FRIDAY 11TH OCTOBER 2019

FG Begins Installation of Category 3 ILS to Improve Air Safety Airlines save N524m monthly from reduced flight time Chinedu Eze The federal government has started the restoration of aeronautical facilities and the installation of Category 3 Instrument

Landing System (ILS) at airports and other strategic locations in the country in order to improve safety of flight operations, Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management

Agency (NAMA), Captain Fola Akinkuotu, has confirmed to THISDAY in Lagos.

He said the government was determined to sustain the record of no-air accident involving commercial aircraft

since 2013 and also make flight operations in Nigeria’s airspace safer.

Akinkuotu said with the improvement of effective radar coverage of the airspace, airlines have reduced their

about 40 planes operating domestic flights.

The NAMA boss said this was made possible by radar capabilities, known as radar

flight time by at least five minutes to many local destinations, which has saved them about N542 million monthly on fuel consumption, translating to about N18 million daily for

Continued on page 5

Nigeria to Team up with Cameroon to Set Cocoa Price... Page 8 Friday 11 October, 2019 Vol 24. No 8950. Price: N250

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Police Service Commission to Meet over Buhari’s Aide Says deferment of retirement against service rules Ex-DIG Osayande urges compliance with rules of law Omololu Ogunmade, Kingsley Nwezeh and Alex Enumah in Abuja The Police Service Commission (PSC) is to meet over the reported extension of the

service of Mr. Abdulkadir Dauda, a police commissioner, and a security aide of President Muhammadu Buhari, whose retirement was said to have been deferred by the president, THISDAY learnt yesterday.

A leaked signal reportedly from Force Secretary, Mr. Usman Alkali, an Assistant Inspector General of Police, to police Department of Information Technology, had conveyed the president’s

decision with a directive to the section to amend its records accordingly.

With the presidential approval, Dauda would now retire in 2023 when he would have been 60 years old.

But the PSC through its spokesman, Mr. Ikechukwu Ani, said the presidential directive breached civil service rules that guide the tenure and retirement of public officers, explaining that an officer was

required to leave the service upon attainment of 35 years in service or 60 years of age, whichever one comes first.

A former chairman of the Continued on page 8

CBN: Why Credit Easing Will Not Increase Non-performing Loans Plans to harness all tools to punish defaulters Obinna Chima The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has doused fears that its aggressive drive to increase banking sector’s lending to the private sector will result in a gradual accumulation of non-performing loans (NPLs) in the sector.

The Director, Corporate Communications, CBN, Mr. Isaac Okoroafor, told THISDAY yesterday that with the lending clause introduced recently by the Bankers’ Committee, it would be difficult for habitual loan defaulters to operate in the sector.

With the clause, a lender would be able to recover its loan from the assets of a defaulter domiciled in another bank.

The central bank had last week raised the minimum

loan-to-deposit-ratio (LDR) to 65 per cent with a December 31, 2019 deadline, up from the 60 per cent it had stipulated at the end of September.

It, however, debited 12 banks that failed to meet the September deadline a total of N499,175,535,097.

Owing to these, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday warned that the new regulations to spur lending, should be carefully assessed and may need to be revisited in view of the potential unintended consequences on banks’ asset quality, maturity structure, prudential buffers and the inflation target.

The level of NPL ratios in the banking sector stood at 9.36 per cent as at June 2019.

Continued on page 5

Again, Senators Fault 2020 Budget Projections... Page 5

MOVING FORWARD MINERALS DEVELOPMENT...

Managing Director, OCP Africa Fertilizers, Mr. Mohamed Hettiti (left), and Executive Secretary, Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF), Ms. Fatima Shinkafi, during the signing of a landmark co-operation agreement aimed at developing Nigeria’s phosphate deposits as an extension of the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative in Casablanca, Morocco…yesterday

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T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍŻËœ 2019

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Pantami PledgesYouth Empowerment Emma Okonji The Minister of Communications, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami, has promised to empower youths in the country through information communication technology.

He said this in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Mrs. Uwa Suleiman. Pantami.

He reiterated the commitment of the ministry to work closely with parastatals under his supervision, particularly the National Information Technology Development Agencies (NITDA) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), including relevant security agencies, hubs and all groups promoting digital capacity building in Nigeria.

According to him, his mission is to promote the growth of a healthy eco-system supportive of young Nigerians and creating opportunities to harness their energies.

In addition, he called for an end to the continued harassment of young Nigerians with computing devices by the security agencies.

The minister called on security agencies to stop the current profiling and harassment of young Nigerians and admonished security agencies to be circumspect in these situations.

He said the ministry understood the need to protect the society, but he insisted that it must be done credibly, while recognising the fundamental

human rights of every citizen of Nigeria.

He explained that if the situation goes unchecked, it would dampen the vigorous attempt at diversifying the economy and rather push more young energies underground with catastrophic consequences.

According to Pantami, “It should be further noted that many young Nigerians have contributed significantly to the impressive growth of the Nigerian economy and have created employment for youth in Nigeria. “The digital economy in Nigeria has continued to soar thereby giving impetus to the growth of ICT as a major segment of the economy.

UBA Rewards More Customers in Promo Nume Ekeghe The United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has again rewarded another 20 customers who emerged winners in the final draw of its ‘UBA Wise Savers’ promo.

The lucky customers won N1.5 million each, which made the total amount won by 80 customers during the duration of the draw N120 million.

The electronic raffle draw, which was held in Lagos, yesterday, was witnessed by the relevant regulatory bodies including the National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Lagos State Lottery Board and Consumer Protection Council.

The lucky customers who emerged winners in the fourth draw cut across all regions of the country. They were Lucy C Izunwanne; Agatha N OsifoWhiskey; Aja-Ukpabi Bridget Ndidiamaka; Ajufo Patroy; Arewa Mathew Oluwatosin; Medline Paula; Olaniyi Joseph Ososba; Odibe Franca Nkechi; Kofo T

Ogunsipe; Thany Abdullahi.

Others were Favour Jimmy Ufot; Orok Nsikak Uwem; Enyatam Daniel; Peace Ekemerighe; Yusuf Muhd; Alade Jamiu; Ibrahim Saheed; Ali Sarah; Zainabu A Adamu and Hemen Queen Torkwase.

The just concluded promo, which commenced in September last year, ran till the end of September 2019 and saw a final 20 customers from across Nigeria become millionaires, winning N30 million in the grand finale of the draw.

Speaking during the event, UBA’s Group Head, Customer Fulfilment Centre (CFC) and Telemarketing, Mr. Anant Rao, said since the promo began late last year, the bank has been impressed at the level of response so far by its customers across the country, adding that the purpose of the campaign is to reward loyal customers while encouraging the savings culture.

He said: “It is very easy to spend money but to save is a

habit all must imbibe. Our key objective is to encourage our customers to save regularly. We are here to support our customers and to encourage them to save as well.�

The Group Executive, Transformation and Resources, Transformation and Resources, Chiugo Ndubisi, who commended and appreciated customers at the event said, “We had two major objectives for this promo which were to create and encourage a savings culture and to reward loyal customers and we have achieved this. We will be coming out with a bigger promo very soon and we are sure that even more of our customers will benefit from the next promo.� “We will continue to listen and give them nothing short of the best that they deserve. UBA will not relent, because we are impressed with the impact this has made so far and will continue to touch the lives of our loyal customers positively,� he explained.

Stransact Nigeria Joins International Accounting Group Segun James Stransact Partners and Stransact Audit (Stransact), an auditing and tax services firms, were recently admitted as members of The International Accounting Group (TIAG), an international alliance of independent accounting firms.

Stransact would be the exclusive member of TIAG for Nigeria. According to a statement by Mr. Dele Aberuagba, a financial and management consultant, Stransact’s membership in TIAG, and the broader TAG Alliances would enhance its international capabilities and services by providing the firm with strategic connections to high-quality accounting firms,

law firms and other professional services firms in more than 100 countries. The accreditation came on the heels of, TIAG members having been invited to join TIAG only after undergoing a comprehensive vetting and selection process. “Firms were carefully chosen based on professional competence, commitment to client service, reputation within the business community, and recommendations from existing members, and are ultimately reviewed and approved by the TIAG Advisory Board,� the statement added.

Partners of Stransact, Mr. Abayomi Salawu and Mr. Eben Joels, stated that they were delighted about the firm’s membership of the alliance and

would continue to work with clients to ensure that they will be the biggest beneficiaries of the association with TIAG and TAG Alliances. According to the duo, “TIAG will provide us with additional international support to help us better serve the cross-border needs of our clients.�

According to Mr. Richard Attisha, president and chief executive officer of TIAG & TAG Alliances, “Stransact is an excellent firm, and we are pleased to have them as members of TIAG & TAG Alliances. The breadth and quality of their services, as well as their reputation and prominence in their market, makes them an attractive resource for our members and their clients.�

SMEs Urged to Adopt Integrated Marketing Strategy Oluchi Chibuzor Small, Medium and Enterprises (SMEs) in the country have been tasked to use real-time power of Information, Communication & Technology (ICT) to create a strong link between their products and customers.

This, is expected to increase profit in a competitive market like Nigeria.

Speaking at a Public Presentation and Book Launch of “Marketing for Beginners: Comprehensive Guide for Schools and Colleges�, in Lagos, the author Mr. Adebayo Adeniji, advised SMEs to leverage technology to improves sales as stated in the 320-page book.

He said the book was born out of passion to add value to peoples’ lives, saying he discovered that business owners,

entrepreneurs, students could make more impacts and live a fulfilling lives if they have a better understanding of marketing.

Adeniji, noted that the book was written with colourful presentation to make it easy for anybody to ready and applied across various SMEs ventures. He also noted that, “whatever product or service that you have to offer you need a basic knowledge of marketing.

L-R: Group Head, Brand Management, UBA Plc, Mr. Lashe Osoba; Group Head, Marketing, Mrs Dupe Olusola; Group Executive, Transformation and Resources, Mr Chiugo Ndubuisi; Group Head, Direct Sales Agency, Mrs Ogechi Altraide; Group Executive, Customer FulďŹ lment Centre, Mr Anant Rao, and Head, Micro-small, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSMEs), Mr Babatunde Ajayi, at the grand ďŹ nale of the UBA Wise Savers Promo held in Lagos‌yesterday

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

NOVEMBER 2018 Money Supply (M3)

31,794,803.44

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

6,333,064.28

Money Supply (M2)

25,461,739.17

-- Quasi Money

14,773,076.98

-- Narrow Money (M1)

10,688,662.18

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,711,763.59

---- Demand Deposits

8,976,898.59

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

18,990,400.78

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

12,804,402.66

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

26,062,986.22

---- Credit to Government (Net)

2,980,229.66

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

7,093,619.43

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

-4,144,571.43

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

23,082,756.56

--Other Assets Net

13,258,583.57

Reserve Money (Base Money

6,811,192.37

--Currency in Circulation

2,100,129.91

--Banks Reserves

4,366,259.05

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 ͡ Ͱ͎ͯ͡

The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $58.65 a barrel on Wednesday, compared with $58.53 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), Oriente (Ecuador), 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

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Again, Senators Fault 2020 Budget Projections Fiscal bill passes second reading in House Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha, Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The debate on the 2020 Appropriation Bill presented to the National Assembly on Tuesday by President Muhammadu Buhari entered day two yesterday at the upper chamber as Senators faulted the federal government’s projections of N10.33 trillion budget for 2020.

This is just as the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, also at plenary yesterday, announced that debate on the budget would end next Tuesday for committee work to start by Wednesday.

Senate Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, who was the first to speak on the general principle of the budget, wondered why proper monitoring of the budget implementation had not been in place for several years.

He regretted that the low rate of budget implementation, saying since 1999 budget implementation had not reached 70 per cent.

“We are discussing the 2020 budget estimates; is it fair to say we have a 2019 budget, which has not been implemented? As we speak now, nothing has been done. We have the 2019 Appropriation Act and we are discussing the 2020 budget proposal. We refused to address this aspect of our shortcomings,” he said.

According to him, no country moves forward without discussing what happened in the past as

some of the projects being implemented now were not even in the 2019 budget.

He also chastised the National Assembly for not carrying out the required oversight on the budget implementation.

Also contributing, Chairman of Senate Committee on Diaspora, Senator Ajibola Basiru, said that the late passage of the 2019 budget in the last days of the Eighth Assembly affected its implementation.

On 2020 appropriation, he faulted the projected revenue, saying what struck him was that the revenue projections and infrastructure showed 70 per cent deficit in the 2019 budget and in 2020, N2.18 trillion had been proposed as the shortfall.

Ajibola said: "People are looking at allocation to key sectors and the revenue to fund the projects like for instance, when you talk of the N256 billion being allocated to Works, Ministry, I have it on good authority that what is even required to take care of the outstanding in the Ministry of Works and Housing is in the excess of N500 billion.”

Also contributing, Senator Isyifanus Gyang said what Nigerians want is how the budget will transform their lives and improve security across the country.

He also criticised the N100 billion voted for defence, describing it as inadequate, saying with the security challenges facing the nation, the vote won't be sufficient to address the problem.

Commenting on Infrastructure deficits and abandoned projects, Gyang expressed hope that the budget would address the poor road network along the Akwanga-Jos Road.

While calling for reduction in the cost of governance and blocking of all leakages in government revenue, he also queried the 2.3 million barrels per day estimate of crude oil, saying it is overambitious.

Nigeria, he said, might not meet the projected revenue target, adding: "We are spending what we plan to earn as all earnings is going to current expenditure and this imbalance should be addressed."

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream), Senator Albert Akpan, on his part, canvassed for the amendment of the deep and offshore bills to reflect the welfare of the oil communities, while calling for a balancing of the allocation to the various sectors.

Also speaking, Senator Chris Ekpenyong submitted that the budget estimate showed wisdom and dexterity of plans by the president.

He said the budget should actually create jobs for the teeming unemployed youth, adding: "There are many poor people, let the budget work for the people, let's find a definitive role that will aid ease of transportation and create wealth."

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Mathew

Urhoghide, advised that poor revenue generation, which has been the bane of effective implementation of yearly budgetary proposals, must be tackled by blocking all the loopholes if 2020 budget is to succeed.

“We must put our mouth where our money is, meaning that, as parliamentarians, more thorough oversight functions must be carried out on all revenue generating agencies," he said.

Also speaking, Chairman of Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Senator Ayo Akinyelure, submitted:"All agencies of government saddled with revenue generation should be thoroughly monitored and quarterly assessed on whether they are meeting revenue target set for them or not."

Senator Dauda Yaro said since there is a possibility of not meeting up to N8.155trillion targeted total revenue of the budget, the entire budget size should be reduced to the revenue.

According to him, projecting N8.155trillion as total targeted revenue and N10.33trillion as proposed total aggregate expenditure, indicate spending beyond ones earnings, which is increasing deficit component of the budget on yearly basis.

Some senators including Kola Balogun and Ibikunle Amosun also called for serious revenue drive in financing the budget.

Other senators called for aggressive revenue drive, some of them in

their submissions, kicked against the Value Added Tax (VAT) increase.

Specifically, Senator Onor Ojang, described the proposed VAT increase from 5 per cent to 7.5 per cent as regressive taxation.

According to him, increase in VAT is like a short cut to revenue earnings with attendant consequences of shrinking the economy and increasing the unemployment rate.

However, senators like Chukwuka Utazi, Kabir Barkiya, Ibikunle Amosun, Ibrahim Shekarau and Abdul-Kwari Sulyman submitted that the budget proposals were realistic and achievable.

Rounding off the debate, the Senate president informed his colleagues that the budget debate would end by Tuesday.

Lawan explained that once the budget debate ends on Tuesday, it would be passed on to the committees to work on from Wednesday.

Budget Passes Second Reading in House Like their counterparts in the Senate, lawmakers in the House of Representatives also continued debate on the general principles of the fiscal bill, which passed second reading yesterday.

The bill would now be treated at the committee level for third reading, which entails passage of the next year's budget.

During the debate, some

members commended Buhari and the executive arm for the early presentation of the budget and allocations to various sectors of the economy while others picked holes in the budget.

Hon. Nnolim Nnaji from Enugu said more funds be allocated to fixing airports to boost commercial activities and in turn contribute to the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Also, Benjamin Kalu from Abia State said while he supported the passage of the budget into second reading, the House should ensure that business climate in Nigeria should be made attractive and emphasised the need for the government to patronise made-in-Nigeria goods to grow the economy.

He said: "My problem is the current business environment that we have.

Is high time we reformed the economic environment like Rwanda. We need to patronise our own like Innoson Motors."

Hon. Dan Asuquo from Cross River State, however, demanded that the details of the budget needed to be made available before debate to enable members to speak appropriately.

Hon. Ken Chikere from Rivers State, while making his contribution, lamented the state of roads in his state, pleading with the House to ensure proper implementation of the budget when passed.

The House adjourned plenary till October 29 to enable members dissolve into their various standing committees.

FG BEGINS INSTALLATION OF CATEGORY 3 ILS TO IMPROVE AIR SAFETY vectoring assistance and the equipment is currently very efficient because of its upgrade and top-notch maintenance.

He added that NAMA has completed plans to end flight delays and cancellations this year due to the inclement harmattan weather by installing Category 3 Instrument Landing System (ILS) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos before the end of November.

According to him, this would end the loss of revenue put at millions of naira by the airlines, which are forced to cancel flights during the peak Christmas seasons due to low visibility occasioned by the harmattan.

Akinkuotu, who said that

the number of operating commercial aircraft has increased to 40, added that NAMA is helping the airlines to save money on aviation fuel and has also significantly improved radio communication in the airspace.

“Our radar (Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria) is working efficiently. When we came in, the radar had degenerated because there were issues between NAMA and Thales of France, which built the radar, but when we came in we rebuilt the relationship and since then the company has been supplying us the needed spares; so, the radar enjoys top-notch maintenance now.

“With radar vectoring assistance, Nigerian airlines are saving fuel through reduced flight time. At least there is reduction of

flight time by five minutes.

In five minutes, an average Boeing 737 consumes about 291 litres of fuel -aircraft type consumes maximum of 3,500 litres in one hour. At the price of N250 per litre, if we conservatively say that every aircraft operates only six times daily and multiply it with the 40 aircraft that are currently in operation, that gives about N523,800,000.

This means that the more flights you do, the more you save. This saved funds are very important for airlines that operate largely on marginal gains,” Akinkuotu stated.

The NAMA boss said the agency also introduced electronics flight, which makes it easier for airlines registered to file the flight plan electronically and has also boost radio communication in the

airspace.

“As far as the radio is concerned we have improved communication in the airspace. Recently, we got Jos back and also Maiduguri; so, the two airports have improved communication. The ILS Category 3 is here and we will start installing them this October. We are only waiting for the rains to end. We are working hard to make sure that by November we have completed their installation at the two airports in Abuja and Lagos.

“We are also working on Aeronautical Information Service (AIS), which is to ensure the flow of information necessary for safety, regularity and efficiency for international air navigation and we hope to complete the project by end of this year or first

quarter of next year. We are making very good progress.

The Lagos equipment is completed and we are installing in six other places,” Akinkuotu said.

He added that the agency has advanced in migrating to satellite based navigation to make it easier for flight movement in Nigeria’s airspace.

“We are migrating from ground-based navigation to satellite-based navigation. We have performance-based navigation, which is defined in terms of accuracy, integrity, availability, continuity, and functionality. NAMA has installed this system, which airlines that have corresponding equipment are benefitting from. The Category 3 ILS will enable aircraft to land during the peak of harmattan because of its accuracy. It brings the

CBN: WHY CREDIT EASING WILL NOT INCREASE NON-PERFORMING LOANS That was the first time it would drop to single-digit in the past 40 months.

But Okoroafor allayed fears expressed by the IMF, saying there are safeguards to protect the system.

“First of all, it is important for us to come to the realisation that the primary responsibility of banks is to act as catalysts, by being intermediary between the surplus sector and the deficit sector,” he said.

According to him, a review of banking sector

loan portfolio in Nigeria by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) showed that in the last one year, credit to the private sector has been flat.

He said: “What the MPC found out was that banking industry loan has been at best flat and in most cases, dropped. And the central bank felt that to encourage the banks, we need to be aggressive by prescribing for them what the minimum LDR should be.

“Yes, we have heard in

some quarters that it will push up NPLs. That is not true. It is not true because we have put in a rule whereby those who have access to credit are people who genuinely do require those loans.

“In this case, we have introduced a clause, which we have mandated all banks to put in the offer letters to their customers. The clause states that by accepting the offer or by drawing the loan from a bank that I warrant that I would pay back the

loan. And if for any reason I don’t pay back the loan or abandon it and go to another bank to open an account, the central bank has the right to go to the new bank I opened account, take the customer’s money and pay off the loan.”

He added that what that meant was that the probability that somebody would either argue with his bank or go to court would not arise.

He explained: “This is because he has on his own

signed the document that states that if he takes the loan and does not pay, the central bank can go to his other bank and take money from his account.

“What does that mean? It means that the only place we would see people not paying their loan is if they are totally bankrupt, in which case, they don’t have any money in the banking industry.

“That is the only way you can see that NPLs would rise. But we don’t see that probability in the horizon.”

aircraft down to five feet to the ground.

“NAMA recently installed Category 2 ILS at the Benin airport. Satellite -based navigation will bridge communication gaps experienced in the past and also enhance navigation accuracy.

NAMA has installed approach facilities in 28 airports and has continued to improve navigation in the airspace,” he said.

TOP GAINERS LEARNAFRICA LIVESTOCK UNITEDCAPITAL ABCTRANS WEMABANK TOP LOSERS WAPIC LINKAGE CUSTODIAN

NGN NGN 0.11 1.23 0.04 0.47 0.15 2.15 0.02 0.40 0.02 0.60 NGN 0.03 0.32 0.04 0.47 0.35 5.65 HONEYWELL 0.05 0.95 ROYALEXCHANGE 0.01 0.20 HPE Nestle Nig Plc ₦1,215.00 Volume: 363.26 million shares Value: N19 billion Deals: 2,650 As at yesterday 10/10/19 See details on Page 43

% 9.8 9.3 7.5 5.2 3.4 % 8.5 7.8 5.8 5.0 4.7

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NEWS

Nigeria to Team up with Cameroon to Set Cocoa Price Ejiofor Alike with agency reports Nigeria is planning to team up with Cameroon to agree on a premium for their cocoa with international buyers, following moves by the top producers - Ivory Coast and Ghana, to boost prices for their crops, the Vice President of the World Cocoa Producers Organisation, Sayina Riman, has said.

The plan, which was said to have been suggested by Nigeria, the world’s fourthlargest cocoa producer, is part of a drive by cocoa growers in West Africa and Latin America to try to address a perceived imbalance between farmers’ incomes and money made by big commodities traders.

Reuters reported that Ivory

Coast and Ghana, which account for nearly two thirds of global cocoa production, have imposed a fixed “living income differential” of $400 per ton on all cocoa contracts sold by either country for the 2020/2021 season.

However, despite being the world’s leading cocoa producers, the two countries exert very limited influence over international prices.

Cocoa producing countries have sought ways to protect farmers from market swings after global overproduction sent prices crashing between 2016 and 2017, and oversupply has meant a slow recovery.

Riman, who doubles as president of the Cocoa Association of Nigeria, told Reuters that Ivory Coast and

Riman Ghana had effectively agreed a $400 per ton premium above global prices for their cocoa, stressing that Nigeria wanted to follow suit to protect its farmers.

According to him, Nigeria has had informal discussions with Cameroon.

“We are talking to Cameroon to see if we can become a regional bloc ... and see if we can get our buyers, who know our quality to give us better differentials,” he said, adding: “We need to approach it as a bilateral discussion.”

Peru has said it would propose a minimum price of $3,200 per ton to its regional growers, which together make up 17 per cent of global output, after the moves by West African producers.

Riman added that Nigeria and Cameroon both account for around 10 per cent of global production and have the potential to more than double output within five years.

The two countries share a border and similar weather.

According to Riman, private sector representatives in Nigeria would hold talks with the federal government this month to map out a plan after which the country would formally engage with Cameroon.

He said Nigerian officials had also met with Dutch and British officials about boosting cocoa exports to Europe rather than selling beans through third party buyers in Asia.

However, spokesman of Cameroon’s Trade Ministry, Serge Eric Epoune, said the ministry was unaware of Nigeria’s plans, while a source at the country’s National Office of Cocoa and Coffee, who did not want to be named, said the plans were just “rumours”.

Also, a top cocoa trader at one of the world’s biggest agriculture trade houses said he did not see how Nigeria and Cameroon could team up because Nigeria does not have a central cocoa authority, unlike Ivory Coast, Ghana and Cameroon.

“I believe the Nigeria and Cameroon prices will move up in line with Ivory Coast and Ghana ... because of supply and demand,” said the trader.

“If Nigeria becomes too cheap, everyone will buy Nigeria and the market will adjust higher automatically, but not because they teaming are up,” the trader added.

Farmgate cocoa prices in Nigeria rose to around N720,000 ($2,353) per ton from N650,000 in September.

Ngige: Labour Interpreted Minimum Wage Increase Wrongly Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, yesterday attributed the challenges being experienced in reaching agreement on full implementation of the new minimum wage increase, caused by the present impasse over the consequential adjustment of the minimum wage for Grade Levels 7 to 17, to the wrong interpretation of the increase by the organised labour.

The minister, while receiving a delegation of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) who visited him in Abuja, accused labour of interpreting the minimum wage to suit its purpose.

He said: "Consequential adjustment of the minimum wage is the main issue . It is not synonymous with total wage review. It is an adjustment you do consequentially - moving the last man at the last rung

of ladder to N30,000 and by so doing, impinging on other salary Grade Levels, therefore must consequentially move them up too. But the consequential movement up doesn’t mean you do a percentage of the former minimum wage to the present minimum wage, which is 67 per cent . The issue is that they mistakenly lumped the two things together - the issue of consequential movement upstairs and the issue of total wage review."

The minister also said the fivemember Presidential Committee on Review of Salaries of Federal Public Servants would conclude its assignment by December.

According to the minister, the presidential committee has the Minister of Finance, Budget and Planning as its chairman and himself as the co-chair.

He added that the committee, which will submit its report to President Muhammadu Buhari, was given additional

mandate to guide government in implementing an overall structural wage review.

According to him, due to the new minimum wage, the federal government’s personnel cost has risen astronomically from N1.88 trillion in 2016 to N3.08 trillion.

He said it was in anticipation of the adverse consequences that Buhari recently set up, the five-member committee to “evaluate all the earnings in the public service.”

He said part of the mandate of the committee was to make sure that "the quantum of work vis-a-vis quantum of money were synchronised in such a way that productivity would also come into play.”

“We have instances of people who have the same degree some have First Class Honours , Second Class Honours (Upper Division) but you have another person who has a Third Class .

The one with Third Class finds

himself in public establishment where he is earning X amount and another person with Second Class Upper is in the core civil service and earns X/3, which is one third of X. It doesn’t make sense. So, that is the essence of that particular presidential committee and we have been given the mandate to finish our work by 9thof December 2019,” he added.

While explaining the enormous financial burden being borne by the federal government, Ngige said the annual personnel cost had risen astronomically since this administration came into office from N1.88 trillion in 2016 to N3.08 trillion in the 2020 budget proposal.

He added that the amount, which is inclusive of the new minimum wage, workers promotion arrears and pension, does not, however, include personnel cost of government institutions that get their

allocation through the first-line charge like the judiciary and the National Assembly.

Commending NECA for the patriotic role it played during the negotiations for the minimum wage, Ngige solicited its assistance towards its faithful implementation in the private sector, noting that the sector has over the years been on self-adjustment towards the N30,000 base earning for workers through its collective bargaining agreement policy.

Ngige urged NECA to intensify efforts in re-invigorating professional unions of employers who have been passive so as to enable workers’ unions in such establishments to be active enough to benefit the values of unionism.

He told the NECA leadership that labour inspectors from the Inspectorate Division of the ministry would as from next year commence inspection of factories and industries

to ensure compliance to the national minimum wage, occupational safety as well as enforce expatriate quota and stop capital flight.

He further urged the organisation to open branch offices and operations to all the zones of the country.

Speaking on the disagreement between federal government and public sector unions, NECA Director General, Timothy Olawale, said both sides should intensify dialogue as a means of resolving the matter.

He added that under prevailing circumstance, what federal government did by ordering payment of junior workers on grade levels 1 was right.

Olawale urged organised labour to shelve the proposed October 16 national strike over the consequential adjustment of the national minimum wage and exhaust all mechanism of social dialogue.

Shehu, said he would have to reach Daura first before he could react.

However, he said he couldn't get through to the presidential aide and promised to reach him again. But as at press time, he had not got back to THISDAY. Also, speaking on the issue and those of the service chiefs who are still in service long after the expiration of their tenure, some lawyers, in separate interviews with THISDAY, described the action of the president as a breach of the law regulating the employment of civil servants.

Mr. Akinlolu Kehinde SAN, said since a civil servant was not appointed by the president, the president lacked power to determine his or her duration in office.

He held that the provision of the law as regarding employment into government offices are sacrosanct and as such must be strictly obeyed by all.

"Those are statutory regulated appointments; they don't stay in that office at the pleasure of the president. They are not appointees of the president, so, why should the president extend their tenure. It is either you are 60 years old or 35 years on the job and after that you go," he said.

The senior advocate, who described the action of the president as illegal, however, noted that if the president found the service of any civil servant, who is due for retirement expedient, the only option available to him is to engage such a person on a contract basis.

"If he is retaining them because nobody can replace them, or there is no other trained

hand, or no other competent person that can carry out such responsibility or duties on behalf of the government, then he can retain them on contract basis.

He explained: "Appointment of civil servants enjoy statutory flavour, there is a set down procedure of engagement, of discipline and disengagement, which must be strictly followed.

That is why you cannot just wake up and say that you are retiring somebody if the person has not reached retirement age or disengage him if they have not gone through the disciplinary process or any infraction."

While declining to speak on the consequences of the president's action, the senior lawyer, however, stated that it is left to those who have interest in public litigation to challenge it.

Another lawyer, Steve Eke, also said by extending Dauda’s tenure, the president contravened the law as he lacked the legal power to do so.

Citing the case of the service chiefs who have over stayed in office, Eke said Buhari has been using his office as president to retain whomever he wants in office.

According to him, "Tenure of offices has been created by status or the law setting up the organisation and ordinarily you cannot go beyond what the law stated.

"So to that extent he doesn't have the power, but if you look at what has happened to service chiefs, it is the same thing.

"The man is using his office as president to do this extension but the constitution says this people are due for retirement and you retain them or extend their tenure without amending

that particular law that states the limit of their offices is clearly unlawful, illegal, it is not supposed to be so."

However, he added that if Buhari wants to retain the services of Daura, he could offer him a political appointment after his retirement.

"But as for his tenure as a police officer if he has attained 35 years or the mandatory retirement age he must go, you cannot stretch his tenure created by law," he said.

According to him, the retention of the boss of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Babatunde Fowler, is currently a subject of litigation, which if judgment is entered against him, he can be forced to pay all salaries and emoluments received during the period outside his tenure.

Similarly, another legal practitioner, Mr. Ifeanyichukwu Obasi-Nweze, aligned with the others on their submissions that the president does not have the power to extend the tenure of his chief personal security officer for the singular fact that Dauda is not a political appointee but a civil servant.

He said: "The president does not have the power to extend his tenure because he is not a political appointee.

"When you are in the civil service there is a time you get to and you must retire, but if it is an appointment it does not follow that process.

"Once you get to 60 years of age or 35 years of service you must retire and the president does not have the power to extend it because the law says at that stage you must leave office."

POLICE SERVICE COMMISSION TO MEET OVER BUHARI’S AIDE PSC and retired Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Mr. Parry Osayande, has also urged the president to adhere to the rules on the matter.

Dauda, the chief personal security officer to the president, hails from Daura and is billed to retire on January 1, 2020 when he would have served for the mandatory 35 years in service.

He enlisted in the Nigerian Police Force as a cadet on January 1, 1985.

However, Ani, while responding to THISDAY inquiry on the reported extension of Dauda’s tenure, said although the commission had not been formally informed on the extension, public service rules were clear on the period or tenure of service of every civil servant.

He said the commission would soon convene a meeting where it is expected to take a position on the issue.

Ani, who did not state the date of the meeting, told THISDAY: “The public service rule is very clear. It is either you attain 35 years in service and you retire, or you do so at the age of 60.

That is what the public service rule says for a civil servant. The commission has not met to take a decision on this. We just saw it yesterday.

“We noticed that yesterday and he has not formally come before the commission. The commission will meet and consider what is supposed to be done. The commission has not as a body met to consider the development. When they meet, they will take a decision on it.”

However, another source within the commission told THISDAY that Buhari’s action was an affront to the law setting

up the PSC, which gives the commission sole responsibility for the appointments, promotion, and discipline of all policemen below the Inspector General of Police (IG).

The source also faulted the claim that nothing was wrong with the president’s decision since his predecessors such as Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua, now deceased, extended the tenures of former Inspectors General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero and Mr. Mike Okiro, respectively.

Ehindero’s tenure was extended by one year on March 20, 2006 to May 29, 2007, while Okiro’s own was extended to 2010.

Buhari has also extended the tenure of the present service chiefs severally.

But the source said the case of Daura was different as he is still a Commissioner of Police, who is under the commission, unlike the IG who is under the president.

He cited Section 215, sub 1, paragraph (a) of the 1999 Constitution, which states that: “An Inspector-General of Police… subject to Section 216 (2) of this Constitution, shall be appointed by the president on the advice of the Nigeria Police Council from among serving members of the Nigeria Police Force.”

In his reaction, Osayande urged the president to adhere to the rule of law.

He said: “Nobody is indispensable. When you make a law you follow the law. They make a mockery of the whole thing. It is wrong. This can only happen in Africa, in Nigeria.

Let them do the right thing.”

Speaking in an interview

with THISDAY, Executive Director, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Center, Mr. Okechukwu Nwangwuma, said the extension of Daura’s tenure was a clear case of nepotism on the part of the president, the police officer in question being from his town.

He described it as illegal and an act of corruption.

He said: “This one is a clear case of nepotism by the president because one, this man is from the president’s village. I also heard that this man benefited from multiple promotions. Now, the civil service rule says 35 years or the attainment of 60 years, whichever one comes first.

“Now the one that came first is 35 years so there is no basis to extend his service except for nepotism and this is a government that has the fight against corruption as one of its signature commitments, so it is clear by this singular act that this government is promoting corruption. It is subverting basic civil service rules.”

Nwangwuma said the president lacked the powers to extend the service of any police officer, except the IGP. Head of the Human Rights Writers Association, Mr. Emmanuel Onwubiko, said there was no reason for the extension as Dauda was not indispensable.

“That is an illegality. Is he better than other 200,000 policemen in the country? The government should not engage in nepotism. The right decisions should be taken at all times.

There are other police officers, who can do this job,” he said.

