cent to N237.63 million by June 2020 as against N31.07 million recorded in corresponding period of 2019.

The report indicated earnings per share of 13 kobo in 2020, showing a jump from 2.0 kobo in comparable period of 2019.

Market operators said the sub-

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

stantial increase in distributable earnings places Neimeth in good stead for dividend payment, after shareholders at their annual general meeting in March 2020 approved a balance sheet restructuring that is expected to wipe out accumulated losses and prime the company for dividend payment from net profit.

Commenting on the results, Managing Director/CEO, Neimeth International Phar-

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

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

maceuticals Plc, Matthew Azoji, said the growth indicates the company’s growth strategies are resilient and have continued to gain traction.

According to him, the nine results lent credence to improving positive impact from the company’s medium-term strategic growth plan as it strives to open additional markets while consolidating its major domestic market.

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

“These nine-month results are clear indications of the directions we want to go. We are growing our domestic market while opening up the export market, giving us the top-line diversification that we need to sustain growth despite the vagaries. Improving margins across our major business lines of pharmaceuticals and animal health are pointers to the general operating efficiency as we seek

O F

the best blend of strategies to grow our business as well as shareholders’ value,� Azoji said.

He outlined that the company would implement major expansionary initiatives including upgrade of existing factory and development of new manufacturing facilities in line with the overall strategy to become the manufacturing hub for pharmaceuticals and healthcare products in Sub-Saharan Africa.

1 8 / 0 8 / 2 0 2 0 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

26

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19, 2020 •T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19, 2020 •T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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30

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍˇËœ 2020

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

IFAD to Empower 1.7m Farmers in Nigeria, Others Oluchi Chibuzor About 1.7 million small-scale farmers in Nigeria, Kenya and Pakistan will soon receive personalised agricultural advice through their mobile phones as a means to improve their incomes, food security and resilience to economic shocks caused by COVID-19, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has disclosed.

According to a statement, the initiative is one of the 11 proposals to receive initial funding under IFAD’s Rural Poor Stimulus Facility (RPSF), comes as a result of a new partnership between IFAD and Precision Agriculture for Development (PAD), a global non-

profit organisation co-founded by Nobel Prize winning economist Michael Kremer.

It pointed out that using mobile phone technology, farmers would receive low-cost, customised advice to improve on-farm practices, input utilisation, pest and disease management, environmental sustainability and access to markets.

IFAD’s RPSF, which was launched recently by IFAD’s UN Goodwill Ambassadors, the actor and humanitarian Idris Elba and the model and activist Sabrina Dhowre Elba, aims to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the livelihoods and food security of rural poor people. “Funding for these first 11

initiatives, amounting to $11.2 million from the RPSF plus $5.2 million in co-financing mainly from governments and implementing partners, will benefit an estimated 6.7 million small-scale farmers in developing countries who are adversely impacted by the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Among the proposals financed are two regionally focused initiatives in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa that will provide emergency livelihood support through local farmers’ organisations, and eight countrylevel initiatives in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Nepal, Nigeria, Palestine and Rwanda.

Prudential Zenith Life Donates $100,000 to Slum2School Africa Prudential Zenith Life Insurance has donated $100,000 to Slum2School Africa to help combat the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education in disadvantaged communities in Nigeria.

The donation was made through a corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund from the Prudence Foundation, the community investment arm of Prudential Plc in Asia and Africa.

Slum2School Africa is a volunteer-driven developmental organisation, transforming society by empowering underprivileged children in slums and remote communities with quality education, entrepreneurial skills and psychosocial support to enable them to realise their full potential and become social reformers.

Speaking during the presentation of the cheque, a statement quoted the Managing Director/ CEO, Prudential Zenith Life Insurance Limited, Mr. Chuks Igumbor, to have said: “Our contribution to Slum2School’s activities demonstrates our corporate social responsibility action plan which is targeted towards communities most in need of the support we provide.�

He noted further that, “the coronavirus pandemic has impacted all aspects of our lives including the education sector, with a steep widening of education inequality as children and youths from underprivileged communities are unable to access the learning materials that students from affluent backgrounds are able to access.

“The strategic partnership between Prudential Zenith Life and Slum2School, therefore, aims to bridge this gap and engage learners from Nursery to Senior Secondary School across twenty slums and communities in Lagos State.�

The $100,000 donation would be used to procure 300 tablets with internet connections, 34 laptops for Slum2School facilitators, 34 whiteboards, markers and board eraser sets, state-of-the-art learning studio for 50-90 pupils per session, stationery for students, as well as learning programs and software.

In addition to the cash donation, relief foodstuff was also provided to less privileged families within the identified communities to assist in these trying times.

Wapic Grows Half-year Profit by 58% Ebere Nwoji Wapic Insurance Plc said it grew its underwriting profit in the first half of 2020 by 58 per cent to N1.99 billion in 2020, up from the N1.26 billion recorded in the comparable period in 2019.

Also, the insurer recorded profit before tax of N825 million in the period under review, representing a year-on-year growth of 106 per cent.

Announcing its unaudited financial statement for the first half of 2020, Wapic said key drivers of the result for the period under review included the increases recorded in underwriting profit and total investment and

other income within the period. “Gross Written Premium of N9.3 billion, an eight per cent growth compared to same period in 2019. We sustained this consistent growth in premium by the attainment of leadership status on some major accounts and enhanced underwriting capabilities. “Wapic has paid a total of N1.6 billion in Gross claims for the year. The Gross claims to GWP ratio closed at 17 per cent as at half year 2020, a reduction when compared with the 28 per cent recorded in first half of 2019,� it stated. Commenting on the results, Wapic Insurance Managing Director, Yinka Adekoya, noted that the growth in premium income,

fees and commission income and decrease in claims’ expense during the review period had a positive impact on the performance.

She said the gross written premium for the Ghanaian subsidiary grew by nine per cent to N619 million, from the N571 million recorded in the prior year, adding that net claims incurred for the period was N246 million, which was a sligh increase as against the N237 million recorded in the comparable period in 2019. “The subsidiary closed with an N87 million in profit before tax for the period, Gross Written Premium for the Life subsidiary increased by 41 per cent to N2,596 billion from N1,839billion in the same period in 2019.�

Chinese Steel Company Denies Allegation of Poor Working Conditions The Inner Galaxy Steel Company Limited has refuted allegations of running a “modern day slave camp� in its facility at Umuahala, Obuzor Asa, Ukwa West LGA, Abia State.

The company in a statement yesterday, said it has produced a series of documentary evidence by way of photographs and archive materials dating back to its first year of operations in 2015, showing its culture of maintaining a healthy atmosphere for staff who are mostly Nigerian citizens.

The company last week came under heavy attacks on social media over allegation of unfair labour practices and unhealthy environment.

But in the statement signed

by Chief Counsel to Inner Galaxy Steel Company, Mr. Nnamdi Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe, the company, described the allegations as, “a deliberate fabrication, mischaracterisation and misinformation concocted by the operator of the said Twitter handle at the instance of those who engaged him for

the hatchet job.�

According to him, “There is no allegation that any such situation has existed in the previous years of the existence and operations of the company.�

It added, “With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide, individuals and companies were confronted with a situation of unprecedented crises the likes of which had not been witnessed by most people alive today and which no one predicted or planned for.

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

SEPTEMBER 2019 Money Supply (M3)

35,029,779.72

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

7,374,356.91

Money Supply (M2)

27,655,422.82

-- Quasi Money

116,533,891.21

-- Narrow Money (M1)

11,121,531.60

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,625,047.69

---- Demand Deposits

9,496,483.91

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

13,911,335.83

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

21,118,443.89

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

35,918,179.45

---- Credit to Government (Net)

10,452,199.38

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

11,007,422.79

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

25,465,980.07

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

-14,799,735.56

--Other Assets Net

7,000,253.07

Reserve Money (Base Money

2,005,600.83

--Currency in Circulation

4,677,530.81

--Banks Reserves

317,121.43

Ëž Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? Ě‹

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

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

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE Ëœ ÍŻÍľ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $44.94 a barrel on Monday, compared with $44.62 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

31

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

Neimeth Nine Month Profit Rises by 665% to N237.6m Goddy Egene Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc continued its impressive growth trajectory in the third quarter as it recorded a growth of 665 per cent for the nine months ended June 30, 2020.

Its turnover rose to N2.01 billion in third quarter 2020 as against N1.41 billion recorded in comparable period of 2019, while gross crossed the landmark of a

billion naira to N1.10 billion, up from N646.05 million posted in the corresponding period of 2019.

Profit after tax soared by 665 per cent to N237.63 million by June 2020 as against N31.07 million recorded in corresponding period of 2019.

The report indicated earnings per share of 13 kobo in 2020, showing a jump from 2.0 kobo in comparable period of 2019.

Market operators said the sub-

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

stantial increase in distributable earnings places Neimeth in good stead for dividend payment, after shareholders at their annual general meeting in March 2020 approved a balance sheet restructuring that is expected to wipe out accumulated losses and prime the company for dividend payment from net profit.

Commenting on the results, Managing Director/CEO, Neimeth International Phar-

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

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

maceuticals Plc, Matthew Azoji, said the growth indicates the company’s growth strategies are resilient and have continued to gain traction.

According to him, the nine results lent credence to improving positive impact from the company’s medium-term strategic growth plan as it strives to open additional markets while consolidating its major domestic market.

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

“These nine-month results are clear indications of the directions we want to go. We are growing our domestic market while opening up the export market, giving us the top-line diversification that we need to sustain growth despite the vagaries. Improving margins across our major business lines of pharmaceuticals and animal health are pointers to the general operating efficiency as we seek

O F

the best blend of strategies to grow our business as well as shareholders’ value,� Azoji said.

He outlined that the company would implement major expansionary initiatives including upgrade of existing factory and development of new manufacturing facilities in line with the overall strategy to become the manufacturing hub for pharmaceuticals and healthcare products in Sub-Saharan Africa.

1 8 / 0 8 / 2 0 2 0 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

32

WEDNESDAY, ͹΁˜ ͺ͸ͺ͸ ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

SEC DG, Yuguda, Hosts First CMC Meeting Goddy Egene

Commission (SEC) will host 2020 from Thursday August April 2020 was put off owing following the outbreak of the first Capital Market 20 to Friday August 21, 2020. to the lockdown imposed the COVID-19.

Due to established protocols The Securities and Exchange Committee (CMC) meeting in The CMC meeting planned for by the federal government A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an ETF are bought by investors.

Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager. investment vehicle that allows both small and Bid Price: The price at which Investors Investors with similar objectives buy units of the large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg. redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total that willl generate their desired return. investments. The assets are divided into shares that return an investor would have earned on An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. his investment. Money Market Funds report of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, Yield while others report Year- to-date Total bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, GUIDE TO DATA: Return. etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 17- NAV: Is value per share of the real estate shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the Aug-2020, unless otherwise stated. assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

on COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting will hold virtually with key stakeholders.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 122.94 124.09 -17.02% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 2.20% Nigeria International Debt Fund 359.22 359.22 23.40% ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.92 0.93 1.88% ACAP Income Funds 0.78 0.78 10.11% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.85% AIICO Balanced Fund 2.99 3.07 21.80% ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@anchoriaam.com Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 6.38% Anchoria Equity Fund 98.58 98.92 -3.40% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.27 1.27 10.24% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 14.36 14.79 -6.25% ARM Discovery Fund 339.62 349.86 -1.68% ARM Ethical Fund 30.37 31.29 4.44% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.15 1.16 15.35% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.08 1.09 8.45% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 4.50% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 96.64 97.32 0.59% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 4.72% CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 2.13 2.13 16.90% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 1.84 1.86 3.98% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.41% Paramount Equity Fund 11.20 11.41 -10.49% Women's Investment Fund 110.15 111.10 -0.25% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 4.87% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 104.54 104.87 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 108.77 109.07 Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 102.43 102.43 CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 3.49% Coronation Balanced Fund 0.95 0.96 2.48% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.55 1.55 16.93% EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A N/A N/A N/A EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B N/A N/A N/A EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,393.21 1,394.75 14.18% FBN Balanced Fund 151.47 152.64 3.17% FBN Halal Fund 107.11 107.13 7.11% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 4.50% . . .

FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 119.59 120.05 2.99% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 115.53 117.35 -11.22% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy USD Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund 3,116.59 3,150.68 2.49% Coral Income Fund 3,184.37 3,184.37 3.53% FSDH Treasury Bills Fund 100.00 100.00 4.39% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria Entertainment Fund N/A N/A N/A

GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gdl.com.ng Web: www.gdl.com.ng ; Tel: +234 9055691122 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn GDL Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 4.06% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.28 2.32 4.16% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 8.46% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 149.29 150.03 4.15% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.25 1.27 7.08% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,128.55 1,128.55 6.62% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Meristem Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.38 1.41 13.10% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.91 11.98 5.76% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 3.97% PACAM Equity Fund 1.00 1.01 PACAM EuroBond Fund 107.63 110.14 SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 118.00 120.05 -4.59% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.01 1.01 6.08% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 2,521.35 2,532.80 2.80% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 210.33 210.33 0.85% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.88 0.89 2.87% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 273.87 273.95 1.05% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 154.92 156.64 2.25% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 4.24% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,674.15 7,756.30 0.45% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.16 1.16 0.66% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 118.18 118.18 0.00% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.15 1.17 -3.60% United Capital Bond Fund 1.84 1.84 6.43% United Capital Equity Fund 0.65 0.67 -6.97% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 4.92% United Capital Eurobond Fund 114.00 114.00 4.34% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.02 1.03 -2.35% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 10.28 10.39 -0.02% Zenith Ethical Fund 11.65 11.71 0.02% Zenith Income Fund 24.51 24.51 10.07% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 3.89%

REITS NAV Per Share

Fund Name SFS Skye Shelter Fund

Yield / T-Rtn

117.35

4.66%

53.40

2.59%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

9.04 85.79 66.65

9.14 87.60 67.85

3.80% 0.94% 0.98%

Union Homes REIT

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

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

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

3.04 4.13 11.86 N/A 11.03 184.84

3.08 4.21 11.96 N/A 11.23 186.84

-14.40% -29.93% -2.20% N/A 6.06% -1.81%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

108.03

15.02%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

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

33

WEDNESDAY, ͹΁˜ ͺ͸ͺ͸ ˾ T H I S D AY

PAGE THIRTY THREE CBN: N1.66BN CASES TREATED UNDER NEW DEBT RECOVERY INITIATIVE Loans and Global Standing Instruction Policy: Impact and Insight for Financial Stability,’ that the implementation of the policy in the first nine days in August led to the recovery of N50 million.

Amugo, in his keynote address during the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) third advocacy dialogue, added that the level of recovery would grow significantly when corporate accounts and other deposit financial institutions are included in the GSI protocol.

Amugo said: “This recovery today may appear small but it is not little because it will grow when we include corporate accounts.

“What we have done is the first tranche of the GSI policy, which is limited to individual accounts.

We will soon release the operational guidelines that will extend it to corporate accounts. Then the level of recovery will be quite huge.”

He added that from the

recovery so far recorded, loan recovery under the GSI might not be 100 per cent.

He said: “But the good thing about it is that there are no hiding places any longer for the predatory borrowers. Wherever their accounts are, as long as they are in the banking system, they are open to being accessed if they have defaulted on their loan obligations with their banks.

“The GSI only mirrors what we have in banks’ loans documentation records and enables a bank in the case of loan default to aggregate all the accounts of the customer in other banks that are not loan accounts to be able to offset the debt of the customer to it.

“But in doing this, we provided safeguards so that the operators will not be reckless in recovering their debts. So that at the end of the day there will be integrity in the system.”

He explained that the mandate to trigger an account must be initiated by the lending bank only on non-performing

accounts that must have been existing in the CRMS for a minimum of 90 days in line with the prudential guideline classification. “It is only the loan amount and the accrued interest that will be triggered without including the charges,” he added.

Other participants in the policy dialogue that were drawn from the organised private sector, the legal system and operators of the Nigerian financial system, described the GSI policy of the CBN as a welcome development that would boost availability of credit facilities for the growth of the Nigerian economy.

The President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Mr. Bayo Olugbemi, noted that the scourge of bad loans has been a long-standing menace to the Nigerian banking sector and described the introduction of the GSI as a new dawn in credit management and debt recovery process in our clime.

Olugbemi said: “The

issues of NPLs, particularly those emanating from the attitude of serial and unrepentant debtors will be more efficiently resolved as a result of this policy because a lot of these debtors move like herdsmen from one bank to the other leaving bad debts in their trail.

“Let me at this junction state that the CIBN is fully in support of the GSI policy, which will not only enhance the loan recovery process and financial system stability but also promote economic prosperity because when borrowers repay their loans funds will be made available for others to encourage shared prosperity.

“We needed to curb the cake sharing culture mentality of people that take loan and not use the money for specifically what it was meant for. The theme of this series is very apt in view of the experiences in the Nigerian financial system.”

Also, the President of the Nigerian Association

of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mrs. Saratu Aliyu, who was represented by Mrs. Margaret Orakwusi, commended the CBN for introducing the GSI policy, which will improve credit repayment culture and reduce the volume of NPLs in the Nigerian banking system by watchlisting chronic loan defaulters in the system.

Aliyu said: “As the voice of the Nigerian businesses, the NACCIMA is of the opinion that the GSI policy has the capacity to promote a stable financial system and enhance loan recovery across the Nigerian banking system.

“The objective of the GSI may not be achieved if it is limited to personal accounts given that majority of bad debts in Nigeria, according to reports, are corporate loans rather than individual loans.”

The NACCIMA, however, noted that the guideline did not provide for sanctions against banks that might wrongly debit customers'

accounts under the GSI. The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the First Bank of Nigeria (FBN), Mr. Adesola Adeduntan, who was represented by the Chief Credit Officer of the FBN, Mr. Olusegun Alebiosu, said the introduction of GSI was a relief to the banking sector because it provided a coordinated approach to addressing the NPLs’ issues in the industry.

“You will agree with me, that bank failure is not ordained but result from the negative behaviour that we have in our environment.

So, it is important that the GSI will deliver. About N50 million has been recovered and I am sure that after one year the number of recoveries will increase as the SMEs and corporates come in.

“It cannot discourage depositing money with the bank. You can keep N10,000 under your pillow but you cannot keep N100 million or more, otherwise armed robbers will visit you more than the banks would,” Adeduntan said.

sharp practices as witnessed in the COVID-19 palliative distribution?''

The lawmakers demanded more transparency and consultation in the implementation of the 774,000 public works jobs.

They also charged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately order a review of the implementation process to ensure that the targeted citizens benefited from the programme as intended.

government.”

On what the move by the opposition lawmakers portend for the successful implementation of the job creation programme, Keyamo said: "It wasn't their right but a mere privilege.”

Also reacting to criticism

by PDP over the selection process of 774,000 unskilled jobs, the minister said: "It's just their normal sense of entitlement that they always had over the years that is worrying them. During their time, all social intervention programmes nobody heard about them.

“This is the first time that this government is making it multi-sectoral, with Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Muslims, market women are there.

"They should tell me just one PDP administration's programme that involves all segments of the society; not one.”

RENEWED WAR OVER 774,000 PUBLIC WORKS JOBS AS N’ASSEMBLY RE JECTS SLOTS the lack of transparency in the programme where a minister has hijacked the programme for his own purposes."

He cited the earlier decision of the upper legislative chamber not to be part of the controversial public works scheme, saying: "The Senate of the National Assembly agreed that it will not participate in the programme as vehemently promoted without due process by Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr. Festus Keyamo."

But Keyamo in his response yesterday told THISDAY that the rejection of the slots was irrelevant since their constituents would still benefit from the initiative.

Abaribe, however, explained that based on the earlier position of the National Assembly on the

issue, the federal legislators will reject the various slots already allocated to them in their respective senatorial districts and constituencies.

"In states, they have been approaching lawmakers and offering them 30 slots for senators," he said.

The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives also rejected the 30 slots allotted to each member of the House for their respective local government areas within their constituencies in the scheme.

The House Minority Leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, in a statement issued yesterday, described the allotment of 30 out of the 1,000 slots per local government area as grossly unfair and unacceptable by the lawmakers.

The caucus demanded more transparency and a review of the criteria being

used for the allotment, which it alleged to favour certain interests in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Elumelu said the 30 persons’ allotment to be supervised by a member in each of the local government areas, cannot by any criterion, said to be a true representation of the people they are mandated to represent.

He stated that the 774,000 jobs are meant for the people, adding that the people look up to the lawmakers as major channels through which they are reached for social and economic empowerment, a situation, which makes the 30 person, out of the 1,000 per local government, grossly inadequate.

He said: ''The 30 persons-allotment per local government for lawmakers is grossly

unfair, inadequate and unacceptable to Nigerians.

As the representatives of the people, we are closer to them and they directly interact with us, irrespective of religion, class and political affiliations.

“All Nigerians living in our constituencies are our constituents, irrespective of political leanings. We have a responsibility to protect their interests at all times.

As such lawmakers ought to have been carried along on the allotment. ''Moreover, the questions are: what criterion is being used in the job allotments?

Given the 30 persons out of the 1,000 per local government area allotted to federal lawmakers, what happens to the remaining 970? What answers do we give Nigerians? How do we ensure that the programme benefits Nigerians and not enmeshed in allegations of

It’s of No Consequence, Says Keyamo However, Keyamo told THISDAY yesterday that the rejection of the slots was of no consequence.

He said: "It’s the PDP caucus in the House of Representatives but that is irrelevant because their constituents will still get the jobs. It's 1,000 per local

AGAIN, OBASEKI, IZE-IYAMU TRADE BLAME OVER THREAT OF VIOLENCE However, Obaseki pushed back, saying only the APC will benefit from crisis because it knows that with 80 per cent of the Edo electorate behind him, the national ruling party has no chance to win in a free and fair election in the state.

But amid the recriminations between the two leading contenders, Rivers State Governor and Chairman of the PDP Campaign Council in Edo State, Mr. Nyesom Wike, has called on the federal government to stop the APC from perpetrating violence.

Ize-Iyamu said the violence had been a oneway traffic, alleging that PDP thugs were hell-bent on intimidating voters to vote for Obaseki.

He said: “APC is committed to a non-violent process. If you will recall, we applied to use the Sam Ogbemudia Stadium for our flag-off, but the governor ignored our letter. We had to use the University of Benin Sports Complex. We

didn’t raise issues because we want peace. There was no issue of violence that day. We also toured the 18 local government areas and there was no single violence.

