SATURDAY 9TH JANUARY 2021

FCMB’s MD Not Father of My Kids, Says Moyo Thomas It’s deliberate falsehood to allege I informed Tunde that the children are not his Festus Akanbi Mrs Moyo Thomas, the lady at the centre of the infidelity and paternity allegation against Adam Nuru, the Managing Director of First

City Monument Bank, who is now on leave, yesterday broke her silence, saying on no occasion did she tell her deceased husband, Tunde that he was not the father of her two children.

The scandal blew open when a group of people, who identified themselves as friends of the deceased alleged that Moyo informed her late husband that their two kids belonged to her boss, Nuru.

They also claimed that the trauma led to the death of Tunde.

But In a statement titled, “Tunde is the Father of My Kids” and made available to THISDAY through her

childhood friend, Moyo explained that she had decided to remain silent in the face of the heavy accusation of infidelity and alleged paternity scandal in order to preserve the memories of her

late husband, who died on December 16, 2020.

“I have refrained from responding to this matter for various reasons, one of which Continued on page 5

I Won’t Attend Your Inauguration, Trump Tells Biden… Page 5 Saturday 9 January, 2021 Vol 25. No 9407

www.thisdaylive.com TR

UT H

& RE A S O

N250

N

COVID-19: Govs Worry aboutVaccines’ Delivery, Demand Local Production Fayemi: There is nothing as good as having the ability to manufacture our own vaccines locally US records 4000 deaths in one day Deji Elumoye in Abuja Nigerian state governors want the federal government to expedite actions on local production of COVID-19

vaccine instead of relying on foreign pharmaceutical firms.

The governors are also not comfortable with the lack of clarity on when the vaccines will arrive Nigeria, and told

President Muhammadu Buhari to accelerate the delivery.

The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Kayode Fayemi, disclosed this yesterday after a meeting

he had with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Nigeria is expecting the delivery of 100,000 COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX, the

global initiative by the World Health Organisation, aimed at ensuring rapid and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for its 190 participating countries.

All COVAX’s 190 participating and eligible economies will be able to access doses to protect Continued on page 5

FG: Boko Haram, Abduction, Banditry, Must End This Year What is happening in this country will soon be over. This year, we will finish what we are doing; pray for us to succeed Charles Ajunwa President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja assured the nation that the Boko Haram insurrection which started in 2009 would end this year, urging Nigerians to pray for the armed forces who are also undertaking operations against bandits and kidnappers in different parts of the country.

Buhari, who spoke during the Juma’at prayer held in commemoration of the 2021 Armed Forces Remembrance Day at the National Mosque, Abuja, said: “This is a year

of action and we will finish what we are doing”.

Represented by the Defence Minister, retired Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi, Buhari noted: “What is happening in this country will soon be over. This year, we will finish what we are doing; pray for us that we succeed”.

The President said the nation would continue to remember the sacrifices made by members of the armed forces, and should not cease to pray for the repose of the souls of Continued on page 5

Power Transmission Hits New Peak of 5,584MW... Page 6

ENGAGING THE PRESIDENT...

President Muhammadu Buhari receiving Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State at the State House, Abuja…yesterday state house

2

SATURDAY JANUARY 9, 2021 •T H I S D AY

SATURDAY JANUARY 9, 2021 • T H I S D AY

3

4

SATURDAY JANUARY 9, 2021 •T H I S D AY

5

T H I S D AY, T H E S AT U R D AY N E W S PA P E R Ëž Ëœ Î Ëœ ͺ͸ͺ͚

PAGE FIVE

I Won’t Attend Your Inauguration, Trump Tells Biden President-elect says ‘It’s a good thing’ President Donald Trump of the United States yesterday said he would not attend the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on January 20, 2021.

He said this a day after Biden’s Electoral College win was certified by a joint session of the US Congress. “To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th,� Trump wrote on his official Twitter handle.

The US President had earlier issued a broadcast saying he’s now focused on delivering a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power.

He also addressed the invasion of the US Capitol by

his supporters who were egged on by his claims of widespread voter fraud in the election of November 3, 2020.

Trump said: “I’ll like to begin by addressing the heinous attack on the United States Capitol. Like all Americans, I am outraged by the violence, lawlessness and mayhem. I immediately deployed the National Guard and Federal Law Enforcement to secure the building and expel the intruders.

America is and must always be a nation of law and order. “The demonstrators who infiltrated the nation’s Capitol have defiled the seat of American democracy. To those who engaged in acts of violence and destruction, you do not represent

our country. And to those who broke the law, you will pay. “We have just been through an intense election and emotions are high. Now temper must be cooled and calm restored. We must get on with the business of America. “My campaign vigorously pursued every legal avenue to content the election results.