When contacted, presidential spokesman, Mallam Garba

FRIDAY OCTOBER 11, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

9

NEWS

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

Nigeria Pays P&ID £250,000 Ordered by UK Court Ejiofor Alike The federal government has paid the sum of £250,000 to Process and Industrial Developments Limited (P&ID) as running cost, following an order of the Commercial Court in London last month.

Justice Christopher Butcher gave the order on September 26 with a 14-day ultimatum to the Nigerian government, a deadline that expired yesterday.

Nigeria is currently battling to reverse the judgment of the London court which awarded $9.6 billion in favour of P&ID over an alleged breach of a gas supply contract agreement.

The government has also appealed against the order of the same court, which asked that a $200 million security payment be made into its account within 60 days, as a condition for a stay of execution of the $9.6 billion judgment after granting the country leave to appeal the

judgment.

The Solicitor General of the Federation, Mr Dayo Akpata, who confirmed this yesterday to Channels Television, explained that payment of the running cost ordered by the court was made pending the hearing of the appeal against the $9.6 billion judgment in favour of P&ID. He added that the cost was a normal process and would be paid back if the appeal was successful.

The federal government, through the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed, had insisted that the P&ID contract was fraudulent.

The government had also sent a delegation to the United Kingdom, in its bid to overturn the judgment of the London court.

The team comprised two ministers, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), as well as heads of the Nigeria Police Force and the Economic and

Govt Sets up 89-man Team to Monitor Importation, Consumption of Petrol Chineme Okafor in Abuja The federal government has set up a team comprising of 89 persons to monitor the volume of petrol imported and consumed daily in Nigeria.

The team, according to a statement from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), was drawn from five key agencies comprising the corporation itself, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF), and Department of State Services (DSS).

Their job, the statement, which was signed by the Acting Group General Manager Public Affairs of the NNPC, Mr. Samson Makoji, explained, would be to ensure transparency and accountability in the distribution of petroleum products across the country.

It said the team codenamed ‘Operation White’, was inaugurated by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Timipre Sylva, who reportedly noted that they would help to authenticate the actual volume of products imported and consumed in the country and ensure that Nigeria attained energy security.

Sylva equally observed that the initiative was long overdue for the country and charged members of the team to carry out the assignment with commitment, zeal and patriotism.

He stated that he was optimistic that the operation would stem the smuggling of petroleum products by some unscrupulous operators, stressing that the savings from the exercise would support infrastructural development in the country.

He also recalled that few weeks after the closure of the country’s land borders, daily petrol consumption dropped from 60 million litres to 52

million.

“I must say that I am very impressed with the caliber of the team members of ‘Operation White’ and (I) am not surprised because every organisation that I know is as strong as its leadership.

“The NNPC under the leadership of Mallam Mele Kyari epitomises strong leadership. (I) am happy with the enthusiasm on the faces of the members and I am sure that we will succeed,” said Sylva.

Similarly, the statement quoted the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, to have charged the team to deliver on the task of controlling leakages of petroleum products, especially petrol.

He said that ‘Operation White’ would monitor and track every molecule of petroleum product imported into Nigeria as well as follow it through to the pump.

According to him, the NNPC was poised to support the federal government in its quest to guarantee energy security for Nigeria.

Mele Kyari equally stated that the NNPC under his leadership would continue to be transparent by ensuring that the entire operations of the oil industry remained visible to all Nigerians and all operators in line with his management’s vision of Transparency, Accountability and Performance Excellence (TAPE).

“The selection of ‘Operation White’ team was very thorough, and people of great competence and high level of integrity were head-hunted for this national assignment. Today, we are good to go, and we will see our transaction end-to-end as is the case in other countries.

We are poised to support the Minister to ensure that energy security is guaranteed for our dear country so that our principal, President Muhammadu Buhari, would be proud of us,” said Mele Kyari.

Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Briefing journalists on the outcome of the visit, Mohammed had noted that they recorded a

huge success.

“It was indeed a huge victory, and P&ID has every reason to be worried that the $9.6 billion arbitration award to it has a good

chance of being overturned.

“The federal government looks forward to its day in court in the Court of Appeal, where it is confident that it will receive

a fair hearing of its case and that the order permitting enforcement of the arbitral award will be set aside,” the minister had said.

DEEPENING KNOWLEDGE OF LAW...

L-R: President/ Chairman, Legal History Society of Nigeria (NLHSON), Chief Anthony Idigbe (SAN); Keynote Speaker, Prof. Philip Girard; former Attorney General and Minister of Justice/panelist, NHLSON, Mr. Bayo Ojo (SAN); Chairman,THISDAY Newspapers/ Arise News, Prince Nduka Obaigbena; and Trustee, NLHSON, Prof Fabian Ajogwu (SAN), at Legal History Society of Nigeria (NLHSON)’s, Maiden Conference 2019 in Lagos...yesterday.

KOLAWOLE ALLI

FG, Chinese Firm Sign Contract for $3.9bn Abuja-Itakpe-Warri Rail Line Kasim Sumaina in Abuja The federal government yesterday signed an agreement with China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) to construct the $3.9 billion Abuja-Baru-Itakpe-Warii rail line, build a new seaport and mange same for a period of 30 years.

The contract was signed by both parties at the Federal Ministry of Transportation in Abuja, where the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, noted that with the latest $3.9 billion contract, the Chinese firm has now been saddled with the responsibility of handling all rail projects in Nigeria.

The minister said: “The signing ceremony that we had today is the first PPP (Public Private Partnership) railway agreement for Abuja-Itakpe or Abuja-Baru-Itakpe and Lokoja and it is between Nigeria and CRCC. “The agreement is supposed to be 15 per cent Nigeria equity and 10 per cent CRCC equity and then we borrow 75 per cent as SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) from the Chinese bank.”

“There is a concession agreement that CRCC will hold 75 per cent. The entire Nigerian railway is constructed 100 by CRCC.” He explained that the good working relationship Nigeria has with the company was the reason other companies have not been engaged by the country.

According to him, the PPP agreement was better than going to borrow the huge sum of money required for the construction of the new phase of the rail line, adding that: “If we raise our equity, they will raise theirs. But largely, the funds will come from China.”

The minister noted that the rail line is one of the longest in Nigeria now, stressing that besides the narrow gauge, is the Itakpe-Warri Rail line, which Julius Berger got close to completion before it was later abandoned.

He stated that “some of them were vandalised and then we had to re-award it to CCECC to complete the vandalised areas, complete the project and build a new seaport and operate and manage them for 30 years

to enable the company recover their money.”

Amaechi also called for the localisation of railway technology, noting that from the history of China railway construction, China localised the American technology, adding that the first American company that started railway construction in China was GE. He revealed that it was imperative to instruct both CCECC and CRCC to realise the need for local participation of both Nigerian engineers and contractors.

“We need you to work with us to develop the knowledge of Nigerians; that is why we emphasise on you building universities and provide us with lecturers until we can train our own lecturers.

“Just like we are holding CCECC on issue of manufacturing at Kajola, for which we have awarded them the contract of about $500 million to build for us rolling stock for LagosIbadan, we will also resume conversation with CRCC on the issue of manufacturing railway components in Nigeria.”

On his part, the Vice President of China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), Wang Wenzhong, while appreciating the support of the minister and the ministry on behalf of the 300,000 staff of CRCC, congratulated him on his reappointment .

He stated that CRCC is the biggest construction company of China and the biggest railway company globally “In 2018, we occupy 55 among the top 500 enterprises around the world. Now we have businesses and projects in 127 countries all over the world and with a turnover $110 billion.”

“We pay lots of attention to the development of Nigeria.

We also make use of our best resources in Nigeria. We are going to provide our resources to the development of Nigeria.

We also demand our subsidiaries to work hard for Nigeria.

We want all our projects in Nigeria to be the best in terms of quality and to meet the satisfaction of the people of Nigeria.”

One Killed as Gunmen Abduct NSCDC Officer, His Family Members in Abuja FCT police launch operation against kidnappers Kingsley Nwezeh and Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja A local security guard was killed, while three members of a family of an operative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were kidnapped in Dafara Village, Abuja by a group of gunmen dressed in military uniform.

This is coming as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command yesterday said it had launched a joint counter

operation against kidnapping in the nation’s capital and surrounding environment.

THISDAY gathered that the abduction was carried out on Wednesday night in the village that is incidentally about a kilometre from Pegi community, also in Kuje area council, where nine persons were kidnapped during a dusk raid on Monday night.

A resident of Dafara community, Shedrack Musa, confirmed the abduction.

He said a member of the local

security outfit, named, Williams was killed during the attack, when some vigilante members attempted to foil the abduction plot.

The abducted man, an Assistant Commander in NSCDC, is named Nicholas.

Musa said that the gunmen gained access to the NSCDC officer’s apartment by opening fire on the door.

He was later abducted alongside his wife and one of his children.

The Chairman of Pegi Community Development

Association (PECDA), Taiwo Aderibigbe, described the latest incident as unfortunate.

“Abuja is under siege, that is just the truth of matter as some people are playing politics with our lives, which is uncalled for, “Aderibigbe lamented.

Meanwhile, the FCT Police Command yesterday said it had launched a joint counter operation against kidnapping in the nation’s capital and surrounding environment.

10

FRIDAY OCTOBER 11, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

I’ve Zero Tolerance for Corruption, Says CJN CUPP alleges plot to alter composition of S’Court panel on Atiku’s petition

Udora Orizu in Abuja The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Muhammad, has declared that he has zero tolerance for corruption, and expressed the readiness of the National Judicial Council (NJC) to investigate and sanction judges across the country, who indulge in acts that are incongruent with judicial norms.

The CJN, who is also the Chairman of the NJC, advised any aggrieved member of the public offended by the conduct of any judicial officer to forward a petition to the legal body for appropriate action, saying his administration has zero tolerance for corruption within the judiciary.

The CJN’s position is coming

as the opposition political parties under the aegis of Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) yesterday raised the alarm over an alleged plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to alter and jettison the composition of the proposed seven-member panel that will consider the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.

However, the CJN has expressed the readiness of the Supreme Court for any eventuality, adding that it is well prepared to keep the country together as one indivisible entity through effective and efficient justice delivery.

The CJN spoke in Abuja after he received members of the Presidential Advisory Committee

Sagay’s Committee Recovers N1tn

Against Corruption (PACAC) led by the Chairman, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), who paid a courtesy visit A statement issued by the Director of Press and Information at the Supreme Court, Dr. Akande Festus, said the CJN stressed that the court, being the highest and final court in the land, is always very critical and conscious of every case that comes before it on appeal.

As such, he noted that justices of the apex court always put in a concerted effort by doing a critical review of all facts and evidence before them to arrive at a decision in order to give justice to all parties in a free, fair and generally acceptable manner without any iota of equivocation.

“We are all seasoned judicial officers that were appointed to the Supreme Court based on merit, experience and qualification. We are bound by the oath we have subscribed to and thus discharge our responsibilities without

deference to anybody and we will continue to do so.

“We are never above board as human beings, so we are open to constructive criticisms. It may interest you to know that before we deliver any ruling or judgment, no matter how small it is, even if it is only five sentences, we have to hold a conference with all the justices on the panel and could even expand it in some critical situations to involve all the justices of the court. The sole aim of this practice is to ensure that justice is given in every case before us, no matter how infinitesimal it might be because we are the final court in the land.”

Meanwhile, the CUPP has raised the alarm over an alleged plot by the APC to alter and jettison the composition of the proposed seven-member panel that will consider the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar had headed to the Supreme Court to file an appeal after rejecting the tribunal’s judgment - a development that has spurred CJN to begin the process of constituting a seven-man panel who will review the judgment.

However, CUPP at a press conference in Abuja, by its spokesman, Ikenga Ugochinyere, alleged the APC has been mounting undue pressure on the CJN and indeed the entire court to accept a hand-picked panel and jettison the age-long tradition of selecting the most senior justices of the Supreme Court to sit on the panel.

Ikenga argued that the way by which CJN wants to constitute the panel is in violation of the age-long practice of appointing the most senior Justice, since 1979.

He stated that the opposition

parties will not accept a handpicked panel neither will the pronouncement of such panel command the requite respect and confidence of the people of Nigeria.

Ugochinyere listed the names of 15 Supreme Court Justices with the date they were appointed as follows: Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed, CJN (2006); Bode Rhodes Vivour (2010); Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta (2011); Mary Odili (2011); Olukayode Ariwoola (2011); Musa Datijo Mohammad (2012).

Others include Kumayi Bayang Akaahs (2012); Kudirat Kekere-Ekun (2013); John Inyang Okoro Jsc (2013); Chima Centus Nweze (2014); Amiru Sanisu Jsc (2015); Amina Adamu Augie (2016); Ejembi Eko Jsc (2016); Paul Adamu Galinje Jsc (2016) and Uwani Abba Aji Jsc (2018).

Buhari orders sale of recovered assets to avert return to owners Promises to review cost of governance

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja The Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) yesterday in Abuja said it had recovered at least N1 trillion which it said had been deployed to fund the Social Investment Programme (SIP) of the federal government.

This is coming as President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday disclosed that instructions had been given to relevant authorities that all forfeited assets be sold, “and the money put in the Treasury Single Account.”

He has also promised to look into the cost of governance, and flush out corruption wherever it may be found.

Briefing State House reporters after the committee met with President Buhari, PACAC Chairman, Professor Itse Sagay, said the N500 billion spent on SIP in 2017 and another N500 billion in 2018 were proceeds of recovered assets by the committee.

According to him, whatever the committee recovers from looters is pumped back into the system adding that corruption in Nigeria is a cancer that has eaten deep into every aspect of the country’s national life.

Sagay, who said the menace which had been part of the system for over 50 years, could not be done away with within a brief period, added that that even in the court, officials would not allow a lawyer to file a case without extorting money from him.

“I think the Minister of Information is best placed to say how much (has been recovered) but I can say roughly, internally, it is almost about N1 trillion because you saw that in 2017, N500 billion was spent on this Social Investment Programme and in 2018, the same amount for the programme. So, it must be roughly about N1 trillion, although we also have monies that were recovered from abroad being ploughed back into the same system.

“When you have a disease that has been alive maybe 50 years, you cannot get rid of it overnight. My own personal experience about corruption, it

exists at every level. That is the frightening aspect through all sectors of the society.

“As a lawyer, going to court to file a paper, every official of the court imposes a personal tax which has nothing to do with the official filing fees to do his job. These are clerical officers and much lower people, and this pervades all aspects of Nigerian society,” he said.

Sagay who insisted that corruption had become a culture in Nigeria, submitted that it would take a long time to conquer the scourge as he canvassed the need to re-orientate the citizens by running awareness campaigns against corruption.

He also advocated the need to give incentives to those who are not corrupt to encourage others that a corrupt-free life is rewarding.

Sagay also said all that the committee could do was to concentrate on fighting corruption in the corridors of power by focusing on those who divert government resources for their personal benefits.

“So, corruption has become a culture, some people are corrupt without even thinking that they are corrupt, it is part of them.

They think it is an entitlement.

So, it is going to take a long time to get rid of it.

On regular claims that corruption is fighting back, Sagay said the intensity of corruption fighting back has reduced with the expiration of the eight National Assembly where he alleged that corruption was vigorously fighting back.

According to him, the main opposition to the fight against corruption was coming from the last National Assembly, adding that the current ninth National Assembly is however, “determined to work hand-in-hand with the government and therefore with us in achieving the highest level of non-corruption in society.”

He expressed hope that the new management of Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) in collaboration with the recently constituted committee would recover the N5 trillion owed the company.

A VIABLE PARTNERSHIP…

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike (left), and Group Chief Executive Officer, Ethiopian Airlines, Dr. Tewolde Gebremariam, at the headquarters of Ethiopian Airlines in Addis Ababa …yesterday

Osinbajo: Only Few Countries Can Claim Low Level Corruption Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has said that none of the few countries in the world that could claim to have attained low levels of corruption is in Africa.

Osinbajo said this yesterday in Abuja at the public launch of ‘FLAG’IT,’ an electronic App designed by the Akin Fadeyi Foundation to help in documenting corruption conduct by officials.

Osinbajo, who was represented by the Special Adviser to the President on Rule of Law, Office of the Vice-President, Fatima Waziri-Azi, clarified the 2019 Global Corruption Barometer on African Citizens’ views and experiences of corruption.

He highlighted that “while most of the people surveyed in 35 countries felt that corruption had increased in their country, a majority equally felt that they as citizens could make a difference in the fight against corruption”.

“Only few countries in the world can claim to have low levels of corruption and none of these countries are in Africa,” he said.

He acknowledged the consensus that corruption and illicit financial flows delayed the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and worsened practically all human development indices in the continent.

He further stated that corruption has trapped the majority of African people, especially the most vulnerable, into a web of misery and poverty.

“It doesn’t matter how much revenue a country generates or how transformed it is or how progressive its plans are, corruption will ensure that the majority of the people do not benefit from whatever gains that are made. This is why debt doubled and poverty figure rose at the same period Nigeria made the highest oil revenues in its history. This is why a major pillar of this administration’s social economic agenda is the fight

against corruption,” he said.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof.

Itse Sagay, decried the opportunity the country missed as a result of looting attributed to ex-governors, ministers, legislators, public servants, bankers and businessmen between 2007 and 2013.

Sagay disclosed that a total sum of the money looted was N1.35 trillion (roughly $7.05 billion).

“One-third of the stolen funds could have provided 635.18 kilometres of roads, 36 ultra-modern hospitals per state, 183 schools, educated 3,974 children from primary to tertiary level at 25.24million per child and built, 20,062 units of two bedroom houses,” Sagay said.

He said the ugly situation clearly epitomised a dog-eat-dog scenario, adding that there was devastation in all spheres of human activity.

Sagay noted that the continued decay in the social services and the loss of value system in the entire country were indicatives of how

the problems caused by corruption would mushroom in the dark when public scrutiny and collective fight against the ill declined.

Sagay added: “To this effect, no matter how strong the government’s commitment to the fight against corruption is and regardless of any government’s transparency, the participation of the people and civil society organisations in the realisation of a corruptionfree society is very crucial. The Transparency International put it very succinctly, the people and the Civil Society Organintions (CSOs) ‘need a place at the table.”

He stressed the need for the people and the CSOs to engage the government on the implementation of budgets, public procurement and the functioning of all anti-corruption laws and conventions, adding that leaders must also allow the people to see the government at work and engage the people in dialogue aimed at promoting government implementation of anti -corruption policy.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 11, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWS

Lagos Assembly Threatens to Issue Warrant for Ambode’s Arrest The Lagos State House of Assembly yesterday threatened to issue a warrant of arrest on former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, and four ex-commissioners.

This decision followed two preliminary reports presented by two committees set up to investigate the 820 buses purchased by the administration

Kogi Elders Forum Declares Support for Bello’s Re-election Martins Ifijeh The Kogi West Elders Forum, a non-partisan pressure group, has said that having gauged the political direction and power equation of Kogi State, it would support the re-election bid of Governor Yahaya Bello.

In a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday, the group said this was part of a resolution from the meeting it held with the governor in Abuja recently, adding that its support was without prejudice to any parochial interest.

According to the elders, their decision was in the larger interest of the people of West Senatorial District of Kogi State.

The communique reads in part: “We have reviewed the current political, social and economic developments in Kogi West Senatorial and hereby draw inference from decisions taken at our preliminary meetings, which largely pointed to the fact that the government of Kogi State and the people of Kogi West Senatorial District need more collaborative effort and a marshal plan to advance the interest of the district with whoever is elected as the next governor of the state on November, 16, 2019.

“Particularly perturbed about what might be the fall out of the election and worried about possible violence before, during and after the election, we found it expedient to task the governor to provide adequate security for the people and ban any of his aides from intimidating or harassing

anyone during the election.

“Similarly, the group is concerned about the poor state of infrastructural development, unfair power-sharing equation, lack of payment of workers’ salaries and the nature of political appointments all of which were not cohesive and of no group advantage to the interest of the people of Western Senatorial District.”

The forum said it has resolved going forward to engage in regular interactions with the government in order to achieve the aspiration of the people of Western Senatorial District, noting that it has welcomed the promise and commitment of the governor to protect the lives and properties of its citizens and combat any form of insecurity either on farmlands or in the communities caused by the activities of criminals and desperate politicians.

“Whereas the government pledged to continue to pay salaries of workers, going forward, we will monitor,” it added.

Signatories to the communique include Gen. David M. Jemibewon (rtd); HRH Gen. Abdullahi B Mamman (rtd); HRH Alhaji Idris A. Yusuf Tawari; Vice Admiral Ajayi Joseph (rtd); Gen. J.O.S Oshanupin (rtd); Chief Funso Ako; Dr. Oluwayomi David Atte; Col. Olusegun Oloruntoba (rtd), Dr. Tunde Arosanyin; Chief James O. Awoniyi; Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN); Chief Benjamin Taiwo; Chief Funmi Bodunde; Dan D. Kunle; Alhaji Isiaq Ajibola; and Deinde Abolarin.

PDP Accuses Presidency of Associating with Dubious Characters Chuks Okocha in Abuja Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday expressed worry over the arrest of yet another scammer linked with the Buhari Presidency, alleging that the latest development has confirmed that the Presidency under President Muhammadu Buhari has become a haven for dubious characters.

The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, alleged that the shocking fact that the scammer, Abdulrauf Illyasu, even enjoys an office accommodation within the safety and cover of the Presidential Villa, from where he carries out his fraudulent assignments, is hard evidence that the Buhari Presidency breeds and facilitates swindlers, charlatans and treasury looters.

The PDP also alleged that nothing is impossible for a Presidency replete with persons who thrive in lies, false claims,

certificate forgery, bribery, intimidation and recruiting of fraudulent and corrupt persons as ministers, special advisers and clandestine fronts for financial sleazes.

“Our party holds that it is the height of deceit and duplicity that an administration that boasts of integrity and zero tolerance for corruption could be the very sanctuary of the underworld.

“Only last week, a known confidant of Mr. President, Nasir Danu, was arrested at Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom for alleged international passport scam and money laundering while allegedly ferrying stolen currencies for persons said to be close to the Presidency.

“This is in addition to further allegations that Danu has been fronting for a close relation of the President for shady oil deals and huge contracts running into billions of naira in major revenue earning agencies,” PDP alleged.

of Ambode.

The former commissioners threatened with arrest warrant are Kazeem Adeniji (AG); Olusegun Banjo (Budget); Akinyemi Ashade (Finance); and Wale Oluwo (Energy and Mineral Resources).

Presenting the preliminary report of a nine-man ad hoc committee that probed the buses purchased by the former governor, the Chairman of the committee, Fatai Mojeed, said it was discovered that due process was not followed in the purchase of the buses.

Mojeed added that the former governor used the refund of the Paris Club for the purchase of the buses without the approval of the house.

“He did not inform the House before commencing the purchase of the buses. Over N48 billion was spent for the purchase of

the busses and N22 billion were spent on import duties; 520 of the buses are still at the seaport,” Mojeed said.

He said the Accountant-General of the state told the committee that she depended on the approval of Ambode for the purchase of the buses and that no payment voucher was made available to the committee.

The lawmaker added that they also demanded to have the budget instrument used for the purchase, but that there was no budgetary provision.

“They could not produce any newspaper where the purchase of the buses was advertised. The committee invited 20 stakeholders, 16 of them complied, while four of them refused against the constitutional provision,” he added.

On his part, the Chairman ad

hoc on mid-year budget review, Gbolahan Yishawu, alleged that the four commissioners were invited by his committee but refused to appear without giving any excuses for their absence.

Yishawu also claimed that the former governor gave some directives on spending without the approval of the lawmakers.

While reacting to the matter, some members of the assembly suggested that since the exgovernor and those officials who worked with him had been invited by the two committees and refused to show up, warrant of arrest should be issued on them.

A member representing Alimosho Constituency 1, Bisi Yusuf, told his colleagues that the assembly is empowered by the constitution to issue a warrant of arrest on the concerned individuals for their refusal to appear before

the committees.

While expressing a contrary view, the member representing Badagry Constituency 1, Ibrahim Layode, urged his colleagues to tread with caution.

He advised that the individuals should be invited through newspaper advertisement, stating that the ex-offcials are likely to come across the publications.

The Speaker of the assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, said the issue was beyond issue of arrest warrant, “because when this house invite people and they refused to show up, it’s like setting a bad precedence for others coming behind.

“The clerk should write them including the ex-Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and if they refused, we will do newspaper publications and after that we will issue a warrant of arrest.”

GIVING BACK TO THE SOCIETY…

L-R: Chairman, ADRON Homes, Aare Adetola Emmanuel King; the Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi; Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun; and the Alaye of Ode Remo, Oba Adetunji Osho, during the inauguration of the Alaaye Ode’s palace and official opening of the Museum and Park donated by the Adron boss at Ode Remo, Ogun State…yesterday

FG: $25bn FDI Boosted Economy after Recession The federal government yesterday said that the $25 billion Foreign Direct Investment (FGI) inflow boosted the economy after the nation exited recession in 2018.

It explained that Nigerians in the diaspora, who accounted for the highest net contribution to the FDI, have expressed the desire to invest in over 200 businesses and projects in different sectors of the economy, including agriculture, telecommunication, technology,

real estate, health and education.

Disclosing this at a news conference in Abuja, the Chairman, Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, explained that over 300 investors would participate in the 2019 Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit scheduled for November 6-7, 2019, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The summit with the theme, ‘Leveraging diaspora investment

for economic growth,’ is supported by the Nigeria Diaspora Alumni Network, Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Bank of Industry, Nigeria Export Promotion Council, Bauchi State Government, Keystone Bank, Rwandair, among others.

Dabiri-Erewa, who is the summit convener, stated that the event recognised the important role the diaspora could play and had

played in helping other countries achieve amazing economic growth and transformation.

She said, “The summit underscores the fact that Nigerians in the diaspora, who currently account for the highest net contribution to FDI inflows into the country with $25 billion remitted in 2018, represent a game-changing leverage for the country as the economy exits recession and heads towards growth.

Jonathan Leads AU Election Observer Mission to Mozambique Meets Buhari behind closed doors Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja President Goodluck Jonathan has been nominated by the African Union (AU) to lead the continental body’s Election Observation Mission to Mozambique’s scheduled October 15 general elections.

Jonathan’s spokesman, Mr. Ikechukwu Eze said in a statement yesterday that the former President is billed to leave the country today for Maputo, capital of Mozambique, where he will be

overseeing the deployment of the mission’s 40-member team of observers to different parts of the country.

He is also scheduled to hold consultations with various stakeholders in the country including government officials, members of the electoral commission, political parties, civil society, media, members of the diplomatic corps, and other international observer groups.

Jonathan also held a closeddoor meeting with President

Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja yesterday, where he was said to have briefed the president on his new assignment.

In a letter of invitation signed by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, the AU described Jonathan as a man who is deeply committed to peace and democracy on the continent.

It said: “Given Your Excellency’s vast experience

and commitment in promoting democracy and peace on the continent, I would like to invite you to lead the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) to the Republic of Mozambique.”

Since leaving office in 2015, Jonathan’s numerous international engagements and peace missions had involved leading different Election Observer Missions to various African nations including Tanzania, Zambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone and South Africa.

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FRIDAY OCTOBER 11, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Reform WTO, Resist Protectionism, Say Commonwealth Trade Ministers Trade ministers from across the Commonwealth yesterday made a commitment to resist all forms of protectionism, and to work urgently together towards reforming the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which sets the global rules for international trade.

Following a meeting in London, ministers from the 53 Commonwealth-member countries declared their collective support for free trade in a transparent, inclusive, fair and open multilateral trading system, with the WTO as its core institution.

They agreed that any WTO reform should take into account the views of all members, underlining the special circumstances of the developing and the least developed countries, as well as small and vulnerable economies, including Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Ministers also endorsed an action plan designed to boost trade among their countries to at least $2 trillion by 2030, through the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda. Intra-Commonwealth trade is projected to reach $700 billion by next year.

Commonwealth SecretaryGeneral, Patricia Scotland said: “The multilateral trading system

is the only way for our countries, as diverse as they are, to trade in a predictable, stable, transparent and fair environment. While the global trading system may be far from perfect, it is the surest pathway towards eradicating poverty.

“Building on this, the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda will help businesses, including micro, small and medium sized enterprises, to plug into global trade networks and benefit from world trade. In this way, intra-Commonwealth trade offers immense opportunities to contribute to reducing poverty and achieving sustainable development.”

The Chair of the meeting, UK Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade, Liz Truss said: “The UK along with its Commonwealth partners has today clearly set out its commitment to fight against protectionism. We must work together to promote free trade and reform the multilateral system to make sure it works for every nation, small or large.

“Trade has the power to drive growth, jobs and opportunities - it is an essential tool in the fight against extreme poverty and insecurity.

Mining: FG Revokes 1,566 Mineral Titles Kasim Sumaina in Abuja The federal government yesterday announced that it has so far revoked not less than 1,566 mineral titles from licensed industries on what it termed ‘”use-it-or-lose-it process.”

The Director-General, Mining Cadastre Office (MCO), Mr. Obadiah Nkom, stated this when the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, paid his first courtesy visit to various agencies under the ministry.

Nkom explained that the attention of his office is focus on ending the era when people would collect licenses and kept them without visible actions.

He stated that “this is a continuous process, and that is why we use that syndrome of ‘Use it or Lose it’. In doing this, we have to go through our legal books to make sure there are no

mistakes.

“From 2011, almost all our litigation have been successful and in favour of government.

Another aspect is the international best practice, in a short time we would be able to migrate to online with the support of the ministry.”

He also disclosed that the agency has put in strategies to improve and restore confidence of investors on government, noting that you cannot owe the government and still ask for services.

“As at today that I’m talking, we have generated about N2 billion. We are moving and these are milestones that have never been achieved since the inception of MCO. “We are still moving and I hope at the end of the day we would make sure that we improve on revenue generation. We would work towards making sure that it’s a big component and sanity is created.”

Emmanuel Edozien is Dead The Royal Edozien family of Asaba, Delta State, has announced the death of one of their illustrious son and great Nigerian, Professor Emmanuel Chukwuma Edozien, the Ojiba of Asaba, at the age of 82.

According to a statement issued on behalf of the family

by Edward Edozien the late professor died on Saturday, October 5, 2019, in Lagos, after a brief illness.

Born in Enugu on November 15, 1937, the erudite economist of international repute served as the Chief Economic Adviser to the late President Shehu Shagari from 1979 to 2003.

A renowned economics of international standing, he served in several economic related

organisations and institutions, globally and locally.

He is survived by wife, Betty and five children, 10 grandchildren and siblings, including the Asagba of Asaba, His Royal Highness Obi (Professor) Joseph Chike Edozien, his elder brother

Edozien

“By sharing experience across the diverse Commonwealth community, we can help to break down existing barriers to trade which currently prevent businesses in all our countries from trading successfully.”

Ministers called for an end to the impasse regarding the WTO’s Appellate Body – a key panel of

judges, whose rulings help resolve the trade disputes.

They highlighted the need to update WTO rules to address new challenges and opportunities, including e-commerce. They pledged support for a global agreement that would prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity

and overfishing, and eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing by the end of 2019.

In their communiqué issued from the meeting, ministers also welcomed progress made under the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda, including the work of active country-led ‘clusters’

focused on five areas: digital, physical, regulatory, supply side and business-to-business connectivity.

The outcomes of the meeting will inform leaders’ discussions at the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda in June 2020.

SHARING EXECUTIVE IDEAS…

L-R: Minister of Special Duties, Senator George Akume; Minister of State for Power, Mr. Jeddy Agba; and Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr. Timipre Sylva, after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja...recently

CFAO Partners Total, Launches Car Care Solutions in Nigeria As part of efforts to offer better services to Nigerians, CFAO has partnered Total to launch its first multi-brand, quick service franchise, AutoFast, in Total Retail Network service stations across Nigeria.

The launch event took place at the Total service station, Wuse Zone 6, Abuja.

AutoFast, which currently has footprints in several African countries, will offer quality and affordable car maintenance and repair services to vehicle users across the country.

Total and CFAO have expressed satisfaction with the partnership.

“We are proud to enter into this partnership with CFAO, a

key player in the automotive industry but also a major player on the African continent.

This collaboration is a concrete illustration of our desire to be a reference brand recognised for its proximity to its customers and the value it brings to each of them,” said Stanislas Mittelman, Africa Director of Total Marketing and Services.

Total is a multinational energy company operating in more than 130 countries and committed to providing sustainable products and services for its customers.

The Group Managing Director/ Country Delegate, CFAO Nigeria Plc, Mr. Thomas Pelletier said: “We are proud to partner with

Total on this project. CFAO has been in Nigeria for over 116 years and Total Nigeria for over 60 years with Nigeria’s interest at heart. We share similar ideals of offering total customer satisfaction by creating quality products and services. Vehicle users are in for better experience as they can now drive to AutoFast service stations closest to them.”

He noted that: “Customers can now service their vehicles in less than one hour with quality parts from the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) through our Winpart distribution brand.

This results in significant saving in time, cost and increased car lifespan. Our technicians have

gone through different stages of intensive training with efficient modern tools and are ready to serve you in line with international best practices. Total is at the forefront of lubricant technology. Quality and durability are evident in its automotive lubricants and Total’s Quartz 9000, Quartz 7000, Quartz 5000 and Total 4x4 are just perfect for your vehicles.

“CFAO, a renowned distributor of automotive brands in Africa with outstanding aftersales service and Total’s service station strengths across the country will ensure that auto users enjoy better service delivery at their convenience.”

Rivers Govt, Ethiopia Airlines Agree on Permanent Flights from Port Harcourt Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt Rivers State Government and the Ethiopian Airlines have reached an agreement in principle for the operation of permanent international flights from the Port Harcourt International Airport, subject to the approval of the relevant federal authorities.

The two parties reached the agreement at the Headquarters of Ethiopian Airlines after a high-powered meeting attended by the Group Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines, Dr. Tewolde Gebremariam; the Chief Commercial Officer, Esayas Wolde Mariam; Vice President, Strategic Planning, Busera Awel; Managing Director, Sales International, Lemma

Yadecha; Regional Director, Sales and Services , Western Africa, Mitiku Asrat; and Manager, Group Alliance and Commercial Cooperation, Hewoel Lemma.

Chief Commercial Officer, Esayas Wolde Mariam, in an address declared that Ethiopian Airlines has agreed to fly permanently from Port Harcourt International Airport subject to the approval of the federal authorities.

He said: “We are willing and capable to fly into Port Harcourt on a regular basis. For now, we have exhausted our Bilateral Air Agreement Approval and we need another approval to operate the Port Harcourt route.

“We need your help to ensure that approval comes from the Federal Authorities. At first,

there should be a temporary operating permit, pending the final approval “.

The Chief Commercial Officer added that Ethiopian Airlines needs the initial support of the Rivers State Government for handling and aviation infrastructure in Port Harcourt to develop the new Market.

He declared that EthiopianAirlines will also embark on advertisements to promote Port Harcourt as a tourist and investment destination.

Vice President, Strategic Planning, made a presentation on the capacity and vision of the Airline for the continent.

In his response, the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike declared that the state Government is willing to provide an enabling

environment for Ethiopian Airlines to operate in the state. He assured that he will meet with the Minister of Aviation to ensure that Port Harcourt International Airport is approved for Ethiopian Airlines as a destination.