“The incident at the Oba’s palace has nothing to do with APC. The local people were there to celebrate the birth of a new prince when they saw the governor and his entourage driving in.

This led to the booing because they obviously were displeased by his leadership. As a response, the governor’s people opened fire and injured several of these locals.

“Anybody who holds public office and doesn’t deliver on promises must be ready to face displeasure from the people, and booing is one of the means of showing displeasure.”

The APC candidate added: “To have shot at the people is unfortunate.

None of these people shot at the governor’s entourage.

It was the other way. If you look at the bullets extracted

from those wounded, you will see they were pellets, which means they were shot with pump action rifles, which are not normally assigned to the police.

The shootings were from the governor’s thugs.”

Ize-Iyamu said the second incident, which occurred in Etsako West, was also caused by the PDP, adding that thugs invaded the communities when they realised residents did not come out for their rallies.

He accused the Deputy Governor, Hon. Phillip Shaibu, of orchestrating the violence at the rally, noting that at a point, he allegedly seized the phone of the police area commander videoing the incident.

“What Shaibu did not know was that, apart from the policewoman, other people at the rally also recorded. If they were the ones being shot at, they won’t prevent people from recording it because they would need evidence.

We sent the videos to the police and we are glad they

are investigating it. That recording exonerated APC. “The desperation of the PDP even led to the arrest of seven thugs with arms. But we have told our supporters not to retaliate,” he stated.

He said the same violent tendencies of the PDP led to the crisis in the House of Assembly, adding that the newly “inaugurated” 17 lawmakers were almost prevented from being inaugurated by thugs allegedly brought in by the governor to cause a crisis as well as to vandalise the assembly complex.

He said: “The governor supervised the destruction of the complex because these 17 lawmakers were coming in for inauguration. How can a governor destroy an assembly building just to prevent lawmakers who were elected by the people and recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from sitting? We are happy they went somewhere else for the inauguration. The deputy

clerk, the mace and the 14 elected lawmakers were all on the ground for the inauguration.

Now the governor is suddenly fighting 17 lawmakers. PDP has only seven lawmakers who can’t even form a quorum.”

On the different court cases against him, he said charges were frivolous and bogus, adding that the PDP is hell-bent on ensuring he doesn’t contest because it is anticipating defeat.

According to him, “The N700 million they said I took is laughable. I was never given any money. The PDP at the time wanted someone to verify that the money had come to the state. I and two other persons went to the leader’s house where the money was taken to.

It was disbursed to the 18 chairmen who signed for it. Not a kobo entered my account. When I was chief of staff, no one indicted me for stealing. So I can’t take money that is not mine.

Continued on page 34

TOP GAINERS UPL CORNERSTONE LASACO UNITEDCAP STERLBANK TOP LOSERS CONOIL ARDOVA OANDO

NGN NGN 0.11 1.22 0.05 0.58 0.02 0.30 0.10 3.20 0.03 1.18 NGN 1.65 15.25 1.35 12.60 0.24 2.24 FIDSON 0.21 3.79 JAPAUL 0.01 0.20 HPE Nestle Nig Plc ₦1,256.80 Volume: 271.002 million shares Value: N2.461 billion Deals: 3,693 As at yesterday 18/8/2020 See details on Page 31

% 9.9 9.4 7.4 3.2 2.6 % 9.7 9.6 9.6 5.2 4.7

34

WEDNESDAY, ͹΁˜ ͺ͸ͺ͸ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Importers Kick against Surcharge on Cargoes by Shipping Firms Charges economic sabotage, insensitive, says shippers’ council Ejiofor Alike Importers are currently groaning under a huge surcharge imposed on them by international shipping firms on cargoes coming into the country.

The surcharge, they stated, is adding to the high cost of doing business in Nigerian ports, especially given the challenges of infrastructure deficiency and cumbersome shipping process at the nation’s gateway.

For over nine months, a shipping firm- Hapag-Lloyd was said to have imposed a revised Peak Season Surcharge (PSS) on Tin Can Island and Apapa ports in Lagos.

It was gathered that Hapag-Lloyd imposed the PSS on all container types heading for Tin Can Island and Apapa ports.

Investigation revealed that about $1,025 surcharge is slammed on 20 feet (ft) and 40ft containers on cargoes coming from United States and US territories, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.

Charges from cargoes from the rest of the world are also pegged at $1,025 or EUR 930.

The charges are said to be different from the ocean tariff rates as well as bunker-related surcharges, security-related surcharges, terminal handling charges, among others, that shore up the cost of shipping in Nigeria.

Having commenced the charges from December 15, 2019, Hapag-Lloyd, according to its notice, is imposing the surcharge till further notice.

It was gathered that critical industries in Nigeria are already groaning under the new charges, lamenting that the high prices will affect profits, which have already taken a blow from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Chairman of Shippers Association Lagos State, Mr. Jonathan Nichol, bemoaned the shipping costs, expressing the group’s readiness to take it up with appropriate agencies.

Nichol said the surcharge could be linked to congestion at Lagos ports, adding,

AGAIN, OBASEKI, IZE-IYAMU TRADE BLAME “The PDP also went to Only APC Will court through the Action Benefit from Crisis, Democratic Party (ADP) Says Obaseki claiming my deputy has fake certificates. What it does not know is that we have learnt from the Bayelsa experience. We vetted our deputy. My lawyers also checked his results, and he was given a clean bill of health.”

On the allegation that APC was printing voter’s card, he said it was not in the character of the party to indulge in malpractices, adding that he has it on good authority that PDP was doing everything to hijack or buy voter’s cards.

On the rumours that he stole his SIMPLE manifesto from a former governorship aspirant, Dr. Don-Pedro Obaseki, he described it as laughable, adding that Don-Pedro is his younger cousin who used to come to him for political mentoring.

He added that along the line, he (Ize-Iyamu) told him about his SIMPLE agenda and how he intends to execute it in Edo. “One day, a friend sent me a video that Don-Pedro was on air in London, saying he was interested in Edo governorship and that his road map was the SIMPLE agenda. I immediately called him and he apologised. I told him a PhD holder shouldn’t plagiarise other people’s work. I told him he must go back to the station, which is Ben TV, to put the record straight. To be fair, he went back and put the record straight, so I forgave him,” he explained.

Reacting to the claims by IzeIyamu and the 17 lawmakers, Obaseki, through his media aide, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said violence would benefit only the APC because it could not win in a free and fair election in the state.

“The 17 so-called lawmakers are not lawmakers. At a point, they were lawmakers-elect until their seats were declared vacant. So, whatever they are doing is inconsequential.

Nobody is plotting to attack them because violence in any way does not help us as a government. We are poised to win the election. So, it is them that crisis will favour.

They are plotting violence to disrupt the election," he said.

PDP Alleges Plot to Arrest Members Meanwhile, the National Campaign Council of the PDP for Edo Governorship Election has raised the alarm that its key members have been targeted for arrest ahead of the election.

The main opposition party alleged that during a discussion by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, and Oshiomhole, the former chairman of the ruling party called for the arrest of certain individuals ahead of the election.

PDP cited an alleged leaked video, where it claimed that Oshiomhole was

however, that it is uncalled for, considering the negative effect of COVID-19.

“We will certainly induce discussions on this with the Shippers Council,” he said.

He stressed the need to review the costs of shipping in Nigeria, noting that “importers hardly make a profit” due to excessive charges.

Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Shippers Council, Mr. Hassan Bello, described the charges as economic sabotage, saying the council is moving against the action of the shipping firm.

Bello said: “We are protesting against it vehemently. There was no notice to us and the shippers that the charge was imminent.

From our intelligence, these charges are over $1,000.

It is discriminatory. It is insensitive. Just when the Nigerian economy is recovering a little bit from the effect of COVID-19, it is insensitive for anybody to slam such charges of over $1,000 on Nigeria’s trade.

“It is discriminatory because it is not happening in Togo, Benin or Ghana, why should it be in Nigeria? We have written a strong letter to the shipping association of Nigeria and we also wrote to their principals overseas, because this is not a local charge.

“Why should Nigeria be the recovery ground for shipping companies? We have three lines of action on the internal level; we are going to call on the Union of Africa’s Shippers’ Council; Global Shippers’ Association and Global Shippers Forum.

“On the national level, we are rallying around the organised private sector. I am already in talks with Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). I will talk to the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria as well as big-time shippers like Dangote and Nigerian Breweries, among others.

“We should all come together and fight against this unnecessary charges. The charges are unilateral and arbitral and we are going to protest it because it is

economic sabotage. It goes deep into Nigeria’s economic recovery. It is against our resolve to recover from the effect of COVID-19.”

President of Importers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Kingsley Chikezie, said the importers were not happy about the additional charges.

According to him, at a time, they were complaining about the high cost of shipping at the ports.

Chikezie said many untoward practices were happening at the ports, including the issue of transfer charges among others and appealed to the authorities to ensure an urgent review of the charges.

However, some industrialists who were severely affected by the surcharge burden have urged the federal government to institute litigation against the erring shipping firm for operating against the rule of trade facilitation agenda of International Maritime Organisation (IMO) during the pandemic period.

The Managing Director of WellWaters Resources, Mr.

Ogunlade Olabisi, called on the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to intervene on the issue.

"I think there is a need for the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection to take up legal action against the shipping firm. After all, it is their responsibility to protect consumers in the country," he said.

A source in a major manufacturing firm, who preferred anonymity, described the agenda of the shipping firm as self-serving and profiteering, which is in contradiction of the trade facilitation rule.

Before now, CMA CGM and Maersk Shipping had earlier slammed a surcharge on Nigerian bound cargoes.

Notwithstanding the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, German container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd closed the first six months of this year with a profit. The group profit stood at $314 million in H1 2020, compared to $165 million seen in the corresponding period a year earlier.

"That is why I say character is an issue in this election; no matter what they promise to do under the pretence of having a simple political agenda.

"The question to ask is, this man who says he will execute this, who is he? Is he the man I can believe?

"Oshiomhole has said people know him wherever he goes because he fought godfatherism.

That is also why today people want to continue to fight godfatherism.

"Edo people are saying that after joining him to fight godfatherism yesterday, they will not allow him to become another godfather.”

yesterday, which was held after an executive session, the lawmakers condemned the continued siege on the House of Assembly Complex by people they described as hoodlums.

They said the development had compelled them to meet in a rented hall.

At yesterday’s plenary, their speaker, Hon Victor Edoror, set up 17 committees, to help in the smooth running of the House.

The member representing Uhumwonde Constituency, Hon. Washington Osifo, who spoke on the outcome of the plenary, alleged that there were plots to attack the members.

“Mr. Speaker, similar information got to us on June 18 last year and we ignored it because we thought these were our party members and they cannot harm us but a few hours after, we were attacked by thugs.

“The information available to us, Mr. Speaker is that these same people are planning to again attack us and we must not take this for granted again,” he stated.

Reacting, the speaker condemned the plot, saying that “democracy is a game of numbers and we have an absolute majority. We call on our colleagues who are on the other side to trace their steps back and join us.”

Edoror added that the clerk of the assembly whom he accused of aiding the other seven lawmakers loyal to Obaseki to meet has been suspended and would be investigated.

The lawmakers adjourned plenary till August 25.