My only goal was to ensure the integrity of the vote. In so doing, I was fighting to defend America’s democracy. I continue to strongly believe that we must reform our election laws to verify the identity and eligibility of all voters and to ensure faith and confidence in all future elections. “Now, Congress has certified

the results. A new administration will be inaugurated on January 20th. My focus now turns to ensure a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power.

This moment calls for healing and reconciliation. “2020 has been a challenging time for our people. A menacing pandemic has abandoned the lives of our citizens, isolated millions in their homes, damaged our economy and claimed countless lives. “To the citizens of our country, serving as your president has been the honour of my lifetime and to all of my wonderful supporters. I know you are disappointed, but I also want you to know that our incredible

journey is only just beginning.

Thank you and God bless America.�

Biden Responds to Trump President-elect Joe Biden described as “a good thing�, the disclosure by incumbent President Donald Trump that he won’t attend his successor’s inauguration on January 20.

Biden, however, said Vice-President Mike Pence is “welcome� at his inauguration, saying it will be a “honour’ to have him at the event.

The Democrat challenger also refused to weigh in on moves

to impeach Trump, saying the matter was up to Congress. “What the Congress decides to do is for them to decide,� he told reporters in his hometown of Wilmington, two days after Trump encouraged a mob of supporters to march on Congress. “We’re going to do our job and Congress can decide how to proceed,� he said.

He said Trump’s conduct on Wednesday showed how “thoroughly unfit for office he is�, adding that some Republican lawmakers felt really ashamed of Trump’s conduct this week.

Trump’s supporters had invaded Capitol during a joint session of Congress held to certify the electoral victory of Biden.

Microsoft Backs FG’s Digital Transformation Plan Osinbajo: We will use technology to engage our youths Festus Akanbi Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹Ă‘Ă™Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Deji Elumoye Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË American multinational technology company, Microsoft Corporation has joined the list of other global technology giants including Google Inc., HUAWEI, and top social networking company, Facebook currently offering support for the federal government’s digital transformation plan.

The collaborative efforts, according to President, Microsoft, Mr. Brad Smith, would lead to the creation of Africa’s most viable technology ecosystem

in Nigeria, explaining that the company’s investment in Nigeria is a demonstration of its enthusiasm about the digital transformation ongoing in Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Microsoft’s resolution to back Nigeria’s digital transformation was one of the agreements reached when Vice President Yemi Osinbajo presided over a virtual meeting with Microsoft Corporation team led by its President, on Thursday.

The company’s move, described as a support for the digital transformation pillar of the

federal government’s Economic Sustainability Plan, will be a continuation of the technology company's investment in Nigeria after the establishment of an African Technology Development Centre in 2020.

The Microsoft Africa Development Centre has two initial sites in Lagos and Nairobi, Kenya. The ADC serves as a premier centre of engineering for Microsoft, where world-class African talent can create solutions for local and global impact.

Osinbajo, according to a statement by his media aide, Mr. Laolu Akande, said Microsoft’s

interest in supporting the efforts of the federal government was a welcome development which could be leveraged on to address issues affecting the youths especially in engaging them productively.

Speaking on the need to constantly engage with the youths, the Vice President noted that Nigeria’s case is peculiar given that the youths constitute a larger percentage of the country’s population hence the need for all stakeholders to pay more attention to that demography. “It seems to me that there is just a wave of general anger

around the world and people are generally impatient. Impatient with government, impatient with practically all of the formal structures there are. “But I am open and happy to hear what views there might be on trying to engage and engage even more with young people (and in our case, that is 70% of our population, if not more). So, we are really talking not just about the youth population but the Nigerian populace because that is the majority. So, whatever it is that we are able to deploy to be more inclusive, to engage even more, is really a solution

for the entire populace as opposed to a solution for just a segment of our population especially given the fact that young people constitute 70% or even more.�

Speaking on the government efforts in developing the technology space, especially in boosting viable sectors of the economy, Osinbajo noted: “We have a digital innovation initiative which we hope will be the foundation for doing far more in the digital space than we are doing at the moment.

respect our privacy and allow those grieving his loss, including the children and I, to do so in peace.�

The spotlight was beamed on Nuru after supposed friends of Tunde Thomas petitioned the Central Bank of Nigeria and

the bank’s board to sanction the FCMB chief for infidelity.

The petition had claimed that Thomas died of depression after discovering that his two children with Moyo, his ex-wife and former employee of the bank, belong to Nuru.

Last week, the management of the bank announced the appointment of Yemisi Edun as its acting managing director after Nuru volunteered to proceed on leave to enable the bank investigate allegations against him.

Continued on page 15

FCMB’S MD NOT FATHER OF MY KIDS, SAYS MOYO THOMAS is to preserve the memories of Tunde who departed to be with his maker on December 16, 2020.