Wike declared that his administration is working on making Port Harcourt a regional air transport hub for greater economic development of the state.

He said: “As we therefore consolidate on our achievements, we want to also focus on making Port Harcourt city a regional air transport hub through the private public partnership approach while leveraging on the existing aviation infrastructure and related market and other advantages of the state.”

FRIDAY OCTOBER 11, 2019 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͯ​ͯ˜ Ͱͮͯͷ

COMMENT

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

RECONNECTING NIGER DELTA WITH ABUJA Darlington Nwobodo writes that the deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, is filling a political void

“A genuine leader is not a searcher of consensus, but a moulder of consensus — Martin Luther King, Jr.

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fter the presidential election of 2015 was won and lost, while some parts of the country were in jubilant mood, the South-South mourned. The oil-producing region became bewildered and disillusioned—not as a result of militancy or environmental degradation orchestrated by crude oil exploration, but the painful loss of the presidency through the defeat of then President Goodluck Jonathan, an illustrious son of Niger Delta, at the polls by Muhammadu Buhari of the APC. South-South lost the grip of the nation’s highest office.

It seemed like the zone was permanently displaced politically from the center, and political leadership in the region became rudderless. The ship of the zone lost its compass.

As a result of Jonathan’s exist from Aso Rock, Niger Delta retreated into regional politics and metamorphosed into the stronghold of the opposition, the PDP. For four consecutive years, South-South lost its voice in corridors of Aso Rock, which created a huge communication gap between Abuja—the nation’s seat of power, and the oil-rich region; ravaged by leadership problem as seen in gross underdevelopment across the area. The aftermath of the election was as if the political bridge linking federal government and the region got severed, and no one had the political sophistication to reconnect the zone with mainstream politics until Senator Ovie Omo-Agege emerged the deputy president of the senate—riding on bipartisan mandate.

The elevation of Senator Omo-Agege to senate number two seat has changed the political hemisphere of Niger Delta. It has inspired hope and reawakened consciousness among the people of South-South. And the Urhobo-born senator has immediately filled the leadership void which was created by the Jonathan’s exit from power. He has begun fixing the broken political bridge linking the region with Abuja, and has become the APC’s rallying point in the South-South geo-political zone. The goose that lays the golden eggs of the Nigeria’s wealth should not be far from the meeting table where critical national decisions are being taken.

South-South, as the economic life-wire of the nation, cannot afford to play opposition to the central government for long, especially when the opposition politics has become counterproductive and injurious to the growth of the region. The mainstay of the country’s foreign exchange earner cannot be disconnected from the center as a result of opposition politics. This implies that the zone, as a matter of political expediency, should be well-represented at the central government. This is the new school of thought deputy president of the Senate Omo-Agege is propagating in the region.

THE ELEVATION OF SENATOR OMO-AGEGE TO SENATE NUMBER TWO SEAT HAS CHANGED THE POLITICAL HEMISPHERE OF NIGER DELTA. IT HAS INSPIRED HOPE AND REAWAKENED CONSCIOUSNESS AMONG THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH-SOUTH

And this he has been doing with vigor, even when it was not politically correct to be identified with the APC in Niger Delta—prior 2015 elections.

It is crystal clear that the PDP has dominated the politics of the zone since 1999. Five of the six states of the region are presently being controlled by the opposition. The only APC state in South-South, Edo, is hanging in the balance owing to protracted feud that has pitched Adams Oshiomhole, the APC’s national chairman and his estranged godson, Governor Godwin Obaseki. The emergence of Senator Omo-Agege as the country’s number six citizen under the platform of the ruling party has consequently strengthened the foothold of the APC in the Niger Delta. It has provided a rallying point for the supporters of the party in the zone.

The birth of formidable leadership encapsulated in a consummate shepherd, like Omo-Agege, has attracted more sheep to join the progressive train of the APC in South-South—like never before. As we look forward to 2023, the APC leadership should entrust more responsibility of repositioning the party in South-South in the able and tested hands of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege in other to give the PDP a good run for its money in the geo-political zone. He has the wit, charisma and clout to shoulder the responsibility. Gone are the days when the PDP will be allowed to have a free rein in the region, because absolute power without virile opposition corrupts. The electorate should be given credible options, not a situation where the ticket of the ruling party in the state equals to electoral victory.

The emergence of Senator Omo-Agege as deputy president of the senate, which makes him the de-facto political leader of the zone, is growingly creating fears in the camp of opposition, especially the PDP governors in the region. They are being put on their toes to deliver dividends of democracy to the populace that elected them. It is no longer going to be business as usual where the PDP reigns supreme, irrespective of the performance of its governors and legislators. Senator Omo-Agege as deputy president of the senate has strategically positioned him as the APC’s anchor-man in Niger Delta which will benefit the region immensely in terms of attraction and execution of key projects vis-a-vis political appointments.

He is capitalizing on this privileged office to reconnect the politics of South-South zone with that of Abuja. And he has begun showing leadership where it mattered most, providing needed checks and balances to the PDP in the zone by strengthening the APC in the Niger Delta. With Senator Omo-Agege, the voice of South-South—with its corresponding interests, will not only be heard and protected—but will be projected as well because he is serving as unofficial liaison officer between Niger Delta and the nation’s powerbase in Abuja.

WILL THE CHIBOK GIRLS EVER BE FOUND? We cannot afford to forget Leah Sharibu and the Chibok girls, writes Ladesope Ladelokun

H

istory mirrors our yesterday.

Its verdict may be harsh or kind depending on our actions or inaction today.

So, last week, a sad chapter of our history was once again laid bare when the BringBackOurGirls group marked 2000 days of the Chibok girls’ abduction.

Of course, it was not surprising that the name of former President Goodluck Jonathan popped up being the occupant of Nigeria’s number one office at the time the girls were stolen. In his memoir, “For The Record,” former British Prime Minister, David Cameron, had accused the Otuoke-born ex-Nigerian leader of failing to give enough support to Britain when it volunteered to rescue the abducted girls, saying he was a leader that slept on the wheel.

Expectedly, his accusation triggered brickbats between him and the former Nigerian leader with Jonathan urging the general public to take his accusation with a pinch of salt. He called it a fairy tale calculated at casting him in bad light. To be frank, Cameron did not say anything new about the Chibok abduction that happened on April 14, 2014.The former Nigerian president can deny that there was never an offer to help by the British government.

What cannot be denied is the fact that for complete two weeks after the abduction, he maintained a deafening silence because he reasoned that the abduction was part of the plans by his political enemies to bring down his government. Also, it cannot be

denied that on his watch, Boko Haram flourished and became one of the deadliest terrorist groups in the world. No one can also deny that at least 112 Chibok girls are still missing more than five years after they were abducted. It is also not a lie that his former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, is in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) following allegations that he funnelled defence funds into elections at a time Boko Haram conquered swathes of territories in the northeast.

Truth be told, leaders in this part of the world hardly take responsibility for their actions or inaction. It explains why Jonathan would see the Chibok abduction as a conspiracy against his government instead of an evidence of the failure of the government in tackling the worrying security problem that beset Nigeria during his stint as Nigeria’s president.

All Progressives Congress (APC) spokesman, Mr Lanre Onilu, was right when he said, “What is important now is Jonathan explaining to the families of the abducted school girls why as President, he did nothing for two weeks after Chibok abduction and still refuses to take responsibility for the tragedy up till now - except he continues to blame the abduction and other failings of his administration on the so-called grand conspiracy against him as he laboriously tries to state in his response to Cameron.”

But alas, Dapchi happened on President Buhari’s watch. And over 100 girls were herded away in trucks. Though it is true that the response of the present government

was swift when juxtaposed with the Chibok abduction, five girls were reported dead and one girl, Leah Sharibu is still in captivity. It remains to be seen how Buhari’s APC has the bragging rights to taunt the PDP under Jonathan for failing to secure Nigeria and Nigerians.

Buhari had promised that every Nigerian child would be safe in their schools in the run-up to the 2015 election. Only recently, armed men attacked Engravers College, a boarding secondary school in Chikun, Kaduna State and abducted two staff and six female students.

Like the missing Chibok girls and Leah Sharibu, they are victims of the failure of the people who swore to protect them. Their sin: they dared to seek knowledge. Despite several assurances from the presidency that abducted Chibok girls and Leah Sharibu would be reunited with their families, they remain in the den of their abductors, leaving their distraught loved ones in the prison of hope.

Sadly, the narrative of a disturbing breach of contract between law-abiding Nigerians who pay their taxes on the one hand and the federal government on the other hand with the primary responsibility of protecting Nigerians which birthed the abductions has refused to change with a retired General as the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.

What appears to be an advertisement of the hopeless and helpless situation of the worsening security problem bedevilling Nigeria is the resolve of the Borno State government to engage prayer warriors to

bring back the peace that has eluded his state and the entire north.

True, Nigeria is arguably the prayer capital of the world. We pray about everythingpoverty, bad economy, corruption, everything under the sun, including simple things common sense can solve!

Now that the Borno State government has contracted 30 Saudi-based clerics, expressing its readiness to engage clerics of different faiths in Nigeria, it is safe to say good times are indeed here for prayer warriors in Nigeria. What the government has failed to tell Nigerians is how much of tax payers’ money is piped into the project.

The action of the state government is a reminder of how we abandon leprosy to treat ringworm. Was it up to a month that it was reported that our soldiers still use obsolete equipment bought during the Shagari era?

And prayer warriors are expected to do the magic obsolete equipment can’t do?

Shouldn’t we demonstrate seriousness in leveraging technology to combat the rising spate of insecurity across the land like what obtains in some other climes? What are those in the power loop doing to take away the over 10 million out-of- school children that represent time bombs on our streets? Why are more people getting trapped in the chasm of poverty every passing day?

Until we stop paying lip service to the issues that threaten our peace and unity, Dapchi and Chibok will continue to happen.

But our missing girls must not be forgotten.

Ladelokun wrote via ladesopeladelokun@ gmail.com

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T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019

EDITORIAL GROWING THREATS TO GIRL-CHILD EDUCATION The authorities could do more to support the girl child

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s we mark the International Day of the Girl Child, it is important for critical stakeholders to reflect on the repeated kidnappings from schools of female students.

Recently in Kaduna State, six female students and two teachers were abducted by armed men from the Engravers College, a boarding secondary school in Kakau Daji village, Chikun, and taken to an unknown destination.

From Borno to Ogun to Lagos to Yobe to Zamfara and now Kaduna, it would seem that these criminals now target the most vulnerable of our society. While kidnapping for ransom is becoming something of a career for many bandits, this dangerous dimension is impacting negatively on the education of our children as the nation’s primary and secondary schools are increasingly under siege. Across the country, these criminal gangs now find it very easy to carry away inWHEN CHILDREN ARE nocent students after DENIED OPPORTUNITY which they demand FOR EDUCATION NOT outrageous amounts ONLY ARE THEIR LIVES of money before releasing them to SHATTERED, THE FUTURE OF THE NATION their parents.

It is instructive IS STOLEN that the theme for the International Day of the Girl Child this year is, “GirlForce: Unscripted and unstoppable”. Marked every October 11 since 2012, it is aimed at highlighting and addressing “the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights”. On a day such as this, we join in calling on the authorities to work towards the safe return of the remaining Chibok 112 girls as well as that of the lone Dapchi school girl, Miss Leah Sharibu who was held back by Boko Haram insurgents on account of her Christian faith.

However, with about 70 per cent of families living below poverty line, it is no surprise that the girl child is often the first casualty in most rural communities in our country today. She is usually the one sent into the streets to hawk, or to go and work as house help for more fortunate families. Many are married off in their teens. The unsuitability of sanitary facilities such as water and toilets contribute to keeping many girls away from school in several communities within our country. A girl child, dealing with the challenges of attaining puberty, needs a safe place to maintain proper hygiene. Rather than have their monthly periods without such safe places, many girls would rather stay away from school. This is because to stay in school could mean bearing the embarrassment and taunts that come with having their clothes stained.

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

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

ut the chief danger is in our inability to secure the environment under which the children learn. The general feeling is that the security agencies are not doing enough to secure the schools. Even more worrying, some of security agencies are part of the problem as several arrests have continued to show the involvement of retired and serving military and police men in the crime. That some of those paid by the state to protect the people are now using their official weapons to commit such heinous crime is a dangerous development that must not be allowed to continue.

There are chilling statistics which suggest that kidnapping for ransom has become one of the biggest criminal enterprises in our country today and we believe the relevant authorities, by now, should have devised strategies for dealing with the menace.

If parents can no longer send their children to school for fear of kidnappers, then the future of our country is in jeopardy. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), when children are denied opportunity for education “not only are their lives shattered, the future of the nation is stolen.”

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GOV BADARU AND 54 SPECIAL ASSISTANTS

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he entire media has been engulfed with commentaries and criticisms on the appointment of 54 special assistants by Governor Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State. Though, I am not Badaru’s spokesman or one of his cabinet members, I am a citizen of Jigawa State and the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Nigerian constitution accords me the right to write and express my opinion on this issue, including others affecting my state.

Some people, especially those outside Jigawa State, condemned the appointment because of the sheer size of the aides, though no law in the land prohibits a governor from making such appointments. Governor Badaru was not the first governor to appoint many aides in his cabinet. Previously, there was a governor who appointed over 150 aides.

Appointing many aides is a political advantage to him and reducing unemployment. Jigawa is a rural state with few opportunities including the culture of extended family, the remuneration of one aide to the governor will have a multiplier effect on hundreds of people especially in the rural areas.

Some observers also criticized Gov. Badaru for appointing one aide each for his three wives. I do not see anything wrong with that, as far as they are capable, and can meet the requirements in their job description as well as having what it takes to serve in that capacities.

It is gender equality. The appointees will be advising the governor’s wives, and in return, the wives will advise their husband on famine issues especially the girl-child education,

maternal and infant mortality. Some pundits are of the view that this will assist the government to revisit Haifuwa Lafiya Scheme which was introduced by Sule Lamido administration in the state.

Some people who are mostly apolitical, questioned the appointment of the special assistant on streets light. Well, the motive behind those portfolios may be linked to former Governor Sule Lamido’s wisdom on rural development.

During the tenure of Lamido, he provided the 27 local government headquarters in the state with streets light which made the towns look like big cities.

This also helps security of lives and property in the towns.

I extol Governor Badaru for the appointment of special assistants on wheat, rice, crop production (other crops), irrigation, cluster and conflict resolution.

So, we still hope that farmers in the state will continue to enjoy the maximum support in crop production, including the use of mechanized farming system in order to encourage and support livestock farming which will go along the way to reduce clashes between the farmers and the Fulani cattle breeders as Sule Lamido did.

Furthermore, Gov. Badaru should be commended for the appointment of special assistant on the desert encroachment.

Climate change is a global issue; serious governments are concerned about it. The special assistant on drug abuse and rape will go a long way to checkmate, reduce or halt social vices and immorality in the land especially among the young generation.

Adamu Muhd Usman, Kafin-Hausa, Jigawa State

OML 11 AND RIVERS STATE GOVERNMENT

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he acquisition of 45% of OML 11 is a wise investment. The decision of Rivers State government to acquire OML 11 is justifiable and should be supported by all indigenes of Rivers State and South-South Region. Any opposition to this giant stride

by Gov. Nyesom Wike should be perceived as enemy of progress. This move by Gov. Wike is a confirmation that he is a servant leader who places the priority of his people above personal gain. OML11 is a strategic oil well with 33 oil fields located in Ejama Ebubu community, Eleme Local Government Area and other communities in Ogoni. It is an oil well with 250,000 bpd production capacity. By this acquisition Rivers State will have a share allocation of 112,500 bpd from the 250,000 bpd. The economic prosperity that this investment would bring to Rivers State is great. This investment would free the state from central government manipulation, control and dictatorship in future. This profound investment in the near future would see the state become the largest state economy in income generation in Africa. Rivers State in short time will surpass Lagos State in income generation and would become the envy of all states. I enjoin the governor to pursue and ensure that this investment is secured and actualized through due process. I would recommend that His Excellency adopts Human Resource Development Strategy Model of Norwegian Oil and Gas industry and establish Rivers State Oil Production Development Company to oversee the management of those strategic investments. May I use this medium to call on other state government to look into strategic investment that would help them gain financial freedom from central government and attract economic prosperity. Every state in Nigeria has strategic investment that when harnessed would drive economic prosperity. For instance, public investment of $100 million in limestone production by Kogi State Government is capable of driving economic prosperity in Kogi State and transforms her internal generated revenue to billions of dollar in near future. But rather than seek strategic investment that would free their states from financial dependence on the central government, they would prefer to wait to share federal allocation funds. I would beckon on the new National Economic Council Team to advise state governments to look into strategic investments that would drive economic prosperity and sustainable income generation in their respective states.

Pedro Ukokobili, Lagos93

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T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY OCTOBER 11, 2019

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POLITICS

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

The Call for National War on Poverty Magnus Onyibe argues that the battle against corruption by successive governments has failed

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ith Nigeria remaining in socioeconomic doldrums at age 59, does it not suggest that Africa’s most populous country is suffering the malaise of mid life crisis?

With Nigeria remaining in socio-economic doldrums at age 59, does it not suggest that Africa’s most populous country is suffering the malaise of mid life crisis?

By way of comparison, China also celebrated seventy years as a communist country on the same day-October 1 that Nigeria marked her 59th anniversary of independence from Britain.

That means China is only 11 years older than Nigeria in terms of nationhood and independence.

But the EastAsian country has grown from being an autarky (like North Korea trading with nobody ) some 30 years ago until it joined WTO in 2001 and became a production factory to the world.

Subsequently, China assumed the position of the world’s second largest economy status with an estimated $12 trillion GDP, and it is now on track to becoming the largest economy by global ranking, in less than two decades, when it would have overtaken the USA’s economy which is currently the world’s largest.

In contrast, Nigeria has degenerated from being a peer to countries like Singapore, Malaysia,Taiwan and South Korea, which it was at par at independence in 1960, to Banana Republic level , in terms of socio-economic standards of living and security of lives and property of citizens.

There is a common saying that it is only a mad man that does one thing consistently the same way and expect a different outcome. From trend analysis, it is clear to all that successive Nigerian governments have been fighting graft in the same manner since independence.

So are Nigerian leaders mad?

If they are not, why have they been flying the same anti corruption kite all these years?

Could it boil down to the fact that nobody in Aso Rock Villa has bothered to conduct a simple research into corruption antecedents in Nigeria to realize how the scourge has defeated all the previous leaders who attempted to tame the monster as evidenced by the fact that rather than be eliminated or reduced, corruption has become more entrenched, malignant and hydra headed like a virus that’s being treated with the wrong antibiotics and as such, became resistant and cancerous?

For instance, the justification that the likes of Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and co-coup plotters had for toppling the first democratically elected government in Nigeria in 1966 was that corruption had become so embedded and endemic in government and public sector that 10% of public contracts value was being demanded and paid to public officials.

Today, it’s not just 10%, but the entire funds for a project can be totally embezzled if the alleged diversion of $2.1b for arms procurements leveled against Dasuki, former National Security Adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan is anything to go by.

Brigadier Murtala Muhammed led coup of 1975 was also mainly driven by the crusade against corruption in government.

The fiery army general is famous for the mantra: “This government can not condone Indiscipline” which is a military euphemism for corruption.

That interregnum was followed by the coup led

by General Muhammadu Buhari on December 31, 1983 which like the 1966 and 1975 coups was on

a mission to dislodge the democratically elected government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari in the bid to clean the proverbial Augean stable by getting rid of corrupt politicians in the country.

The lbrahim Babangida led palace coup of 1985 that unseated Buhari’s 18 months spell in office was also launched to cleanse our country of corruption. This time the corruption was not so much of bribery, but of the hue of fraud and double standards as reflected by the scandal of 53 suit cases allegedly belonging to the Emir of Gwandu which was illegally allowed into the country during change of Nigerian currency. That’s in addition to the case of an underage child of a member of the ruling military council going on the Muslim religious pilgrimage to Mecca which was against the law, amongst many infractions.

The fearsome army General Sani Abacha, who took over the reins of govt in 1993 after Babangida stepped aside , did not have anti corruption agenda, rather successive governments had recovered billions of dollars stolen and stashed abroad by the late dictator.

But the democratically elected government of Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 was geared towards continuing with the anti corruption play book of the past leaders hence it established the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to tackle graft shortly after he assumed office.

The assertion above is underscored by the fact that the Nuhu Ribadu led EFCC was basically primed to lead the charge against corruption both in the public and private sectors in the same old style that have always been applied in the checkered history of Nigeria.

Skepticism about the altruistic value of the government’s persistent war on corruption was triggered at that point as cynics were convinced that the fight against graft under the EFCC was not only partisan, but weaponized by then President Obasanjo to rein in his opponents across the aisle and

also compel fellow party members to tow his line.

Thereafter Umaru Yar’adua, of blessed memory struggled with the battle against corruption until his sudden passage in 2010 after which Goodluck Jonathan assumed the leadership of our country.

Jonathan attempted to migrate the fight against corruption from the rudimentary level of naming, shaming and jailing which had been the modus operandi of successive governments, to a fraud prevention system via technology without success, until President Muhammadu Buhari returned to Aso Rock Villa as a democratically elected president in 2015, and reinvigorated the battle against corruption by reverting to status quo ante.

If at age 59, the war against corruption, (a cankerworm that’s believed to be the bane of Nigeria and the bogey of its socioeconomic development) started by the British colonialists in the late 1950s has remained a reoccurring decimal in the agenda of successive governments nearly 60 years after, Nigeria has certainly lost the battle.

So let’s declare a national war on poverty which is the demon that the vast majority of Nigeria’s poor no longer want to be associated with and cant wait to turn their back against.

We are all witnesses to our country’s slide in the corruption index from about 121 in 1996 to 144 in out of 175 least corrupt countries according to Transparency International’s 2018 rating? As if to compliment the abysmal corruption rating, our country has taken over from India as the poverty headquarters of the world, according to survey

by World Poverty Clock.

All these woes have befallen Nigerians despite the rigorous fight against graft put up by President Buhari including unwittingly endorsing the branding of Nigerians as ‘fantastically corrupt’ by ex UK Prime Minister, David Cameron.

By simple logic, if the fight against corruption that has been waged by colonialists pre-independence and subsequently by our political leaders, post

independence for at least 60 years had been successful, it won’t a remain permanent feature and battle cry of politicians when they are seeking office till the present time. If the anti graft had been won by successive governments, our country, like its former peers such as Singapore would be first, not third world.

And isn’t it paradoxical and absurd that both Obasanjo and Buhari fought corruption as military heads of state and still returned 30 years after as democratically elected presidents to fight the same scourge?

Since Nigeria has failed abysmally in its fight against corruption for so long, why don’t we launch a national war against poverty frontally?

After all, corruption is only one of the many contributors to poverty as there are a slew of other factors that engender it.

So why don’t our leaders take on the poverty demon directly?

One of the measures or policies for mitigating poverty is well articulated social safety net.

Presently, Nigeria does not seem to have a viable and robust social safety net that could serve as a buffer or cushion for the poor against poverty.

As a matter of fact, the ongoing anti poverty schemes have been dogged by criticisms including a scathing dissing by First Lady Aisha Buhari who lamented that Tradermoni did not get to her people in Adamawa state, a complaint and grudge also echoed and nursed by a plethora of Nigerians from other states.

Critics, especially from the opposition party also allege that Tradermoni, under the purview of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s office has been nothing but a vote buying scheme by the ruling party.

The allegation underscores the believe that the social safety measures which There should be a practical alternative to the unproductive war on corruption in order to pull a critical mass of Nigerians out of the misery of poverty trap as the Chinese has done, is simple: Let’s declare a national war on poverty in the manner that Nigeria’s past leaders continuously waged war on corruption. Perhaps that would help us catch up development wise with our peer countries at independence in 1960 such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia amongst others.

We can start by understudying the blue print of some of these Asian tiger countries.

Remarkably, and thankfully Nigeria has recently adopted and is currently implementing aggressive developments in agriculture which is the No 1 amongst the Four Modernizations policy that accelerated the accelerated the socioeconomic growth of China.

Nigeria, home to the largest number of black people in the world ( 200 million), can also achieve a similar feat if we all put our hands on the plough and place national interest ahead of ethnicity, religion and all other sentiments which have shackled our country and is responsible for the nation’s arrested development.

With high quality input from the high calibre and respected crop of economists drawn from the academia and the private sector recently inaugurated as members of the Economic Advisory Council, EAC by President Buhari, l’m optimistic that Nigeria is at the cusp of a voyage of economic discovery and recovery.

-Onyibe, a development strategist, alumnus of Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, Massachusetts USA and former Commissioner in Delta State writes from Lagos

Airhiavbere and His Perpetual Delusion Paul Ohonbamu writes that criticismof GovernorGodwinObasekiofEdoState byaprominentoppositionpoliticianmaybeactuatedbymaliceandenvy

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eneral Charles Airhiavbere’s dismissal of the superlative award given to Governor Godwin Obaseki by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), takes some swallowing. If not for the quantum of disinformation by Airhiavbere, one would have ignored him since joining issues with the General is a liability.

First, it is vision that drives a mission and people have sundry inspirations for demanding the mandate of the people to govern their state. Some will balkanise that state, others will brutalize it and depending on clearheadedness, some will lift that state to a higher level and this is the category that Governor Godwin Obaseki falls into.

Obaseki realised from the inception of the administration that education is rated not based on the form but the content. He knew that a state’s developmental challenges stem

from poor education which he set out to address. Since basic education is at the very heart of society’s development, he decided to tackle the rot in our education system by addressing basic education.

Dialectically speaking, the governor has made no error in his decision, because it is the base that informs the superstructure.

Once the base is right, anything built on it whether secondary or tertiary education will be perfect. In this regard, over 10000 teachers have been trained, leveraging on technology while 230 schools have been remodeled by the Obaseki-led administration. The pupils now learn than just schooling.

This feat has attracted the international community as the governments of Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania have sent representatives at different times to Edo State to understudy our Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation

(Edo-BEST) programme. Just recently, Lagos State Government adopted the Edo State Basic Education model after officials of the state came to learn how the programme works.

The award by the NUT is the culminating event of the achievements of Governor Obaseki in the education sector.

Airhiavbere’s action is not only actuated by malice and envy but one in bad faith. To say the least, the glories of our basic education and the primary health sectors in Edo State cannot be rendered nugatory by anybody.

There are some salient questions still begging for answers from Gen. Aihiavbere arising from the 2012 governorship debate between the then Governor Adams Oshiomhole and Airhiavbere which bothered on some antecedent moral deficits of the General when he was in the Nigerian Army. I hope he can give adequate answers to those questions now.

Considering the makeup of Gen. Airhiavbere, Nigeria is puzzled to determine whether he is an apostate or an impostor, whether he has abandoned good principles or whether he ever had any.

My greatest joy is that Governor Obaseki is in the positive trajectory and Airhiavbere’s defeat in his third primaries come 2020 is in fixed deposit.

It behooves on well-meaning Edo people to counsel Gen Airhiavbere to revert from this irreversible path of destruction in order to save him from himself. Edo State cannot afford to change the course of this tidal wave of progress, which requires a cerebral personality to sustain. In terms of knowledge, Godwin Obaseki is a multitude.

-Ohonbamu is the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation

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PERSPECTIVE

Stop These Insults Against Jonathan EbioweiTarilacondemnstheattempt to relegate former President Goodluck Jonathan to the background in his home state, Bayelsa

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t is the Holy Book that declares that ‘the heart of man is desperately wicked’ asking, ‘who can know it?’

That might be a fitting question for some elements in Bayelsa State who recently launched a direct attack on former President Goodluck Jonathan, the erstwhile godfather and political mentor of Governor Henry Seriake Dickson.

The article, “What do Jonathan and Wife Want in Bayelsa?” smells strongly of the voice of Jacob and the hand of Esau. The entire piece drips of bile, infamy and acute show of malignant disloyalty, the type associated with legendary ingrates.

In a desperate bid to tar the image of former President Jonathan, the piece tried to imply that Jonathan was behind the “coerced impeachment” of former Governor Diepreye Peter Solomon Alamieyeseigha. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Those who followed the political developments at the time know the degree of mischief in the said article.

The direct and indirect authors of the article described President Jonathan as an “accidental politician”, implying that he was just lucky to have undeservedly ascended to the peak of the political practice or career. But does the current rulership in Bayelsa need to be reminded how it needed this “accidental politician” to get elected to office in 2011 against the grain of practice of allowing incumbents to have the chance of a second term? Some people had to be sacrificed for another to go up. Jonathan did just that!

Suddenly, the same people are speaking with magisterial authority, purporting to control the four cardinal pillars of the earth, and seemingly calling out their Chi for a wrestling match. But it’s all human folly at its best. Perhaps they need to be reminded that power is very transient. There were others before them and surely, there will be even more of their kind after them. They do not and cannot play God in the affairs of the entire Bayelsa people. They must not speak like emperors, drunken from a

far voyage. A river that does not respect its source will soon dry up mid-stream.

That seems a hanging fate for all of them.

Things have gone so bad that those in government refused—during the last election—to co-operate with the former president on who should represent Bayelsa East (the former president’s senatorial district) in the senate. In so doing, they made the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to win the senatorial district. It is the same people that are accusing the Jonathans of playing

“detrimental politics.”

It amounts to unacceptable political impudence for anybody to aspire to preside over, or defiantly call the shots in the politics of Bayelsa State where Jonathan is alive and well. Indeed, I am forced to reverse that irresponsible question asked by whoever wrote that scathing piece: what do these new generation politicians really want? Do they want to continue to be in power by proxy after stepping down at the end of the year?

The present rulership of Bayelsa State

should perhaps be cautioned that no man tests the depth of a river with both legs at the same time. The vitriolic attacks on the former First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan is as petty as it is unwarranted.

It portrays the small mindedness of the author and his sponsor. It is no longer a hidden fact those in power want to unilaterally decide who succeeds them at the end of their tenure. What kind of democracy is that? How can just a few unilaterally speak for the millions of Bayelsans?

Why are people deaf to the voice of the elders and the youths? Can they not see and correctly interpret the handwriting on the wall? Perhaps, they need be reminded again, that even a faulty clock is twice right in a day. They cannot be biting the finger that not only raised but fed them too. There cannot be two captains in a ship. Bayelsans have been starved of dutiful governance. The tell tale signs are everywhere for all to see.

If the state must move forward and grow in the grid of its natural endowments, these retrogressive politics and small mindedness must be jettisoned. The state is hungry for development and growth.

What should concern a sitting governor and his aides is how the state can make progress beyond wherever he stopped, not desperation for a lackey that will shield the oddities.

Whoever was paid to sign that article which accused Jonathan of not doing anything during his years as President to raise the development notch in his home state is a petty liar and mischief maker.

Sponsors of these campaigns of calumny need to get back to their political drawing boards and work out schemes that will not produce templates of violence and chaos in a state that is perpetually charged for uprising. If this is all about the oncoming election in the state, I do not think anyone can blackmail Jonathan and his wife against their personal choice.

-Tarila writes from Yenogoa

Applauding the Giant Strides in Uzo Uwani Gwiyi Solomon advances reasons for the remarkable development recorded in Uzo Uwani council of Enugu State

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ccording to the words of Ronald Reagan, former president of the United States of America, “the greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”

In Enugu state, this is what is obtainable as it is no longer news that His Excellency, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuayi’s administration in the state is like a house built on unity, peace, justice, fairness, equal distribution of our commonwealth and all inclusiveness.

What is rather remarkable is replication of the above feats at the local government levels by the council bosses, in other to be at par with the state government’s avowal and commitment to ensure no part of the state is unfairly treated in the distribution of the state’s common patrimony.

The governor, whose sterling style of leadership has ensured security of lives and property of indigenes and residents of the state, has equally made Enugu the envy of other states in the Southeast, following his dedication to service and transformational leadership model in the state, which can be directly seen across the 17 LGAs in the state, as witnessed in the sterling qualities of the Uzo Uwani Council Chairman.

In Uzo Uwani LGA for example, where Barrister Fidelis Ani, Former Commissioner for Chieftaincy matters in the state and incumbent Chairman of the Rural Council epitomizes the scene as a meek, simple and easily accessible

servant leader, Ugwuanyi’s administration has ensured, one can conveniently travel from Nsukka, bypassing Nkpologu, Uvuru through Ukpata, Adaba/ Nkume to Umulokpa without hitches as graders have done enough justice to the route; unlike the previous years when it was a death trap.

Meanwhile, notably the Adani road, through Iggah/Ojoor has become “motorable” with commuters plying through Onitsha axis - and the ones going to different villages of Uzo Uwani now do so without encumbrances.

Presently, the road through Nsukka to Ugbene-Ajima, Nkpologu and other parts of Uzo-Uwani has been constructed, and the Governor has just given a nod to the company handling the same, to go ahead and crown the great work with asphalt; which if completed will open a new vista of life for the people of the area and travelers passing through the area.

Moreso, the Edem,/Ezikolo road through Nrobo is currently being graded; so as to ensure accessibility to the towns linking other villages of Uzo-Uwani without much ado and the usual fanfare that greats awarding and execution of developmental projects in Nigeria .

On security, the dreaded “Isiawo” guys and even the then life threatening “Malaysian boys” who had been plying their trades of atrocious manhandling of the people at the Abbi/Nimbo axis of the LGA have been demystified, since government rose to its responsibility to

protect lives and property of its citizens.

So, why are the people not applauding and celebrating these uncommon feats?

In the past two years, Barr. Ani’s government has been paying salaries without backlogs; he has even paid the accumulated debts of the LGA valued at N111 million without making such gargantuan feat public.

At present, there is no single worker being owed either his salary or otherwise, following his Excellency’s directive that no government worker should be owed a dime as workers deserve their wages.

While there were unprepared interventions that went unreported while the Barr. Fidelis administration lasted in the past two years such as collapsing of Igga Bridge and it is urgent government intervention, the blowing off of the legislative quarters of Uzo Uwani and it’s prompt and timely renovation. There was also fixing of boreholes in Ugbene Ajima and Uvuru while that of Nrobo is under construction without making such public.

This is simply because Barr. Fidelis Ani, a protege and thorough groomed Servant Leader, under Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi-led people oriented governance is not just a simple, intellectuallydriven and humble leader of the local government council, but typifies and embodies what one can best describe as ‘a leader who leads his people from within’; so as to ensure their pulse and heartbeats are inculcated into government projects.

His style of leadership in the local council, which is a direct influence of His Excellency, Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s purposeful and responsive administration in the state has no doubt, endeared the council boss to every Tom, Dick and Harry in the LGA; thereby, ensuring and guaranteeing the present unity among the stakeholders of Uzo Uwani LGA who have in the recent past, formed a united front; to ensure even development and speedy growth of the LGA. However, the great and elated people of Uzo Uwani are hopeful that when the early days of December, 2019 comes - exactly next two months, the two years memorable administration of Barr. Fidelis Ani as council chairman of Uzo Uwani LGA will be written on the marbles of both history and posterity for men and women of good conscience to judge.