OVER THREAT OF VIOLENCE heard asking Gambari, at the Presidential Villa, to order the arrests of certain individuals ahead of the governorship election. Addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja, the Secretary of the council, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said: "Nigerians were alarmed by the video in which Oshiomhole was seen emphatically urging the Chief of Staff to Mr. President on the need to clampdown on certain unnamed Nigerians to achieve political suppression and submission ahead of the Edo election.

"Our national campaign holds that the presence and involvement of the Chief of Staff to the President and the fact that the discussion held within the precincts of the Presidential Villa have made the presidency complicit and place a huge burden on President Muhammadu Buhari."

He said that there was anxiety in the public space that the discussion between Oshiomhole and Gambari as captured in the video is an extension of discussions that must have held behind closed doors in the Presidential Villa.

The video, he added, has validated earlier revelations of plots by Oshiomhole and Ize-Iyamu, to allegedly use security operatives to arrest innocent Nigerians, including traditional, faith-based and community leaders on trumped-up charges ahead of the Edo election.

Wike Asks FG to Take Threat of Violence Seriously

Meanwhile, Rivers State Governor, Wike, has called on the federal government to stop the APC in Edo State from perpetrating violence in the state.

Wike said on a television programme monitored in Port Harcourt yesterday that Ize-Iyamu knew he was no match for Obaseki.

According to him, the Edo APC is plotting violence that would lead to a constitutional crisis and suspension of the election.

He said: "Who is in a position to cause violence?

We have an advantage. We have a sitting governor who has done well and will continue to do well. So, why do we need to cause violence?

"They are so much desperate to take over power. Desperation can lead to violence. If you watch that video where Ize-Iyamu told those he called 'lions and tigers' of Edo to move from unit to unit, you will understand the level of violence they are planning.

"PDP is restraining itself.

We want a free and fair electoral contest. But APC does not want the election because they know they will lose."

Wike stated that character would determine who would be the next governor of Edo State.

According to him, "No progressive governor will support Ize-Iyamu because Adams Oshiomhole has already killed him with all the things he had said against him before, which have not been denied.

17 Edo Lawmakers Allege Plots to Attack Them The 17 factional lawmakers of Edo State House of Assembly yesterday held plenary in an unknown location and alleged that there were plots to attack them.

The lawmakers, who claimed to have sat amidst tight security, said they received two petitions.

The first petition was the alleged withdrawal of salaries and entitlements of elected councillors in the 18 local government areas over their refusal to defect to the PDP with Obaseki.

The second was the removal from office of the vice-chairman of Owan East LGA, which was referred to committees to investigate and report back in two weeks.

At the resumed sitting

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Presidency: Gambari, Oshiomhole Have No Plan to Arrest PDP Members Ejiofor Alike The Presidency yesterday described as patchwork of mischief makers, a trending short video clip, alleging that the Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari and a former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Adams Oshiomhole had hatched a plan to arrest opposition members ahead of Edo governorship election.

The video went viral barely 24

hours after Oshiomhole’s visit to the Presidential Villa on Monday.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement in Abuja yesterday described the video clip as the handiwork of misguided elements.

“It is very important to strongly dispel misguided messaging amongst commentators, rights activists, advocates and journalists who have been reacting to a

trending short video clip, alleging that the Chief of Staff, Prof.

Ibrahim Gambari and Adams Oshiomhole, the former All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman had hatched a plan to arrest opposition individuals ahead of the September election in Edo. ”Firstly, it is important to state that the video was an ingenious patchwork of mischief, extracted

from an innocent conversation focused on the emerging incidents of violence in the run up to the election. ”It is equally a fact that various political parties campaigning in Edo have levelled accusations of violence against one another. ”In such a heightened state of uncertainty, responsible leadership must ensure that elections are conducted in a peaceful manner

and if warranted, judicious use of law enforcement to protect lives and properties of citizens is mobilised thus preventing criminal elements from subverting the democratic process. ”This message has consistently been repeated by Mr President. ”He does not support violence of any sort and its propagators will be brought to justice. Elections must reflect the will of the people,” he

said.

Shehu maintained that both Gambari and Oshiomhole have a history and track record of working to protect the rights of Nigerians and humanity of all walks of life, especially the poor and marginalised.

According to the presidential aide, Gambari and Oshiomhole will never be found encouraging any conduct that runs counter to these values.

Again, Jonathan Meets Buhari over Malian Crisis Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja received a briefing from his immediate predecessor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, on the Malian crisis at the State House, Abuja.

A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said Jonathan, who is ECOWAS Special Envoy to the Republic of Mali, briefed Buhari on the political crisis in the West African country, as parts of efforts being made by West African leaders to restore stability to the country.

He recalled that Buhari and four other ECOWAS leaders had visited Bamako, Mali, in July, after which they held a virtual extraordinary summit of the sub-regional body.

Adesina said Jonathan, who was in Mali from Monday to Thursday, last week, recalled details of his meetings with stakeholders, including political and religious leaders, Ambassadors of the United States, France, Russia, Germany, European Union, and other important personalities key to peace and cohesion in the country.

He said Jonathan told Buhari that the main opposition group, M5, continued to insist on the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita as a catalyst to peace in the country.

According to Adesina, M5’s position is unacceptable to the regional body, which has insisted on only a change of power through a democratic Special Envoy on Malian Crisis and former President Goodluck Jonathan (left), and President Muhammadu Buhari, during an audience with process.

TROUBLED OVER MALIAN CRISIS... the president on the crisis at the State House, Abuja... yesterday

Nigeria’s COVID-19 Cases Rise By 410 to 49,895 Martins Ifijeh Nigeria has recorded 410 new cases of COVID-19, bringing to 49,895 the number of confirmed cases in the country.

It has also recorded four more COVID-19- related deaths within the last 24 hours, raising the tally from 977 to 981 in a single day.

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

recorded 210 new cases; Federal Capital Territory (FCT), 45; Ondo, 30; Plateau, 21; Edo, 19; Ogun, 16; Oyo, 13; Nasarawa, 12; Bauchi, 11; Enugu, 10; Kwara, seven; Kaduna, six; Anambra, four; Ebonyi, three; Abia, two; while Rivers recorded one case.

It said: “Nigeria had so far recorded 49,895 confirmed cases of COVID-19. 37,051 patients have been discharged, while 981persons have died.”

Magu: Presidential Panel Seeks Extension of Time Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

There are indications that the presidency may have extended the period of sitting of the Justice Ayo Salami-led panel investigating the activities of the suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to enable it conclude pending matters before submission of an interim report as required by the instrument setting up the panel.

The panel was due to submit an interim report to President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday but could not do so having sought more time to conclude proceedings and submit a final report.

Magu, it was learnt, has not presented his defence to the 22-point allegation levelled against him by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami.

With the expiration of the initial 45 days allowed before the submission of the interim

report yesterday, the panel may have deferred to the demands of Magu’s legal team that it would be unjust for the panel to entertain witnesses testifying against Magu without according him fair trial.

His lawyers were also said to have kicked against the panel submitting an interim report without his input.

Magu has neither been served a copy of the allegations against him nor allowed to present his defence.

A source close to the panel told THISDAY that the panel sat yesterday and would continue today.

“If they sought an extension, then they got it because they sat today (yesterday) and they will continue tommorow (today). They can’t submit a report because there are pending issues,” he said.

Magu’s lead Counsel, Mr Wahab Shittu, also rejected speculations that claimed that the interim report of the panel indicted his client.

Obasanjo: Carrington Leaked Information of My Arrest By Abacha Ejiofor Alike Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that the late former American Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Walter Carrington, leaked the information of his pending arrest by late head of state, Gen. Sani Abacha (rtd.), in 1995 to him and also offered him assylum.

The former president made this revelation in a condolence letter to the wife of the late Ambassador, Mrs. Arese Carrington, which was made available to journalists yesterday his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Kehinde Akinyemi, in Abeokuta.

Obasanjo said he was offered political asylum in the United States of America during his

trip to Copenhagen to attend the World Social Summit as Human Development Ambassador of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Hesaid heturneddowntheasylum offer despite its tempting and assuring nature.

Obasanjo also disclosed that Carrington helped in facilitating the move to democratic rule in the country.

He said the former USAmbassador had met Nigeria under the military rule, which had run consecutively for over a decade and bred a culture of arbitrariness,flagrant abuse of human rights and disdain for the rule of law all of which relegated the country to the unenviable league of pariah status in the comity of nations.

“Carrington was one of the responsible, matured and respected

voices to take Nigeria out of the unwholesome situation it had found itself – permanently in crisis, regularly threatened with disintegration, prolongingly devoid of democracy, and economically plundered and mismanaged.

“Indeed, I recall, sometime in 1995, that on one of my trips to Copenhagen to attend World Social Summit as Human Development Ambassador of the United Nations Development Programme, I received the most touching of the warnings, pieces of advice and offers to me from Amb. Carrington.

“He called me in Copenhagen and told me categorically that I was going to be arrested on returning home and, therefore, advised me not to return home.

“But he did not stop it there; he offered me political asylum by his government in the US. That was both touching and assuring, but I decided that, tempting and assuring as the offer was, I would not take it. I came back and was arrested and imprisoned

by Abacha. No doubt, his generous assistance to my family while I was a political prisoner makes me forever indebted to him.

“When I was in prison, he was one of the few foreign Ambassadors who regularly visited my wife to encourage her and to find out how I was doing in prison. I can proudly say he was a true friend and brother”.

He expressed sadness over the death of Carrington.

ASUU Unveils UTAS as Alternative to IPPIS Rejects removal of UNILAG VC Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has revealed that the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), which it developed as an alternative to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) is ready for integrity tests.

The union further disclosed that the software for UTAS was unveiled and demonstrated to the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, and senior management staff of the Ministry of Education, including the Executive Secretary of the National

Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdulrasheed Abubakar, on Monday.

ASUU has also rejected the removal of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) by the Governing Council of the institution because due process was not followed.

The ASUU President, Prof.

Biodun Ogunyemi, noted that the governing council’s spirited efforts to defend the indefensible were clear indication that there is more to the story.

Ogunyemi noted that some Senior Advocates of Nigeria, including professors from the

(UNILAG) Faculty of Law, have stated that the council goofed because the due process as required by the universities’ Miscellaneous Provisions Amendment Act, 2004, was not followed.”

He added: “The ASUU fully supports the UNILAG Senate’s rejection of Dr. Wake Babalakin-led Governing Council’s ill-informed decision to remove the Vice Chancellor.

“We call on Mr. President, as Visitor to the UNILAG, to immediately constitute a Special Visitation Panel to look into the immediate and remote causes

of the events that led to the purported removal of Professor Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe as the Vice Chancellor of UNILAG with a view to bringing all those found culpable to book.”

The union said that it had fulfilled the requirement of the government by successfully developing the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, (UTAS), which was developed by the ASUU as an alternative to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), and is ready to test run payment system.

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NLC Alleges Plot to Clamp down on Govt’s Critics Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has raised the alarm over what it described as orchestrated plan to discourage progressive and patriotic voices speaking out against rising insecurity in the country.

The congress said even the blind know that the resurgence of insecurity in the country has taken very extreme dimensions.

It lamented that many communities in the North-east and North-west geo-political zones in Nigeria have been deserted owing to the prevailing insecurity ravaging the regions.