Memories, not only to me, but to his children, who are still young, and to everybody who had a relationship with him.�

According to her, “Just like any marriage, Tunde and I had a lot of differences in our marriage, some of which even led to police intervention. But I remain committed to keeping only positive memories of him. “No one can ever understand what transpired between us or what each of us experienced in the marriage; like they say, it is he who wears the shoes that knows where it pinches. In all of it, I never for once wished him bad. His untimely and sudden

death is still a shock to me as it is to many others,� Moyo stated.

Dismissing media reports on the alleged controversy over the paternity of her two children, Moyo said: “On no occasion did I ever tell him he was not the father of our two children. It is therefore deliberate falsehood and certainly malicious to allege and insinuate that I informed him that the children are not his. “The children still bear his name. Only God knows why he died in an untimely period. It is not in my place, or any one’s place to play God and talk with certainty as to the cause of his death, without proven medical facts. “Despite our separation, we never allowed our differences

affect the relationships we respectively have with the children. He still had conversations with the children like any father will, up until his sudden and unfortunate death. It is quite sad and disheartening to see the pictures of these innocent children splashed all over the internet with very disparaging and weird comments. “I do wish his family and friends the fortitude to bear the unfortunate loss and I ask that we all be allowed to grieve his loss in peace.�

Moyo, pleaded that the family be spared of further media exposure as they mourn the departed husband, �He has now been laid to rest and we implore all a sundry to please

FG: BOKO HARAM, ABDUCTION, BANDITRY, MUST END THIS YEAR those that paid the supreme price while defending the territorial integrity of the nation.

He assured that the welfare and well-being of the families of the fallen heroes, as well as those who are still alive, would always top the priority list of the government.

The Chief Imam of the National Mosque, Mohammed Adams, prayed for the repose

of the souls of the fallen heroes.

He also offered prayers for an end to insurgency, banditry and other social vices besetting the country.

Boko Haram insurgency has claimed thousands of lives in the last 11 years in the North-east, with over two million people displaced.

The killings by the terrorists have continued unabated.

Bandits have also been killing hundreds of Nigerians, particularly in the North-west and North-east. The situation is extremely bad in Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna and Niger states.

Kidnapping is also big business in Nigeria, with scores falling victims on a daily basis. They now openly collect ransom.

Centre.

Abayomi said the new isolation centre is fully equipped to provide all levels of care to COVID-19 patients. “Today, I was with the Governor of Lagos State @ jidesanwoolu to officially commission the new Armoured Shield Isolation Centre powered by @ReddingtonLagos, in its effort to support @followlasg in the fight against the second wave of #COVID19,� he said.

recorded a surge in cases and deaths from the virus.

More than 365,000 people have died of COVID-19, while over 22 million cases have been recorded in the country.

Jerome Adams, US surgeon general, asked states to expand vaccination beyond phase 1a recommendations - which include health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. “States not only can, but should aggressively expand vaccinations to other phases if current supply exceeds demand in phase 1a,� he wrote, on Twitter.

Globally, over 88 million coronavirus cases have been recovered — although more than 63 million have been discharged.

More than 1.9 million infected COVID-19 patients have died across the world with US being the worst-hit country.

As the world battles with the second wave of the virus, the European Union (EU) doubled its purchase of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, buying additional 300 million doses.

COVID-19: GOVS WORRY ABOUT VACCINES’ DELIVERY, DEMAND LOCAL PRODUCTION vulnerable groups in the first half of 2021, contingent upon regulatory approvals and countries’ readiness for delivery.

Fayemi, who is the governor of Ekiti State, said he seized the opportunity of the meeting with the President to review a number of issues that are of interest to him and his fellow state governors and listed the issues to include security, economy, vaccines management and the general outlook for 2021.

The governor said they discussed the need to include religious leaders and celebrities among those that will be vaccinated in public to boost people’s confidence.

He said it is the view of the state governors that the nation needs to ramp up manufacturing of vaccines locally.

Fayemi said: “For us as governors, the number one priority in vaccine management relates to public health and risk communication. I commended the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 for at least, wanting to use Mr. President and the Vice President as their publicity

vehicles for reassuring those who may have their doubts about vaccines use that this is no threat to them. “You know there are cultural and religious concerns in various parts and at the state level, we are reviewing that with all of our colleagues. “But the good thing is Mr. President has agreed with me that he would convey to the PTF the necessity of using other influencers, maybe the chief Imams, the Bishops, top musicians, our sports personalities. “The more of such people are seen taking the vaccines, the more the likelihood of resistance will break down in our various localities. So, we discussed that. “Of course, procurement of vaccines was also discussed.