In the next two months when the file and rank in Uzo Uwani LGA will throng the local council headquarters of Uzo Uwani (Akiyi Umulokpa autonomous community precisely) to evaluate the scorecard of one of their best hands and one of its finest in Barr. Fidelis Ani, I am sure the agrarian rural council dwellers will come smooching and canoodling with the council head in appreciation for remaining true to genuine service delivery in the past two years.

Barr. Fidelis repents simplicity, humility, credibility and accountability.

-Solomon writes from Uzo Uwani LGA of Enugu state

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NEWSEXTRA

N10tn Budget Won’t Lift Nigerians Out of Poverty, Agbakoba Tells Buhari Martins Ifijeh Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, has said the N10 trillion budget presented to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari will not take Nigerians out of poverty.

He also advised the federal government to consider legislation on criminal immunity to Nigerians who have plundered the country, as this will lead to massive inflow of Nigeria’s money in foreign banks.

In a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday, Agbakoba, who commended President Buhari for laying the budget estimates in good time, said the country cannot have an anemic budget of N10

trillion for 200 million Nigerians, as this was equivalent to N50,000 per person, per annum.

According to the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), “This will keep us in poverty abysmally when we need double digit growth. In a country of 200 million people, where 50 per cent is living in poverty, the budget reflects many missing fundamentals.

“The starting point with this budget is a diagnosis of our condition. I would diagnose that Nigeria is afflicted with malignant metabolic economic syndrome complicated by high inflation, high-interest rates, mass unemployment, weak infrastructure, slow growth, unclear borrowing policy, unaccountable subsidy among others.

“On the basis of a gross domestic

product of $400 billion, the baseline annual budget should be 20 per cent which approximates N20 to 30 trillion annual spend rather than the miserly N10 trillion budget.

Our annual spend is weak, and we have to infuse large money into it. For monetary policy, we need urgent quantitative easing, which is easing of all interest rates in particular to slack the heavy burden of high-interest rates on lending afflicting long-suffering Nigerians. We must be very proactive to look for new funds.

“To turn things around, I like to assume that President Buhari has charged the new Economic Advisory Council to give us short and immediate solutions. Working from my diagnosis of Nigeria’s economic disease, we need to

FG Approves Review of Broadcasting Code, Proposes N5m Fine for Hate Speech Olawale AjimotokaninAbuja Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, yesterday said the federal government has approved recommendations to review the National Broadcasting Code and extant broadcasting laws.

The minister said the measure was to insulate the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) from undue political interference and exercise its regulatory powers, particularly with respect to the issuance and withdrawal of broadcasting licence.

The review of the National Broadcasting Code and extant broadcasting laws would now reflect the review of fines to be paid by erring broadcasting stations from N500,000 to N5 million for breaches relating to hate speeches, inciting comments and indecency.

In the same light, government also warned that wilful repeat of infractions on three occasions after imposing the fine on a station would lead to the suspension of the station’s licence.

It has also appointed a seven-man reform implementation committee headed by Director of Monitoring of the NBC, Prof. Armstrong Idachaba, to design the framework for the

implementation.

Mohammed said the recommendations to strengthen the NBC’s regulatory role were submitted on April 24, 2019 by a five-man committee inaugurated on April 10, 2019, after President Muhammadu Buhari during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on March 27, 2019 directed an inquiry into the conduct of some broadcast stations before and during the last general elections.

The minister said the committee submitted 26 recommendations which were approved by the President.

Some of the recommendations includetheupgradeofbreachofpolitical comments relating to hate speeches and divisive comments to ‘’ClassA’’ offence in the Broadcasting Code.

Others are the amendment of the NBC Act to enable NBC license WebTv and radio stations, including foreign broadcasters beaming signals into the country and the recruitment of more monitoring staff for the NBC, which presently has only about 200 staff monitoring about 1,000 radio and television stations and deployment of adequate monitoring equipment and technologies for the NBC. Another recommendation was the

enhancement of welfare packages of NBC staff to avoid their compromise in the line of duty.

The committee, which has six weeks to submit its report, also has as members, the Acting Chairman of the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), Godfrey Ohuabunwa; the Director, Legal Services, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, J.K. Ehicheoya; the Secretary, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Hajia Binta Adamu Bello; the Director of Administration, FRCN, Ibrahim Jimoh; Board Member, NBC, Agbo Kingsley Ndubuisi and Chief Press Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Joe Mutah.

Among others, its terms of reference to immediately commence work on all statutory, legal and regulatory framework for further legislative action on the review of the NBC Act by the National Assembly, establish and publicise a new sanctioning, fines and penalty regime to deter erring practitioners against misconduct, and to end all forms of monopoly detrimental to the actualisation of the immense potential of the broadcast industry.

Presidency: FG Aligning Policies to Enhance Business Environment Eromosele Abiodun and Nume Ekeghe Following criticism of the federal government failure to align fiscal and monetary policies to help the public make better financial and economic decisions and make monetary policy more effective, the government yesterday announced that it was working assiduously to ensure alignment in the shortest time possible.

The Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, said this yesterday while featuring on ‘The Morning Show’ on ARISE TV, a sister company of THISDAY. Also, the President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr. Babatunde Ruwase, who also featured on the programme, urged the government to create an enabling environment to encourage the private sector

and create policies that would see the private sector come in to invest in infrastructure.

Speaking further, Oduwole commended the recent drive by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in ensuring deposit money banks give businesses access to credit.

Oduwole said she’s optimistic that there are brighter days ahead as the fiscal and monetary policies would be more aligned.

According to her, “One of the biggest criticisms this administration has had is fiscal and monetary policies not quite aligning as they should, but that is being worked on and we hope to see better days ahead.”

Furthermore, she said the government was committed to ensuring the private sector thrives.

Oduwole said: “We need private sector to thrive and some of the private sectors have said some of the policies aren’t working for

them and lack of clarity. We are working to fix that. There will be massive improvement very soon.

“The job of the government is to create an enabling environment and we are putting in place that enabling legislative and regulatory environment for businesses to thrive. It is on-going and we are taking notes.

“Private sector has largely expressed concern on the cost of capital and access to capital.

That is why we are trying to make sure smaller business can use movable assets as collateral.

The CBN has a moveable asset collateral registry to enhance access to credit. And with this, Nigeria has moved up in getting access to credit but then the private sector still needs more access and we are putting together that enabling, legislative and regulatory environment for businesses to thrive and grow.”

work out a macro-economic development framework that lays out a harmonised fiscal, monetary, investment, legal, institutional and regulatory agenda. Fiscal policy or rate at which the government spends must be dramatically

expansionary.”

The maritime law expert said traditionally, public revenue has depended on tax and oil receipts, but that there were far too many other sources.

“Also, the maritime sector is laden

with cash as well as agriculture and the Blue Ocean, trade and real sector. Also, as controversial as it may appear, revenue that can be derived from new legislation on immunity from criminal prosecution would be huge.

Commission Condemns Sexual Harassment in Higher Institutions Dike Onwuamaeze The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has strongly condemned acts of sexual harassment and other forms of exploitation in institutions of learning in Nigeria.

FCCPC, in a press statement that was signed by its Chief Executive Officer, Babatunde Irukera, posited that students were entitled to safe, secure and liberal educational environments where the relationship between faculty and students promotes confidence and robust knowledge sharing as consumers of educational services.

Irukera said that this commitment accounted for the commission’s constant call

on relevant authorities to take necessary action in response to allegations of inappropriate conduct.

“On April 30, 2018, FCCPC requested authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) to act both swiftly and decisively regarding an allegation of inappropriate conduct, specifically, sexual misconduct against a member of faculty that emerged by the disclosure incontrovertible evidence by the victim and student.

“The commission remained in communication with OAU to ensure the investigative and disciplinary process was both transparent and timely.

OAU ultimately disciplined the member of faculty in a decisive manner. On June 21, 2018, the commission welcomed and

commended OAU’s action,” Irukera said Similarly, the commission on October 6, 2019, commended Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) for its unprecedented bold and resolute action in disciplining 15 employees for sexual misconduc, and conduct bordering on corruption.

“Subsequent to, and perhaps contemporaneous with these actions, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was apparently journalistically investigating institutions in West Africa in a Sex For Grades menace “This investigation has led to swift and commendable responses by the University of Lagos authorities, specifically the suspension of the implicated lecturers and the closure of the “cold room.”

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T H I S D AY ˾ OCTOBER 11, 2019

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Quick Takes NAMA Boosts Air Communication

TheNigerianAirspaceManagementAgency(NAMA)hascompleted the installation of aVSATstation at the Jos airport in Plateau State.

With this installation which was completed recently, the agency has successfullyintegratedtheVHFradiointothenetworkinthesector.

Speaking on this development, the Managing Director of NAMA, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, said the new installation greatly improved the upper airways radio communication in the region, to the delight of air traffic controllers and pilots alike.

He expressed optimism that the challenge of radio blind spots in some parts of the nation’s airspace would soon be history, saying the ongoing massive deployment of VSAT network and VHF radio systemsembarkeduponbytheagencywasyieldingpositiveresults.

He noted that the Jos - Obudu corridor which had experienced radio blind spots over time had to be tackled headlong because of the intensetrafficonthataxis,evenashecommendedNAMAengineers for addressing the problem with the installation of the new VSAT terminal.

Akinkuotu, said under the ongoing AIS Automation project, the Installation of VSAT stations has been completed in Lagos, Abuja, PortHarcourt,NAMAheadquartersandJos,whilethatofKanoVSAT master station would commence by next week.

He also stressed that the installation of the VSAT stations would be done in 26 airports while the VHF radios would be installed in 14 strategic remote sites to finally eliminate radio blind spots in the upper airways segment of the entire Nigerian airspace.

DJSD Gets NCAA’s Certification

25TH NIGERIA ECONOMIC SUMMIT

L-R: Group Managing Director, FBN Holdings Plc, UK Eke; Chief Executive Officer, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan; Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and Chairman, Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Asue Ighodalo at the 25th Nigeria Economic Summit held in Abuja...recently

Nigeria Attracts More International Airlines Chinedu Eze Nigeria has continued to attract more international airlines as the country maintains its position as a viable market because of its huge passenger traffic.

A top official of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) told THISDAY that many factors have made this possible. Some of these include the fact that Nigeria has an increasing number of travellers, which ensures that airlines have high load factor.

The second reason is that Nigeria does not have reciprocal bilateral service because Nigerian airlines have not started competing effectively on

AVIATION international routes. Owing to this, the foreign airlines face no local competition; rather, they compete among themselves.

The FAAN official noted that while few airlines have left Nigeria, such as United Airlines and Air Namibia, more airlines have started operation into the country, including the latest entrant, Cabo Verde Airline, a national airline of Cape Verde Island that would start operation to Lagos on December 9, 2019.

Industry stakeholders noted that the more foreign carriers come into the country without

reciprocal service by indigenous airlines, the more Nigeria lose money because more foreign exchange is repatriated by international airlines and this contributes in weakening the naira.

Recently the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said efforts to liberalise the sector has led to significant increase in the operations of foreign and domestic utilisation of airports in the country.

This, he said, had resulted in the annual traffic growth of over eight per cent even as the country recorded 12.6 per cent growth this quarter.

Sirika, made this known at the 40th International Civil

Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Assembly in Montreal, Canada, recently. He stated that with 200 million people and 923,766 square kilometres of landmass, the present administration had resolved to make Nigeria the hub of West and Central Africa sub-region and make air travel the preferred mode of transportation.

“We are fully aware that achieving this would require a robust industry that is safe, secured and efficient and environmentally friendly with modern and adequate infrastructure,” he had said.

Continued on page 22

80 Countries Resolve to Tackle Maritime Insecurity in GoG Eromosele Abiodun Rising from a three-day Global Maritime Security Conference in Abuja, 80 countries have resolved to set up an Expert Group to implement the recommendations of the confab aimed at tackling piracy, maritime crimes and criminality in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).

Addressing a media briefing to mark the end of the event, the Director General of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, said the expert group won’t take more than three months to be in place.

Peterside, said various

MARITIME countries in the Gulf of Guinea and regional organisations like Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and others that were concerned and working to find a solution to the menace.

He added that countries are not necessarily going to adopt a uniform approach in fighting maritime insecurity in their domains but will collaborate to ensure that insecurity in the GoG is tackled.

He also said efforts were on to ensure that perpetrators

of illegal fishing and stolen oil do not benefit from their unlawful acts as efforts are going to be put in place to check the acts at the point of sales in the international markets.

A representative of the Chief of the Naval Staff of Nigerian Navy, Chief of Policy and Plans, Rear Admiral Begroy Ibe-Emwo, also disclosed that the Navy would soon take delivery of additional 2 vessels to strengthen its patrol against illegal fishing.

While admitting that the ocean is vast and Nigeria’s inability to fully police the waters, he said the federal government is putting measures in place to arrest the

situation.

Meanwhile, in a communiqué issued at the end of the conference it was agreed that states of GoG and her international partners should give priority attention to training and capacity building for relevant stakeholders involved in maritime security including national maritime authorities, law enforcement agencies and navies as first responders.

It was also agreed that Navy/Coast Guards and maritime law enforcement agencies in the GoG states should engage in regular joint maritime operations, including with international

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has issued a new entrant,DJSDAviationSupportServicesanApprovedMaintenance Organisation(AMO)Certificate. Thecertificateistoenablethenew organisation carry out series of maintenance activities on Hawker and Boeing aircraft series, according to the DSJD. On the certificate with registration number AMO/5N/DAS, NCAA stated that on the compliance of DSJD that, “upon finding that its organisation complies in all respects with the requirements of the Civil Aviation Regulations Part 6 relating to the establishment of an Approved Maintenance Organisation and is empowered to operate an Approved Maintenance Organisation.”

DSJDsaidthecertificateenablesittocarryoutmaintenanceonHawker 700/800 and 900. Also on B737-300/400/500 series airframes.

The Managing Director/CEO, Daniel Erin said: “The country has a lot of Hawkers aircraft operating in the business aviation sector while we have a lot of B737 in operation by schedule operators at about 40 or more in number.”

“DJSD Aviation Support Services will contribute to the reduction of capital flight that is going on as regards maintenance done by airline operators in Nigeria and it is going to assist in their operational cost due foreign maintenance which the airliners have been battling with over the years,” said Erin.

SAHCO Acquires New Equipment

The Skyway Aviation Handling Company Plc (SAHCO) has acquired a fleet of brand new Ground Handling Equipment.The company has also expanded its cargo warehouse to boost its operations and accommodate its growing activities. In addition, SAHCA has also been presented an award as the ‘Most Impactful Ground Handling Company of the Year.’

The company said its new acquisition include included Baggage Carts, Conveyor Belts, Passenger Steps and Static Pallets which are of high quality with exceptional features.The Passenger Steps manufactured in Italy by Bombelli are equipped with peculiar safety features that prevents unwarranted interference, some of which include censors that automatically slows it down to snail speed to avoid any form of collision with aircraft.

SAHCO also said the Ground Support Equipment which can both be remotelyandmanuallyoperated,therebymakingusageveryflexible, adding that it could be used for both wide and narrow body aircraft seamlessly.

“JustlikethePassengersteps,theConveyorbeltsarethelatestmodel in the aviation market, they are equipped with Aircraft Proximity Censor which gives a signal when approaching the aircraft to avoid collision and they can go as high as 6ft unlike the old model which could only do about 3 feet.

“In terms of equipment worldwide, Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) is rated among the top 10 in the world. In just two and half years, AIB has released 58 per cent of the total number of accident reports released since 12 years the bureau was established” Commissioner/CEO, AIB,

Akin Olateru Continued on page 22

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T H I S D AY Ëž OCTOBER 11, 2019

BUSINESSWORLD NIGERIA ATTRACTS MORE INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES According to him, concerted efforts have been made in the areas of safety, security and collaboration with aviation organisations among others to attract investments, grow and development of the industry.

While emphasising that infrastructure was essential in achieving the aviation of their dream, he listed steps so far taken in this regards to include runway reconstruction, perimeter. “Nigeria has embarked on infrastructure resuscitation and has made substantial investment in the provision of modern landing and navigational equipment, upgrade and replacement of airport infrastructure facilities including runway re-construction, airport perimeter fencing, firefighting and other rescue equipment, airfield lightning etc,� he added.

But industry operators posit that a nation cannot successfully operate a hub without having its major airlines having significant chunk of both international and domestic market and that foreign airlines can never make any country become a hub.

80 COUNTRIES RESOLVE TO TACKLE MARITIME INSECURITY IN GOG partners, to harmonise operational procedures, training standards and foster interoperability.

The communiquĂŠ read in part, “GoG States should explore the possibility of designated maritime courts to handle cases of sea robbery, piracy and other maritime offences to ensure quick dispensation of cases in addition to capacity building and sensitisation of judiciary on crucial relevant legislation. “GoG States should put more efforts to implement various agreed strategies at the continental, regional and national levels. GoG States with the support of regional organisations like the ECOWAS, ECCAS, ICC and relevant international organisations should continue to ratify and fully domesticate the provisions of the relevant international conventions including UNCLOS 1982, SUA and Port States Measures Agreement.

NEWS

NPA Denies Pensioners’ Claim of Arrears Payment Stories by Eromosele Abiodun The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has denounced the claim by a section of its former workers under the aegis of the Nigerian Ports Authority Concerned Pensioners (NPACP) that the agency was owing them pension arrears.

While alleging that the group was not known to any Nigerian law, the NPA said it ensures that all its pensioners get their monthly entitlements which cumulatively runs into about N700 million or N8.4 billion annually on the 22nd day of every month, way ahead of its serving members of staff.

The NPA which stated this in a statement signed by its General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, Mr Jatto Adams, noted that all of its pensioners have access to the its medical facilities at no cost. “In fact, the Authority only recently extended the opportunities for pensioners to attend referral medical facilities across the six geo-political zones of the country. “Although members of this group, led by Mr. Charles Ayo Binitie are former employees of the Authority, most of who left the service between 2006 and 2007, they have refused to belong to the recognised Nigerian Ports Authority Pensioners Welfare Association (NPAPWA). “The NPAPWA is recognised by management on the strength of a July 20, 2018 letter addressed to the

Managing Director by the Chief Registrar, Federal High Court Lagos, Mr. A.A Tahir recognizing Alhaji Umar Ali Imam as the authentic caretaker committee member to take charge of the association, “it stated.

The NPA added that, “Even though the Authority has found this a legitimate ground not to have anything to do with the group, management has at various times in the past three years, given them audience and taken steps to address

their complaints. “Some of the steps, which have resulted from meetings with some of their representatives and affected NPA’s 8000 pensioners include: Harmonisation of pensions ranging from 15 per cent to 158 per cent paid to all categories of pensioners including the 2006/2007 set, the increase of pensions to all categories of pensioners including members of the NPACP by three per cent.�

Others it stated are the, “Payment of 18months arrears

of three per cent increase on the harmonised pension/ salary from January 2016 to June 2017, the NPA ensures that all its pensioners get their monthly entitlements which cumulatively runs into about N700 million on the 22nd day of every month, way ahead of serving members of staff. “In addition to this, all pensioners have access to the Authority’s medical facilities at no cost. In fact, the Authority only recently extended the opportunities for pensioners to attend referral

medical facilities across the six geo-political zones of the country. “In spite of all of these and the already stated commitment of the Authority to the review of pensions every five years or alongside any federal civil service salary review(whichever comes first) in accordance with S.173(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, members of the NPACP have continued to try to hold the Authority to ransom.�

STAKEHOLDERS’ COLLABORATION

L-R: Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, and leader of the Steering Committee Members of the Maritime Anti- Corruption Network (MACN) and Chief Executive Convention Business Integrity, Soji Apampa, when the committee paid a visit on the NPA management in Lagos‌recently

ICS Denounces Claims of Shipping Firms, Criminals Collaboration The International Chambers of Shipping (IDS) has denounced claims in certain quarters that shipping firms and crewmen are involved in organised maritime crimes with a view to increasing freight rates and insurance premium.

Senior Advisor at the IDS, Mr. Helio Vicente, stated this while speaking at the Global Maritime Security Conference in Abuja.

He said industry representatives at the conference were disappointed to hear allegations of suspicion shipping companies being involved in maritime crimes.

Vicente also denied suggestions that shipping employees, which are known as seafarers,

are also involved in such crimes.

He stated that the ICS refuted these allegations, adding that the safety and security of these seafarers was of utmost concern to the ICS. According to him, “Unfortunately, while the various panel discussion were for the most part constructive and insightful, the impact of maritime insecurity on seafarers who are indispensable to seaborne trade in the Gulf of Guinea and other regions of the world was sadly overcooked. “Industry representatives in the audience were disappointed to hear allegations of suspicion that shipping could in any way be involved in

any of these case, reportedly to increase freight rates and insurance premium. These were also suggestions that shipping company employees, which we understood to mean seafarers should be vetted to ensure that they are not complicit on some of these acts. “We completely refute this and must therefore emphasize that at the very top of our concerns in any such incident is the safety and security of these brave men and women, who continue to be attacked and put at risk as they go about their legitimate business.�

He added: “We all recognise much more needs to be done to support seafarers.

“Since 2007, several thousands of them have taken hostage in various incidents globally, some of whom are subjected to extreme violence and prolonged captivity. “This of course has an impact on their families and other loved ones who often feel helpless. It would be unjust to for this conference to suggest the maritime us to blame. “On behalf of the shipping industry and all seafarers and I know that a Seafarers’ union representative as part of the International Transport Workers Federation is here with us today- we are compelled to emphasize that there is no evidence whatsoever to

support these accusations, which only serve to divide us, not unite us.� “At a time when, as noted by various panellists, the level of trust among the various stakeholders requires improvement instead of being eroded. This conference provides a unique platform for a unified message from the maritime sector a whole against maritime insecurity and their root causes.

The industry therefore sincerely hopes that this will be the spirit of the conference conclusions. A spirit of cooperation among all stakeholders, in the knowledge that ultimately we are all seeking to achieve the same goal.�

NIWA: Moghalu Pledges to Complete Ongoing Projects Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Ogene

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Senior Correspondent

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

Ă’Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂŽĂ&#x; äĂ? (Aviation) ĂœĂ™Ă—Ă™Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă? ĂŒĂ“Ă™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă˜ (Maritime) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafor (Energy) Reporters

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The new Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Dr George Moghalu, has promised to continue all ongoing viable and justifiable projects of the agency as long they conform to due process and the Act establishing NIWA. Moghalu, made this known at NIWA headquarters in Lokoja, while delivering his speech shortly after he assumed office as the substantive head of the agency.

He pointed out that the

overall policy objectives of NIWA was to transform the inland waterways to make them not just economically, viable but also to provide a safe, reliable and alternate transport system to ease the problem of transportation and movement of goods across the country.

This, he stated, makes the agency an important and strategic one adding that, “This places on us a huge responsibility from which so much is expected.�

“Inland waterways system is a critical component of the national freight system, particularly for movement of bulk commodities. “In view of the growing transportation needs particularly in moving bulk commodities, our country dearly needs diversification and development of its critical infrastructures in the area of Waterways transportation,� he said.

Speaking earlier, the acting MD, Danladi Ibrahim, while

handing over to the Moghalu, said within the period of acting capacity he succeeded in commencing the process of procuring self-propel barge with the capacity of carrying 60 and 40ft containers.

He noted that it was to set the pace as government in moving bulk cargo from Nigerian seaport to the hinterland through the River Ports at Onitsha and Baro, to convince private investors that the inland waterways transportation is doable and

viable.

He also stated that during the period NIWA procured additional dredgers to carry out in-house maintenance dredging of navigable channels, to cut cost for the government.

The former acting MD also said the management was about to conclude the procurement process of procuring buoys in continuation of providing navigational aids from Lokoja to Onitsha to ensure safety on the Waterways.

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BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

Cabo Verde Airlines Begins Flight Operation to Nigeria Chinedu Eze Cabo Verde Airlines, the national carrier of the Cape Verde Islands has competed plans to start direct flight service to Lagos from Cape Verde on December 9, 2019.

This was made known at a media briefing in Lagos, to mark the official launch of the airline into Nigeria.

The airline, which would operate Boeing 757-200, would fly five times a week, from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, to its operational hub in Sal, Cape Verde.

The CEO and President, Cabo Airlines Jens Bjarnason, said the national airline of the island nation, known for its tourism destinations would make history by becoming the carrier of choice in Nigeria because of its exceptional service.

Ensconced at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, near Senegal, Cape Verde Island services as flight route to three continents from Africa and this well positions it to serve as a hub from Africa to the North America, South America and Europe.

“We are excited to add the most populous country in Africa as one of our destinations. Nigeria has a vibrant travel sector and we look forward to servicing our customers and connecting them to Cape Verde and beyond, seamlessly.

“Our focus is to be an international airline connecting people between four continents; North, South America, Europe and Africa. The location of Cape Verde is very

strategic in connecting the different continents and people in Nigeria will have a broader offering “We will commence operations on the Lagos - Sal, Cape Verde route from December 9, 2019 with flights on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Other destinations the airline operates include Washington DC, Boston, Lisbon, Milan, Rome, Paris, Luanda, Dakar and several cities in Brazil – Recife, Porto Alegre, Salvador and Fortaleza.

“Passengers can look forward to comfort, quality and a memorable travel experience on our aircraft, which have 161 economy class seats and 22 executive morabeza premium class seats.

“Our unique selling point is that where for instance, others spend one hour to get to, we spend a shorter time because of our strategic position.

“The airline was privatised in 2019. Loftleidir Cabo Verde owns 51 percent while the state of Cape Verde owns 49 percent. Since we took ownership of the airline, we have tried to rebrand it,” Bjarnason said.

The airline boast of global recognition and certification.

Since November 2009, it has been an active member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). It also has IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certification which it successfully renews every year in addition to being certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Tracing the history of the airline, Bjarnason explained, “It was es-

tablished in 1958, as a public enterprise when it absorbed the then called Aero Club of Cabo Verde.

Up to 1984, the company operations were restricted to the domestic market for eight of the nine inhabited islands of the archipelago.

“As an international operator, Cabo Verde Airlines has been implementing regularly the ever more demanding requirements in the area of aeronautical security, imposed not only by the European Union but also by the United States of America.

“In February of 2009, the company acquired its registry in the IOSA program of IATA. In May 2018, TACV changed its name to Cabo Verde Airlines. It is certified as IOSA Operator, the IATA Operational Safety Audit Program.”

The airline’s Nigeria Country Manager, Tariye Orianzi, said, “We are targeting African entrepreneurs, leisure and business travellers as well as world travellers with our competitive pricing and offers, including a Cape Verde stopover program at no additional ticket costs. Interestingly, Cape Verde is a member of ECOWAS, making it visa free for Nigerians.

“Cape Verde has some of the most beautiful untouched natural Islands in the world. We hope to bring the Cape Verdean culture and colours to all corners of the world, as our mission suggests – connecting four continents while also serving as the gateway for fast travel. We also believe the addition of this route will improve tourism in Africa.”

Emirates Promotes Nigeria, UAE Cultural Diversity Oluchi Chibuzor Emirates Regional Manager for West Africa, Afzal Parambil, has said the airline will continue to offer Nigerian travellers seamless and convenient connectivity.

This, he said would aid the promotion of Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates culture.

He spoke in Lagos, during the 2019 Arts and Cultural Exhibition organised by the Embassy of UAE in conjunction with Nigeria.

Emirates Airlines, one of the sponsors of the arts exhibition restated its resolve to deliver exceptional service to Nigerian visitors to the UAE, pointing out that Nigeria has the largest number of visitors to UAE especially Dubai in the whole of Africa.

He said, “We are here to connect people, we are one of the leading carriers in UAE. This occasion was to connect two cultures and we play the role of connecting people across the world from different regions.

“We compliment the efforts of the Ambassador here. The purpose of cultural engagement was to understand each other, know the UAE culture and Nigerian culture and we will continue to play the role of connecting people from different regions.

“Nigeria has the largest number of people who visit UAE from Africa.

Though they visit for tourism purpose, we expect them to move beyond that to cultural and arts purposes.

“So we are also working together with the Ambassador for that purpose.

Nollywood has shown an example my shooting movies in Dubai and presently showcasing Dubai to Nigeria.

“This is inducing a lot of people who want to go to Dubai because they have seen the movies.

“If you look at Dubai as a destination for Nigerian passengers, one of the biggest things is that we always look for a destination which is safe, which is convenient which is easy to get Visa. “We are one of the countries, which makes it so easy for Nigerians. You can apply for the visa in two days and you will get it. So you don’t need to plan two or three months for your trip. This is a ground support for the UAE embassy and the Ambassador also plays the role in making the process easy.”

Addressing NDLEA Workers’ Grievances

Kwara Hajj

Abdallah

Chinedu Eze

The management of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said it has started addressing the grievances of some of workers, just as the organisation said it has succeeded in checking the spread of drugs use and trafficking in Nigeria.

Spokesman of the agency, Jona Achema, said the Chairman/Chief Executive, NDLEA, Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (rtd), made presentations to the federal government recently on the parlous state of the agency and on the welfare of the staff.

He said Abdallah who inherited a staff strength of barely 4, 700 officers and men has secured federal government’s approval to boost the number to 10, 000 in the ongoing recruitment exercise being carried by the agency.

Achema, said the NDLEA boss was determined to put to rest the vexed issue of staff stagnation and poor welfare scheme, which has resulted in the low staff morale.

This has prompted the management of NDLEA to approve the promotion of six officers to the rank of Assistant Commander General of Narcotics, ACGN from the rank of Commander of Narcotics, CN and another five Deputy Commanders of Narcotics, DCN to Commanders of Narcotics.

According Abdallah, “The exercise is expected to spur the benefitting commanders to put in their best in the service of the agency and the nation because the reward for hard work is more work.

“This promotion has come as a result of outstanding performance, but it is an opportunity for you to further distinguish your selves.”

NDLEA spokesman, Achema said the promotion of the senior commanders came on the heels of the elevation of a total of 1, 311 staff, made up 1, 291 staff within the rank and file and 20 others converted to officer cadre.

According to him, only recently, the agency carried out a comprehensive promotion examination exercise to ensure that every member of staff that is due for promotion was not denied and that no fewer than 2, 000 of the agency’s personnel benefit from the pending promotion.

“Col. Abdallah has repeatedly assured the agency personnel that their welfare is integral to the repositioning of the agency and that all the outstanding benefits of the officers and men are well documented awaiting the release of funds by government.

“He has had to halt the indiscriminate transfer of personnel except for exigency of duty, knowing that there is need to make funds readily available for the payment of transfer allowances.

“The Chairman has equally tinkered with the structure of the agency for better performance. He has created two new Directorates of Establishment and Planning and that of Sea Port Operations, both headed by Assistant Commanders-General of Narcotics,” Achema explained.

He said during the current period, the agency also recorded huge success in fighting drug trafficking in the country, noting that the agency was able to put to an end the obnoxious act of putting drugs in innocent air passengers’ luggage, which would have resulted in the killing of some Nigerians in Saudi Arabia.

NDLEA has also started fighting against internal movement of drugs in the country so that the substances would not get to the consumers.

“Take Kano State for instance, where the NDLEA Command has brought the hitherto thriving illicit Tramadol and cough syrup with codeine market on its knees with a sustained crack down on warehouses and joints,” Achema said.

This year alone, NDLEA has arrested 64 suspected drug traffickers and carried out 54 seizures at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos in the past nine months and has recorded similar successes at other airports.

Acheme, said the success being recorded by the agency is not by chance but through outlined strategy and plan to fight against the trafficking and sale of drugs in Nigeria.

NDLEA said it has to take drastic measures because its records show that drug trafficking is on the rise; so also is the local consumption of hard drugs.

The agency also disclosed that some of those who monitor the activities of drug users and their behaviour, say that drug usage could be seen as an escape from hardship, seeking for euphoria and finding elixir for a mind that is troubled.

So despite the punitive measures introduced by government at different times to discourage drug trafficking, indications show that movement of drugs through the airports and in the states is on the rise, hence the new strategic fight against drugs by the agency.

Recently in Taraba State Command of the agency, in a recent sting operation apprehended 21 suspected suppliers of illicit drugs to the terrorist strong holds.

The Command seized 239 kilograms of drugs from the suspects.

Also in Osun State Command, the agency discovered and destroyed 2.4 hectares of Cannabis plantations located in a near-impossible terrain.

Achema, said similar success was being recorded in other states of the federation, noting that this is a new dawn in the fight against drugs.

24

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍŻËœ Ͱ͎ͯ͡

How to Enhance Domestic Airlines Chinedu Eze writes on the need for the federal government to support indigenous airlines

A

irline operations is seen as an integral part of every country’s economic system and scheduled flight service play significant role in the diplomacy of many countries. This is why air transport is invaluable and industry experts say that any country that wants to develop and grow cannot ignore the development of aviation.

In fact, travel expert, Ikechi Uko, described airlines as diplomats because they carry the flag of nations to the farthest destination, hence it is critical for nations to have viable and profitable airlines that engage in international service.

For Nigeria, which has high population of international travellers, having strong airlines that operate international destinations is critical.

But over the years, Nigeria has relied on foreign airlines that seem to rip off the country with outrageous fares, taking advantage of lack-lustre attitude of government and its pliable policies that arguably tend to favour international airlines than local carriers.

Industry stakeholders have canvassed ways government can support and partner with airline investors to grow indigenous carriers.

Stakeholders have recommended that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) should make Nigerian airlines survive by coming up with policies that are consistent, deliberate and focused.

They have also stressed the need for government to be supportive and get the right people in place to manage the aviation agencies.

In working together.

The experts noted that there should be synergy among aviation agencies and that any situation that is inimical to the industry’s growth should be collectively resisted by industry players, remarking that in that way unfavourable policies would be resisted and government would be guided to implement policies that would lead to the growth of the sector.

Harsh Operational Environment In one of the recent meetings of Aviation Round Table (art), the Chairman of the Resort Group and the operator of the Murtala Muhammed Airport domestic terminal, known as MMA2, Wale Babalakin, traced the short lifespan of Nigerian airlines to harsh operational environment and inconsistent policies of government, which he said also affect other sectors of the nation’s economy.

Babalakin, said that the failure of government to abide by its agreements and the inability of government officials to follow through laudable policies to improve the industry have been the bane of economic development in Nigeria. “Aviation can be a catalyst for economic growth, but I am concerned about whether we are keen to see this happen. I am concerned whether we have the skills to achieve it. “I have seen so many airlines come and go and I have researched thoroughly the reasons why these airlines collapse. There have been so many promises made by succeeding ministers of aviation on the revamping of airport infrastructure but none came to pass. “They promised maintenance hangar and other infrastructure but what we have is the carcass. There is nothing in the aircraft that is made in Nigeria; even the fuel we have in abundance is imported. This is the product of melancholic decadence of great intellect. “This is the product of mediocre who does not have the intellect to know whether you are wrong or right,� Babalakin said.