According to NLC, “The lives of our fellow compatriots, many of whom are workers, have been turned into a living hell due to the protracted security challenges in the country. So many lives,

families, dreams and prospects have been torn apart, and many people have been inflicted with scars that may never heal throughout their life time. Still some people want Nigerians to be quiet. No way, that won’t happen.”

In a statement issued yesterday

by NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, the labour movement warned that it would not hesitate to expose those playing politics with the lives of ordinary Nigerians being wasted on a daily basis.

The NLC statement read: “It has come to the notice of the NLC that efforts are on by some faceless groups to politicise, discredit, discourage and demobilise credible, progressive and patriotic voices speaking out courageously on the rising insecurity across the country.

“We once again call on the

president to rejig the security apparatus in the country. We need to try new tactics and new capable hands. Enough of the bloodshed already! We refuse to be reduced to a land of blood, tears, misery, fears and pains. Nigerians will not be cowed!”

NLC said the Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum, and other well-meaning Nigerians had recently come under scathing attacks by “hired gongs and masked town criers whose penchant is to play the ostrich on behalf of their sponsors while

Rome burns.”

The labour body also said there have been reports of statements purportedly issued by the military high command warning state governors against criticising the military over its handling of the resurgence of insecurity all over

the country.

It stated that if it is true that such statements truly emanated from an institution that is supposed to be under the sovereignty of the people as reposed on elected democratic leadership at all levels, “then it is quite unfortunate.

Lagos Police Arrest 50 Suspects for Rape, Defilement, Domestic CONDOLENCE VISIT...

L-R: Acting Managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr. Oladele Ojo; Protocol Officer, NAN, Mr. Lawal Sale; former Chief Press Violence Secretary to the late President Shehu Shagari, Malam Abba Dabo; representative of the deceased’s family, Sen. Ibrahim Ida; and Senior A total of 50 suspects have been arrested for rape, defilement, and domestic violence in various parts of Lagos State.

The Commissioner of Police in Lagos, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu, disclosed this to reporters yesterday at the Police Headquarters in Ikeja.

He made the disclosure while giving an update on the successes recorded by personnel of the Lagos State Police Command in the last one month.

Odumosu, who said the suspects were arrested in the last one month, gave the breakdown of the figure according to the crimes committed.

He said, “It is worthy to note that 29 suspects were arrested for rape and defilement; 21 suspects were arrested for domestic violence.”

The police commissioner noted that two suspects were also arrested for child abuse while scores of others were apprehended for various crimes in the state.

According to him, 27 armed robbery suspects and 15 traffic robbery suspects were arrested

within the last one month.

Odumosu added that the police successfully foiled 22 traffic robbery attempts while two armed robbery suspects died during the exchange of fire with security operatives.

On cultism, he said, ”We arrested 39 suspects for cultism and have successfully prevented the annual 7/7 and 8/8 celebrations by the cultists.”

“Four suspects were arrested for kidnapping and 19 suspects were arrested for murder. The Command prevented seven suicide attempts. All the suspects were charged to court,” the police commissioner stated.

He revealed that the police recovered 10 assorted firearms with lots of ammunition of different calibre, cutlasses, axes, and other dangerous weapons and charms from the suspects.

Odumosu, who said the police also recovered three stolen vehicles, believes the command has successfully nipped in the bud the menace of kidnapping in Lagos, especially on the waterways.

Detained Lawyer Gets Bail after Six Months in DSS Custody Alex Enumah in Abuja A legal practitioner and social critic, Emperor Ogbonna, was yesterday admitted to bail by a Federal High Court after six months in detention by the Department of State Service (DSS).

Justice Taiwo Taiwo granted the applicant bail while ruling in a motion on notice argued by a foremost human rights activist, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) on his behalf.

Ozekhome had in the motion drawn the attention of Justice Taiwo to the fact that his client had been held unlawfully by the DSS since March 24, 2020.

The senior lawyer argued that the offence of the detained critic was his alleged criticism of certain policies of President Muhammadu Buhari and his conclusion that citizens may revolt due to alleged harsh living conditions unless the federal government provides remedy.

Ozekhome, while pleading that the detained lawyer be admitted to liberal bail conditions, said the fundamental rights of the detainee had been brutally breached with the six months detention.

He urged the court to invoke constitutional provisions which presume the applicant innocent until proven otherwise, so as to allow him go on bail.

While responding, the lawyer to the federal government, Isah Abubakar, opposed the bail on the grounds that the applicant will escape justice in view of the gravity of his alleged offence.

However, in a bench ruling, Justice Taiwo, agreed with Ozekhome that the law presumed the applicant innocent until found guilty by a competent court and that the fundamental rights of the applicant to freedom of liberty had been breached with his detention for more than the period prescribed by law.

Pastor of ECWA Goodness Church, Maitama, Rev. Jonah Samson, during a condolence visit to the family of the late Chairman of NAN Board, Malam Wada Maida, in Abuja... yesterday

Police Smash Gun-running Syndicate in Lagos ChiemelieEzeobi The Lagos State Police Command has smashed a local gun-running syndicate notorious for manufacturing pistols,AK47,sub-machineguns(SMG), revolvers and pump actions.

The suspects, 19-year-old Shapraku Umade, Moses Anzuur, and 20-year-old James Tsebee, were arrested at Jakande Estate in Lekki, after they were allegedly found with locally made pistols.

They were alleged to have brought the pistols to Lagos for sale to suspected armed robbers and cultists at N30, 000 each.

In his confession, Umade, who is a blacksmith, said he learnt gun fabrication skills in his community, where they were forced to defend themselves against killer herdsmen.

Umade, a native of Adipo in Benue State, said he learnt how to manufacture pistol, AK47, SMG, revolver and pump action guns

from a book he bought, adding that he started the trade with his late father when he was 15.

On his foray to Lagos to ply the trade of gun-running, Umade, who was paraded yesterday by the police, said he came in search of one Miyaki, who bought pistols from him in Adipo, but did not pay for them.

According to him, “I did not bring the guns to Lagos. I came to Lagos two weeks ago with my

brother, Moses (Anzuur) to look for Miyaki. Miyaki sometime ago, came to our community and collected the two guns for N30,000 each, but he did not pay.

“So, I needed the money because my wife is heavily pregnant. We called Miyaki on phone that I was coming for my money. It was Moses who borrowed me N20,000 in the hopes that once I collected the money from Miyaki, I will pay him back.

FG Arraigns Briton, Six Firms over P&ID Deal Alex Enumah in Abuja The federal government yesterday arraigned a British national, Mr. James Nolan before the Federal High Court, Abuja, over his alleged complicity in the failed gas deal between Nigeria and an Irish firm, Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) Limited.

Also arraigned were two others said to be at large - Adams Quinn and Niel Murray- alongside six

other firms.

With the failed deal entered in 2010, the Irish firm is threatening to seize Nigeria’s assets worth $9billion abroad.

The tribunal by a majority of 2 to 1 judgment in 2017 awarded the sum of $6.597 billion together with interest at the rate of seven per cent starting from 20 March 2013 until payment is made.

The seven per cent interest reflects what P&ID would have

paid to borrow the money or earned by investing the money in Nigeria.

Following Nigeria’s failure to pay the fine, the court on August 16, 2019, made an order enforcing the tribunal’s final award which now stands at about $9.6 billion.

In making this award, the court noted that the damages awarded were purely compensatory and not intended to punish the Nigerian

government.

The court also confirmed that there were no public policy grounds on which the award should not be enforced. This decision converts the arbitration award to a legal judgement.

Nigeria however appealed the ruling and the appeal is currently being heard by a London court, where Nigeria is claiming that the deal was fraudulently entered into.

Internet Fraud: EFCC Secures Conviction of FBI Suspect Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja has convicted and sentenced Abiona Akinyemi Festus to two years imprisonment over internet fraud.

The convict, who was prosecuted by the Ilorin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a two-count charge of internet fraud, was on wanted

list of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) of the United States Department of Justice.

The FBI, in a petition dated July 10, 2019 had appealed to the Ilorin zonal office of the EFCC to ensure Festus’ arrest and prosecution for his roles in multi-million naira international scam.

One of the charges read, “That you Abiona Akinyemi Festus (Ella Jones), sometime between January 2011- May 2016 at Lagos within the

jurisdiction of this honourable court by means of fraudulent trick used the email address ellajones05@yahoo.com to bypass online security and obtained the sum of N5, 950, 000 only from retirement accounts, held by an insurance company for public workers in the United States of America.”

Festus pleaded guilty to the charges, upon which the Head of Advance Fee Fraud, EFCC, Ilorin zonal office, Olamide Sadiq,

reviewed the facts of the case, which included that defendant was arrested based on a petition from the FBI linking him to the offence.

Nustice Taiwo convicted him as charged and sentenced him to one year imprisonment on each of the two counts with a N300, 000 option of fine on each of the counts.

The judge also ordered him to return the sums of money he stole to the FBI.

Diri Sends List of Commissioner-nominees to State Assembly Onungwe Obe in Yenagoa Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, yesterday sent the list of commissionernominees to the state House of Assembly, insisting that he is not demoralised by Monday’s nullification of his election by the Bayelsa State Governorship election tribunal.

The urged the legislators to go ahead with the screening and approval of the list of Commissioner-nominees he sent to them.

Diri added that the solidarity visits and messages sent to him by the people of the state were moral booster that will inspire him to forge ahead with governance undeterred.

He said the tribunal judgment, which had a dissenting ruling by its chairman, Justice Ibrahim Sirajo, was not enough to slow down the wheel of governance, and thanked the legislators for their show of solidarity.

He said, “It actually encouraged me. It gave me the strength and hope that we have a brighter tomorrow, and that

we have an assembly that cares.

Let me use this opportunity to call on Bayelsans to be calm as nobody has removed the governor.

“This is the court of first instance and we respect the judiciary. The judiciary is there for the common man and we believe that justice would be done.

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWSXTRA

Akinyemi: Arms in Private Hands Sign of Failed State Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Former External Affairs Minister, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, has said that the proliferation of arms in the hands of young people in Africa is a sign that many countries in the continent are failing.

The professor of political science and Chairman of National Think Tank, who spoke during an interview with dailymotion.com, a video sharing online platform,

posited that when citizens begin to carry weapons, whether for protection or to hurt others, it portends that the state’s social contract with its people has completely collapsed.

Akinyemi, who opined that the killings in parts of the northern Nigeria may have been fuelled by foreign business interests exploiting some mineral resources available in the area, explained that there is a distinction between arms-bearing

citizens in a developing country like Nigeria and South Sudan as opposed to the United States where they are allowed to carry weapons legally.

He said that while no single group in the United States can take on the country’s security apparatus, the ones in Africa are threatening to

overrun their respective countries.

The former minister also stated that disarmament must be preceded by heavy sensitisation and rebuilding of trust to reinforce the citizens’ faith in their governments.

He said: “When citizens prefer self-preservation, when they decide to arm themselves , defend

themselves, it is a failure of the state because under the doctrine of the social contract, one of the things citizens surrender to the state, apart from some of their freedom is security and protection.

They surrender that to the state in exchange for the

state protecting them.

“When the state fails to perform its side of the social contract and exposes them to deprivation, either by the security agencies or by fellow civilians, then the civilians resort to arming themselves for self-protection and it’s a sign of a failed state.”

Kogi Repatriates 78 Beggars to Five Northern States Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja As part of the efforts to rid the streets of Lokoja, the Kogi State capital of beggars, the state government has repatriated no fewer than 78 beggars to five northern states in the country.