Our view is that ultimately, we really need to ramp up manufacturing of vaccines locally.

It is okay that COVAX, which Nigeria is part of, is going to be delivering some vaccines to us. As we understand, the first 100,000 and then 43 million and

ultimately 165 million doses. “But there is nothing as good as having the ability to manufacture our own vaccines locally. We understand that there is a partnership with May & Baker, which is important for the federal government to really accelerate the process so that we can produce the vaccines here in Nigeria and not be dependent on what is coming from other parts.� “Those of us at the receiving end in the states know that this is an issue we also need to ramp up our own preparedness, in terms of getting our states ready for vaccines storage particularly, the freezers and cold chains that will be required for that process.

We need to get ourselves ready at the state level. The federal government can procure but we will receive and administer in our various states and there is a lot of work to be done in that respect,� the governor said.

51 Per Cent of Lagos Bed Spaces Occupied Lagos State Commissioner for

Health, Akin Abayomi, says 51 percent of beds in both private and public COVID-19 care centres in the state have been occupied.

This means that only one out of two beds in such hospitals is vacant.

In a tweet yesterday, the commissioner gave an update on the coronavirus situation in the state. “The bed occupancy in both public and private #COVID19Lagos Care Centres has increased to 51%. Oxygen usage is also on the increase at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba,� he tweeted.

According to the commissioner, as of Wednesday, a total of 34,169 cases have been confirmed in the state with 807 new infections.

He said 3,032 patients have been discharged from COVID-19 Lagos care centres.

Two hundred and forty-six people have died from the virus in the state.

Earlier yesterday, the commissioner announced the inauguration of the new Armoured Shield Isolation

US Records 4000 Deaths in One Day The United States has recorded over 4,000 COVID-19 deaths in 24 hours, setting an all-time high record.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the US recorded 4,085 deaths and nearly 275,000 new cases, on Thursday.

This is the third consecutive day of record-breaking daily deaths from the coronavirus in the US. States such as California, Arizona, Texas and Florida have

6

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž 9, 2021

Sanwo-Olu Cancels Process for Appointment of LASU VC

Ă?ĂĄĂ? ĂŽĂ“ĂžĂ™Ăœ Ahamefula Ogbu 08116759810 (Ă?Ă—Ă? Ă™Ă˜Ă–ĂŁĚš Ă—Ă‹Ă“Ă– ahamefula.ogbu@thisdaylive.com

Segun James As the race for the appointment of a Vice Chancellor for the Lagos State University (LASU) heats-up, the state’s governor and Visitor to the university, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has cancelled the ongoing process set up for the appointment.

The Governor also directed that a fresh process that would terminate in 45 days should commence immediately.

According to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, Governor Sanwo-Olu’s decision on the cancellation came after a thorough investigation and stakeholders’

COVID-19: UK Extends Travel Ban to 11 African Countries Chinedu Eze åÓÞÒ Ă‹Ă‘Ă?Ă˜Ă?ĂŁ ĂœĂ?ĂšĂ™ĂœĂž The United Kingdom has extended the ban on travellers entering England to 11 African countries in order to stop the new strain of the Coronavirus said to have been found in South Africa.

According to AN24.net, this was issued in a statement titled, ‘Travel restrictions update: South Africa ban extended, Israel (and Jerusalem).

It stated that the restriction would take effect today, Saturday, January 9 and remain in place for two weeks.

UK had on December 23, 2020, imposed a travel ban on South Africa.

According to AN24.net, this was issued in a statement titled, ‘Travel restrictions update: South Africa ban extended, Israel (and Jerusalem).

It stated that the restriction would take effect on Saturday, January 9 and remain in place for two weeks.

UK had on December 23, 2020, imposed a travel ban on South Africa.

The statement read in part, “Entry into England will be banned to those who

have travelled from or through any southern African country in the last 10 days, including Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Eswatini, Zambia, Malawi, Lesotho, Mozambique and Angola – as well as Seychelles and Mauritius. “This does not include British and Irish nationals, longer-term visa holders and permanent residents, who will be able to enter but are required to selfisolate for 10 days on arrival along with their household. “The government has therefore also removed Botswana, Seychelles and Mauritius from the travel corridor list, with the changes coming into place from 4am on Saturday 9 January 2021. “Any exemptions usually in place – including for those related to employment – will not apply and those British nationals arriving into England from the other southern African countries, Seychelles and Mauritius after 4am on Saturday 9 January cannot be released from self-isolation through Test to Release.

The statement said people sharing a household with anyone self-isolating from these countries will also have to self-isolate for 10 days.

NIMC Resumes NIN Enrolment After One Day Strike

Emma Okonji

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has resumed enrolment exercise of the National Identification Number (NIN), after one day that it embarked on a nationwide strike.