Fly Nigeria Act Industry observers said for Nigerian airlines to grow, government must show commitment to their growth. One of the factors recommended for government to ensure the growth of Nigerian carriers is the introduction of Fly Nigeria Act. Industry experts called on the federal government to introduce the Fly Nigeria Act as a policy to support local airlines. This,

they noted would make it compulsory that anyone travelling on government expense must fly the local airline or its partners.

Recently in one of the meetings under the aegis of Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), the stakeholders noted that Nigerian airlines and the industry as whole do not benefit from the many foreign airlines that airlift passengers out of the country and repatriate over 75 per cent of their revenues, noting that if the Fly Nigeria Act was introduced, foreign carriers would partner with local airlines in code-share and other arrangements and the indigenous carriers would earn some revenue from the partnership. “There is need to sign the Fly-Nigeria-Act legislation to help protect the Nigeria travel market for both local airlines and travel agents,� the experts said.

The Director of Research and Strategy of Zenith Travels and member of Aviation Round Table (ART), Olu Ohunayo, said governments that care for the interest of indigenous carriers must ensure that the interest of their home airlines are protected first but in Nigeria government officials sign agreements that are tilted against the interest of Nigerian operators.

Ohunayo, recently told THISDAY that government must tinker with its Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) in order to create opportunities for Nigerian airlines to compete with their foreign counterparts by introducing Fly Nigeria Act, which would make it compulsory for foreign airlines to partner indigenous carriers and share revenues from ticket sales.

According to him, Fly Nigeria Act would make it compulsory for anyone travelling on government expenses to patronise Nigerian airlines or their partners.

Ohunayo said by so doing, the local airlines benefit from revenues earned on ticket sales by international carriers.

He said the government can also back indigenous carriers and supports them to operate international destinations by playing the inevitable aero politics on their behalf.

This he said would also redress the huge amount of money repatriated out of the country every year by foreign airlines.

Single Digit Interest Loans Similarly, aviation experts have said that one of the factors that stifle the growth of the aviation industry in Nigeria is the failure of the banking sector to extend special lending facilities to the aviation sector. The experts

noted that investment in air transport comes with little returns on investment but need huge capital outlay. They explained that therefore to fund such business, banks must adopt a long term, single digit interest loans that would support the industry.

But banks cannot on their own initiate such move unless prompted and backed by government policy.

Former Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the founder of Evergreen Apple Hangar, Lagos, Dr. Harold Demuren, in a recent aviation forum in Lagos, had said the present interest regime makes it difficult for Nigerian airlines to borrow money and this has affected the acquisition and leasing of commercial aircraft in Nigeria.

He said the present interest rate regime in Nigeria is not good for aviation. “Take the 20 something per cent interest, you can’t do any business with that. So we need to do something about that. And it is very interesting for me when I learnt about zero interest on money (Sukuk), that’s a good one. “I think the other people should copy it, we don’t need to quarrel, and we should also do our own, form another bank that would be zero interest, at least single digit interest.

Then when you do that the big banks will lower their interest rate and that is good for Nigeria and SME companies can progress.

I think that is what we should,� Demuren had said.

Debt Cancellation The CEO of Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi, suggested that government should see to the reduction of high interest rate by banks in their credit facility to airlines, noting that airlines make marginal profit so they need long-term loans with minimum interest rate.

He also suggested that government should help the airlines by cleaning out the old debts that had accumulated over the year and with clean bill of health ensure that current airlines do not owe aviation agencies.

Maintenance & Infrastructure Industry consultant and former Managing Director of Capital Airlines, Amos Akpan, outlined ways government could support Nigerian airlines to grow. Akpan, said government should provide sizeable facilities for investors to establish and operate aircraft maintenance facility, provide suitable modern airports comparable to what is in Dubai, Johannesburg, or Heathrow.

“Government should provide navigational facilities that would enable aircraft land in our airports even in unfriendly weather conditions like it is done in other countries.

Government should refine aviation fuel in Nigeria in sufficient quantities for airlines to use all year round. “Government should make more airports 24 hours in Nigeria. Currently we have too many 12-hour airports. “Our airlines are ready to check in passenger departing Dubai through Lagos to Sokoto.

The passenger would be issued two boarding cards: Dubai – Lagos (international); and Lagos – Sokoto (domestic). From the way MMIA (Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos) is currently structured, there is a 95 per cent chance the passenger will not catch the domestic flight same day. There is need to have transit facilitation between our international terminal and the domestic terminals,� Akpan said.

He stated that government needs to monitor the implementation of all current bilateral air services agreements. “My reason is that I feel Nigerian airlines are short-changed whenever they are ready to reciprocate. Why do the foreign governments designate Nigerian airlines to non-commercially vibrant airports in their country? “Heathrow has so much flight connections worldwide and that attracts more passengers.

Gatwick should not be the airport given to the only Nigerian airline designated to Britain.

Nigerian airlines should not carry alone the burden of ill prepared entry of the country into the open skies arrangement,� he said.

Also recently in a forum organised by Aviation Correspondents in Lagos, the President of Aviation Round Table, Dr Gabriel Olowo, said the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority should be the focal point of aviation development and not the Ministry of Aviation.

This is because NCAA knows the problem of the airlines and how to guide them to grow, using the civil aviation regulatory policies. “I have always been advocating that the (N) CAA is the authority for aviation. I want the power of the ministry reduced to the very minimum because most of the time people in the ministry are political appointments. “They are politicians who represent the face of aviation to government but they don’t understand. Somebody is from women affairs as the permanent secretary in aviation, how can she understand aero politics? So we need to reduce that ministry to the barest minimum and allow CAA to be in charge,�

Olowo said.

25

T H I S D AY ˾ OCTOBER 11, 2019

BUSINESSWORLD

INTERVIEW

Odika: Domestic Airlines’ Charges Discouraging Passengers The Chief Operating Officer of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc, Herbert Odika, in this interview, says high air fares charged by domestic airlines are discouraging travellers.

Chinedu Eze brings the excerpts:

H

ow will you describe Nigeria’s domestic airline markets?

I would say they are growing, but their pricing structure is chasing people away from air travel locally. In recent times, there is hike in prices. The airlines seem to be capitalising on the fact that we have security challenges in the country, especially on the roads and many people prefer to travel by air. I think people preferring to travel by air is supposed to be an opportunity to come up with competitive fares to further attract more people to air travel.

But air travel has become so expensive as people are flying because they do not have a choice. The consequence is that if security in the country is improved and road becomes relatively safer, many people will go back to travelling by road. Pricing is a determining factor as far as airfares are concerned. Some of the airlines have seriously hiked their prices and obviously reality is coming in. I have had interviews in the past that I have mentioned this that the use of Boeing 737 as major operating aircraft for our airlines is an issue in terms of operating cost and if they met those costs then the prices have to be right.

In terms of passenger traffic on international travel, will you say the traffic has increased in recent times?

If we are looking at passenger traffic, the last time I checked, there was a dip in 2019. Of course, this can be due to economic reasons.

People who would have travelled with five families may decide to look at alternate things to do for pleasure within the country. But there was a slight dip in terms of passengers travel in 2019. So far the year has not run out but from what we have seen, the rush was not the usual rush you would get in the peak seasons.

As an aviation handling company, you work with airport facilities, how do you collaborate with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN)?

You would appreciate that this airport (Lagos) was 40 years old in May and a lot of the avio bridges were built to accommodate airplanes build around that time, like DC 10, MD11 aircraft and others. These were aircraft produced in the late 60s, 70s and the airport was built in the 70s. So, over time we have newer aircraft like the Airbus 330s, 340s, Boeing 777 and there are more modern aircraft coming. The avio bridges, especially at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos has been a challenge and what that means is that on arrival a toll tug would have to be there, aircraft stops and this even causes a little bit of chaos in the aircraft because once the lights go off in the aircraft that indicates that the plane has arrived and should be pulled to the bridge.

But what happens in some cases is that the pilot forgets to inform passengers that they are in Lagos; they have to be pulled by a tow tug or push back to the avio bridge; as the passengers are not informed that the aircraft will be towed, when it is towed it staggers people in the plane.

The challenge is that the avio bridges need to be updated to accommodate the new kind of aircraft that we are bringing in to Nigeria now. That is why the British Airways invested and modernised one of the bridges to ensure that it suits their specifications and they always park at ECO 63 (one of the aviation bridges at MMIA). But other aircraft would still be towed in with a tug to a stand, which eats into arrival time and is a bit of an inconvenience and we would only hope that now that the Minister of Aviation is back, it would be one of things he would look into.

It is said that the services of aviation handling companies are under-charged in Nigeria in relative terms. This is because

by aviation security officials from FAAN and then loaded into the containers that are taken into the aircraft. There is a very cumbersome structure at MMIA; other airports where they have modernised facilities, the staff there finds it easier to manage. You have to take the bags off the belt, take them to another belt and they go through the scanner, and take them off to another belt before they are finally loaded into the aircraft. This makes it very cumbersome for our operations and sometimes eats into the delay process because we have what is called service level agreement, which has tight deadlines that we have to meet. So that is one area that I feel is a challenge in terms of our operations.

You just told me that NAHCO handles all European airlines, how have you been able to sustain this?

Quite a number of them are on our board, so that relationship has been there over the years.

In terms of how we facilitate our passengers we have service level agreements where under three minutes you should have processed the passengers and technology has also helped in terms of being able to check in online and is mainly backdrops security questions and maybe frequent fliers information and all that.

But what has sustained our business over the years is that our staff goes through very rigorous training before they are allowed to be deployed that is the major reason why.

Odika

of competition between the major handling companies, NAHCO and Skyway Aviation Handling Company Plc. (SAHCO). How does this affect your revenue?

To the contrary, I want to say that nahco aviance and SAHCO see each other as partners.

Why do I say that? if you are to move from one handling company to another, we have different agreements that we hold, we have meetings that we hold together on issues around our operations. We also look at policies on how we can strengthen our relationship as the two handling companies in Nigeria. So, if you decided to leave one handling company for one reason or the other, you would have to certify all the contractual requirements of that other ground handling company before you move to the next one and vis are vis.

We would check and call the other handling

All the support agencies that work around and the associations would need to wake up and be honest enough to tell us what reality is in terms of operating cost for airlines and I know that when I have spoken about the aircraft types we use, some airlines have looked at and selected other aircraft types and are now reporting some kind of profit in terms of the operating cost and all that

company to make sure that all contractual obligations were met before you move. So, the competition is healthy. It enhances your productivity at the end of the day and so NAHCO as handling company is not scared of competition.

What is the segment of market you have now in terms of international carriers?

Well, in terms of providing handling services to international carriers, this would depend on station by station. In Abuja we can say 95 percent, Lagos we can look at between 65 to 70 per cent of the airlines. What I would say is that all European carriers obviously stay with nacho aviance for some reasons for things like our safety records, there is what is called EETD in our export where they make sure that proper checks are done and this is not to say that our competitors are not safety compliant. But some airlines are more comfortable with certain services they have been with for a long time. I can proudly say that airlines that we have handled have sustained over the years. I can give you so many examples, like KLM. This airline has been with us for so many years, Virgin Atlantic since inceptions 2001 that they came; Ethiopia Airline has been with us. So we have been able to sustain a lot of customers and that is because we partner with them we do not just see them as an airline, we want to understand their need and see how best we can work with them to achieve their goals.

In terms of baggage handling, your company used to be constrained by ageing carousel and poor baggage process. Is it still the same situation?

There has been a little improvement. This improvement could be projected to be 15 in the sense that the number of times that the belt has shut down completely has reduced in recent times; however, the belt is very sensitive.

You cannot put bags on the belt the way you would normally want the bag to go on the belt. That is why you would come at the check in area you see bags littered around.

This should not be the case. But the major challenge is when the bags leave and go down to where we call the makeup area. This is area bags are checked through the scanners

How do you look at the charges by FAAN and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) level on airlines, would you say it is relatively high or low?

We cannot keep looking at those charges in relation to dollar value. We have to look at what is holistic, what is the realistic cost to run with the operations, what the airline would be comfortable with. All the support agencies that work around and the associations would need to wake up and be honest enough to tell us what reality is in terms of operating cost for airlines and I know that when I have spoken about the aircraft types we use, some airlines have looked at and selected other aircraft types and are now reporting some kind of profit in terms of the operating cost and all that.

So if we look at the aviation industry in Nigeria and our population, we have to realise that what will boost the industry now is low coast carriers, I can tell you that now.

How viable are some of these stateowned airports?

You have to draw a thin line between presence and operations. I am a ground handler, so if they open an airport in every street, it is more business for me. But the reality is that you look at what you have on ground when you are opening your airport; you must have plan of what resource you have in the airport. If you are opening a cargo airport what sort of export item do you have or does import come to your geographical location?

There is nothing wrong in having state owned airport but the facts of the matter are what is the patronage because it costs money to maintain an airport.

Airport management and maintenance cost a lot. There is a lot of maintenance cost because running an airport involves a lot of certifications, a lot of safety issues that cost money. So, before opening an airport, you have to look at your cost. States are struggling to increase the minimum wage of their workers; would they have the capacity to do that without federal government bailout loans? Where will they get the resources to manage the airports? That is the question. If they can answer those questions; then it is a good thing. The expansion can be justified, but if they do not as we can see clearly in Nigeria now; a lot our airports feed off the major four airports in Nigeria. So building more airports may not be viable.

26

T H I S D AY ˾ OCTOBER 11, 2019

BUSINESSWORLD

MARITIME

As NSC Moves to Cut Charges by Shipping Companies Eromosele Abiodun examines the move by the Nigerian Shippers Council to get shipping companies reduce their charges and the impact it will have on the economy

I

nternational shipping is a complex subject that includes many variables. Proper handling paves the way for a reliable and cost-effective management of ocean freight.

That is regardless of whether an importer ships one container now and then, several per month or more than 10 per day. Many businesses depend on viable international shipping to ensure the sustenance of partnerships, clients and profitability.

Avoiding delays is critical to guarantee an uninterrupted operation. However, international shipments could face shipping delay charges resulting from various clearance issues. Sufficient preparation and understanding the different resulting charges in advance is key.

When it comes to clearance delays, importers, as well as exporters seem to throw around three terms interchangeably: demurrage, detention, and per diem. From common usage, it may seem like they all mean storage when they, in fact, do not. If your international shipment stays beyond a certain amount of allowed free time at a site, you face storage charges.

That includes ports, airline terminals, rail facilities or a bonded warehouse. The storage fee compensates the facility for the use of their space and equipment, i.e. a container taking up space or blocking processing. The amount of free days and the charge for storage will differ from one facility to another. This is often also based on the volume an importer or your freight forwarder is passing through the facility.

It is a norm the world over for steamship lines to charge demurrage, a fee to compensate for the use of their shipping containers.

Experts believe demurrage fees are in place to discourage using the provided containers for storage and to compensate for container usage.

“Before you pick up your international shipment, you must pay all demurrage charges in full. The fee may differ greatly from carrier to carrier and from port to port. You are granted a limited number of free days, depending on the carrier and the location. After your free time runs out, you will be charged demurrage for each additional day. These charges tend to increase per day after exceeding a certain amount of days,” said a top player in the maritime sector The detention charge, he stated, usually applies to domestic trucking adding, “The trucking or drayage company bills you for the so-called detention of their trucker or driver in cases.

This happens when the loading or unloading of your shipment or containers takes too long.

Detention fees are billed at an hourly rate. You can usually expect a free time or grace period of around one to two hours for loading or unloading a container. But this will depend on whether it is a domestic shipment or destined for import or export.”

He added that per day applies when an importer requires the use of equipment beyond a set amount of free time.

“Steamship lines and airlines charge this fee, and equipment include ocean containers and unit load devices (ULD). You have some free days, depending on the equipment and the carrier, before per diem kicks in. With imports, the charge applies to cargo leaving the arrival terminal. With exports, it applies to shipments leaving the departing terminal.

“Per diem fees accumulate until you return the equipment to the terminal of the port, rail yard dock or airline, “he stated. Analysts believe terms of shipping delay charges, often used interchangeably, results in confusion when receiving bills for detention, demurrage and per day charges,” he said.

Nigeria’s Peculiarity While it is a known fact that international shipping is complex and intricate, the confusion in the Nigerian maritime industry over shipping companies’ charges has over the years raised dust with stakeholders at daggers drawn as to who is right or wrong.

Last year, customs brokers plying their trade at Lagos ports declared war on terminal operators and shipping companies over the N4billion demurrage accrued from the recently shelved strike by truck drivers. Also early last year,

This means that N5.34 trillion is required to clear the 822,868 containers annually while the shipping companies’ charges stands at N738.112 billion annually. However, when the 35 per cent reduction comes into effect after the MOU is signed, the shipping companies’ charges will be reduced to about N479.77 billion annually.

In his reaction, National President, of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Mr. Lucky Amiwero praised the federal government for the effort, adding, however that 35 per cent reduction is not enough.

He said: “The most important charge by the shipping companies is the demurrage and their charges are higher than the terminal operators, which is not supposed to be so. The shipping companies don’t have the right to be collecting the charges. In other countries of the world most of those charges are not applicable because they don’t provide services for the charges.

“What they have is just the container and that has been charged to the freight cost already.

There charges are contestable and it is a very serious issue. The shipping companies are doing what they are doing because Nigerians don’t go to court, if Nigerians can go to court they will find out that the charges by the shipping companies are illegal.”

On his part, the Chairman of the Lagos State Shippers Association, Mr. Jonathan Nicol, said his group would protest the new charges if they fall below their expectations.

He said that the shipping companies must withdraw the court case they instituted against NSC resisting the council’s demand that they refund certain monies to some shippers.

The association also described the resort to the court by the shipping companies as an insult on the Nigerian government.

“The NCS has been involved in the negotiations of charges with these foreign shipping companies before they went to court. They must withdraw the case before the negotiations can take place.

They went to court when the negotiations were going on, we are an interested party in the case because we are the ones paying the monies,” he said.

Shippers Council Steps In In a bid to put an end to the persistent wrangling between customs agents, importers and the negative impact excessive charges is having on the economy, the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) embarked on a mission to get the shipping companies to cut down charges.

The move is yielding results as the council, all things being equal, will in the days ahead sign a landmark agreement with the shipping companies to reduce charges. Analysts and stakeholders have applauded the effort, positing that the Nigerian economy will be the ultimate beneficiary.

THISDAY had exclusively reported recently that after almost two years of negotiations, the NSC would, on behalf of the federal government, sign a landmark agreement with shipping companies that will see charges by shipping companies reduced by 35 per cent or N258.38 billion annually.

Confirming the development to THISDAY, the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the NSC, Hassan Bello said he was hopeful the agreement will be signed.

According to him, “You know in negotiation you can only be hopeful. We have been negotiating for one and half years. We have a small knotty problem, which we hope to resolve by next week. Some I am hopeful we will conclude with the shipping companies.

“However, we will run the agreed MOU by the Ministry of Transportation, major stakeholders such as; shippers freight forwarders, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA). This will take four days, then we will sign the MOU. “Further, the total reduction would be 35 per cent reduction but the most important thing is we have come up with sustainable mechanism of settling dispute, which means no arbitrary or unilateral fixing of cost at the ports.”

Besides the reduction of port charges, he said the Council has also abolished the container cleaning fee hitherto being collected by shipping companies, just as fifteen other port charges were removed from the list of charges.

Bello also said that the moment the MoU comes into effect, the implementation also becomes inevitable.

Customs Agents Petition FG Customs agents had in a bid to get government’s attention over the matter, written a petition to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, alleging that the shipping companies and terminal operators’ charges on storage contravened Sections 20, 31 and 97 of the Customs and Excise Management Act that limit the days for rent charges and conferred authority to Nigeria Custom to charge rent after specific days by the board.

The agents, in the petition signed by National President of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Lucky Amiwero stated that duplication of charges such as terminal delivery charges/ terminal handling charges, deposit repayment delays and process procedure that lack regulation of the economic interest in the port.

They stressed that there is the need for the federal government to intervene to address the cost of doing business by a total review of the procedure, process and cost in the ease of doing business.

The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), they added, should urgently address the following short falls, which was militating against their import and export trade that resulted to massive diversion of goods to neighbouring ports. Also, the agents called on the federal government to use part of the seven per cent port development levy for the development of port access roads, trailer parks.

According to them, “The condition of the Tincan Island Port Axis of Apapa Oshodi express road leading to the ports is a death trap. Big potholes and gridlocks resulting in loss of lives and continued destruction of loaded goods that always fall on cars, trailers and sometime persons.”

“It is a complete setback to trading across borders (TAB) for ease of doing business on trucks that spend weeks to access and exit the ports which result to delay and rejection on most of the fragile export products in international market and high cost in import clearance.

“The NPA is no more in port operation, the percentage collected from the seven per cent Port Development Levy should be used for the development of the trailer parks and port access roads,” they added.

Bello

truckers shunned lifting of cargoes at the ports in protest over alleged extortion by security agencies. Resulting in over N4 billion accrued as demurrages and storage charges that importers had to clear.

THISDAY investigations revealed that N668million demurrage was incurred daily for the duration of the strike which translated to N4 billion. The humongous amount resulted in a running battle between clearing agents, importers on one hand and the service providers on the other. While the clearing agents were calling for waivers over the strike period, the terminal operators remained indifferent. According to a manager in one of the container terminals in Lagos, the terminal operators collected demurrage accrued during the period.

The cost of doing business in Nigeria ports ranks amongst the highest in the world with the ports notorious for high demurrage charges as a result of delay in cargo clearing process; high insurance premium of vessels coming to Nigeria and trucks conveying containers to and from the ports and higher shipping and terminal charges.

This is aside the total annual freight cost estimated at between $5 billion and $6 billion annually, according to the Ministry of Transportation.

According to the World Bank in its 2017 Annual Ease of Doing Business Report, Nigeria ranked 145 among 185 countries with Mauritius ranking 32 as the best in Africa. From the report, trading across borders, an indicator for measuring a country’s ports effectiveness ranked Nigeria very low at 183 out of 185 countries.

Numbers released by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) showed that averagely, container traffic at the nation’s seaports across the country (Lagos Port Complex, Tincan Island Port, Delta Port, Onne Port, Rivers Port and Calabar Port) stands at 822,868 annually.

THISDAY findings from customs agents revealed that it takes about N6.5 million to clear and transport a 20-foot container laden with cargo worth N36.42 million ($100,000) imported into Nigeria from China.

Of this amount, about N5.3 million (representing 82.1 per cent) is paid to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) as import duty, comprehensive import supervision scheme (CISS), ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS), Port Development Surcharge and Value Added Tax (VAT).

Shipping companies are responsible for 13.8 per cent of the port cost (N897,000); terminal operators 1.8 per cent (N117,000); Customs 82.1 per cent (N5.3million); transporters 1.1 per cent (N71,500) and clearing agents (N78,000).

THIS WEEKEND

NEWS METRO THISLIFE

WEEKLY MAGAZINE

ART WEEKEND ENTERTAINMENT Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com 08038901925

Mercy Eke: The Queen of Highlights Takes the Crown

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COVER MERCY EKE: THE QUEEN OF HIGHLIGHTS TAKES THE CROWN

It all started with 21 housemates competing for the grand prize worth N60 million and the coveted title of Big Brother Naija ‘Pepper Dem’ Season Four winner. But last Sunday, at the grand finale of the reality TV show that held audience across the continent spellbound for three months, history was made when Mercy Eke, fondly known as ‘The Queen of Highlights’ clinched the grand prize, writes VANESSA OBIOHA

Y

ou can tell from her demeanour at the press briefing that Mercy Eke, the winner of the 2019 edition of the reality show, Big Brother Naija was made for the limelight. She dazzled in her teal outfit, her hair neatly packed.

When she walked in, all eyes turned to her to glimpse the young lady from Owerri who entertained them in the reality TV show in the past few months.

Mercy, aware that she was the cynosure of the event played her part impeccably.

She needed no tutor on how to pose for the camera, or what to say. As she fielded questions from the media personalities who were eager to know more about her, she maintained her composure, occasionally pausing to weigh the answer before responding.

There were times she was guarded by her manager, offering only one-liners. She subtly hinted that she could be more engaging, but would love to keep some aspects of her life away from the public glare such as her family. The only member of the family the public has seen so far is Uncle Uzor whom she called out during the live grand finale show on Sunday.

One may be tempted to call Mercy a clairvoyant. Right from the beginning of the show, she oozed an overwhelming confidence that she would emerge the winner.

Often times during the game, she would boldly thump her chest and tell her fellow housemates that “ I dey here till 99 days.” If they thought she was joking, she shocked them more by purchasing her immunity.

Her self-confidence which eventually paid off in the finals is a reflection of her fierce determination. More than once, she auditioned for the Big Brother Naija show. The first time she was not accepted but somehow she did not backpedalled. After four attempts, the fifth one proved to be the lucky one.

“The first time I watched the show I fell in love with it and since then I have been pursuing it. I wanted to be a housemate.

Previous auditions they told me no, until this year when I was finally accepted,” she explained.

Mercy would love to think that she brought something special on the table this time around, after all, she travelled all the way to Warri for this year’s audition, a city she has not been to before. But she clearly understood that Providence had destined her to be the winner of the show this year.

She survived evictions and was the only female in the house with Seyi, Mike, Frodd and Omashola. With three of the housemates evicted on the final eviction show, the game was left to Mike and Mercy who finally emerged with her head held high.

Her stay in the house was not void of drama. Nicknamed ‘Queen of Highlights’ and ‘Lamborghini’, Mercy had few arguments with fellow housemates including Seyi but the one that gained prominence was the fight with Tacha that led to the disqualification of the latter. It was a painful moment for Tacha fans who were already eyeing the coveted prize for their favourite.

Nevertheless, Mercy cleared the air on the altercation, discharging any doubt about their friendship.

“We are still friends. Remember friends and families fight. Things happen so you just show your reactions. We are humans. I think that’s what happened with Tacha but it doesn’t show that we are not friends. You will see us soon working together.”

L-R: Senior Marketing Manager, Bet9ja, Femi Osobajo; Channel Director, Africa Magic, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu; Chief Executive Officer, MultiChoice Nigeria,John Ugbe; Winner of BBNaija Season 4, Mercy Eke and Managing Director Innoson Motors, Barrister Donatus Okeke during the press conference and presentation of SUVto Eke at the Big Brother House ABIODUN AJALA Arena, Ilupeju Lagos ...recently

A major highlight of her stay was her relationship with Ike. The duo had an interesting relationship that intrigued fans to the extent that they were seen as the ideal model for a good relationship on social media. Now that she is a millionaire, Mercy is confident that their relationship will blossom. She however pointed out that the grand prize which includes N30 million cash prize, an SUV from Innoson Motors, two VIP tickets to an European Cup final courtesy of Bet9ja, an all- expense paid trip to Dubai, an electronic home upgrade from Scanfrost, an Oppo mobile phone, a oneyear supply of Pepsi drink, Indomie noodles and Munch It snack is for the winner.

“The game states that the winner takes it all,” she said boldly when asked if she would share her gift with any of the housemates.

Embracing the limelight and getting ready to launch her luxury brand, Mercy is banking on grace to see her through.

“All I need is the grace of God to carry me through. With it, I know that every other thing will fall into place,” she said.

A Win of Many Firsts Her win is coming at a time where the global focus on women is peaking. News of women shattering glass ceilings and attaining heights once reserved for men are copious in today’s world. Mercy, known for her sassiness and competitive spirit made history with her win. Being the only woman in the final week and eventually taking the crown speaks volumes of fans expectations to see a female win Big Brother Naija. Unlike the continental version Big Brother Africa where females have emerged winners, it is the first time a woman is wearing the Big Brother Naija crown. And she is wearing it proudly.

But more importantly, Mercy’s emergence is a strategic win for the organisers of the show, MultiChoice Nigeria. This edition marked the first time a Big Brother Naija House is built in Nigeria, from scratch to finish. Apart from the first edition which was held in Nigeria, previous ones were held in South Africa. The announcement that the show was returning to Nigeria was made in January and according to the CEO of the company, John Ugbe, it took them six months to build the facility. The news was widely embraced as fans have

been clamouring for the show to be held in Nigeria. Their reasons were not farfetched. Having a reality TV show of such magnitude in the country will definitely add economic value, a fact that Ugbe attested to during his welcoming speech.

“People don’t understand what it takes to put a show together. But with the Naija spirit, we believed we could pull this through. It was a lot of work. From the props, the stage, the workshops and the people who made these things possible. I think it is the power of what we do that everybody don’t see.

There were carpenters, caterers, just about every bit of the economy was represented here. So when we see tweets that call for the show to end or be stopped, that’s about thousands of jobs lost. So we find it very important that we continue to provide such opportunities.”

What however excites Ugbe the most was that Endemol, the formerly Dutch-based media company that owns the Big Brother franchise, after inspecting the facility gave it a thumbs up.

“They told us that the Big Brother Naija house is the biggest in the world.”

That was not all. They further complimented the organisers by declaring the house to be the best facility in the world.

Apart from the accolades rained on the facility, the ‘Pepper Dem’ season also recorded some historic milestones. It was the first time, a large number of housemates competed in the reality TV show. The show initially started with 21 housemates who entered the house on June 30. A month later, five additional contestants joined the game.

At first, fans speculated that they were fake housemates, a format that the show usually deploys to intensify the drama. But it was later clarified that the new housemates were also in for the money.

“We didn’t know what got into us but we thought of pushing the envelope,” remarked Ugbe.

Another first for the organisers was the number of votes it recorded this season. For the first time in the history of the show, over 50 million votes were recorded in the last week of the show.

“This has never happened before,” exclaimed Ugbe.

That figure has also sparked a debate on social media. Fans have been punching calculators, speculating on the exact sum the

company raked in with such overwhelming figures. Ugbe aware that it was a question to be addressed, made light humour of it, deftly keeping the figures close to his chest.

Notwithstanding, the show benefited from the array of sponsors that threw their weight behind it. Notable is the betting platform Bet9ja which was the lead sponsor this year. The brand used the show to launch its campaign ‘More Than a Bet’. Other brands include Innoson Motors, which made a startling revelation that since it came on the show, sales have accelerated. For Heritage Bank, the volume of eyeballs that stayed glued to the show is magnanimous and good for their business. There is also Munch It snack, Indomie noodles, Pepsi, Legend Extra Stout, Scanfrost, Oppo Mobile phone among others.

Drama A recurring criticism of every Big Brother show in the country has always tilted to the morality of the housemates. This year had its share of drama, particularly with the season’s theme ‘Pepper Dem’, a street lingo that implies a mix of different flavours. Not surprisingly, the series brought together the mature, the temperamental; an athlete, a video vixen, a police officer, a lawyer; and even a part-time male stripper. The combination of these flavours threw the house in a frenzy bringing both the good and bad sides of their personality.

Notable characters include Tacha who was disqualified for physical violence with Mercy during a heated altercation. Prior to that, Tacha was liked and disliked by many for different reasons. Her fans loved her fierceness and ego while many disliked her belligerent behaviour.

Mercy on the other hand was admired for her ‘crazy’ behaviour. By crazy we mean her daring acts of free-spiritedness. She was not shy to hump a housemate on the dancefloor or bare her rear side at the jacuzzi.

Such acts were not good examples for the young generation according to moralists.

But if you ask Ugbe, he will gladly tell you that they can’t ask the housemates to fake themselves because then, it will no longer be a reality show.

He however pointed out that they are used to such vitriol and they hope that people will see the creativity and talents the housemates displayed during their weekly tasks than focus on the negatives.

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NEWS

Cleric Blames Societal Decadence on Parental Failure

L-R: Acting Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC); Mrs. Esther Kwagbe; ChaIrman, PFN, Lagos State, Bishop Sola Ore; General Overseer, Pavilion of Faith Global Church, Apostle Anthony Fasipe and wife, Zainab during the fifth anniversary of the church

Stories by Mary Nnah Apostle Anthony Fasipe, the General Overseer of the Pavilion of Faith Global Church, Ikeja has blamed societal decadence on parents’ failure to play their roles diligently.

Speaking during the fifth anniversary of church held recently in Lagos, Fasipe stressed that the society became bad because those responsible failed to play their part well.

“A society where things are not working as they should have is simply because the various parts are not functioning adequately”, he said, adding that this particularly was about the negligence exhibited by parents.

“We are not equipping our children with the skills they need

in order to engage with the future because we are failing in those two critical areas. Give them the skills they need and when they succeed, our joy will be full.’’

He therefore called for positive attitudinal change on the part of parents as well as leaders and citizens to promote good, corporate governance in Nigeria.

The cleric urged youths to remain committed and dedicated to hard work and avoid being lured into unwholesome activities, saying that the progress and success of a nation depended on the level of hard work on the part of its citizens.

He, therefore, advised Nigerians, irrespective of religion, to work together for peace and stability in the nation.

Meanwhile, Chairman, Pentecostal Fellowship of Ni-

geria (PFN) Lagos State, Pastor Olusola Ore, who was special guest at the occasion, expressed the hope for a better future for Nigeria.

He said Nigeria would come out great and overcome its numerous challenges when they put their trust in God. Speaking on the theme, “Dependable God”, Ore assured that there will be an end to the emptiness, spiritually and economically in Nigeria when we depend solely on Him. “The problems and fears pervading Nigeria were as a result of sin and unrighteousness of her citizens. The result of sin and unrighteousness is fear; if Nigerians continue to turn away from God, fear will pursue them. God will answer Nigerians when they reach out

to Him in sincerity,” he said.

He said that there is hope for anyone that turns to God, adding that even terrorists stand the chance of being saved if they should repent from their sinful ways.

Ore said further that while seeking solutions to the teeming problems, leaders and citizens alike should pray for wisdom, divine visitation and help from God. “We are not talking just about the problems now, we are talking about viable solutions; solution is possible, we should not relent in praying for the country because God will visit us.

“I have high hopes that this country can be changed and I have hope that if we pray God will bring wisdom, he will help our leaders,” he said.

Rider Lotto to Empower Nigerian Youths Executive Chairman, Ridersport Software Nigeria Limited (RSNL), Omoba Omotosho has said that the launch of Rider Lotto, a licenced company to operate online sports betting and games, will provide opportunity for Nigerians, especially the youths, to be gainfully engaged.

This is in terms of becoming approved agents, who are paid commissions on turnovers. He said further that apart from that, those that win Rider Lotto will alleviate poverty in their lives.

Speaking during the maiden draws of the prize for its daily million lotto which, took place in Lagos recently, Omotosho said the numbers are drawn from 1-49 and if they match six numbers of an individual, he/she will automatically become the jackpot winner of N1 million for the day, adding, “we also have other prizes in the sense that if you match three, four or five numbers, you are also a winner with just #100.”

Speaking further, he said, “After our licence, we went back to the drawing board to see how we can engineer products that would be acceptable to the Nigerian public, that would benefit Nigerian public and that would empower Nigerian youths in terms of being our agents who sell to the public.

“All you need to do is to go online to www.riderlottery.com, deposit your email, username, and password and submit and you can play at any time and at any place you want - in the comfort of your home and even in your office.”

While encouraging Nigerians to play Rider Lotto, Omotosho revealed that part of the proceeds goes for good courses , like building schools in the localities, empowerment and ensuring that the community is built upon wealth through sharing of the benefits of Rider Lotto.