The beggars were repatriated to Katsina , Kaduna, Kano , Bauchi, and Zamfara states.

Addressing journalists yesterday in Lokoja, the state capital, the Kogi State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Fatima Kabir Buba, said they were evacuated from different parts of Lokoja metropolis, including Old Market, Zango, Ganaja Village, and Obasanjo Square.

She explained that their evacuation was not done to discriminate against them but to rid the street of beggars roaming the state capital.

She assured that the state government under the leadership of Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello will not relent in its effort in getting beggars off the street.

“The state government made adequate arrangements to ensure that they are transported to their respective location with utmost respect and dignity. Before the government transported them back to their home states and local governments of origin with six buses, we took them first to the ministry’s rehabilitation centre, fed them and provided all the basic needs that will enable them start normal life like every other citizen of the country.

“This government is committed to cater for every citizen even though you are not from Kogi State. This action of ours should not be misconstrued. The government under the leadership of Alhaji Yahaya Bello remains committed to providing for the less-privileged without any form of discrimination in the state,” she stated.

She commended Bello and the First Lady of the state, Hajiya Rashida Bello for their immense support throughout the exercise.

DEEPENING COLLABORATION...

L-R: General Manager, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Ilorin, Mr. Waheed Popoola; Director General of NTA, Mr. Yakubu Ibn Mohammed; and Kwara State Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, during a courtesy visit to the governor at the Government House, Ilorin, the state capital...yesterday

Ekiti Monarch Mourns Folarin Coker The Onigede of Igede-Ekiti, Oba James Adelusi Aladesuru II, and the Igede-Ekiti Progressive Association Worldwide, have sent a message of condolence to the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Sanwo-Olu, as well as the Coker and Jemiriye families on the peaceful passing of a legend and community leader; Chief Nathaniel Folarin Coker, the Baba Eto of Lagos and the

Bobagunwa of Igede-Ekiti.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Olota of Igede-Ekiti and President, Igede-Ekiti Progressive Association Worldwide, High Chief Henry Adebayo Fadairo, a retired Inspector General of Police (AIG), the Ekiti monarch and the town union noted that Baba Eto whose mother hailed from Igede Ekiti, lived a fulfilled life worthy of emulation.

According to the statement, Coker will always be remembered as a first class public servant, a great lover of his people and wonderful team player.

“As a pioneer Permanent Secretary in Lagos State, his leadership skills, incredible positive influence and zest for life became easily noticeable while he dutifully and meritoriouly served his fatherland.

“Baba proudly identified with his maternal hometown; Igede-Ekiti in his lifetime and we are very grateful to God for his eventful life, well spent.

“Indeed, sweet is the memory of the just, may our hearts be filled with wonderful memories of joyful times together as we celebrate a great man who will forever be in our hearts,” the statement explained.

House Probes $500m Failed NigComSat Satellite, Insurance Premium Udora Orizu in Abuja The House of Representatives Committee on Insurance and Actuarial yesterday commenced investigation into the N180.9 million insurance premium allegedly paid for the failed Satellite 1 project which was launched in 2011 as well as Satellite 1-R for which Nigeria obtained $500 million Chinese loan.

The committee has given seven days ultimatum for submission, insisting that NigComsat must submit all documents on insurance transactions.

Chairman of the committee,

Hon. Darlington Nwokocha, who presided over the hearing, queried two managing directors of Fasahal Insurance and A & G, who were engaged by NigComSat management over alleged irregularities surrounding the unilateral appointment of the insurance brokers without due process.

Nwokocha said the committee’s investigation was premised on about six petitions written by concerned Nigerians within the insurance industry and those working within some of the organisations invited.

He added that the investigative hearing was aimed at unraveling

issues bothering on infractions, impunity perpetuated by the operator, who allegedly influenced the contract as well as financial recklessness entrenched in the multimillion dollar satellite contracts.

While responding to questions on the appointment of Lead insurance company, NigComSat Managing Director/CEO, Abimbola Alale, argued that the Chinese company which manufactured the satellite unilaterally nominated the United Kingdom-based insurance firm to insure NigComsat 2 which was launched in 2014.

On her part, NigComSat Legal Adviser, Mrs. Alina Okpalefe, who

affirmed that she was the secretary of the project committee, disclosed that no legal official accompanied the delegation to China where the contract was sealed in 2011.

However, in his presentation, the Managing Director of Fasahal Insurance Company, Mr. Frederic Adejo, disclosed that NigComSat introduced him to the Lead Insurance firm.

Responding on the actual premium paid for the satellite project, Adejo, who disclosed that the sum of N180,992, 836.35 was paid in 2014, argued that he shopped for Marsh outside the Nigeria.

Abducted Wives, Child of Murdered Bauchi Legislator Regain Freedom Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi The two wives and a year old daughter of the murdered Member of the Bauchi State House of Assembly (BAHA), Hon. Musa Mante Baraza, have regained their freedom after five days in captivity.

It could be recalled that unknown gunmen had on Friday killed the lawmaker and abducted his family in his residence in Dass Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

The Chief of Staff to the Governor of the State, Mr. Ladan Salihu, who announced their

release in his verified Twitter handle, said: “Alhamdulillah!

The wives of Hon. Musa Baraza, Bauchi House Member murdered five days ago in Dass have regained freedom.

“The one-year-old baby abducted along with them is also released. Governor Bala Mohammed has directed doctors and security personnels to give them adequate care and attention.”

His wives, Mrs. Rashida Musa Mante (40); Mrs Rahina Musa Mante (35) and his one year old daughter, Fausar Musa Mante, were taken away while four

empty shells of life ammunition were recovered at the scene by the police.

The Bauchi State Police Command has confirmed their release by its personnel who acted on reliable information that was volunteered by members of the public.

The Command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP. Ahmed Wakili, said: “Yes, the victims have been rescued by the police personnel who acted on information provided by concerned members of the public

within and outside Dass.”

The PPRO also said that “they were rescued in a village called Bashi within the local government where the abductors took them to. Our men rescued them and took them to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), for medical attention after which they will be reunited with other family members.”

The PPRO assured that “the police is on the trail of the suspects and in sha Allah, very soon we will make headway in the case.”

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WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWSEXTRA

CBN: FG Recorded N488bn Fiscal Deficit in April Obinna Chima The federal government’s retained revenue in April 2020 was N285.66 billion, while the government’s total expenditure was N773.91 billion, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) disclosed in its economic report for April.

The report obtained on the CBN’s website yesterday, showed put the deficit in the month under review at N488.25 billion.

“The total retained revenue of N285.66 billion recorded in April 2020, was 59.3 per cent below its benchmark. A breakdown of the revenue components showed that all the revenue heads were significantly below their budget benchmarks. However, the April

receipts exceeded collections in March 2020 by 16.4 per cent but fell short of the collections in April 2019 by 14.8 per cent.

“The fiscal operations of the federal government in April 2020 resulted in a deficit of N488.24 billion compared with the N181.27 billion benchmark and its levels of N854.12 billion and N690.54 billion in March 2020 and April 2019, respectively.

“The observed moderation in the overall fiscal deficit in April, relative to comparable periods, could be attributed to the 16.3 per cent increase in revenue, and the 29.6 per cent decline in expenditure. Although the current deficit level is already significantly above the benchmark,

it is expected to deteriorate further in the coming months, owing to the pessimism surrounding the infection curve of COVID-19, and the slowdown in economic activities, which are likely to induce extra-budgetary spending,

funded by new borrowings,” it explained.

According to the report, the revenue profile of the federal government in the month under review, revealed subsisting revenue challenges because of declining

oil receipts and low contribution of non-oil revenue.

However, the report showed that driven by the upturns in oil and non-oil revenue components, federally collected revenue in April

2020 rose by 25.4 per cent and 20.1 per cent to N915.28 billion, relative to its levels in March 2020 and April 2019, respectively. However, it was 30.4 per cent below its benchmark.

Buhari to Receive Long-awaited Oil Reform Bill The Ministry of Petroleum Resources will present a long-awaited oil and gas reform bill to the president in the coming days aimed at boosting output and attracting foreign investment, three sources close to the negotiations told Reuters.

The reforms, 20 years in the making, are particularly urgent this year as low oil prices and a shift towards renewable energy have made competition tougher to attract investment from oil majors.

A spokesman for the Petroleum Ministry, which led the bill’s drafting, did not reply to a request for comment and the president’s office declined to comment.

Royal Dutch Shell, the largest international operator in Nigeria, said a botched reform effort would

be “putting at risk and making unviable most of the planned projects.”

“We hope that the final bill would be one that would unlock potential investments that Nigeria’s rich resource base truly deserves,” a spokesman for Shell companies in Nigeria said.

A draft summary seen by Reuters included provisions that would streamline and reduce some oil and gas royalties. One of the sources described even the government’s reduced take of oil revenues, through taxes, royalties and other fees, as “aggressive” compared with other nations.

Some African countries are trying to cut red tape and taxes in order to make developing their oil and gas reserves attractive to companies.

25 Nurses, Others Test Positive to COVID-19 at UITH, Says JOHESU Hammed Shittu in Ilorin No fewer than 18 nurses at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Kwara State, have tested positive for COVID-19 in the hospital.

The Chairman of UITH of the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), Olatunde Olawunmi, who disclosed this in Ilorin yesterday while speaking with journalists, said seven supporting staff (portals) have tested positive for the virus.

He also said UITH is yet to have COVID-19 isolation centre, adding however that the management had converted one of the ward at the hospital to a centre.

Corroborated by some of the nurses working at the centre, Oluwawumi said many of the nurses working at the centre are

not properly kitted.

According to him, “Presently, we have about 18 nurses and seven sub-staff who have tested positive to the virus. We want better protection-adequate personal protective equipment (PPEs). What we are due for should be given to us. Also, we are lacking a lot of things.

“They (nurses) are being exposed to danger. It is now that they are trying to rectify the issue of PPEs. PPEs have not been given to us, we were only promised.

“We have a ward converted to isolation centre at the UITH. We have not got our own isolation centre. The government ought to have built one for us. Based on the increase in the number of patients testing positive to the COVID-19, we had to bring them to treat.

ALUTA CONTINUA...

L-R: Member of Board of Trustees, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Abdullahi Sule Kano; National President of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi; Vice President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke; and member of Board of Trustees, Prof. Assisi Asobie, during the union’s press briefing in Abuja...yesterday ENOCK REUBEN

Ikeja Electric Launches WhatsApp Platform to Optimise Service Delivery Ikeja Electric (IE) has unveiled a WhatsApp messaging solution, which offers real-time customers complaints resolution and 24-hour customer support service.

According to a statement by the company, the IE WhatsApp Chatbot works like regular WhatsApp platform and enables seamless two-way communication between customer and the power distribution company (Disco) through the chat interface.

Explaining the platform, the company noted that through

the dedicated WhatsApp Chatbot number 09088951626, customers can get their account details, check and pay bills, confirm payments, report faults, make complaints and request for prepaid meter.

“In addition, customers can check supply availability, report case of energy theft or vandalism, request for new connection and get answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), among other services. Customers can also speak with Customer Care Representative via the IE WhatsApp Chatbot if

required,” the company explained.

Speaking on the initiative, Head of Corporate Communications for Ikeja Electric, Mr. Felix Ofulue, explained that the company’s decision to deploy the service is part of its major push to deliver an optimum quality customer experience through technology.