NIMC had on Wednesday this week held a congress where it took a decision to commence nationwide strike on Thursday.

NIMC staff were asking for better welfare package and work tool among other demands that will make them more efficient In a statement issued yesterday by NIMC and signed by its Head, Corporate Communications, Mr. Kayode Adegoke, NIMC said: “The Commission is glad to inform the general public that normal enrolment services for the National Identification Number (NIN) have been fully restored

at all NIMC offices nationwide as the glitches experienced since January 6, 2021, have been sorted out.�

The statement further said: “Enrolment services were temporarily disrupted when the local chapter of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) of NIMC embarked on an industrial action on Wednesday, 6 January, 2021 immediately after their congress.

However, the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami, who promptly intervened in the matter, has assured the workers of looking into their grievances and advised them to empathise with Nigerians especially at this time that linkage of the NIN with the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards is ongoing for the security of lives and property in the country.

COVID-19: 1544 New Cases Recorded

Nigeria recorded 1544 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, taking the number of confirmed cases to 97,478 with 78,552 discharged and 1342 deaths.

engagement, which were necessitated by various petitions against the selection process set up for the appointment.

The Governor also directed that a fresh process that would terminate in forty five days should commence immediately.

According to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, Governor Sanwo-Olu’s decision on the cancellation came

after a thorough investigation and stakeholders engagement, which were necessitated by various petitions against the selection process. “Governor Sanwo-Olu was inundated with petitions arising from the selection process of the Vice Chancellor by the Governing Council. After a thorough evaluation and investigation of the various complaints, Mr.

Governor, in his capacity as the Visitor to the University ordered the cancellation of the process,� he stated.

The outgoing Vice Chancellor, Professor Olanrewaju Fagbohun has also been directed by Governor Sanwo-Olu to convene an emergency Senate meeting for the purpose of appointing one of the Deputy Vice Chancellors, who is not a candidate in the

cancelled selection process as Acting Vice Chancellor from Monday January 11, 2021 when the tenure of the incumbent Vice Chancellor, Professor Fagbohun expires.

The Governor further directed that, the Senate should select among its members, a pro tem chairman to superintend the meeting and conduct of election of Acting Vice Chancellor.

OUR CONDOLENCES‌ L-R: Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power, Sir. Chinyeaka Ohaa; former President of the Senate, Ken Nnamani; Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; and Pat, wife of former governor of old Anambra State, Jim Nwobodo, during the funeral service for Ohaa’s mother, Ezinne Janet Nwachi Ohaa, held at ObuoďŹƒa Awkunanaw, Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state, yesterday

Power Transmission Hits New Peak of 5,584MW Emmanuel Addeh Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË Twenty four hours after the Nigerian power sector achieved a milestone in wheeled electricity supply in the country, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), has disclosed that the industry has once again successfully transmitted another all-time peak of 5,584.40MW. The TCN in a statement by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Mrs Ndidi Mbah, explained the the feat was recorded by the power sector on Thursday, January 7th 2021, at 21:15hrs. “This is 24 hours after the previous peak of 5,552.80MW was recorded on Wednesday January 6th, 2021 at 20:15hrs that was equally transmitted. “This latest all-time peak transmitted, surpasses the last

peak generation of 5,552.80MW transmitted by TCN by 31.60MW. “The management of TCN assures the general public that it will continue to work hard to ensure efficient transmission of power generated on the nation’s electricity grid,� the transmission company stated.

On Thursday, the wholly controlled federal government entity, had said that the latest all-time peak transmitted, surpassed the last peak generation of 5,520.40MW which was also effectively transmitted by TCN on the 30th of October, 2020 by 32.40MW. Mbah disclosed that the new high was wheeled at a frequency of 50.08Hz, noting that the national peak generation of 5,520.40MW achieved in

October, 2020 at 9.15pm, further surpassed the previous 5.459MW recorded on 28th October, 2020 by 60.90MW. “The new national peak is a result of continued collaboration among players and the gradual increase in capacity in the power sector. On her part, with the current capacity of 8,100MW, TCN seamlessly transmitted the new peak at a frequency of 50.11Hz. through the nations grid. “As players in the power sector value chain continue to work together to improve the nation’s power supply.

TCN implores everyone to help protect power infrastructure nationwide and desist from bush burning or burning of trash beside transmission towers or under power line cables

nationwide,� the company had appealed.

Mbah stressed that part of the reason for the feat was that the TCN had been revamping power transmission facilities which have now been activated. “The new peak is an indication of the gradual but consistent growth in the capability of the power sector under the present administration. “With the capacity to transmit 8,100MW, TCN successfully transmitted the enhanced peak through the nation’s grid at a frequency of 50.08Hz. “The Acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of TCN, Mr. Sule Abdulaziz encourages all sector players to work together to ensure sustained improvement in the power sector.