“We have thought carefully that lottery as it is practiced all over the world is fun and entertaining. Lottery is not sports betting, lottery is where you generate your own memorable numbers like date of birth and other anniversaries”, he said.

“It is a pool of several players and where a power ball machine rolls out the numbers that detect the winners. The entertainer is able to relate with people at the grassroots and to let everybody know that playing rider lotto is fun and entertaining but you have to be above 18 to play Rider Lotto”, he noted.

Meduoye, Maduka, Others Lament Poverty Rate,Task Govt Speakers at the sixth public lecture of Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria have bemoaned the poverty rate in the country, calling on stakeholders, especially the government to tackle the menace headlong to avoid imminent catastrophe.

The lecture titled “Eradicating poverty in Nigeria: The role of the church, entrepreneur and government” had in attendance notable personalities including General Overseer of the Church, Reverend Felix Meduoye; Chairman, Federal Roads MaintenanceAgency, Rev Tunde Lemo; Chief Executive Officer, Coscharis Limited, Dr Cosmos Maduka; Chief Executive Officer, Systemspecs Limited, Deac John Obaro and Chief Consultant, B. Adedipe Associates Limited, Dr Abiodun Adedipe, who was the keynote speaker.

Central to the speakers’ submission was the need for the government, the people and the church to make concerted efforts in ensuring total reduction of poverty in the society.

This, according to them, will ensure harmony and peaceful co-existence vital for economic growth.

Meduoye particularly noted that the lecture, coming few days after Nigeria marked her 59th independence anniversary, provided ample opportunity to review our chequered experience as a nation over the years -both under military and democratic dispensations, saying not a few Nigerians believe that much still need to be done

Flood-prone Abia Communities Task FG to Dredge River Emmanuel Ugwu in Umuahia

General Overseer, Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, Rev Felix Meduoye and wife, Olubisi; General Overseer-elect, Rev Sam Aboyeji and wife, Olabisi; and Chief Executive Officer, Coscharis Limited, Dr Cosmos Maduka, during the church’s sixth public lecture in Lagos…recently

in terms of fulfilling or attaining our dreams of being a strong, viable, united and prosperous entity where citizens will be able to explore and exploit opportunities for personal and collective growth and development.

The church, according to him, has a part to play in the process of nation building, saying “enduring and prosperous societies are built and sustained on the enthronement of some values including patriotism, probity, integrity, accountability and transparency”.

He said the theme of the lecture was germane “as it represents what we as a church think should be the approach to confronting and solving the

myriads of challenges staring us in the face as a country”.

He decried the huge number of the populace, about 90 million people said to live in extreme poverty, according to available statistics from Brooking Institute, World Data Lab’s Poverty Clock, and the ranking of the country by the 2019 global multidimensional poverty index as among the poorest in the world.

“Around June 2018, Nigeria was said to have overtaken India as the country with the largest number of people living in extreme poverty in the world.

This is indeed worrisome and calls for great concern.

“The effect of this negative posture of the country is seen

in the spate of armed banditry, insecurity, protests, violence, ritual killings, insurgency, kidnappings and other nefarious acts pillaging our land”, he said.

“Our understanding as a church is that all hands must be on the deck as we proffer this tripod response to addressing the serious issue of poverty confronting the land”, he said.

Keynote speaker, Dr Abiodun Adedipe, described as worrisome that six Nigerians become poor every minute even as unemployment is rising significantly yearly.

He advocated for solid education that is technical bias as well as creation of jobs as effective antidote to poverty in the country.

After a devastating flood destroyed scores of houses in Nkporo Community in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State, the people have called on the federal government to dredge Ironyi river to avert further disaster in the area.

The clarion call was made by the distraught victims when Senator Mao Ohuabunwa visited the community to assess the level of devastation and donate relief materials to the affected villages.

River Ironyi had on September 5, 2019 overflowed its bank sending a raging flood that swept through through three villages - Ukwa, Okwoko and Agbaja - all in Nkporo. It left behind a tale of large scale destruction of houses and properties valued at millions of naira. Ohuabunwa, who went round the scenes of destruction, described it as a “sordid sight” and later addressed the victims to offer words of consolation.

He donated mattresses, bags of rice, cartons of noodles and cash to enable the affected people cushion the effects of their losses.

He said he was touched by the agonies the people were passing through and therefore decided to come to express his love and solidarity in their trying period.

The former Abia North senator called on the federal government to intervene through its agencies, namely National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and NEWMAP to put an end to the periodic flooding in Nkporo.

President General of Ukwa-Nkporo Development Union, Chief James Ndukwe, told Ohuabunwa and his entourage that 97 houses were destroyed by the flood.

He said Ironyi river overflows its bank every three years, wreaking havoc in the community, hence the need to dredge the river to prevent future flooding of the areas located along its meandering path. Another community leader, Agu Ogba, who said that his shop was swept away by the raging flood, noted that while relief materials was good enough succor, a permanent solution to the triennial problem is dredging the river.

“We want government to come and dredge the river,” he insisted, adding that the problem had gone beyond palliatives as the people have continued to suffer huge economic losses every seasonal cycle of three years.

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…Your weekly entertainment delight

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Funmi Iyanda: Blazing a Trail as a Debutante Movie Producer After a widely successful stint interviewing diverse personalities and shaping the conversation as a television talk-show host, Funmi Iyanda is blazing a different trail in the world of moviemaking with the production of‘Walking with Shadows’. Her inspired detour into movie production throws up several questions as to her motivation for making ‘Walking with Shadows’. To answer these questions she bares her mind in this interview with MARY NNAH What attracted Funmi Iyanda to movie producing as a story telling medium? What informed the choice of ‘Walking with Shadows’ as the story to tell? What does Funmi hope to achieve with the movie and what emotions does she hope to invoke in audiences? What does the 2019 BFI London Film Festival premiere of the movie mean for her as a debutante? These questions are pertinent given that she has had a widely successful stint interviewing diverse personalities and shaping the conversation as a television talk-show host.

Now, she is blazing a different trail in the world of mov-

iemaking with the production of ‘Walking with Shadows’.

Produced by her movie production outfit, OYA Media, ‘Walking with Shadows’ is a movie adaptation of Jude Dibia’s 2005 book with the same title. It is directed by Irish writer and director, Aoife O’kelly, and features a stellar cast of Nigerian actors including Ozzy Agu, Zainab Balogun, Wale Ojo, and Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi.

The movie, which premiered on Wednesday, October 9, at the 2019 BFI London Film Festival, is set in Nigeria and explores the universal themes of truth, self-acceptance, courage, freedom, humanity, and love.

‘Walking with Shadows’ marks another phase in Funmi Iyanda’s illustrious career which has seen her win 57 industry awards including the Nigerian Media Merit Award. Her BBC commissioned ‘My Country Nigeria’, was nominated for best news documentary at Monte Carlo Film and TV festival whilst her gritty web socialpolitical diary, ‘Chopcassava’ was nominated for best web series at Banff Film and Television Festival.

Funmi has a slate of critically acclaimed social documentaries and has written for TV, theatre, news and music in a career spanning two decades

C

an you tell us what got you to movie production? Did you at any point feel dissatisfied with what you were doing before now?

I got me into movie production, as an extension of everything I have spent 20 years doing. Movies are long form story telling. I have been telling stories in different formats since 1995. I have done magazine shows, variety shows, talk shows, reality-esque shows, documentaries, web series and now feature. Formats are just a vehicle of telling stories.You pick the most effective for the story you want to tell.

That said, after I ended New Dawn in 2008, I took the show on the road around Nigerian on Talk With Funmiwhich was a long form mix of documentary and reality formats. My experiences on the road brought the social issues NEW DAWN treated to stark relief. I could see that the populace was post-shock and post-care. It therefore is a little futile to provide information and knowledge in an environment where it didn’t seem to move the dial much. I thereafter decided to provide understanding which can hold up a mirror today and a sign-post for tomorrow’s generation. Also, TV as a format had become disrupted by social media globally and was mostly puerile in an environment where the industry did not even exist in the first place like Nigeria. It made economic sense to diversify into film as well as other formats.

This is why in 2011, I gave an interview where I declared the intention to start making films. Thereafter, I registered a company in the UK with a British partner and proceeded to option classic and contemporary Nigerian literature as well as develop a slate of work that matched the ethos of the niche of stories I prefer to get told.

Subsequently I moved on from that company and founded OYA which has operation in London and Lagos and it’s the company that has produced this adaptation of Jude Dibia’s walking with shadows along with TIERs. No, I did not feel dissatisfied with what I was doing, I continue to do what I was doing in better, more efficient ways. I am not a person given to dissatisfactions.

How long did you nurse this thought before it came to reality?

It is not a thought, it is a strategy. I started my first company in 1996. I have

resourceful and forward-looking person.

We liked the book title, so we kept it.

What is the major theme in this film and why did you think it was a story that must be told?

The major theme is the struggle to find and be true to one’s self whilst balancing familial and societal expectation. It is a great story for a country like Nigeria where people are so delightfully vibrant yet deeply conservative and repressive. It is a universal story of the value of the self which we can all connect with.

What lessons/message do you intend to send out to your viewer with ‘Walking with Shadows’?

Enjoy the movie.

How long did it take to produce the movie from the point of conception and how much did it cost to put everything together?

It took three years and cost a lot, including money.

Iyanda

visibly and steadfastly worked non-stop since then producing iconic shows, events, projects and content cutting across politics, social issues, sports, culture, arts and film. I suspect I am frozen in the minds of many as Funmi of NEW DAWN so they struggle to see much else however acclaimed and regarded. This I find amusing and sweet but a tad irritating.

You have always been a renowned TV personality, now going into movie production; did you have to develop special skills to do this? I mean, what was the learning curve like?

No I already possess special skills, perhaps the challenge with seeing those skills is the fact of the TV personality label, as you may know I conceived, owned, wrote, produced and presented New Dawnfor the 8 years it ran. Before that I wrote and produced Good Morning Nigeriaand MITV Live. After New DawnI produced, presented and wrote Talk With Funmi,Chop Cassava, PH Stories, Lagos Stories EYO, Ask Funmi, How To Fix Nigeria, Oya Chroniclesand so on. Many of these are well regarded and beloved by audiences in and out of Nigeria; there-in lies the special skills as a writer, thinker, journalist, producer and entrepreneur.

What is the feedback you expect from the Nigerian audience who will watch this movie?

People often have very fascinating and varied interpretations and reactions to any form of creative content so I try to be more in a space of observation than expectation. I am looking forward to seeing what people make of it. My only expectation is that they get a chance to see it and make their own deductions.

The film is an adaption of a novel

by Jude Dibia and you maintained the title - what informed your choice of this book for your film?

It is a beautifully written book, tender, poignant, well observed and internal.

I liked that the drama was pulled back and restrained. I’m often frustrated by the tendency to be-labour stories out of Africa with worthiness, over explanation and overt caricaturing. Jude allowed the characters to breathe, to just be and to be flawed and questing. This matched my own story telling sensibilities. I’m passionate about preventing human desperation by positioning us all as human equals as prone to good and evil as the other. That way we can hopefully reach understanding and organise ourselves and societies better.

Those stories are also much more fun to tell. As a technique I knew it would be a difficult movie to fund but relatively achievable because the scale was small and characters few. Jude was a great guy to work with. And Olumide Makanju who headed TIERs at the time an incredibly

What informed the choice of your characters and actors for this movie?

We spent a lot of time studying actor show reels, watching them in film and life as well as holding open casting and auditions. Ozzy Agu was a unanimous choice to play Adrian/Ebele. He has dual strength and vulnerability and the capacity to deliver pulled back drama.

Zainab Balogun could give that girl next door aura with an undertone of manipulation and repression which was needed.

We wanted Funlola Aoifiyebi in a role that took her out of her comfort zone as Mama Njoku, Adunni Ade was a cheeky choice as Carol, whilst Wale Ojo was a finely drawn barelythere Papa Njoku omnipresence.

There were great new discoveries like Riyo David who plays Abdul.

The actors knew this was a project that allowed them expression in new ways and were committed totally to the project.

What were the peculiar challenges you faced in putting this together?

Too many and too boring to list, I am not one to dwell too much on difficulties as I expect them, suffice to say, film making, like life is a hell of a journey but it’s totally worth it and then it’s on to the next project which we are already working on.

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Burna Boy, Omawumi Gear Up for Felabration 2019 Stories by Vanessa Obioha

The week-long festivity that celebrates the life and times of the Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti will be kicking off on a high note on Monday, October 14, 2019.

As with its tradition, the festival is preceded by an Afrobics Dance Competition that took place September 21, an art competition on September 28, and a secondary schools debate on October 9. For this year’s debate which was held at the Freedom Park in Onikan, the participating schools tackled the topic‘Persons above the age of 70 should not be allowed to contest political positions’.

The music concerts and symposium will kick off on October 14 and will continue to October 20. Some of the

Burna Boy

music artistes billed for this year include the‘Ye’crooner Burna Boy, Omawumi, Joey Boy, Femi Kuti and Seun Kuti.

Already confirmed guests to grace

the occasion include celebrated Nigerian authors, Chimamanda Adichie and Sefi Atta; Ugandan pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine, British rapper and activist Akala, and the law professor Akin Oyebode.

This year marks the 22nd anniversary of the celebration that has grown into a global festival. It is carefully planned to coincide with the late singer’s birthday which falls on October 15. For this year, the organisers took a clue from Fela’s popular song ‘Eko Ile’, tagging it ‘From Lagos with Love’.

While the concert has traditionally held in The New Afrika Shrine, celebrations will simultaneously hold in Freedom Park.The legend will also be celebrated in NewYork, the Philippines, and Singapore.

Enugu Wows Judges at People’s Hero Auditions The Oakland Hotel in Enugu was filled with happy feet and expectant eyes recently when more than a thousand youths gathered to showcase their talents at The People’s Hero audition. Each of the contestants came prepared, dazzling in cultural displays, hoping to secure a spot in the talent show that will reward the final winner with a grand prize of N7 million.

The keen contest witnessed performances from groups and solo contestants.

However, at the live shows in Lagos, it was revealed that only 11 contestants sailed through to the main show. These 11 participants were selected from 24 participants that had qualified from the first stage of the audition.

It was a difficult decision for the judges as they were thrilled by the performances of each of the talents. And just like the judges had a tough time settling for top 20 at the previous audition, the judges could not limit their choices to 10 as initially planned because they were talents that could not be denied the opportunity to vie for the title of The People’s Hero.

Encouraging the disqualified participants, Marc Swagz, one of the judges and an on-air personality told the participants not to regard

A contestant at The People Hero audition in Enugu

their disqualification as the end of their dream. He urged them to return to base and improve on their skills.

Rapper Illbliss who is also a judge said the competition must be stiff as whoever emerges the People’s Hero must be acknowledged by the world in his or her craft.

The 11 participants are made up of three dancers, two actors, three spoken word artists and three singers.

They will slug it out with the next nine participants who will emerge from Owerri auditions happening next week.

An initiative of Hero Lager Beer, an International Breweries brand, The Peoples’ Hero seeks to identify the best of talents in singing, dancing, spoken word and acting in the Southeast and South-south region of Nigeria and to reward the winner with a grand prize of N7 million and consolation prizes of N2 million and N1 million for the first and second runner up.

The show continues to air on MTV Base every Saturday by 9 pm with a repeat show on Wednesdays.

Zidiq Steps out with ‘African Mama’ Fast-rising Nigerian afro-pop artiste Zidiq who is signed to Anacaona Records, an American based record label has released his first single under the label.

The single titled ‘African Mama’ eulogises the beauty of the African woman.The singer brilliantly praises both the physical and internal traits that highlight the beauty and valiance of the black woman that sets her apart from her contemporaries.

From her love and compassion to the beautifully sculpted face, the African woman for the singer is to be cherished at all times.

Zidiq’s love for music is boldly displayed in his unique music style. It is in the way he passionately sings about his subjects, rending a

Zidiq

beautiful composition that combines Afrobeat and electro dance music, giving birth to a music tune known as Afro Electronic Dance Music.

His music to a large extent influenced

by Nigerian artistes such as Burna Boy, Niniola and Wande Coal.

The song which is enjoying massive airplay is produced and mixed by Irish producers Brian Sheil and Alex Flood.

It’s All About ‘ Sheroes’ at AFRIFF 2019 For its ninth edition, the organisers of the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) will be celebrating the extraordinary women in the film industry. It unveiled its theme ‘Sheroes’ at an exclusive event that had industry bigweights in attendance.

“We are proud to theme this year’s festival as one dedicated to Sheroes, those who enable us to dream and to celebrate storytelling which challenges society. We are very much focused on training and supporting more female filmmakers this year and beyond,” said founder of the festival, Chioma Ude who was also joined by festival sponsors, Access Bank, US Consulate, Nvivo TV, National Film Video Censors Board, Filmhouse Group and Century Group.

This year’s festival received a significant number of entries. The organisers announced that 4000 submissions were received from over 130 countries, a record-breaking number for the festival since its inception. The festival will screen almost 150 projects, including features, shorts and documentaries. Waad Al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ documentary on a woman’s experience during wars, ‘For Sama’ will open the festival while Akin Omotoso’s ‘The Ghost and the House of Truth’ will close the festival.

The festival will run from November 10 to 16 at the newly built Filmhouse cinemas at Landmark Retail Village, Oniru.

Rising Star Enzed is Ready to Storm the Music Industry Fresh-faced Enzed has set his eyes on the music industry and will not relent till he achieve his place in the stars.

Born Onike Nzubechukwu Chidera, the Anambra state artiste is confident that his music will break barriers and expand the global spotlight already beamed at the industry.

His main goal is to make the industry more accomodating for teeming youths who seek music as a form of expression.

“The music industry is an established means of communication so I would love to see it communicate more to the youths positively to build up a positive mindset and character.”

Coming from a family of creative talents, Enzed enjoys the support of his family to pursue his talents. Music to him is more than just sound and lyrics.

“Music goes beyond what we hear. Every sentence could be a lyrics and every lyric is a song which offers me a medium to express myself to my immediate environment and the society at large,” he said.

Though music is his number one passion, he found himself exploring other creative gifts such as fashion, and more fascinating, IT. All of these he said helps him to influence his generation positively.

His latest single ‘African Lady’ is already enjoying airplay and garnering views on YouTube. It is produced by Young D while Avalon Okpe directed the music video.

The hip-hop and rap artiste is looking forward to collaborating with artistes like Phyno, Davido and Wizkid, and perhaps work with Don Jazzy.

EbonyLife Film ‘Your Excellency’ Set for the Cinemas in December The Funke Akindele-Bello directed film for EbonyLife Films ‘Your Excellency’ is set to hit the cinemas on December 13. Already, promotional campaigns have kicked off in full gear with the official cinema poster.

The colourful artwork features Akin Lewis as Chief Olalekan Ajadi, Funke Akindele-Bello as his wife, Kemi, and some of Nollywood’s most popular actors, including Kemi ‘Lala’ Akindoju, Shaffy Bello, Kunle Coker, Eku Edewor, Emmanuel ‘EmmaOMG’ Edunjobi, Alexx Ekubo, Oreka Godis, Osas Ighodaro, Bimbo Manuel, among others.

The poster’s images depict the hilarious antics of the characters, as they vie for social media significance. The tagline, ‘What’s politics without a party?’ hints at the irresistible music and dancing that makes the movie perfect for the holiday season.

EbonyLife Films made a name for itself with its comedic flicks such as ‘The Wedding Party’ and ‘Chief Daddy’.

Expectations are high that the winning streak will continue with ‘Your Excellency’, a tale about a bumbling, billionaire businessman and failed presidential candidate, who becomes a credible contender – all through the power of social media.

As the drama unfolds, it seems possible that even a perpetual loser, written off by everyone, can pose a serious challenge for the presidency.

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Dame Abimbola Fashola Commissions Jandor Foundation Chiamaka Ozulumba Wife of the Minister of Works and Housing, Dame Abimbola Emmanuella Fashola, recently commissioned the Jandor Foundation Office Complex.

Fashola who extolled the efforts of the CEO and founder of Jandor Foundation, Mr Abdul-Azeez OlajideAdediran, said the foundation is geared towards empowering and touching the lives of the less privileged within the state.

Some of the numerous accomplished projects channeled towards such include the donation of an ICT centre accessible to 16 riverine communities in Ojo Local Government Area, annual scholarship for 40 indigent students across 57 local governments development areas in Lagos State.

The Jandor Foundation also provided school writing materials to public schools in Lagos East Senatorial Districts; Epe, Ikorodu, Kosofe, Somolu Local Government Areas, as well as sponsored the annual U-14 Grassroot Soccer Competition in Lagos State.

In addition to different community tours and empowerment programme in various local governments areas in the state, over a hundred artisans and women have benefited from the foundation’s efforts to develop and empower Ni-

The Centre for Infrastructural and Technological Advancement for the Blind (CITAB) has hailed the Lagos Waste Management Agency (LAWMA) over its recent employment of 20 disabled persons.

This was contained in a press release issued by the group’s Executive Chairman, Mr. Jolomi Fenemigho.

The CITAB boss showered more encomiums on LAWMA for taking a step in the right direction by adding 20 physically challenged individuals to

Fashola

gerians irrespective of tribe and religion.

She attested to the fact Adediran had come a long way in achieving this great feat though starting from humble beginnings.

She enjoined people to continuously do their best in alleviating the pains of low -income earners and people

living in poverty through projects aimed at providing the necessities needed.

She said “Some of us cannot do the magnitude of what is being done here today but we can look around us and help those in need of our assistance.

“Please let’s take a cue from what they are doing, let’s start to sow for those who cannot

afford and for those who are sowing, don’t be tired of sowing rather continue because you will surely reap all that you have sown.”

The commissioning witnessed a high turnout of dignitaries and guests who came out to support the foundation as they unveiled its new office complex to the general public.

their pay-roll, thereby reducing the number of disabled unemployed persons in Lagos while transforming their way of lives.

Fenemigho further stated that: “Inclusivity is key to the development of any growing nation and what LAWMA has portrayed, indicates the agency’s readiness to aid and support the welfare of disabled persons in the society.”

The CITAB boss lamented the high number of abandoned disabled persons in Lagos State, adding that many of them had resorted to begging along the streets while little or nothing was done to alleviate their

plight until LAWMA intervened.

He further stated that before this set of physically challenged persons were gainfully employed; most of them were already sweeping and cleaning their surroundings, adding that this showed how dedicated they were to a task.

The CITAB boss urged other Lagos state parastatals to follow in the footsteps of LAWMA. He further recommended the need for each of the newly employed physically challenged persons to undergo psychological evaluation and motivational

enlightenment programmes in order to expose them to parttime academic opportunities.

“The act of begging is an addiction; the deeper you are into it, the harder it is to let go. Without motivational, enlightenment and academic programmes to make them believe in themselves many disabled persons will revert to their old ways”, he noted.

He also applauded Kwara State government’s recent donation of audio books to the visually impaired students of the state’s Special Needs School, describing the move as commendable.

Gemona West Interior Designs Solicits Collaboration Mary Nnah The Creative Director of the International award winning design firm, Gemona West Interiors, Mrs. Deise Smith has said the interior designs industry in Nigeria must brace up to the need for collaboration in order to drive growth for the sector and create more value for all stakeholders.

She made the demand at the BluePrint Conference 2019 which held recently at the Oriental Hotels in Lagos.

Smith who was was one of the panelists at the conference with the theme, “Collaboration within the interior design industry”, declared that her company was open to the idea of partnering both vendors and other interior design companies in Nigeria as long as they share in the culture and value of the firm.

Though the Interior design industry in Nigeria is relatively

Hollandia Evap Milk, Nigeria’s leading evaporated milk brand, has announced Mercy Johnson-Okojie as its new brand ambassador.

As an accomplished actress, wife and mother, Mercy JohnsonOkojie perfectly embodies Hollandia Evap Milk’s all-rounder brand proposition. With this partnership, she will be able to share how the brand has enabled her achieve goals on multiple fronts, while inspiring consumers who aspire to do same.

Mercy’s success is a testament to her multiple talents and skills. In parallel, Hollandia Evap Milk is creamy, tasty and nourishing, and is an all-rounder evaporated milk and ideal as the perfect accompaniment for a variety of meals, foods and drinks. Through her versatility, Mercy Johnson-Okojie would bring her lifestyle choices and influence to bear to fully relate the nutritious benefits of this wholesome all-rounder Hollandia Evap Milk to every member of the family.

Chi Limited’s Managing Director, Mr. Deepanjan Roy, stated that Mercy Johnson-Okojie’s passion is evident in everything she does, and she truly embodies the ideal qualities that the brand wants to be associated with.

“We have chosen Mercy Johnson-Okojie to be the face of the Hollandia Evap Milk brand as we believe she will inspire a much larger audience to understand and adopt Hollandia Evap Milk for its quality nutritional benefits, convenience and value for money. We are thrilled to have her as our Hollandia Evap Milk Brand Ambassador,” he said.

Mouka Launches ‘Comfort a Home Initiative’ to Celebrate 60th Anniversary

Group Commends LAWMA’s Employment of 20 Disabled Persons Ayodeji Ake

Hollandia Evap Milk Unveils Mercy Johnson-Okojie as Brand Ambassador

Co-founder/Creative Director, Gemona West Interiors, Deise Smith; Founder Jenniez School of African Interior Design, Jennifer Chukwujekwe and Co- founder/ Commercial Director, Naomi Smith during the Blueprint Conference 2019, held in Lagos recently

new to collaboration, Gemona West has already established a strong track record of partnering other companies, sometimes including competitors, to execute clients’ jobs.

According to her, one of such collaboration took place between Gemona West Interior Designs and Woodstyle Limited; a Lagos based

bespoke joinery and cabinetry manufacturer.

“Working with Woodstyle was such a great experience, because it showed how we can actually help each other to achieve great things.

“It is excellent to collaborate not just with vendors but with other interior designers, because you have more access

to ideas and other types of projects,” she said.

Gemona West has also recently been approached by an architectural firm to collaborate on another project.

“They came with the shell and we helped the client to decide the finishing that they want, the layout of the wall all the way to the furniture,” Smith said.

Though relatively new in the industry, Gemona West has become a benchmark for cutting edge and innovative service offerings among its peers.

The company provides the highest quality interior design consultation for discerning, quality-conscious clients that seek assistance in their design choices for their primary residences, and businesses.

Last year, Gemona West won the prestigious African Property Awards for the Office Interior Category through its E Tranzact office project.

Celebrating a milestone in its business trajectory on Nigeria’s market, leading manufacturer of mattresses and other bedding products, Mouka, has launched an initiative geared towards bringing succour to many Nigerians.

Tagged Comfort-A-Home, the initiative which is part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility, seeks to comfort homes with free donations of Mouka branded mattresses in line with the firm’s plan to celebrate its 60th anniversary.

Under the initiative, the general public is expected to nominate homes they believe deserve to be comforted with donations of free Mouka mattresses.

To send in nominations, participants are required to write a compelling essay of not more than 200 words stating why the family or home deserves the Mouka mattresses. Name, phone number(s) and address of the home/family being nominated should be included in the entries. All entries should be sent to Moukaat60@gmail.com.

According to Tolu Olanipekun, Mouka’s Senior Marketing Manager, entry window closes on October 31, 2019, after which a panel will judge the nominations and select 60 homes.

Winners will be announced on Mouka social media platforms.

Terms and conditions apply.

The foundation of the Mouka brand was laid in 1959, when the scion of the Faiz Moukarim family started the Moukarim Metalwood factory in Kano to manufacture furniture and iron beds.

Through its 60 years of operating in Africa’s largest economy, Mouka has established over 1,000 branded outlets nationwide, and has remained first choice mattress brand for millions of Nigerians.

Since then, the company has also grown to become Nigeria’s leading manufacturer of mattresses and other bedding products.

Miss Body of Art Nigeria Set for Grand Finale Ezekiel Okpuzor In its bid to promote true African beauty, Miss Body of Art Nigeria grand finale is setto hold at Federal Palace Hotel on December 1. Speaking with journalists recently in Lagos, Co-founder, Miss Body Of Art Nigeria, Mr Larry Chuchu explained that the movement is to edify thick and curvy women in Nigeria and stop the derogatory public view towards plus size ladies.

“Anytime African men see a curvy lady or thick lady, what they can think of is sex, but when they sees a skinny type they will say she’s beautiful.”

He further explained the creation behind the Miss Body of Art Nigeria, “up till now, there is no prominent platform for curvy ladies, because we have MBGN, Miss Nigeria those are prominent platform and usually for skinny ladies, I personally think as Africans, we should appreciate the thicker the beauty.

“This is to bridge the gap, this is Africa biggest pageant for thick and curvy ladies, so curvy and thick ladies should not allow the society to objectify their body anymore.”

According to the Managing Director, Property World Africa Network (PWAN), Dr Jayne Onwumere, “I’m really excited that this platform is being formed, what got me interested and decided to come today is the statement ‘take away everybody eyes from body of the women’ a woman has substance and a lot to offer the society. “We Africans are made to be thick and curvy, the slim women are few and I don’t see why any woman should be ashamed of being well endowed, so curvy and thick ladies should be proud of themselves.”

In his remarks, administrative coordinator, Brain-mind international, Mr Sheriff Adams said that: ‘looking at the concept is a good one and we are all Africans and celebrate African day, we need to celebrate our ourselves at home first because charity begins at home, so Miss Body of Art Nigeria 2019, I think is a welcome idea, globally we are having the celebration of the plus size women in Africa.

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ART WEEKEND

…For pure art enthusiasts

A Museum Booth for Ebenezer Obey Domiciled in the newly commissioned Art Gallery of the Federal College of Education, Osiele Abeokuta, a museum booth curated by Oludamola Adebowale is dedicated to the musical works and lifetime achievement of the legendary juju musician, Evangelist Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi, YINKA OLATUNBOSUN reports

Inspiro, Lekki Coliseum Launch NAIJAZZ Afrobeat Tribute Concert for Fela

Roforofo Jazz ensemble

Obey

The walk of nolstagia through the small but tastefully decorated museum booth was like travelling through time and history with one of Nigeria’s leading yet conservative musicians of our time, ‘Chief Commander’ now known as Evangelist (Prof) Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi (MFR).

The septuagenarian musician began his music career in the mid-50s, grooming his turf with Fatai Rolling Dollar’s band, known for Agidigbo and other popular folk music of the period. In 1964, he formed The International Brother’s band. Like Fela, Cardinal Rex Lawson, Victor Olaiya, Victor Uwaifo and Bobby Benson, Obey experimented with highlife; and added juju to it with his percussion style, guitars and talking drums.

He carved a niche for himself as one who was able to make sagacious music become party anthems. For instance, his classic wedding song, “What God has joined together (Eto Igbeyawo)’’, released in 1981 on Decca

West Africa music label, has been an all-time favourite at Yoruba weddings.

Several original vinyl records were donated by the musician upon his knowledge of this art project initiated by this institution to honour distinguished citizens of Ogun State who have made remarkable feat in their careers. Obey was the first to respond to this invitation. Not only did he donate some of his priceless personal items to the museum, he donated a good sum of money to give the booth a befitting look.

The well-polished wooden flats that demarcated his booth from those of others also paraded pictures of his family, band members, international tours as well as the unforgettable days of Kakadu, a famous Lagos nightclub in Alagomeji, Yaba.

Christened “Ebenezer Obey Avenue”, the museum booth which chronicles the metamorphosis of Obey in music has a transparent and compartmentalised housing for the two electronic guitars.

The heavily sequined-

lace and crocodile leather skin shoes clearly embody the exotic style of the juju musician. The curator, Oludamola Adebowale used the pattern of street sign posts to articulate the titles of Obey’s evergreen albums such as “Aimasiko’’, “Mukulumuke’’, “Vanity’’, “Precious Gift”, “Board Members’’, “Arambada”, “Aye Wa A Toro”, “Celebration”, “Eko Ila”, “Ketekete”, “Patience (Iya Toyin)’’, “Alowomajaye” and “Mr. Wise”. Like real sign posts, those records are pointers to music history in Nigeria and how it still influences pop culture till date.

In his welcome remarks, Obey expressed his gratitude for being honoured by the first tertiary institution in Ogun State.

“I know this museum space will be of immense benefit and a source of inspiration to the students of the school and future generations who will find motivation in my story and journey through life as a musician, African and an indigene of Ogun state,’’ he stated.

Earlier this year, the

curator had presented an exhibition of Obey’s music artifacts during the African Drum Festival organised by the Ogun State government. That project solidified the relationship between Obey and the curator. With help from Mr Oladele Bank-Olemoh, Adebowale was able to retrieve some archival pictures for the museum booth.

“This is a presentation to showcase the unique life of Evangelist Ebenezer Oluwaremilekun Olasupo Aremu Obey-Fabiyi. It is aimed at immortalizing him. All the items in this space were personally handpicked by myself and Chief Obey,’’ Adebowale, who is also the Creative Director, ASIRI Magazine, declared in his curatorial statement.

Accompanied by his manager, Tunji Odunbaku, Obey was warmly received at the gallery by fans and members of the institution who sang some of his greatest hits along with him. The museum booth project was part of the 24th Convocation ceremonies and 42nd Foundation Anniversary of the institution.

Lasmara’s Impart Artists Fair as Game Changer Stories by Yinka Olatunbosun This may be the best season yet for contemporary arts in Nigeria as an African Art Consultancy firm, Lasmara, in partnership with the law firm, Templars and the Consulate of the United States in Lagos, announces its maiden edition of ImpartArtists Fair which will take place from October 25 to 27 at the EkoAtlantic,VictoriaIsland,Lagos.

Featuring300Africanartists,the three-dayeventhasastheme,“Art Meets Tech.’’ The trend of infusing digitaltechnologyintothecreation of genuine art pieces has not gone unnoticed by the organisers of this fair. Hence, the fair will showcase virtual reality and augmented reality technologies.

At a recent press briefing in Ikoyi, Lagos, Hana Omilani, the Founder and Director of Lasmara revealed that the fair is set to change the dynamics for art

Adesina and his work titled “Gladiators”

patronage.

“We felt that we needed a platform to promote African artists that will put them in a shining light. We thought very well about what we can do that will help artists in Africa with their careers especially in their sales. It is more than just a fair.

It is beyond it. We are going to launch Impart with the Artists Fair,’’ she began.

Of Eritrean ancestry, Hana is a widely travelled patron of the

arts with the keen attention on the pulse of the art market in Africa. Having observed that Lagos is a city of hospitality, she conceived Lasmara as a global enterprise that will connect artists directly to the buyers.

“We are aiming at democratising art to make it accessible to everyone. At Lasmara, we believe that technology is at the forefront of everything that we do now and we don’t want to be left behind in the creative

sector. We know that many industries are ahead of this.

“We feel that artists are using the technology tools very much to their advantage and we just want to enhance it. We want to give our audience something fresh to look at. It is going to be a pan-African Artists Fair. We will have artists from different African countries, 10 of them from Sudan. We have 40 works from Sudan. In total, we have more than 450 works scheduled to be showcased by over 100 artists.

“The key message is come, see the artists, connect to them and buy from them directly.