According to him, this commitment continues to elicit a passion for service excellence and new thinking on how to empower lives and businesses across the IE network.

“IE as a business is following through with our digital transformation initiative to deliver optimal quality customer service using technology. WhatsApp on the other hand is a platform that has millions of users and huge adoption for customer resolution.

Our goal is to ensure that our customers are able to reach us on WhatsApp as an easy medium of communication and to ensure we meet our target of delivering excellent service”.

Former Lagos Commissioner Drags Community Newspaper to Court A former Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Rotimi Ogunleye, has sued Oriwu Sun, an Ikorodu-based community newspaper, for libel.

In the suit filed on August 4, 2020 at the High Court of Lagos State in the Ikorodu Judicial Division, Ogunleye is

seeking N10 million from the community newspaper and its publisher Alhaji Monzor Olowosago.

While N5 million is for general damages, another N5 million is for aggravated damages, among other claims.

Prior to the institution of the suit, Ogunleye’s lawyers from the firm of Aka Oluwaseun & Co,

had written to the defendants seeking various claims, including a retraction and apology on the libelous publications.

But rather than heeding the lawyer’s request, the defendants in their August 2020 edition, allegedly published further libels tinged with blackmail.

Ogunleye, in a statement

said, “it is imperative to allow the law to take its full course to protect innocent citizens from being undeservedly maligned by false and baseless publications emanating from sheer malice.”

Ogunleye, a journalist and lawyer, is the former Editor of The Business Times, a major publication of the Daily Times of Nigeria Plc.

Garnishee Order Forces Nasarawa to Rely on IGR IgbawaseUkumbainLafia The Governor of Nasarawa State, Mr. Abdullahi Sule, has been running the state with Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) since the state government account was garnished last month by an Abuja High Court.

The State Commissioner of Finance, Budget and Planning, Mr. Haruna AdamuOgbole,statedthisyesterdayin his office when he addressed journalists

on the financial status of the state.

Recently, a group of pensioners numbering over 600 in Nasarawa State out of 9000 had approached an Abuja HighCourtdemandingthatthe state government account be garnished until their entitlements are paid.

The commissioner explained that since the court order took effect last month, the governor has been running the state with IGR pending the resolution of the matter in court.

“It is not that government is

totally grounded, we have IGR in the state that we are leveraging on to run the government. But the basic thing the court garnish will affect is our salary accounts “Nasarawa is a civil service state and once salaries are not paid, it affects the whole state and that is what we are facing,” he said.

Ogbole said that in February 2020, the state government raised N1.2 billion as IGR and expecting to raise over N2 billion before the outbreak of COVID-19, which

affected the state’s IGR He said: “The IGR is being driven by economic activities, so the more the economic activities of every month, the higher the IGR we get.

“In February, we raised up to N1.2 billion but subsequently when the pandemic set in, it dropped to N500 million and now it is not going to be more than N400 million because economic activities are grounded by the pandemic.

Cyril Iviero for Burial Weekend Anambra Community Seeks Obiano’s Intervention to End Crisis The burial of the late Mr. Cyril Iviero, 48, has been scheduled to commence this weekend.

According to the funeral arrangement jointly signed on behalf of the family by Henry Iviero and Justice Cyril Iviero, there will be service of songs in his honour on Friday at his compound, located behind Eru Street, Off Emiye Road, Oleh, Isoko South Local Government

Area (LGA) of Delta State.

His funeral mass takes place on Saturday at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Oleh, Isoko South LGA, Delta State, followed by his interment and entertainment of guests at his compound.

The late Iviero’s funeral will be brought to a close with an outing/thanksgiving service at the same church on Sunday, August 23, 2020.

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka The indigenes of Nanka community in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State have called for the intervention of the State Governor, Mr. Willie Obiano, to end the lingering crisis rocking the community.

Members of Ezeokweghi/ Ezeofor Royal Family Enugwu-

Nanka, who addressed a press conference yesterday in Awka, said that for 10 years, the community has been embroiled in crisis, occasioned by the use of an illegal constitution by a faction of the community to enthrone a new king in the area.

The Chairman of the Ezeokweghi/Ezeofor Royal Family, Mr. Ben Okeke, told

journalists of an attempt by factional members of Nanka Patriotic Union to evade justice.

Okeke alleged in a petition that was sent to Obiano that a forged constitution, which is recognised only by five villages in Nanka instead of seven as it was previously, purportedly provided for the rotation of the traditional stool among the five villages.

He said: “We call on the Executive Governor of Anambra State, the Hon. Chief Judge of Anambra State, the Honorable Attorney General of Anambra State, the Director of Public Prosecution, Ministry of Justice and the Administrative Judge, Aguata High Court, Ekwulobia, to ensure that there is no more delay in justice regarding the matter.

39

Ëœ ͚Π˜ 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 Finishes Fifth on Man Utd’s 2019/20 Scoring Chart Duro Ikhazuagbe Despite joining Manchester United during the January transfer window and having the season blighted by the Covid-19 pandemic, former Super Eagles forward, Odion Ighalo still placed fifth in the Red Devils’ 2019/20 season scoring chart.

The China Super League’s Shanghai Shenhua player on loan till January 31, 2021 at Old Trafford, bagged five goals in 19 matches of which only five were starts.

It was the same number of goals as Scott McTominay who played 37 games for United.

The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Golden Boot winner Ighalo’s efforts came against Derby County (2) and Norwich

City in the Emirates FA Cup, and he netted twice in Europe in the Europa League knockout fixtures against Club Brugge and LASK. Interestingly, United’s French striker, Anthony Martial, ended the 20192020 season as the club’s top scorer with 23 goals in all competitions.

Martial’s personal-best tally, aided by the seven goals he registered after lockdown, sees him top the Reds’ goalscoring charts for the first time since his debut campaign of 2015/16, when the then 19-year-old hit 17.

In second place is Marcus Rashford with 22 goals, while teenage striker Mason Greenwood comes next with 17 goals.

Bruno Fernandes who like Ighalo joined the Red Devils in January made it

to the top five goalscorers for United despite missing the first half of the season.

The Portuguese attacking midfielder tallied 12 goals in 22 games.

It was the first time since 2010/11 that two players

had scored 20 or more goals during the same campaign for the Reds, when Dimitar Berbatov and Javier Hernandez crossed that landmark.

Seventeen of United’s no.9’s efforts came in the

Premier League, with his total augmented by four goals in the Europa League and one each in the FA and Carabao Cups.

And Martial’s haul compares favourably with some of his domestic rivals –

Manchester City pair Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus also managed 23 goals in all competitions, as did Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Premier League Golden Boot winner Jamie Vardy.

Victor Moses Excited with Inter’s Stride in Europa Femi Solaja Former Nigerian international, Victor Moses, has expressed his delight with Inter Milan’s qualification for the Europa League final.

The Milan-based side qualified for their first Europa League final in 22 years after a five-star performance against Ukrainian giants, Shakhtar Donetsk whom they thrashed 5-0 in the second semi-final on Monday.

It was a brace from Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku and a goal from Danilo D’Ambrosio that saw Inter Milan progress

into a first European Cup final since winning the 2010 Champions League final in 2010 Moses who made a cameo appearance for D’Ambrosio celebrated the feat on social media yesterday as he wrote on his Twitter handle: “Job done. Into the Final!�

The Nerazzuri will now face five-time winners Sevilla in the final on Friday in Cologne, Germany.

The Spanish side came from a goal down to beat Manchester United 2-1 in Sunday’s first semi-final.

PSG Beat Leipzig to Reach First Champions League Final Paris St-Germain are through to their first Champions League final courtesy of a deserved 3-0 victory over RB Leipzig in an entertaining semi-final in Lisbon.

One of Europe’s biggest spenders, but also one of the continent’s most high-profile underachievers on the grandest stage, PSG finally seized their opportunity courtesy of goals from Marquinhos, Angel di Maria and Juan Bernat.

The former, who scored the first of two late goals in a comeback win over Atalanta in the last eight, rose to head home a superbly delivered free-kick from Di Maria.

The Argentine forward then finished well from close range following an audacious flick from Neymar after Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi had relinquished possession with a dire kick.

With the fit again Kylian Mbappe and Neymar terrorising the Leipzig

backline, the French side should have been out of sight before the break, but the latter twice hit the post - from a clipped finish and then an opportunist free-kick f ro m r a n g e - b e f o re s i d e - f o o t i n g a n o t h e r c h a n c e wide at the near post.

Prior to PSG’s second, Yussuf Poulsen had Leipzig’s best chance but fired wide after he was found by a Dani Olmo pull-back .

Bernat sealed the win in the second half with a header that Leipzig felt was offside but was legitimate as the prone Nordi Mukiele, who had slipped in the build-up, was playing the scorer onside.

PSG will find out who they face in Sunday’s final when five-time winners Bayern Munich play Lyon in the other semi-final this night.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Today @ 8pm Lyon v B’Munich

Odion Ighalo places ďŹ fth in Manchester United’s goals scoring chart for 2019/20 season

Amuneke, Oshoala, Others Join FIFA to Promote Campaign against Domestic Violence in Africa FIFA is joining forces with the African Union, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to jointly address the issue of domestic violence by launching the #SafeHome campaign across the African continent.

The duo of Emmanuel Amuneke and Asisat Oshoala are among leading African football personalities in the #SafeHome campaign launched yesterday across Africa is part of a wider global initiative to raise awareness on this critical issue.

In Africa, the awareness videos feature other seven football stars – Abel Xavier, Sarah Essam, Khalilou Fadiga, Geremi, Rabah Madjer, Lúcia Moçambique and ClÊmentine TourÊ – who conveyed a series of key messages to the public.

The campaign is being published on various FIFA digital channels and African Union and WHO channels. #SafeHome is also being supported by multimedia toolkits for FIFA’s member associations and for media to help facilitate additional localisation and to further

amplify the message worldwide.

The initiative is designed to support women and children victims of domestic violence, particularly as stay-at-home measures in response to Covid-19 have put them at greater risk.

A number of African football stars are supporting the campaign via video awareness messages distributed on social and traditional media.

The African Union-FIFA-CAF memorandum of understanding, which was concluded in February 2019, covers joint campaigns on topics of mutual interest and the promotion of gender equality, a key principle.

Other areas of collaboration include education through football, sports integrity and safety and security at football matches. “I am glad that today we can launch this campaign on the important topic of domestic violence, which is significantly exacerbated by Covid-19 lockdown conditions and movement restrictions, together with our partners, the African Union, WHO and CAF,� said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

“It is our duty to leverage the immense popularity of football in Africa to raise awareness on this societal challenge with a very clear message: violence has no place in homes, just as it has no place in football.�

H.E. Amira Elfadil, African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs, emphasised: ’’The African Union Commission is resolute and committed to the protection of women and girls.

We recognise and align ourselves with FIFA, CAF and the World Health Organization and other stakeholders on the efforts aimed at preventing abuse and domestic-based violence through collaborative programming that links reconstruction, access to the continuum of service, addressing the underlying social norms and harmful practices that continue to perpetuate gender-based violence and inequality, as well as community awareness and empowerment.

We align ourselves to leverage the popular appeal of football to raise awareness against domestic violence, particularly as stay-athome measures in response to COVID-19 are in place.’’