COVID-19: FG Cancels NDLEA Recruitment Exercise Chinedu Eze The federal government has canceled the recruitment exercise for fresh cadets into the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), scheduled to begin tomorrow January 10 and last till 23rd at their training facility in Jos, Plateau State.

An earlier statement by the Spokesman of the agency and Deputy Commander of Narcotics (DCN), Jonah Achema, had directed the candidates, numbering 5,000, to appear at the agency’s academy, Citadel Counter-Narcotics Nigeria, Katton-Rikkos, Jos, Plateau State for the screening and documentation exercise between January 10 and 23, 2021 at 0900

hours daily. “All candidates are to visit the Agency website www.ndlea. gov.org for the list, while those shortlisted have also been contacted via E-mail and SMS,�

NDLEA said.

However, the arrangement was countered by the federal government, which said there was need to protect people from the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic.

A statement last night by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Dayo Apata (SAN), said, “The attention of the Honourable AttorneyGeneral of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has been drawn to the fact that the National

Drug Law Enforcement Agency has directed a total of 5,000 candidates to appear at the Agency’s Academy, Citadel Counter-Narcotics Nigeria, Katton-Rikkos, Jos, Plateau State for the screening and documentation exercise between January 10 and 23, 2021 at 0900 hours daily. “It is not in doubt that the exercise is long overdue and necessary for the actualization of the agency’s mandate, however, the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice notes that the timing is ill-advised and inappropriate given the current and alarming wave of COVID-19 pandemic across the country. “In view of the foregoing, the

Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation has directed that the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Dayo Apata (SAN) to seek clarification/advice from the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 on the public health implications of such an exercise especially as it relates to the adequacy/possibility of strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols by 5000 applicants at this time of the nation’s health emergency. “Considering the above, Malami directed the Chairman of the NDLEA to stay further action on this matter pending the receipt of clarification/advice from the Presidential Task Force.

SATURDAY JANUARY 9, 2021 • T H I S D AY

7

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž 9 2021

8

NEWS Obiano Worried as Anambra Posts High COVID-19 Cases David-Chyddy Eleke in ĂĄĂ•Ă‹

PLAY FAIR‌ Senator Ike Ekweremadu being introduced to players during the grand ďŹ nale of the 2020 edition of the Ovoko annual football tournament in Igbo-Eze North LGA of Enugu State ‌recently

Negative Yields Dampen Prospect of Rise in Returns for FG Bonds Festus Akanbi

There are strong indications that negative real yields are discouraging the demand for Naira bonds, and that is unlikely to change over coming months as the Central Bank of Nigeria keeps its policy rate low to boost economic growth.

Returns on Naira bonds fell 14% in December after soaring 66% in the previous 11 months, according to a Bloomberg index tracking the debt, as investors snapped up yields that were in double digits for most of the year.

The gauge extended its decline this year.

The December sell-off came as investors started fretting that the market is over-valued amid rising inflation and close-to-zero yields on some government debt.

The outlook for inflation, which accelerated to a 34-month high of 14.9% in November, remainsmurky given pressure on the central bank to aid the recovery of an economy that’s in recession. “We don’t see yields picking up rapidly soon or inflation dropping,�

Wale Olusi, head of research at United Capital in Lagos, said by

phone. “Expecting positive real returns anytime soon is almost asking for too much. The government and central bank need interest rates to be low and growth to return.�

The yield on the federal government 2029 naira bonds climbed 45 basis points this week to 7.44% as of the market close on Thursday.

The yield fell as low as 3.75% in November.

Consumer inflation will remain in the double digits unless authorities reform monetary policy to focus on price stability, the International Monetary Fund said last month.

Adding to headwinds are the government’s plan to borrow as much as 4.28 trillion naira ($11.1 billion) in local and foreign markets to plug its 2021 budget deficit.

Even so, domestic institutional investors may continue to buy naira bonds as they don’t have many alternatives, said Samir Gadio, the London-based head of Africa strategy at Standard Chartered Plc. “Local bond yields will likely remain depressed in the coming months, but may have bottomed out,� Gadio said.

Criminals who Stormed U.S. Capitol Will Be Held Accountable, Says Ambassador Segun James

The U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard has said that the criminals who stormed the United States Capitol on Wednesday would be held accountable based on the country’s laws.

Leonard, who said this in a statement yesterday, insisted that lawlessness and rioting

are always unacceptable under the United States system of governance.