Let’s put our best foot forward using technology. Lasmara started in London but we have been in Lagos for the past four years working on exhibitions and art auctions. This is our first platform and we are planning to focus on Women in the Arts and Technology. We will have workshops as well,’’ she said.

Inspiro Productions, in collaboration with The Lekki Coliseum (TLC), is set to stage a tribute concert on October 17, in honour of the legendary Afrobeat musician and panAfrican, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. The concert which comes a few days after Fela’s posthumous birthday is the first of its kind for the jazz-loving community in Lekki as it features leading global artistes.

In a press statement issued by the CEO, Inspiro Productions and Founder, Lagos International Jazz Festival, Ayoola Sadare explained the rationale behind this tribute concert.

“Everyone has a Fela story. I grew up listening to the maestro as his music blared in private and public spaces.

This tribute comes as a result of the impact his musical creation is making globally and the many fusions it has birthed. Afrobeat has given Nigerian music an identity, moving it from the general world music category to being in a genre of its own such as reggae and others. With music alongside activism, Fela ensured and shaped that. We use this concert to recognize that strongly,’’ he stated.

NAIJAZZ Afrobeat Tribute Concert will be headlined by the orchestra collective, Roforofo jazz from Paris. Roforofo jazz which is largely influenced by Fela’s song, “Roforofo Fight” mixes old and modern ‘muddy’ grooves and genres into a unique signature sound.

Other performing acts include Afro Latin Vintage Orchestra, The Smith Brothers, Los Tres Puntos, No Water Please and Sax Machine.

Nigerian artists billed to perform alongside these international bands include Seun Olota, Lufemi, De Funmi, YBNL, Princess Temmie Ovwasa, Poshryna, Muma Gee amongst others. Shadare is optimistic that this show which comes on the heels of FELABRATION will be well-received by the Lagos audience.

“Fela was for the poor and rich. The Lekki area and environs are yet to enjoy anything like this. Moreover, Lekki Coliseum is a one-stop luxury destination,’’ he said.

Goethe-InstitutPresentsAfroYoungAdultAnthologyatAkeArt andBookFestival The Goethe-Institut Lagos is set to present the longawaited Afro-Young Adult Anthology, titled, “Water Birds on the Lake Shore: An Anthology of African Young Adult Fiction.” Afro-Young Adult was launched in October 2018, aiming at producing more African literature for Young adults with a call for applications that attracted 435 submissions rom 28 countries. Through workshops, the final stories were then selected by panels consisting of writers, literary activists and young adult readers.

Of the entries, 17 stories were selected, written in English, French and Swahili to be published in three distinct editions. The anthology will be officially launched at the Ake Art and Book Festival which will take place from October 24 to 27 at the Mike Adenuga Centre, Ikoyi.

Zukiswa Wanner, the Project Co-ordinator said that the anthology is the first of its kind in recent memory on a continent where the majority of the population and young adults and yet, often ignored.

Zukiswa said: “Despite the unforeseen costs that came up in the process, they did not give up on it and in this way, exemplified how developmental partners can work together with the African continent in literature.’’

The stories in the anthology range from the fantastical to observations of youth in war situations and the mysteries of death, to kinship and sexuality and they are written in young adults’ voices that are sometimes assertive or oblivious to the world around them.

Asma Diakite, Regional Head of Cultural Programmes at the Goethe-Institut , in her assessment of the writings, expressed her sentiments on the work.

“We are hopeful that the anthology will be widely distributed in bookshops, libraries and classrooms all over the world but particularly on the African continent so that young adults in African can see that they are not alone with their hopes, fears and dreams.’’

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FERTILITY

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

ANOVULATION AND INFERTILITY (Part 1)

A

novulation is the absence of the release of a mature egg (ovum) from the female ovaries.

In certain cases, a woman may have one anovulatory menstrual cycle and then go back to a regular ovulatory cycle. In other cases however, anovulatory menstrual cycles occur over a long period of time. When anovulation happens, a woman cannot get pregnant. This is because no mature egg is released for sperm cells to fertilize, following unprotected sexual intercourse. For women who have completed menopause, this is quite normal.

Women of childbearing age do not usually experience anovulation unless something has disrupted the body’s hormone levels or damaged the ovaries.

To have proper understanding of anovulation, the normal ovulatory cycle though a bit complex, will need to be discussed.

MENSTRUAL CYCLES AND OVULATION Menstruation is the cyclic, orderly sloughing(shedding) of the lining of the womb , in response to interplay of hormones produced by parts of the brain: the Hypothalamus and the Pituitary gland, as well as the Ovaries (female gonads). The menstrual cycle comprises two major phases: Follicular and Luteal phase. The menstrual cycle length is the number of days between the first days of menstrual bleeding of one cycle to the beginning of the menstrual bleeding of the next cycle. The average menstrual cycle length is 28 days with most cycle lengths between 21 to 35 days.

The menstrual cycle is controlled by 4 major hormones, called Gonadotropins: Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing hormone (LH) produced by the Pituitary gland, Estrogen and Progesterone produced by the ovaries. The hormone Prolactin however, has a role in the menstrual cycle by inhibiting the production of FSH. The secretion of these gonadotropins is controlled by Gonadotropinreleasing hormone (GnRH) secreted by the hypothalamus in the brain.

Follicular Phase In this phase, preparation of the egg to be released begins. During the period, the pituitary gland (a small area at the base of the brain that makes hormones) produces a hormone called follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). FSH tells the ovaries to begin the growth of an egg which will be released from the ovary in a process called ovulation.

Throughout the menstrual cycle, there are multiple follicles (fluid filled sacs containing eggs) in each ovary at different stages of development. Halfway into the follicular phase, one follicle in one of the ovaries is the largest of all the follicles. This becomes the dominant follicle and is the one prepared to be released at ovulation. The dominant follicle produces estrogen in the ovary as it grows. Estrogen is at its highest level just before ovulation happens. For most people, the follicular phase lasts between 10 and 22 days, but this length varies from cycle-to-

cycle.

Ovulatory Phase About midway through the cycle, the two phases of the ovarian cycle (the Follicular phase and the Luteal phase) is divided by ovulation. Ovulation occurs as a result of the combined actions of the hypothalamus, pituitary, and ovary. The hypothalamus releases gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), which leads to the subsequent release of LH and FSH from the pituitary gland, which then act on the dominant ovarian follicle. LH levels surge just before ovulation, signaling the most fertile period of a female’s menstrual cycle. As a result of the LH surge, an egg is released from the ovary into the fallopian tube attached to the uterus (womb).Ovulation occurs usually about 13-15, in most averages 14 days before the start of the next period.

Luteal Phase This is the phase from ovulation until the start of the next period. The sac present in the dominant follicle that contained the egg produces estrogen and progesterone in the ovary. After ovulation, the follicle that contained the egg transforms into something called a corpus luteum and begins to produce the hormones, progesterone and estrogen.

Progesterone levels peak about halfway through this phase. The hormonal changes of this phase are associated with common premenstrual symptoms that many people experience, such as mood changes, headaches, acne, bloating, and breast tenderness.

If an egg is fertilized, progesterone produced by the corpus luteum supports the early pregnancy. If fertilization does not occur, the corpus luteum will start to break down between 9 and 11 days after ovulation.

This breakdown results in a drop in estrogen and progesterone levels, which causes the menstrual bleeding to begin. The luteal phase typically lasts about 14 days,however, a range between 9 and 16 days is common.

The end of this phase marks the beginning of menstrual bleeding which lasts for about 3-7 days. The onset of bleeding also signifies the beginning of another menstrual cycle.

CAUSES OF ANOVULATION. Obesity Obesity causes infertility, by impairing ovarian follicular development. Obesity affects the regulation of gonadotropin (estrogen) production, causing increased free estrogen levels due to increased conversion of androgens (male hormones) to estrogens in fat tissues. Increased estrogen causes a decrease in gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) by signaling to the brain to stop its production. This, anomaly causes irregular or anovulatory cycles.

Overweight and obese women have a higher incidence of menstrual dysfunction and anovulation

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

XTRA

Abba Kyari and the Fifth Columnists Oluchi Joseph The suggestion that the chief of staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari, has taken over the role of the President represents a classic demonstration of crass ignorance about the inner workings of government in presidential democracy and is therefore pure fiction. There is a vast conspiracy to cause chaos in the Buhari presidency through a systematic and sponsored campaign of calumny, character assassination and creation of crisis of confidence.

It is quite worrisome that some people are always ready and willing to lend themselves to be used as pawns, petty agents and purveyors of lies for a mesh of porridge and crumbs from the table of vested powerful interests.

These vested interests are the fifth columnists who had gone to work as soon the President Muhammadu Buhari administration was first inaugurated in 2015. It is rather pathetic and unfortunate that some so-called critics could take cheap jabs at public officials without any care in the world about facts, and instead make desperate fictional conjectures which expose them as working at the behest of powerful vested interests who feel that the nation is a fiefdom they must control at all costs.

I have read a few diatribes directed at Abba Kyari and all were fatally flawed in logic, common sense and objective reality. Its intended consequences are clear: to smear and impugn the hard-earned reputation of Abba Kyari, cause disaffection between him and the president with the ultimate aim of removing him from office. The constant allusion to some power cabal with omnipotent powers and a very weak president as puppet is a gratuitous insult to

Kyari

president Muhammad Buhari and the Nigerian people. It represents a withering attack on everything Buhari stands for: his lifetime service to our nation in different capacities in which he acquitted himself with distinction.

At different times, our president was a general in the armed forces of the Republic, minister of petroleum, Military Head of State and now a democratically elected president in his second tenure in office. To posit that a phantom cabal has so overwhelmed a battle hardened

general to the extent that they now govern in his stead without any shred of evidence is not only libelous and insane, it represents an irresponsible gambit of power hungry political predators desperate enough to spew conspiracy theories and manufacture lies in furtherance of their self-serving agenda. For the avoidance of doubt, our president is not the dunce that these critics and their pay masters would like Nigerians to believe that he is. President Buhari is an accomplished statesman, patriot; a consummate and strong-willed leader who continues to serve the nation with distinction and to the best of his ability. He is not and has never been anyone’s lackey.

The suggestion or notion that he is a captive to a cabal is not only insulting but is the height of crass ignorance and irresponsibility. Through the weaponization of lies and falsehood, the fifth columnists have demonstrated frightening ignorance and lack of knowledge about the workings of government in a presidential democracy. The position of Chief of staff is a key component of government in the United States of America from where we borrowed our system of government. The responsibilities of the Chief of Staff are both managerial and advisory. Apart from protecting the interests of the president, it is the responsibility of the Chief of Staff to control the flow of people into the seat of power. Abba Kyari continues to live up to the responsibilities of his office and for this he has become fair game for his detractors and a corrupt political class. Even in those dark days when our president was down in health, Kyari was an oasis of support and inspiration; he had to contend and contain with the maneuvers of over ambitious

powerful vested interests who plotted to take over the reins of government. It is the same interests that have procured the services of these fifth columnists to denigrate and force the removal of Kyari from office. During the period of president Buhari’s ill health, it was the same vicious powerful interests surreptitiously pushed and sponsored stories that Buhari was too ill to govern. when this effort failed, they now came up with the propaganda that our president had died and that his body double was now in Aso rock. Of course, discerning and patriotic Nigerians saw through the hollowness of this blatant falsehood and rejected it.

Like the axiomatic lion who cannot hide his colours, these self-serving individuals are at it again. Their game plan is simple: where there is no scandal, invent one. Pursuant to this scorched earth strategy, they manufactured a phantom statement without any shred of evidence that Abba Kyari’s appointment as Chief Of Staff in 2015’was resoundingly rejected by numerous Nigerians ‘.I am unaware of any scientific survey detailing the rejection of Kyari by numerous Nigerians in 2015.By the admission of one Umar-Bashir, one of such faceless critics, prior to his appointment in 2015, Kyari was a strong critic of Buhari. His appointment could only mean that the president set aside whatever differences they may have had to appoint a highly capable Nigerian in furtherance of higher national interest.

Joseph writes from Abuja NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

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COLLAGE EVENTS

Glenfiddich Mavericks Experimental Night Returns to Lagos with a Bang Mary Nnah

L-R; Regional Service Head, Lagos, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Mr. Patrick Akpareva; Zonal Head, Lagos Island, Mr. Emmanuel Comla; mother of celebrant, Mrs. Olubukola Oni; the birthday celebrant and FCMB account holder, Ariel Olasimbo (a pupil of Corona Primary School, Ikoyi); Divisional Head, Corporate Services of the Bank, Felicia Obozuwa; Team Lead, Standards Management, Mrs. Joy Igwe-Oparaji; Manager, Awolowo Road Branch, Ikoyi, Mr. Ken Oputa and Relationship Officer, Mr. Kingsley Madu, during the presentation of cake and gifts by FCMB to Ariel as part of activities marking the Bank’s celebration of Customer Service Week in Lagos...recently

Lagos will be enveloped by ecstasy and fun on Friday, October 18, 2019 as the “Glenfiddich Mavericks Experimental Night” returns to Nigeria’s commercial capital with a big bang.

Famous for creating a concert-like atmosphere where people can socialise against the backdrop of great music, whisky and specially curated musical performances, this year’s rendezvous will feature renowned musical icons and true mavericks including Femi Kuti, Flavour, Bez and The Compozers (all the way from the UK) Last year, the premium single malt whisky took entertainment and artistry several notches higher by introducing its experimental series – a series that builds on the brand’s age-long tradition of innovation and consistently pushing the limits of consumer experience.

Famed for always creating experiences that’s all about experimentation with trailblazers in the Nigeria music scene, ‘the Glenfiddich Mavericks Experimental Night,’ scheduled to hold at the Balmoral Convention Centre, Federal Palace, Victoria Island, Lagos, promises a more electrifying and scintillating outing than last year. The Experimental Series is a distinctive range of Glenfiddich that combines the brand’s passion for pushing Scotch whisky boundaries and collaborating with trailblazers from the whisky world and beyond, which is evident in the creation of the phenomenal Glenfiddich Experimental Night. Glenfiddich has always been an experiential whisky, providing its consumers with unique ways to enjoy it by consistently creating disruptive and spectacular shows for them. So, save the date!

‘Glenfiddich Mavericks Experimental night is definitely a must-attend for every discerning connoisseur.

Igbos in Bayelsa Celebrate World Igbo Day

Chidozie Uzowulu, Principal Partner, Chidozie Uzowulu and Associates (left) being sworn in as a Notary Public by the acting Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba ...recently

L-R; Customer, lkeja Electric, Mr. Olubunmi Gabriel; Chief Operating Officer, Mrs Folake Soetan; Chief Commercial Officer, Ugochukwu ObiChukwu and a customer, Mr Adekunle Adedayo during the celebration of Customer Service Week at Ikeja, Electric’s Corporate Headquarters, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos...recently

L-R:Executive Director, Nigeria Film and Video Censor Board(NFVCB), Alhaji. Adedayo Thomas; Screen Goddess, Ini Edo; Founder & Executive Director, AFRIFF, Chioma Ude; Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Consulate General Lagos, Russell K. Brooks and CEO, Century Group, Ken Atete at the AFRIFF 2019 Programme Announcement in Lagos...recently ABIODUN AJALA.

Igbos resident in Bayelsa State have celebrated the World Igbo Day even as they provide free medical services to the less privilege in the oil and gas rich state to commemorate the event.

The event marked with fun fare at the Ox-bow Lake Pavilion located at the serene part of the state capital, Yenagoa, witnessed displays of various cultural displays and dances to the delight of those who gathered to commemorate the occasion.

In his welcome address, the President of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Bayelsa State Chapter, Chief Chinedu Amaku, said it was gratifying for the Igbos in the state to celebrate their rich cultural heritgae together following the resolution of leadership challenges which bedevilled the group in the state.

He urged Igbos in Bayelsa State to put behind them the leadership challenges and consolidate on the new found peace and continue to embrace peaceful co-existence while contributing to the development of their host state.

He used the occasion to commend the state government for redeeming its pledge of financial support to the group just as he pledged that his leadership will ensure the fund is used judiciously to achieve the purpose it was given. Amaku also expressed hope that the bus the governor pledged along with the fund will soon be handed to Ohaneze for smooth running of its day-to- day activities.

He used the occasion to thank Bayelsans for the love and understanding they have shown Ndigbo which reflected on the peaceful atmosphere they so far enjoyed doing business with Bayelsans and assured the government that the leadership of Ohaneze will not relent in toeing the path of peace and progress in the state.

He expressed the fact that the 2019 Igbo Day celebration is a rallying point for peace and unity to return among Ndigbo, while revealing that the vent also witnessed free medical excecise sponsored by the Igbo medical professionals working at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa.

Residents were checked and treated for diabetes, blood pressure and eye problems. They were also given opportunity to check their HIV/AIDS status and given medical advice in line with their state of health.

Leader of the Igbos working at the FMC, Yenagoa, Dr. Frank Odunigwe said the free medical outreach was the contributions of medical professionals of Igbo origin for the annual World Igbo Day celebrations in Bayelsa State.

Etsako Club 81’s Philanthropic Gesture A social development club, Etsako Club 81 said it is set to distribute instructional materials worth over N20 million to secondary schools in three local government area in Edo State.

The LGAs are Etsako Central, Etsako East and Etsako West, while the materials include sets of laboratory equipment, textbooks, charts and maps among others.

The social club also said 15 students from underprivileged families from the 15 clans in councils will benefit from the 2019 N100, 000 scholarship scheme bursary awards for indigent students.

President of Etsako Club 81, Prince Asamah Yusuf Kadiri who spoke at a press conference ahead of the Etsako 2019 Day in Lagos said the gesture was aimed at supporting government efforts in uplifting the standard of education in the state as well ensure that brilliant students from poor background are not deny the opportunities to attain their destiny in life.

He said the scholarship awards will see beneficiaries receive an annual sum of N100, 000 each from the club for a period of four years while they study in approved universities, polytechnic and the Nigeria Defence Academy.

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Oba Olusegun Adesina at 80: Serving My People is a Personal Sacrifice The Olugbadebo Olukera 11 and Olowu of Owu-Ijebu, Oba Olusegun Adesina recently clocked 80 years old and even at that, he is still waxing stronger. So, while his family, friends and the entire community made plans for a grand party to celebrate him at his hometown, the royal father bared his mind on his life as a king, the challenges of serving his people and many more in this interview with MARY NNAH

C

ongratulations you on your 80th birthday sir. Can you tell us a bit about your life journey in the last 80 years?

I went to school in Ijebu Ode primary Secondary school where I was born. I did A level at Abeokuta grammar school and did my first degree in Zaria which is now Ahmadu Bello University. We were doing London University Degrees as external students, which I finished in 1963. I worked for the Western State Government as provincial engineer in Ijebu Ode which covered Ijebu and Remo area.

When they created the first water corporation in Nigeria in the old west, I moved from ministry of works to water corporation and worked for the water corporation and was transferred to Abeokuta. I was the area engineer manager and the area covered at that time was the whole of Ogun state now, which includes Yewa, Egba, Ijebu and Remo. We constructed most of the water schemes including elevated tanks and so on and when I was at works earlier, we constructed most of the roads all by direct labour. I felt the civil service would not make me achieve my dreams in life so I left after nine years and set up my own consulting firm with some friends.

We were lucky we had series of jobs as consultants from both the federal and state governments, the universities as well and also from the World Bank, UNICEF and so on.

We did consultancy for them but within Nigeria that covered the whole country, travelling from one city to the other to do the work which includes water supply, irrigation and drainage, road designs and so on for the federal government. At that time, you get jobs based on your competence, you submit proposals and they would assess your proposal and awards contracts and consultancy work to those qualified. When we find other jobs which we think we can’t do all on our own, we collaborate with some foreign consultants in Britain, USA, Canada and we all worked together as a group. That was all after the war, Nigeria was rebuilding.

At a stage we had to work two shifts from 7:30 to 3:30 then from 2:00 to 8:30 in the night. There were 55 engineers and technicians and we were working two shifts as consultants during the post-war period to cope with the work we had. I enjoyed it until I came to the throne.

We were involved when the federal government said they wanted all federal roads about 200,000km of road all over the country to be well taken care of. So they appointed a committee, I was made chairman of the committee representing the chamber of commerce. We also had people from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Road Transport Owners Association, engineering bodies were represented on that committee and we went round all the federal roads in the country, and submitted a report. Part of it was that they should give concession to some people to manage some of the roads.

Of course if they were managing, there’d be road taxes which they would pick, I think Lagos-Ibadan was one of them and I think N500 was all they would pay. That would ensure that all the roads would be in good position.

Adesina

Would you say you are fulfilled at 80?

It’s work in progress. Before I became Oba I was doing so many things. I was president Association of Consulting Engineers for Nigeria between years 1996 to 1998. I was chairman for Nigerian Society of Engineers at the water and sanitation section. Then, I was president of the Ijebu Chamber of Commerce and president of the Ogun State Chambers of Commerce. I was director Eco bank in Cameroon, Liberia and Director International Bank of Republic of Benin at various times. I was non-executive director though, we meet four times a year to coordinate what they’re doing and to make sure that shareholders monies are not shared.

What has your experience been like since you ascended the throne?

I have been king now for 12 years and a couple of months. Like many things in this country today, it’s been quite challenging.

Most of our people do farming in the forest reserve. I have over 50 Baales (wards heads) in those forest areas and they have farmers they employ and give them pieces of land. They farm there. They come from various states such as Oyo, Lagos, Ondo and Ekiti state mainly but we have a few from much farther places and they come to farm. When you have such diversities in the farm you find that there would always be one issue or the other which their Baales who is their own representatives, tries to handle and if they can’t handle it, they come to me in the palace here and that is almost a regular thing. You have one or two set of people at least in a day coming like that. So, it has been quite stressful but thank God, God is in control.

What was your reaction like at the time you were called upon to serve your people as an Oba? Actually, when I was invited to come and be Oba, I was still very busy as an engineer.

My consulting firm was having two shifts; I had to coordinate with my partners. I was really very busy as a consultant. For instance I represented the federal government at what they now call climate change at a world conference in Canada. I was asked to go and present a paper in the 1990’s at the conference. I served also as chairman of National Council on Water Resources. I was also active in business world because when Ecobank was set up by Adeyemi Lawson of blessed memory, I was one of the first 23 shareholders of Ecobank. But, at the end of the day I felt that I needed to serve my people, so, coming back home and serving my people is a personal sacrifice.

It has been 12 years since you ascended the throne. What would you say has been your achievement so far?

We’ve tried and it’s on-going. For the farmers, we’re trying to see how we can make them go from the cutlass and hoes to mechanised farming. And we are trying to make sure that you just don’t farm and people come to take the raw materials to process and so on. We are trying to see what we can do to make sure the farmers reap the crops, put at least the first treatment and that means we give support not just to the farmers but to the technicians and industries. It is still work in progress because it is difficult to change people’s attitude in such a short time. We tell them that you must add value to your products to make it better.

What is the most memorable day on the throne?

It is difficult to assess things done when I am on the throne because I started some of the things even as a young engineer. For the town hall and our church, I did the consultancy and partly funded it and I was part of the central mosque too. Each time I have an occasion, I give scholarships to young people and such scholarships takes them from secondary till they finish from the university.

Do you have a count of how many people you’ve given such scholarships to?

I can’t give an exact figure because even as an engineer I’ve been doing that for the community but it can’t be less than between 50 and 100. You must show that you have the capacity and your parents are unable to pay. Those are the conditions and they’ve been doing well. I have been happy doing that. When you add value to people’s lives, it is much better than when you amass money in the bank.

In terms of promoting culture festivals in this part of the world, how effective has it been since you came on?

There have been challenges. I want to promote culture, I have been doing that but I want to promote culture without sacrificing people’s religious beliefs. That is very important to me and in some instances it became a real challenge. I often give them money to go and do whatever they want to do. I have been taking active part in the real culture, the music and the dancing, but not to sacrifice my own religion or asking people to sacrifice their religion. I am not a party to that, it can be challenging occasionally but I insist on it.

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CRIME&SECURITY

Encomiums As DIG Lakanu Bows Out in Grand Style AMBY UNEZE writes that encomiums were recently showered on Deputy Inspector General of Police, Frederick Taiwo Lakanuasheretiresfromactiveserviceafter33yearsofmeritoriousservice Today, October 11, 2019 marks a turning point in the life of one man who had sacrificed his 60 years of active age to fight for the unity and security of his nation.

Granted that age is just about numbers or figures, considering the active nature of some retirees, they seem to be more effective in their retirement.

For Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Fredrick Taiwo Lakanu, 60 years is just a figure as he is still willing and ready to put in more experience and finesse to the profession he cherished so much, having served for about 33 years as a fine police officer to his fatherland, Nigeria.

Crime fighting is all about skills, experience and dexterity on the part of the officer; hence Lakanu exceedingly achieved successes in the field of his chosen profession.

Over the time, it had been scientifically and logically proved that hardwork and discipline pays which leads to reward and honour. Lakanu indeed proved this sentiment to be a fact considering what he was able to give to the nation through his career as a police officer.

Lakanu was promoted to the rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police by the Police Service Commission (PSC) on February 4, 2019 before then; he was an Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) appointed by the former Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris. Lakanu was also the Force Secretary and member of the Nigeria Police Force Management Team.

Born on October 12, 1959, in Lagos Island, Lagos State, Lakanu holds Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Philosophy and LL.B. (Hons) from the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos State, and Master in Law from Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, United Kingdom. Also, he attended several courses within and outside the country, including Crime Investigation course at the Police Staff College, Jos, and Developmental Course at Kofi Annan Centre for Peace Keeping, Accra, Ghana.

He is also a fellow of National Defence College, Abuja.

Furthermore, before his recent elevation as DIG incharge of Force Secretary, Lakanu had served in various capacities in the Force as AIG Federal Operations, Force Headquarters, Abuja, Commissioner of Police in Imo and Ekiti States, Commissioner of Police Airport Command, Lagos, Principal Staff Officer to the IGP (Force Headquarters Annex, Lagos) among others. He was also the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 7 Headquarters, Abuja comprising the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Niger and Kaduna States.

Records of service of Lakanu also show that he held various positions with dates in the following order; Deputy Inspector General of Police (2019), Assistant InspectorGeneral of Police (2017), Commissioner of Police (2014), Deputy Commissioner of Police (2009), Asst. Commissioner of Police (2003), Chief Superintendent of Police (2000), Superintendent of Police (1995), Deputy Superintendent of Police (1992), and Assistant Superintendent of Police (1987).

In addition, he performed the following ad-hoc duties; Planned and supervised the 2017 Gubernatorial election in Anambra state; Spear-headed the Police Force team comprising of 500 handpicked personnel to Abia State to checkmate the illegal activities of IPOB in 2017; Coordinated Police Operations in the successful conduct of the Ekiti State 2014 Local Government Elections; Supervision of transportation of relief materials from all over the country to the North-East: In this role, his primary objective and achievement was to ensure that the relief materials were safe from diversion and got to the intended IDPs – which earned his Team a special commendation by the Presidency.

He was also a Member, Special Committee on Bama Initiative, which entailed several

T. Lakanu

T. Lakanu

strategic visits to the North-East States of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe 2017; Committee Member and Police Force Lead, Federal Government Committee for the Funeral Activities of late former Vice-President Dr. Alex Ekwueme; Resource Person, Nigerian War College, Abuja; and he regularly served as Resource Person for the Nigerian Police Force at different speaking for a.

Lakanu earned remarkable awards and honours; including High Commendation from IGP Solomon E. Arase fdc, NPM, mnifor Exceptional Competence, Loyalty, Sacrifice, and Dedication to the Police Force and Duty (2016); High Commendation by Formal Resolution of the Imo State House of Assembly for Diligence and Rare Gallantry demonstrated in the tracking of a notorious gang and killing of Chibueze Henry (“Vampire”) in 2017; Best Commissioner of Police in West & Sub-Saharan Africa conferred

by Security Watch Africa (2016); Award of Recognition for Sterling and Exemplary Leadership as the Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command conferred jointly by the Senate Committee on Police Affairs; Police Community Relations Committee, Quintessential Police Commissioners’ Award (2016); Crime Reporters’ Association (CRAN) Merit Award (2016).

Others are; Best Crime-busting Police Chief in West and Central Africa, Security Watch Awards, conferred in Johannesburg, South Africa in conjunction with the University of Stellenbosch (2016); Outstanding Performance Award as the Most-Outstanding Police Officer in Southern Nigeria (2012);

Award of Excellence conferred by The Nigerian National Association, The Netherlands (2017); The Nigerian Media Award for Establishing a Symbiosis between the Nigerian Police and the Press in Imo State (2016); Most Outstanding Commissioner of Police Award conferred by Anti-Corruption Crusaders of Nigeria (2016); Award of Recognition for Sterling Proactive Crime-fighting and Effective Policing of Imo State conferred by Nigerian Bar Association (Owerri Branch) (2017); Award of Recognition for Commitment to Upliftment of Human Rights in Nigeria conferred by Crime Victim Foundation (2015); National Leadership Award conferred by the National Association of Nigerian Students (2016); and Award of Recognition during Annual Lecture and Award by the University of Lagos Alumni Association Imo State Branch (2018).

A celebrated crime fighter, Lakanu, who is also the Akogun of Lagos State; the Onwa Na Etiri Oha (the moon that shines) and Agu-na-echemba (the lion that guides the town) of Imo State was once described by his host governor Imo as the long-awaited divine messenger sent by providence to rid the state of criminals.

It was also learnt that wherever he finds himself, he does his best to restore the lost glory of the Police. From the time he enlisted as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in 1986, he has risen through the ranks, holding positions in operations, investigations and administration.

Lakanu was a leading member of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) that ended the reign of the dreaded bandit, Shina Rambo in the 80s. He served as a Personal Staff Officer (PSO) to an Inspector General of Police.

To former Inspector General of Police, M.K. Smith, he described Lakanu as one whose brilliance and determination to succeed in the service to the nation took him to several states and postings where he excelled.

“Words are not enough to describe your achievement in the Nigeria Police Force, as you were at various times Commissioner of Police, Ekiti State, Airport and Imo State Police Commands respectively. You later rose to become an Assistant Inspector General of police Operations, Zone 7 and AIG Force Secretary, a prestigious and strategic office before your latest elevation to the enviable rank of Deputy Inspector General of police.

“I have no doubt that you will be greatly missed by all and sundry especially those officers who regard you as their role model.

I believe that you will continue to be rel-

evant to your community in particular, the Nigeria Police and the nation in general.

“On this occasion of your honourable and memorable exist from the Police Force my family and I wish you a happy retirement and congratulate you on a successful completion of service to Nigeria and humanity”, retire Police chief said.

Another retired Inspector General of Police, IGP Tafa Balogun in his congratulatory message to Lakanu on his retirement said “from all records, it is crystal clear that you are noticeably resulted oriented in all ways. You are passionately about your job and always well positioned to record huge successes in any responsibility assigned to you.

“Also, your undiluted loyalty to the constituted authority, the Nigeria Police Force and Nigeria as a whole has singled you out in the brackets’ of the best group.

No wonder you were honoured as the Akogun of Lagos which is one of the highest in the hierarchy of titled chiefs in Lagos”, he stated.

According to Balogun, it is to be pointed out that you an outstanding police officer.

Your positive and intelligent contribution to policy issues must not go unmentioned.

Your mental capacity to effectively handle tasks makes you a rare disciplined officer of distinction.

One greatest feat Lakanu had over and above his peers is his love to humanity which led him to construct and complete the building of a Catholic Church called “St. Michael The Archangel Catholic Police Chaplaincy”, at the Police Headquarters, Owerri.

While policemen have been condemned and roundly criticized, DIG Lakanu has variously redeemed the battered image of the force by having a street named after him, a dual carriage way rightly behind the Police headquarters, Owerri even while in service. It is unprecedented in today’s police image. He projected community policing principles while in Imo state.

Even when Police is generally known for fighting criminals and reducing crimes in the society so as to create a safe environment for both human and property, he did not only achieve this but went as far as building a befitting Police Chaplaincy.

The Chaplain of St. Michael The Archangel Catholic Police Chaplaincy, Rev. Fr. Innocent Emeam had to this to say about Lakanu, “Who says that a policeman will not go to heaven, you will go to heaven considering your generosity and human kindness. That was why you succeeded in crime fighting in Imo State”.

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FRIDAY OCTOBER 11, 2019 • T H I S D AY

FRIDAY OCTOBER 11, 2019 • T H I S D AY

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a e n e l e l g e . e e

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T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͯ​ͯ˜ Ͱͮͯͷ

POLSCOPE We Are All Casualties

áÓÞÒ ÎÎã ÎÓàáÜÓ ÏÎÎã˛ÙÎÓàáÜÓ̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙט ͸΀͸ͽ ͻ͸; ΁ͻͽ;

Canticles….

As the Combatants Kit up in Bayelsa

I

t’s less than a month from now.

And everywhere is looking tense already.

The e What is less than a month?

The duel in the creeks

Duel? What duel? Which creek?

Stop asking too many questions.

Are you not in this country? Can’t you feel the heat coming from Bayelsa State?

Don’t you know the governorship election is in less than four weeks from now?

Is that why you call it a duel? Is it only Bayelsa that is having governorship election? For your information, Kogi State is also having its governorship election within the same period.

So we would not allow Bayelsa State with just eight Local Government Areas to unduly over heat the polity? So, calm down Bros.

You talk as if you do not understand the kind of politics that gets played in Bayelsa State. You will be making a huge mistake if you aggregate Bayelsa along with other normal states.

So you mean that Bayelsa State, the state that produced the former president of the federal republic is abnormal?

Fawehinmi

I

t was the Nigerian civil war that was on the mind of Professor John Pepper Clark, when he wrote the poem with the above title.

More than fifty years after, the statement is still as valid as it was during the war.

Perhaps more troubling is the fact that today, the exit route from the dire situation we found ourselves is as clumsy as it is precarious.

The worst signal of we having a very long night in the groove of gloom is the near acquiescence of the entire citizenry. Unlike in the past where we had many voices and forces contending with those oppressing us, today, everybody, almost, is filing behind the queue directed by the oppressors, looking languid and beggarly, with their tongues clipped to the roof of their mouths.

The fading voices on the horizon is not so much because the oppressors have all repented or all died, it is because the complacency level in Nigeria has grown to a worrisome point.

The body that used to serve as the social meter of the society, the Civil Society Organisations (CSO) was the first to take a plunge. Suddenly, they all disintegrated. It is perhaps the greatest casualty that befell the nation.

Nobody speaks for the rest of us anymore. The few, like Socio Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), do not, by any means, approximate the status and steam of erstwhile organisations like the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) or Campaign for Democracy (CD). In those days, every cob reporter in town knew No 8 Imara Street, Anthony Village. Both the SSS and the reporters always had uncomfortable rendezvous at the headquarters of CD, which doubled as the home of late Dr Beko Ransome Kuti, at the time.

Today, everywhere has gone quiet. The fire has gone out.

There are no more fiery lawyers who staked their lives and wigs like Aka Bashorun, Gani Fawehinmi, Chima Ubani, Olisa Agbakoba, Ayo Obe, Femi Falana. There are no more such avowed advocates of human rights and good governance.