“Violence against women is a major threat to women’s health and that of their children,� said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO DirectorGeneral. “It is also a grave violation of human rights – and it must end now. WHO is proud to stand with FIFA, the African Union and CAF to launch this campaign across Africa to bring attention to this critical issue.

We are committed to a world where women live free from violence and discrimination.�

CAF President Ahmad Ahmad stated: “Whether at home or on the pitch, everyone is entitled to respect and safety.

Domestic, physical or moral violence, especially against women and children, must be condemned. Do not be afraid or ashamed to seek help if you are a victim of violence in your own home. If you are a witness to violence, intervene or get help, but do not stay silent: remaining silent is to be guilty of complicity. Never forget that everyone has a right to live in safety in their own home.�

Akwa United Fumigates Camp in Preparation for New NPFL Season In strict compliance with Covid-19 guidelines as directed by the National Centre for Disease Control NCDC, the Management of Akwa United Football Club has decontaminated the team’s camp/office space as the team continue to put things in place while awaiting the official announcement of the resumption date for the 2020/2021 NPFL season.

A total of twenty-one rooms,

four offices, a board room, three buses, two utility vehicles and a security post were fumigated in a two-storey building camp/ office complex.

The fumigation exercise was professionally handled by the officials of Kingzo Industrial Cleaning Works yesterday.

The company in a certificate issued to Akwa United FC after the job assured the club’s leadership that the camp is free from all forms of infections

at least for an initial period of six months.

Reacting to the activities taking place in the club’s camp, the Chairman of the club, Elder Paul Bassey, said it was necessary to decontaminate the camp after a long while in line with NCDC directives.

Elder Bassey also revealed that all players and officials will be made to undergo proper Covid-19 test to ensure the safety of all when the league resumes.

The camp of the Promise Keepers situated at No. 9 Etukcat Street off Abak Road in Uyo is wearing a bright new look after it was repainted with sparkling orange and white colours which are the official Akwa Ibom State and Akwa United colours.

Players and members of the technical crew have been on break since March 2020, following the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.

Wednesday August 19, 2020

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N’Assembly to FG “Moreover, the questions are, what criteria is being used in the job allotments?

Given the 30 persons out of the 1,000 per local government area allotted to federal lawmakers, what happens to the remaining 970? What answers do we give Nigerians?” – House Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu, giving reasons for rejecting the 30 job slots allotted to lawmakers under the 774,000 federal government’s public works scheme.

KAYODEKOMOLAFE THE HORIZON

kayode.komolafe@thisdaylive.com

0805 500 1974

Mali’s Crisis, Nigeria’s Response P

resident Muhammadu Buhari thanked his immediate predecessor, President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday for the “stamina displayed” in resolving the crisis in Mali.

While Buhari and Jonathan were reviewing the brewing crisis in Abuja, mutiny was reportedly afoot in Mali on the same day. Before the end of the day, some soldiers held President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse of Mali in Kati, a military base near Bamako.

It was in the same Kati military base that the 2012 mutiny, which resulted into a coup, happened. In the process, the government of President Amadou Toumani Traore was toppled and the collapse of northern Mali began in earnest.

Protesters on the street described what happened as a “popular insurrection” and not “a military coup.”

However, in diplomatic circles the reading of the situation was that of a “coup d’etat.”

The African Union condemned the “the anti-constitutional change” and the European Union and other international organisations said the “coup attempt” was not acceptable.

Jonathan, who is the ECOWAS Special Envoy to the Republic of Mali, was in Aso Rock to brief Buhari on the efforts to bring peace to the West African country.

The former president was in Bamako from Monday to Thursday last week to sell the ECOWAS peace formula to stakeholders and envoys in the Malian capital.

Earlier yesterday, the opposition groups in Mali, the June 5 Coalition, called for dialogue to break the political deadlock after gunfire was heard in a military base in Kati, near Bamako Practically echoing President Jonathan, the coalition said: “There’s no alternative but dialogue now... (we) are searching for a democratic solution and we hope the situation could be resolved in a legal and ordered way.” This position is central to the ECOWAS peace formula, which is essentially hinged on compromise.

In a virtual extraordinary meeting last month, ECOWAS leaders prosed the formation of a government of national unity in Mali. The nominations into the cabinet were to be made as follows: President Keita, 50%; the opposition parties, 30% and the civil society organisations, 20%. Some portfolios – justice, foreign affairs, defence, finance , national security etc. - were to be made before the formation of the unity government.

Besides, ECOWAS has proposed the re-run of the recent parliamentary elections fiercely disputed by the opposition. President Keita is to prevail on his 31 political associates declared “winners” in the elections to “step down” while a bye-elections should be conducted.

Despite this inclusive proposition, a spectre of political uncertainty has been hovering over Mali since June.

Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets demanding the resignation of President Keïta.

The people are holding the Malian president responsible for the economic hardship in the country, the failure to deal with the rising insurgency and the incapacity to tackle endemic corruption.

The Malian crisis is, of course, deeply rooted in its post-colonial history. The Tuareg uprisings culminating the take-over of northern Mali by insurgents have belied the image of Mali as the “poster child of democracy in Africa” especially since the 2012 military coup. Before the 2012 coup, Mali had been troubled by the Tuareg and

Buhari and President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita of Mali Arab uprisings in 1963, 1991 and 2006.

The feeling of alienation in the northern part of the country has been a problematic feature of Malian politics since independence from France in 1960. The southern political and economic elites holding powers have been blamed for the marginalisation and the relative underdevelopment of the northern region.

The socio-economic situation and political resentment have combined to make the northern region of Mali vulnerable to incursion by terrorists seeking allies and bases in West Africa.

Decades before the Sahel got infested with the plague of terrorism and hostage-taking, Libya under Colonel Muammar Gaddafi as well as Algeria viewed the poorly governed communities in northern Mali as their natural areas of influence.

In effect, northern Mali has been a territory for geo-political power play. Above all, mass poverty and gross underdevelopment of the whole of the country have constituted the material basis of the Malian crisis.

The latest manifestation of the crisis is a reflection of the gross failure of the Malian state in grappling with immense challenges of nation-building. Identity politics has been terribly mismanaged. For instance, in 2012 the Tuareg insurgents were believed to be pushing for only greater regional autonomy. Since then the tendency towards secession has become more apparent.

Yet, the Tuaregs, who some analysts have described as a “a nation without a state,” do not appear to be monolithic contrary to the perception in some quarters. They are made up of several fractious ethnic groups. It is clear that no efficacious solution could be found to the problem of the Malian nation without a deliberately constructed decentralisation of powers.

In the Nigeria, it would be called restructuring.

So far, the approach of pacification of the northern insurgents by the Malian state has failed; so has the divide-and-rule tactic employed to weaken the unity of the various northern groups – Arab, Tuareg, Fulani and Songhay.

There is also the central question of the capacity of the Malian state to ensure security. It has been suggested that the comprehensive reforms of the security system have become an imperative for Mali to make progress.

Yesterday’s ugly development was clearly an indication that the job of bringing peace to Mali is far from being done.

So, how does the story of Mali speak to the situation in Nigeria and indeed other African countries?

The paradox of Nigeria could not be more obvious than the commendable leadership role the country is playing, despite its own headache, in stabilising the situation in Mali. Here is a huge country enormously troubled at home being asked by others to lead the process of resolving conflicts abroad.

It is particularly remarkable that Buhari and Jonathan are working unison as they are subtly reminding their compatriots of the history of their nation.

In the past, Nigeria played pan-Africanist roles despite its own problems at home.

One of the issues in the Malian crisis is the lingering dispute over parliamentary elections.

To appreciate the relevance of this observation, it should be related to Nigeria’s recent history.

Five years ago, Buhari and Jonathan were opponents in a presidential election that was conclusive against predictions to the otherwise.

So, for the first time an incumbent president was defeated in an election. Nigeria achieved this feat of a smooth transition because, among other reasons, Jonathan called to congratulate Buhari even before the results were formally announced. Nothing can ever take that historical credit from the former president.

The good news is often ignored when some Nigerians embark on episodic orgies of self-flagellation, denigrating their nation in the name of criticising their leaders.

Amidst all the woes, this point is worth underlining because, as they say, you never fully appreciate the value of a thing until you lose it.

Yes, Nigeria is bedevilled with multi-faceted problems; yet other nations still respect the country as a force for good.

The contradictions are worth pondering dialectically.

Perhaps in this instance what the Confucian philosopher, Mencius, wrote about the life of a human being could also be applied to the life of a nation: “The goodness of human nature is like water tending to flow downward. Just as there is no water that does not flow downwards, there are no humans who do not have goodness.”

Nigeria’s positive role in the situation in Mali is reminiscent of the country’s role in West Africa during the military era more than a quarter of a century ago.

Nigeria led other West Africa nations to end the civil wars in Liberia and Sierra-Leone and subsequently assisted in the process of restoration of civil rule to these countries and others in

the sub-region.

The intervention, which was launched during the regime of President Ibrahim Babangida, was at the enormous cost of the lives of hundreds of Nigerian soldiers and civilians as well as billions of dollars.

In those days, this foreign policy trend attracted such remarks as this: “Nigeria exports what it doesn’t have (democracy) and imports what it could produce in abundance (petroleum products).”

In retrospect, Nigeria gave leadership in putting together ECOMOG, a monitoring force to keep peace. ECOMOG, of course, first enforced peace before keeping it.

The other day, Buhari was in Mali as part of the peace-making efforts despite the public health situation. Not a few of his country men and women critically observed that the President had not been to southern Kaduna where bandits continued to kill people and communities got devasted. Such criticisms are legitimate. They do not, however, derogate from Nigeria’s leadership role in the West African sub-region.

It is also important to draw some pertinent lessons from the situation in Mali.

First, an important factor in building a nation is the subjective feeling of a sense of belonging.

It is , in fact, an indispensable factor. Nations are built by peoples led by visionary leaders who think big about human progress. So, leaders should be wary of alienating sections of the country in words and action. National integration should be a deliberate process of conducting public affairs on the basis of social justice, equity, sensitivity and an acute sense of accountability.

It is the policy of inclusion that can win over those nursing separatist impulse to the pan-Nigerian cause. As the Malian experience has shown, you cannot force a people to be nationalistic. But leaders could convince the majority, at least, using the instruments of inclusive policies.

Nepotism, ethnic prejudice and other policies of exclusion should be abhorred by officialdom.

In other words, “the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy” embodied in the Chapter II of the constitution should be pursued with vigour in managing the affairs of the nation.

In this process, the feuding members of the elite craving advantages over one another in the system should not substitute their narrow class interests for the larger material interests of the people.

Secondly, deepening democracy is a work-in progress. Nothing should be taken for granted at any point in the efforts to expand the frontiers of freedom, including socio-economic rights. Nations that aspire to develop liberal democracy should be prepared for the rigour of obeying the rules and strengthening the relevant institutions. In this regard, the roles of the individual actors as politicians, agents of the state, civil society leaders etc. are important. The action of one individual can go a long way to strengthen an institution of democracy as Jonathan did in Nigeria in 2015 while the role of another individual can severely undermine democratic institutions as Donald Trump is currently doing energetically in America.

Finally, efforts at building the nation and democracy could be impaired in a climate of insecurity. A leader with a sense of historic purpose should not permit a swathe of his nation’s territory to remain ungoverned spaces for the reign of terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other criminals.

So, security must be approached with utmost competence.

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