The Ambassador said, “The criminals who stormed the U.S. Capitol will be held accountable in accordance with the rule of law in the United States.�

According to the statement, “the United States Congress has completed its constitutionally mandated count of the

Electoral College vote and affirmed the election of Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and Kamala D. Harris. They will be sworn into office and a peaceful transfer of power will occur on January 20, 2021. “Lawlessness and rioting are always unacceptable.

The criminals who stormed the U.S. Capitol will be held accountable in ac-

cordance with the rule of law in the United States. “Our heartfelt gratitude to the many citizens of Nigeria who sent messages of support during Wednesday’s difficult hours.

The enduring friendship and partnership between the United States and the people of Nigeria will endure and thrive as we work to perfect our union and our democracy,� she said

Delta Shifts Schools’ Resumption to January 18 Sylvester Idowu in Warri

Delta State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education has announced a new resumption date for the second term for all public and private primary and secondary schools in the state.

State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr.

Patrick Ukah, in a statement in Asaba yesterday said the resumption of public and private primary and secondary schools earlier scheduled for January 11 has been shifted to January 18.

The statement indicated that schools with boarding facilities are to return on Sunday, January 17, 2021, while classes

will start on Monday, January 18, 2021.

He urged parents and guardians to strictly adhere to the new dates by preparing the pupils and students for school resumption.

He added that resumption tests will take place on Wednesday, January 20, 2021.

Mr. Ukah reminded pupils and students that the resumption test will be part of their continuous assessment.

The commissioner, however, regretted the inconvenience the postponement of the earlier dates would cause the pupils, students, parents and other education stakeholders in the sector.

Eduok’s Death a Big Loss to Nigeria, Says Buhari Deji Elumoye Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË

President Muhammadu Buhari has described the death of the former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Nsikak Eduok, as a big loss to the nation.

The President in a statement on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Garba Shehu,

condoled with the family of former Minister of Aviation, and 12th Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Eduok.

He described Eduok’s death as a huge loss to the nation, particularly all those he inspired and mentored in tactical air operations.

The President joined the military in mourning the passing

of the highly decorated former officer, who spent more than two decades updating his pilot skills in the United Kingdom, United States and then Soviet Union, returning to the country to share his experience with colleagues and younger officers.

While commiserating with government and people of

Akwa Ibom State, friends and associates of the deceased, Buhari affirmed that Eduok lived a life of service to the nation and humanity, with distinguished results in all endeavours.

He, therefore, prayed for the repose of the late Air Force Chief’s soul and for God’s comfort over the family.

Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano has expressed worry over the hike in COVID-19 cases in the state.

The commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr C Don Adinuba, in a press release made available to THISDAY, quoted Obiano as being worried over the rise in cases in Anambra State and the seeming nonchalance of citizens to the use of protective mask and observance of the prescribed protocol.

The release said, “The second wave of the Coronavirus in Nigeria has resulted in a considerable spike in infections in Anambra State in the last two weeks. Gov. Willie Obiano has made a passionate appeal to the people to shield themselves from the pandemic.�

The press release further stated that, “Reports from across Anambra State show a huge increase in the incidence, which if not arrested now will produce a catastrophic result in the near future. “There are 80 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state since the second wave began two weeks ago, meaning an average of 40 cases per week. In

contrast, the state used to record nine cases per week on average in the first wave.�

The state government feared a big increase during the Christmas and New Year festivities because of millions of people who came into Anambra State from different parts of the country and beyond.

It stated that it began early enough to issue advisories on how to contain the second wave of the pandemic, but unhappy that it was neglected. “It is disheartening that there are people in Anambra State who doubt the COVID-19 is ravaging the country, despite the death of several highly placed persons from the disease.

Mr Adinuba Stated that the governor was embarrassed about a recent incident in which two persons who recently tested positive in the state refused to isolate, rather they were seen attending public functions, where they may most probably have distributed the disease.

He said, “There are two persons who a few days ago came for testing and were confirmed to be positive. Instead of isolating themselves, they rejoined a wedding party and may have infected a number of people,� he said.

Anxiety in Benin over today’s Judgement on Alleged Perjury, Forgery Against Obaseki Adibe Emenyonu in Benin

Anxiety has gripped some members and supporters of Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as well as those of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Ize Iyamu, in the September 19, 2020 governorship election as the Federal High Court in Abuja would today (Saturday) rule on an alleged forgery and perjury case brought against the governor by the APC and a member of the party, William Edobor.

After exchange of legal fireworks on the pre-election suits, the parties on Thursday adopted their written addresses and the presiding judge Justice Ahmed Muhammed fixed today for ruling.

According to a member of the PDP and associate of Governor Obaseki, “Everybody is waiting for today as some of us are restless even though we are confident because our legal team did a good job and from my view point, they (APC) could not prove any case of forgery, so we expect a favourable ruling.�

On the other hand, a supporter of the candidate of the APC candidate in the election, and member of the party said “With what we have presented before the court, we are 99 per cent sure of victory.�

Meanwhile, Ize-Iyamu, has appealed the judgment of the Edo State High Court that nullified his candidacy over alleged false information presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by his running mate, Hon. Gani Audu.