As it seems, Bashorun, Fawehinmi and Ubani died with the struggle to get Nigeria better and liberated. Today, the rest of them, left in that famished household, are chasing lucre. There is markedly, a great paradigm shift. They are looking to land great briefs from the operators of the despicable system. How shall we expect a man who dines with these political mandarins stand up to them in court? Many of them, whom we looked up to, have become senior fellows of the settlement syndrome. They now know and advise how best the system can be circumvented.

They are the big lawyers behind crooks and criminals. They use their legal expertise to throw spanner in the prosecution process. Gosh, cry my beloved country, for we are all casualties.

At over 86, the average Nigerian youths are yet looking up to the likes of Professor Wole Soyinka to initiate and lead street protests against bad government. National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), the erstwhile carburetor of mass protest against anti-people policies and programmes, have themselves, become the very

You said so defenders and purveyors of rougish regimes, which in turn rewards them (NANS leaders) with sacrilegious gifts and perks like exotic cars and posh apartments.

NANS and governments used to hold each other in mutual suspicion. They almost always existed on parallel lines. Not anymore. Today, both parties flock together in bonds of warm affinity.

Today, the NANS president rides in a convoy of cars with exclusive plate numbers, surrounded by a plethora of PAs and SAs. That is the depth to which we have sunk, and it re-echoes the fact that we are all casualties.

Not even the media is spared this social vitiation. With the death of magazines, strong and critical political analysis and critique, anchored by burnished media mavens like Dele Giwa, Ray Ekpu,. Dan Agbese, Dare Babarinsa, Mohammed Haruna, Waziri Adio, Kingsley Osadolor, Simon Kolawole, Godwin Agbroko, Tunji Dare have all seemingly downed tools, save a few. While many have joined government and thus zipped their voices, others are in chase of appointment and parvenu opportunities. Looking back and seeing how the media of today is parked full of jejune and ‘nothing-spoil’ writers, I cannot agree more that indeed, we are all casualties.

I shall end this lamentation with the narration of a personal experience that tells me clearly that our Uhuru, as a people, is somewhat illusionary.

A young family friend was arrested last week by some policemen from the Alagbon unit, Ikoyi Lagos. The fellow had gone into a business deal that went awry with some other persons. Some huge sums were involved. After detention at the Alagbon cell for two nights, he was charged to Igbosere Magistrate court, last Friday, a week today. I rarely go to courts. But on this day, the entire court premises was full. Different issues and persons were milling around. An emergency lawyer, derisively called charge-and-bail lawyer, was engaged. He had to interface with the officers of the law, while the policemen stood guard watching over the accused in an adjoining room. Before the accused were arraigned, some “settlements” and understanding were secured.

To be granted bail, the lawyer had mentioned we have to part with, wait for it, N450,000! He went ahead to analyse how the N450,000 would be shared among the prosecutor, the registrar, the court clerks and some other persons.

As feared, the bail conditions were tough.

Made tougher on a day the rains were celebrating a pour.

Unable to raise such amount on our feet, the fellow had to be detained in the holding cell within the premises of the court, awaiting the arrival of the Black Maria which will convey him and the dozens of other suspects to the various prison facilities. I could not believe my ears: that even at the supposed temple of justice, to get a favourable adjournment date, favourable bail condition, fair and human treatment in the prison, to sleep on a mattress, sleep among nonviolent offenders/inmates etc., the family has to settle and arrange it all. And the figures are huge! As I write this, the young man is still in prison custody. What a country!

Look, there is nothing extra-ordinary in Bayelsa State. Don’t give them a wrong tag. It is not the first time election will be held there. So, be calm.

Well, let’s hope all shall be well. That those Southern Ijaw boys will not act to type. Let us hope that the duel that usually tears the state apart between PDP and APC will not repeat itself. Let us hope that this time the scale of violence will be minimal Hmmmm, you are raising a fictitious alarm.

The entire INEC structure and security apparatchik will be on ground to micro-manage the election of the two states—Kogi and Bayelsa.

So, there is no cause of alarm.

Ok. But did you hear that this time the struggle for power will be more intense?

Did you hear that there will be massive deployment of federal might to swing the election in favour of APC? Did you also hear that… (cuts in) I didn’t hear anything. This is the season of rumours. You have to be circumspect.

You can’t run with every flying rumour. Bayelsa state has been controlled by the PDP, for 20 years. It is not about changing. Don’t forget, the former president of the country is from this same state. So, you can do some historical analysis and you will understand where the pendulum will tilt.

Look, there is nothing like pendulum on this matter. The times are different. A new sheriff is in town, don’t forget. Do you realize that the APC candidate has a formidable warchest in terms of cash and carriers?

you know he is an Oil and Gas contractor, with lots of connection with the boys?

I don’t know what you mean. All I know is that the contest will be a straight fight between PDP and APC. At the end of the day, one of them will emerge as the winner. And if you understand the dynamics, you will understand where the votes will go. The PDP candidate, Senator Duoye Diri is a gentleman; a systems man, with long establishment experience. He does not compare with the other fellow whose whole career is all about oil and gas hustling.

And let me tell you, it is not so much out of historical consistency, even the outgoing governor has done some remarkable things which the people will remember. And it will count for the PDP. That cocky and greedy Gov Dickson?

What did he do? I say what did he do for the eight years he was in Creek Havens?

Calm down. Come with an open mind and you will realise that he, it was that built the International Cargo and passenger Airport in Yenagoa, the state capital. You will realize he instituted the Bayelsa Health Insurance scheme.

And the people value this greatly. It was this same Gov Dickson that built a massive and befitting Government House. He established the Bayelsa Medical University; made boarding facilities for secondary education free in the state, he is the one behind the construction of the Sagbama—Ekeremor road network; he released N3 billion for the completion of Nembe road.

He established the 500 fish farms. He… (Cuts in) Enough of unverified claims!

You talk about airport. How many Bayelsa people can afford a flight ticket fromYenagoa to even Warri, let alone Abuja? How many of these so-called projects connect with the ordinary man in Ekeremor or Brass or Trofani? You talk about Nembe road, is that not the same road built and commissioned by the NDDC?.

Look, be sure of your campaign points . The world is gone digital now. You can’t bamboozle anybody anymore.

You can carry out your checks. There is no sector that Dickson did not make appreciable impact. It is not to say there is no room for improvement. Sure there is. But I am telling you that the Umbrella will subsume the broom You seem to forget that there are many people who are angry with the PDP, given the way it wangled its primary. Some party faithful are bitter and this will affect the fortunes of the party at the election.

And don’t forget that the leader of the APC in Bayelsa State is now a Minister of Petroleum Resources.You should know the implication of that.

Again, I say calm down. If he likes let him become the Vice President tomorrow. Bayelsa people will know where to vote. A minister of state supervised by Mr President himself will not be a threat to peaceful election. The country does not belong to anybody in particular.

So, finally , you are agreeing with me that the dynamics, this time, are different. That it will be a real duel. What we should pray for is that it will be bloodless.

What do you mean by ‘cash and carriers’?

Plenty of money to facilitate carriage of all carriables, if you know what I mean. Do

Perhaps, INEC should declare fasting and prayers for peaceful elections in the waterlogged state.

Duoye Diri

David Lyon

FRIDAY OCTOBER 11, 2019 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ ͯ​ͯ˜ Ͱͮͯͷ

MARKET NEWS

Dangote Cement Leads asTradingValue Soars 290% to N19bn Goddy Egene High trading in the shares of Dangote Cement Plc yesterday lifted the volume and value of transactions at the stock market despite the continued dominance of the bears. The volume and value of trading rose by 49.5 per cent and 290 per cent respectively, to 363.2 million shares worth N19 billion. Dangote Cement Plc accounted for the 114.7 million shares valued at N16.6 billion.

Despite the high market turnover, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index fell by 0.06 per cent to close at 26,583.75, while the market capitalisation shed N7.4 billion to close at N12.9 trillion.

The market has remained bearish as investors adopt cautious trading awaiting major stimulus and corporate earnings report for the third quarter.

Year-to-date, the market has declined by 15.4 per cent.

A total of 15 stocks lost value

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yesterday while only eight appreciated. WAPIC Insurance Plc led the price losers with 8.5 per cent, followed by Linkage Assurance Plc with 7.8 per cent. Custodian Investment Plc shed 5.8 per cent, while Honeywell Flour Mills Plc and Royal Exchange Plc went down by 5.0 per cent and 4.7 per cent respectively. Cutix Plc and Ecobank Transnational Incorporated depreciated by 3.21 per cent and 2.6 per cent in that order.

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Fidson Healthcare Plc, which recently paid a dividend of 15 kobo per share to shareholders was also among the price losers, going down by 1.3 per cent.

The Chairman of the company, Mr. Segun Adebanji, told shareholders that the company would continue to strengthen its operating facility with fashion and retooling.

He said through capital injections, business re-alignment and useful industry alliance/ collaborations, the board and

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management are poised to reposition the business in order to take advantage of the growth opportunities in the market.

He also said, that the company’s capital structure received attention in the form of lowering the gearing level as they believe this would impact positively on the company’s profitability as the future remains bright.

“We are currently expanding our capacity utilization through

O F

increased production and contract manufacturing for other notable companies in the industry,” Adebanji said.

Meanwhile, Learn Africa Plc led the price gainers with 9.8 per cent, trailed by Livestock Feeds Plc with 9.3 per cent.

United Capital Plc chalked up 7.5 per cent, while Associated Bus Company Plc garnered 5.2 per cent.

Wema Bank Plc and FBN Holdings Plc gained 3.4 per cent and 0.9 per cent respectively.

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FRIDAY OCTOBER 11, 2019 • T H I S D AY

FRIDAY OCTOBER 11, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

45

INTERNATIONAL

27 EU Member States to Fight for Brexit Deal to the Last, Says Merkel Johnson, Varadkar to meet in attempt to salvage deal Germany aims to fight for a Brexit deal to the last, in cooperation with the other member states of the EU, Chancellor Angela Merkel says.

All 27 countries would fight to the last day to ensure that Britain did not crash out of the bloc, Merkel said during a conference hosted by the powerful IG Metall trade union in Nuremberg.

The chancellor’s comments follow reports from Downing Street in London to the effect that Merkel had, this week, taken up a new position on the Northern Ireland issue in a phone call with Prime Minister Boris Johnson that made a deal impossible.

Berlin denied this.

In the event of a disorderly Brexit, the process should be made as bearable for individuals as possible, Merkel said.

“We aim to minimise the negative effects in both countries, even if there is a disorderly exit,’’ she said, advocating visa-free travel and retention of social security and pension rights.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to meet his Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar on Thursday for what the two sides have billed

Ghana Puts Nine Coup Plotters on Trial for Treason Ghana has charged nine people with treason for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government, in a rare case for one of West Africa’s most stable democracies.

The suspects, who were arrested in a security operation last month, pleaded not guilty as they appeared in court in the capital Accra yesterday.

They include four military officers and a medical doctor accused of using his hospital to manufacture weapons as part of a scheme to “destabilise” President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government.

Prosecutors in court said the accused — part of a group called Take Action Ghana — intended to stage several protests with the ultimate aim of overthrowing the president.

The judge remanded those charged in custody until October 28 for another hearing.

Two other suspects who were initially arrested were discharged.

Defence lawyer Victor Adawudu told the local media that his clients were being set up.

“My clients are innocent. They are being framed up and must be released,” he said.

Ghana is viewed as a bulwark of stability in a region characterised by insecurity and turbulence.

It has been run by democratically-elec t e d governments since 1992 and is gearing to hold fresh polls late next year.

Incumbent Akufo-Addo looks set to face a challenge from former leader John Mahama for the top job.

as private talks on how to handle the post-Brexit Irish border.

In a video message via Twitter on Wednesday, Johnson said he was “still cautiously optimistic” about reaching a deal with Brussels, despite Downing Street sources suggesting earlier that negotiations were close to collapse.

On Friday, EU member states are expected to weigh up any progress in the lunchtime talks between Johnson and Varadkar, which will reportedly take place at a secret location in northwestern England.

If there is little movement, EU leaders are likely to prepare for the possibility of a new Brexit delay.

Johnson has ruled out any delay, insisting that Britain will leave the EU on Oct. 31, with or without an exit deal.

The differences will come to a head at or before next week’s

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly known and addressed as MISS IKEH ONYINYE REBECCA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS EZE ONYINYE REBECCA. All former documents remain valid.

Ebonyi State University Abakaliki, Embassies, NYSC, Banks and the general public should take note.

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EU summit, at which both sides had hoped to conclude a deal.

Last week, Johnson submitted proposals for an alternative to the Irish backstop arrangements that form part of the existing withdrawal deal, but EU officials remain unconvinced, following several rounds of technical talks in Brussels in recent days.

Three key problems for Brussels relate to: an absence of credible goods checks along the Irish border under Britain’s plan; the need for a legally binding, operational solution; and Britain’s wish to give a veto to Northern Ireland’s devolved assembly, EU negotiator Michel Barnier said on Wednesday.

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46

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

United Capital Celebrates Customers, Pledges Better Service Delivery Goddy Egene United Capital Plc, a leading investment banking group in Nigeria has joined the week long festivities to celebrate its customers and staff who serve and support customers on a daily basis.

Speaking on the

development, Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), United Capital Plc, Mr. Peter Ashade said: “We are super excited as another customer service week rolls in. Customer Service week provides a unique opportunity for us to showcase our gratitude to our esteemed customers for their

A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager.

Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

continued patronage which has contributed to the sustained growth and development of the organisation. Our focus remains unchangeable to our customers which is, to continuously build and improve on our service delivery ensuring a magical experience at every touch point.”

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 09Oct-2019, unless otherwise stated.

“Great customer service is an integral part of our brand promise to our customers as we are constantly reengineering our processes to focus on efficiency and prompt service delivery in the investment banking space. We aim to quickly and accurately resolve client issues

and provide great service and support, while bringing about the magic of service to the fore.”

United Capital Plc is a leading financial services group in Africa focused on leveraging technology to empower businesses, individuals and governments

with excellent financial services while contributing to economic growth and prosperity across Africa by supporting financial inclusion.

The company reported a revenue of N3.24 billion and profit before tax (PBT) of N1.99 billion for the half year ended June 30, 2019.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 138.81 140.90 -11.70% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 12.94% Nigeria International Debt Fund 273.81 273.81 1.61% 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 0.88 0.88 4.42% ACAP Income Funds 0.76 0.76 32.94% 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 N/A N/A N/A AIICO Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 14.23 14.66 -14.21% ARM Discovery Fund 329.26 339.19 -7.68% ARM Ethical Fund 28.05 28.90 -0.66% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 11.84% 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 92.48 93.13 -8.60% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 11.94% 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 1.87 1.87 11.10% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 0.14 0.12 13.60% Paramount Equity Fund 12.09 12.19 2.36% Women's Investment Fund 107.75 108.46 4.07% 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 11.69% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 94.44 95.12 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 95.09 95.94 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 N/A N/A N/A Coronation Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 12.18% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 12.07% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,114.42 1,121.46 12.15% FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,250.08 1,250.86 11.66% FBN BALANCED FUND 138.81 139.71 -2.78% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.21% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 119.70 120.06 8.28% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 120.26 120.61 9.04% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 120.80 122.35 -19.47% FIRST CITY ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD fcamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcamltd.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.70% Legacy Debt Fund 3.56 3.56 9.65% Legacy Equity Fund 1.03 1.05 -15.22% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.07 1.07 3.96% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund 2,983.90 3,014.24 -0.01% Coral Income Fund 3,021.64 3,021.64 10.26% FSDH Treasury Bills Fund 100.00 100.00 12.28% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 10.98% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 111.41 111.78 3.65% 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 10.00 10.00 11.80%

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 11.57% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.15 2.18 -0.23% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 16.00% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 138.08 138.22 10.50% 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 1.15 1.17 4.87% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,126.57 1,126.57 10.35% 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 10.09 10.18 -5.76% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 11.01% 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 1.29 1.31 4.60% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.05 12.09 7.74% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 11.96% PACAM Equity Fund 1.01 1.01 PACAM EuroBond Fund 100.76 102.66 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 122.40 123.07 1.43% 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 1.04 1.04 11.02% 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 2,332.12 2,343.16 0.72% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 206.13 206.13 10.78% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.82 0.83 -13.16% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 267.99 268.10 10.46% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 143.41 144.95 -12.11% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.09% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,374.22 7,453.97 -13.18% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.15 1.15 5.80% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 100.85 100.85 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 1.16 -1.16% United Capital Bond Fund 1.68 1.68 15.52% United Capital Equity Fund 0.67 0.68 -7.13% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.78% United Capital Eurobond Fund 110.24 110.24 8.62% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.05 1.05 5.22% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 9.83 9.98 7.88% Zenith Ethical Fund 11.18 11.36 5.71% Zenith Income Fund 22.40 22.40 3.14% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 11.71%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

5.40 117.54 53.38

-44.85% 5.78% 3.17%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

7.97 84.84 67.46

8.07 86.68 68.75

-19.65% -24.89% -21.26%

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

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

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

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

3.24 5.13 11.52 10.49 149.01

3.28 5.21 11.62 10.69 151.01

-18.84% -32.57% -21.08% -15.05% 12.78%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

108.34

17.40%

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.

47

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

FRIDAYSPORTS

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

No Replacement for Etebo, Aina as Eagles Begin Training for Brazil Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja Super Eagles Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr, opted not to replace Oghenekaro Etebo and Ola Aina who withdrew from the international friendly with Brazil scheduled for Sunday in Singapore.

Stoke City’s Etebo was the last minute withdrawal from the friendly yesterday as the 21 Eagles in camp in the Asian city-state had their first training

session.

According to Media Officer of the team, Toyin Ibitoye, “all the 21 players here trained on Thursday morning and will train twice Friday. The official training session will take place on Saturday, with the match scheduled to kick off at 1pm Nigeria time on Sunday.”

Rohr announced Aina’s withdrawal from the friendly on Wednesday as a result of injury.

The Franco-German already replaced defender Kenneth Omeruo with Tyronne Ebuehi, while Efosa Solomon-Otabor joined the camp following France-based Samuel Kalu’s unavailability.

Solomon-Otabor and forward Peter Olayinka are coming into the Nigeria senior camp for the first time ever while Ebuehi returns for the first time since the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia.

Former junior international

midfielder Ramon Azeez also makes a return, and defenders Abdullahi Shehu and Chidozie Awaziem, as well as midfielder Wilfred Ndidi are back after missing the 2-2 draw with Ukraine in Dnipro last month.

21 EAGLES TO BATTLE BRAZIL Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho (Omonia FC, Cyprus); Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Heartland FC); Emil Maduka Okoye

(Fortuna Dusseldorf, Germany) Defenders: Abdullahi Shehu (Bursaspor FC, Turkey); Chidozie Awaziem (CD Leganes, Spain); William Ekong (Udinese FC, Italy); Tyronne Ebuehi (SL Benfica, Portugal); Jamilu Collins (SC Padeborn 07, Germany); Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion, England) Midfielders: Alexander Iwobi (Everton FC, England); Anderson Esiti (PAOK Salonica, Greece); Wilfred

Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Ramon Azeez (Granada FC, Spain) Forwards: Victor Osimhen (Lille OSC, France); Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France); Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal FC, Spain); Efosa SolomonOtabor (PFC CSKA Sofia, Bulgaria); Paul Onuachu (KRC Genk, Belgium); Emmanuel Dennis (Club Brugge, Belgium); Peter Olayinka (SK Slavia Prague, Czech Republic)

Golden Eaglets Arrive Brazil for FIFA U-17 World Cup Five-time champions Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have landed in host nation Brazil for this year’s FIFA Under-17 World Cup finals which will hold between 26th October and 17th November.

A team of 25 players and nine officials flew out of the country through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Wednesday evening for Dubai, where they connected another flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Four players would be cut from the roster after the preparatory period before a 21-man World Cup squad is unveiled ahead of the opening encounter.

Nigeria won the 1985, 1993, 2007, 2013 and 2015 tournaments, but missed the 2017 finals in India.

Head Coach Manu Garba, who led the 2013 winners, is confident that the Class of 2019 is in Brazil to reclaim the trophy.

The early departure will afford the Golden Eaglets a full two-week final preparatory period, before their opening match of the tournament against Hungary in Goiania on 26th October.

Nigeria will then clash with Ecuador (at the same venue on 29th October) and Australia (in Brasilia on 1st November) in Group B.

Vitoria is the other city hosting the 24 –nation championship.

THE 25 EAGLETS IN BRAZIL Goalkeepers: Sunday Stephen, Joseph Oluwabusola, Daniel Jinadu Defenders: Charles Etim, Ogaga Oduko, Usman Ibrahim, Clement Ikenna, Shedrack Tanko, Quadri Edun, Oluwatimilehin Adeniyi, Simon Omon Midfielders: Samson Tijani, Akinkunmi Amoo, Daniel Francis, Ibraheem Jabaar, Ibrahim Sa’id, Monsuru Opeyemi, Fawaz Abdullahi, Idris Eletu-Odibo, Malcolm Ebowei, Peter Agba Forwards: Olakunle Olusegun, Wisdom Ubani, Divine Nwachukwu, Mayowa Abayomi BRAZIL 2019 GROUPS GROUP A: Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, Angola GROUP B: Nigeria, Hungary, Ecuador, Australia GROUP C: Korea Republic, Haiti, France, Chile GROUP D: USA, Senegal, Japan, Netherlands GROUP E: Spain, Argentina, Tajikistan, Cameroon GROUP F: Solomon Islands, Italy, Paraguay, Mexico

Star Lager Urges Super Eagles Ahead of Selecao Clash As Super Eagles prepare for Sunday’s prestige friendly with Brazil in Singapore, the team’s lead supporting brand, Star Lager has urged the Nigerian side to scale the heights.

The Selecao opened their African challenge with a one-all draw with the Teranga Lions of Senegal ahead of the clash with Nigeria.

According to Portfolio Manager National Premium, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Sarah Agha, an encounter with Brazil is a prestigious spectacle any day, anywhere and under any platform regardless that it is a friendly duel.

“The Brazilian team is known to be made up of high profile footballers, we in Star Lager, strongly believe that our stars in Super Eagles will also reach for the stars.”

She admitted that the Super Eagles, which coincidentally hit a milestone of 70 this year having been first assembled in 1949, may be in a rebuilding process after the last Africa Cup of

Nations in Egypt. She believes that the Brazil match is an opportunity for the emerging players in Eagles to showcase themselves.

“Our Victor Osimhen is already catching global attention following his scoring spree in the French Ligue 1.

Even Neymar will not have failed to notice him.

“Maverick manager, Jose Mourinho has also given complements to Osimhen’s newfound form. I believe the match with Brazil on Sunday should be an opportunity for the emerging Nigerian players to prove their worth against the best team in the world’, she said.

Ever since Star Lager ventured into Nigerian football as the official beer of the Super Eagles, the national team’s profile has continued to rise and a solid fan base similar to the passion Nigerians attach to major football clubs in the European leagues has been achieved.

Ola Aina… Out

Oghenekaro Etebo…Out

HIFL 2019

UAM Tillers, UNICAL Malabites Reenact 2019 Final 2018 defending champions, UAM Tillers, and runners up, UNICAL Malabites are set to face off in the HiFL 2019 finals, after they both cruised past OAU Giants and UNILORIN Warriors respectively to book their places yet again in the highly anticipated final of the 2019 Super Four.

Toraza Terungwa, was the hero for the resurgent Tillers as he saved three straight penalties, to give his side a 3-0 shoot-out win in front of a roaring home crowd. OAU were the first to score in the 46th minute as tough defender Faleti Ayo brilliantly headed home a cross, to put the Tillers under pressure.

However, Tony Eliagwu rescued the home team with a 57th minute leveler, to send them through to level the scores on the day and also

on aggregates. Then it was onto penalties as both teams could not be separated. It was the second time, the Tillers will qualify ahead of OAU Giants, after the Ile Ife team suffered similar fate in the 2018 semifinal stage.

Elsewhere in Rumuolumeni, Rivers State, UNICAL Malabite’s Odey Santos scored twice in the 45th and 90th minute to send the Calabar team into the finals after a 2-0 defeat against Unilorin Warriors in their Super Four decider.

UNILORIN Warriors will now play OAU Giants in the third place match while the Tillers and Malabites will lock horns in the finals to complete the 2019 Higher Institutions Football League Super Four.

The games are scheduled for the 26th of October at the Agege Stadium in Lagos.

The league is organised by PACE Sports and Entertainment Marketing in partnership with the Nigerian Universities Games Association (NUGA). The league is sponsored by Stanbic IBTC,

Indomie Nigeria and Premier Cool. The top 32 universities from NUGA-member institutions play over a period of 21 weeks, with the final four played at the Agege Stadium, Lagos.

Adeyemi Opeyemi of OAU Giants (left), receiving the Man of the Match award from Vice-Chancellor, Federal, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Prof. Anande Richard Kimbir after the Higher Institutions Football League match between UAM Tillers and OAU Giants in Makurdi… on Wednesday

Fashola, Akeredolu, Ade-Ojo Light up Ondo Car Race 2019 The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola has become the latest addition to the increasing high profile attendees at the 2019 Ondo Car Race scheduled to flag off on Friday, November 8th at the capital city Akure.

Ondo State Governor, Olurotimi Akeredolu who engaged in a twoway Drag Race with motoring entrepreneur and industrialist, Chief Michael Ade-Ojo at last year’s edition has also confirmed

his appearance at this year’s event. And Fashola would be joining them on the race tracks after commissioning a six-kilometre road network in Ilara Imokin.

President of Work and Play group, organisers of the event, Adeoye Ojuoko said that the event would definitely be an improvement on the previous editions.

“We are having more top dignitaries; car racers and

racing groups indicate interest in participating in this year’s event. And, of course virtually all racers from previous editions have renewed their entry. This has a lot to do with the level of professionalism with which past editions have been handled and we are definitely stepping it up this year.”

The two-day event will be flagged off with drifting sessions by racers that are expected to assemble from different parts

of the country.

“Kebbi, Kano, Abuja, Enugu, Gombe, Benin, Ibadan, and Lagos are the spread of the entries as at last count but we still have pockets of racing clubs in other cities that we are fine-tuning logistics with before we confirm their attendance. Most of them are working out and weighing options open to them to move their racing cars and in some cases fans, family and friends to Akure for the event,” Ojuoko added

Friday October 11, 2019

TR

UT H

& RE A SO

N

Price: N250

MISSILE

Abaribe to FG

“In every budget speech, what we normally see is that they will give it a name.

Last year, it was budget of consolidation. So this year, I was waiting to see what was going to be the nitty-gritty of the budget and I saw that there were many things that were jumbled together. I want to suggest the name to those who wrote this that this is nothing but a budget of taxation” –Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, describing the 2020 budget presented to the National Assembly

AKINOSUNTOKUN DIALOGUE WITH NIGERIA

akin.osuntokun@thisdaylive.com

Call Me October First

Question: Will somebody like you go on exile if President Muhammadu Buhari is re-elected?

Answer: You must be a mind reader, of course, there is a likelihood of that because he is going to come back more vindictive. Then there is going to be intense power play within his own circles because his incapacity can only get worse. So what we are seeing now is going to get multiplied if he is re-elected. The only problem I have is that I cannot imagine myself living elsewhere. I am so emotionally and mentally attached to my roots.- Akin Osuntokun-February 15th 2019, Punch.

I

n the latter half of 1994, I received an invitation from Radio Deutsche Welle (Voice of Germany) to be their Guest (editor) from October 1st to November 30th 1994. I arrived on due date to begin, with immediate effect, an informal schooling on a conspicuous aspect of the sociocultural life of Germany.

I landed smack in the thick of the din and revelry of Oktoberfest, a multiple days’ long festival of swigging lager to your heart’s desire and getting indulged in all manners of libertarian excesses in between. Hither and thither, strewn with broken bottles of lager beer, the streets tell their story and the culprits were to be found in the ranks of gangland parade of inebriated youths-the momentary denizens of the Night. Amongst other couplings, Germans and lager beer tend to go together and Bacchus, I am reliably informed, is a native of Munich.

Beyond the inherent hooliganism, the festival runs the dark stretch of unseemly overreach. The spectre of ladies in distress, were the occasional collateral damage. Roused from drunken slumber, otherwise innocent gals were, now and again, rudely awakened (the following morning) to find themselves ensconced in strange masculine arms and unfamiliar beds in alien environment. Shame faced and smarting from deep embarrassment, they begin to blame the guys for taking advantage of their alcohol induced mindlessness. Matters only get worse were the putative culprit to be of black complexion. From such misadventures, (uniquely unlucky) African Rambos often begin a journey to jail or back to what and where they were running from (in Africa) in the first place.

A few days to my arrival and unrelated to Oktoberfest, a policeman went to knock on the apartment of my cousin and requested to see the “nigger” who lives there! Following the logic of between the rock and the hard place, this is the stuff of indignity Africans are compelled to put up with it (take it or leave it). It is the stuff of the Hobson’s choice between remaining at home in Africa to endure the despair and hopelessness of interminable governance crisis fostered by rogue regimes on one hand; and exposure to the often dehumanizing racist criminalization of

Buhari

African émigrés in Metropolitan Europe, on another. Remember, this was October 1994-a year into the virulence of the Sani Abacha phenomenon.

I spent the two months fulsomely immersed in the experience of the post-Cold War heralded unification of Germany. But in somewhat extracurricular manner and beyond the ken of innocuous journalism, I was tapped and debriefed by the German authorities on two occasions.

First I was called to authenticate the case of a supposed Nigerian ‘Major General’ fleeing treason charges (attendant on being implicated in a Military coup) and seeking political asylum in Germany. It turned out a typical case of Nigerian 419. Save the phantom one incubating in the dark recesses of Abacha’s imagination I didn’t know of any coup neither have I heard of a ‘Major General’ Lancelot Odidi. In the improbable event I might have missed out on this ‘General’ I requested to speak with him. Of course, he declined and that was the end of the gambit.

The second occasion was an invitation from the Foreign Affairs Agency (Auswatigen Amt) to help clarify the general attitude of the Nigerian public towards the annulment of the 1993 presidential election crisis going forward.

I subsequently learnt Nigerian labour leaders including the Deputy President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC (at the time)-who, latterly, served as a two term tenure State Governor, were equally invited. To my shock and disbelief, the labour leader spoke more as an emissary of the military dictatorship that annulled the election rather than the representative of the Nigerian masses of which NLC was a critical constituency. He said the Nigerian masses were not interested in democracy so long as their economic survival and interests were guaranteed. He could afford to speak out in this dubious manner because we were in a classified session-in which nothing could be recorded or written down-haven been divested

of any recording or writing instrument (including biro) at the point of entry.

Following this grand betrayal, my task was cut out for me. Given how fast and far this camp betrayer has ascended on the Nigerian political Ladder, his tribe has definitively thrived and prospered-to the misfortune of Nigeria.

On September 2, 2019 and in a replay of 1994, I received a letter from the University of Oxford granting me a one year Academic Visitor Fellowship to write a book on the politics of the Fourth Republic in Nigeria-and the fellowship runs from October 1, 2019 to July 30, 2020.The key words I want you to note here are October first. Twenty five years hence and without any input or suggestion of a preferred date for the commencement of the fellowship, here was this preeminent educational institution replicating the prior October 1st choice of Radio Voice of Germany. Being a loose and long limbed Sagittarian, I tend to get uniquely in sync with providence.

As attested by the excerpts above, it was only seven months ago in February I wistfully concurred with my interviewer on the imminence of some sort of exile for me in the event of the by hook or crook reelection of President Buhari. Beware of what you wish, you may just get it!

Both occasions (1994 and 2019) were bittersweet for me. For me personally it was like being gifted a therapeutic respite from the political trauma of Nigeria, with the bonus of career uptick to the bargain.

But what about the country I was leaving behind, no matter how brief? What are its realistic projections in the short, medium and long term? The only certainty here is that if the Buhari administration remains on course, on the same trajectory (without a course reversal) the chances are that the end game may equal the nation disintegrating potential of the Abacha dispensation. Quite beguiling is how the prevailing circumstances in Nigeria on the two occasions are interchangeable in style and substance. If the hood does not make the monk, then the mere event of being ‘elected’ in a parody election does not diminish the six and half a dozen analogy of Buhari and Abacha. Despite the different appellations of military dictatorship and civilian president, no two (Nigeria’s) governance dispensations are as similar, in almost all materials particular, as General Sani Abacha and General Muhammadu Buhari-in the tendency towards crass regionalisation and personalisation of power, the same willful provocation of the worst case scenario; making the spectre of the disintegration of Nigeria look very realistic; the arrogance of ignorance. And we have the comparisons of Generals Yakubu Gowon, Obasanjo, Babangida and Abdulsalami to prove the point.

Extrapolating from the personal narrative above, what is clearly discernable is that the date October first has met Nigeria in a

twist for the worse on the two occasions.

And bearing in mind its larger than life symbolism for Nigeria, the date has become the birthday of an entity whose existence is regretted and regrettable.

What makes the sorrowful existence of Nigeria even more regrettable is that it is far from inevitable-rather it is borne of options and directions we willfully choose in repeated manifestations of self-destructive streak. On my way to the United Kingdom a week ago I was counseled by a prominent stakeholder in the Buhari administration that I should bear in mind we don’t have any other country than Nigeria and must reflect this consciousness in the prime time provided me by Oxford. In truth I couldn’t have received a more patriotic counsel and it is to this cause and call I have dedicated the better part of my adult life. Where we are likely to diverge is the definition of patriotism in contemporary Nigeria.

It is a cliché but nothing better captures the spirit of authentic Nigerian patriotism today than the following four words-speak truth to power. This is the virtue The Punch newspaper has characteristically demonstrated in its October 1st editorial “Unless a drastic change is effected, criminality, terrorism, economic ruin and joblessness could conflate with the broken political system and mutual hostility among the components to tip the country into implosion. So dysfunctional has the state become that the otherwise national task of confronting Islamist terrorists and violent herdsmen has been hampered by the centrifugal forces as consensus on strategy could not be achieved. Between them, they shot Nigeria to the No.3 spot as the most terror-affected country on the Global Terrorism Index. Kidnapping for ransom has conflated with armed robbery, gang wars and random killings to provoke travel advisories by major investing countries to their nationals to steer clear of Nigeria”.

“To rescue the country from its global laughing stock status, it is urgent to make the right choices. The first task is to stop operating Nigeria, a natural federation, like a unitary state. Though federal in name, the country from 1967 onwards has moved steadily into a highly centralised administrative and economic mode with disastrous results, rendering the country increasingly unviable and moving it inexorably towards failure “Ultimately, Nigeria must urgently reform, operate true federalism and organise to allow for peaceful resolution or separation. There is nothing sacrosanct about a political contraption, which Nigeria is. The amicable separation and success of the Czech and Slovakia Republics prove this. There is no viable alternative to restructuring and unless we make the right choices, an untidy implosion is neither far-fetched nor too far away. Far from being celebration time, this is a time to act to save the tottering.”

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