The Edo State High Court sitting in Benin City and presided over by Justice Helen CourageOgbebor delivered the judgment last Wednesday following a suit brought by Sunday Kadiri from Ogbona ward, in Etsako Central Local Government Area of the state.

A similar case was three weeks ago dismissed by a Federal High Court in Abuja for lack of merit and a cost awarded against the PDP in favour of the APC. In a notice of Appeal marked B/358/2020 through his counsel, K.O. Obamogie, Ize-Iyamu prayed the Appeal Court to set aside the judgment of the Edo State High Court on the grounds that the suit filed

by Kadiri is statute-barred, academic, and of no utilitarian value to him.

Citing relevant constitutional provisions, including precedents set by the Supreme Court in previous similar cases, he argued that “a pre-election suit becomes academic where the defendants lost the election and fail to challenge the outcome thereof in an election tribunal.�

9

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž 9, 2021

08054699539

Tears for Borno State IDPs

T

here are 33 formal camps for Internally Displaced Persons in Borno State, where close to a million people struggle for survival. Majority of the camps are within and around Maiduguri, the state’s capital. Others are in Konduga, Rann, Kala Balge, Jere, Kaga, Monguno, Damboa, Bama, Ngala, Mafa and Dikwa. The federal and Borno State governments, and a number of international/local aide agencies are struggling to provide food, shelter and medicine for these victims of Boko Haram terrorists. Here, scores die daily from hunger, disease, malnutrition and bullets of Boko Haram fighters, who still visit them in the camps.

There are also scores of unofficial IDP camps, with thousands of people struggling for existence. The IDPs can’t return home because their towns and villages are dominated by Boko Haram. This is the truth that must be told. The few that returned had to scamper back to the IDP camps. Even some educational and health infrastructure rebuilt in the troubled Borno communities have been destroyed by the terrorists. It is depressing to note that President Muhammadu Buhari and his legion of sycophants ignore these realities.

For them, admitting this means admitting the truth that Boko Haram still controls territories.

It also means admitting the truth that the federal government has failed to provide enough food, shelter and medicine for the IDPs; that many die daily in the camps from starvation and illness.

It seems Governor Babagana Zulum can no longer play along with these lies. That was why he recently went in search of food for the over 800,000 IDPs in critical need across 11 towns in the troubled state, where rampaging Boko Haram fighters have chased thousands of inhabitants out of their homes.

Zulum, who was at the headquarters of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, wants food for traumatised IDPs in Monguno, Bama, Damboa, Gwoza, Dikwa, Gamboru, Ngala, Damasak, Banki, Pulka and Gajiram.

Zulum wants food because majority of the

Zulum

IDPs rely on agriculture as means of livelihood but they cannot access their farmlands due to the activities of Boko Haram. The governor admits that there has been an acceleration of attacks by the terrorists, forcing thousands to rely on food aid.

I once published a comprehensive document detailing the number of IDPs in these formal camps in Borno State, the trauma in the sites and other terrifying statistics. The living conditions remain squalid. Daily, they dream of going home, but they can’t because their towns and villages are still dominated by Boko Haram.

These facts and figures punch holes in the lies that the Buhari administration is making progress in the war against Boko Haram. It is depressing for a government to persistently make claims of degrading Boko Haram, yet, IDPs can’t return to their homes.

As for the Borno State Government, why rebuild education and health institutions in troubled communities when those destroying them are still very much around? This is food for thought.

I sincerely hope that the leading members of this government obstinately peddling falsehood

about victory over Boko Haram will repent and focus on eliminating these terrorists, so that displaced persons can return to their homes. The attack of Womdeo village, in Askira-Uba Local Government on Tuesday

by Boko Haram should serve as a wake-up call to these merchants of falsehood managing this country. Thousands of Womdeo villagers fled their homes following the attack in which the terrorists set hundreds of houses ablaze. Many villagers are now taking refuge in the bushes and hills without knowing the whereabouts of their loved ones. The terrorists spent hours in the village unhindered.

Last Wednesday, the terrorists spent hours at Geidam, one of the biggest towns in Yobe State, killing and maiming unrestrained.

Several houses were set ablaze. Hundreds of residents had to flee.

I also need to remind the Buhari government that the Damaturu-Maiduguri road is still highway to death. Boko Haram controls this important path unchecked. This is a reminder that Boko Haram controls territories. Early this week, dozens of people were abducted in broad daylight on this highway, a United Nations’ aid worker inclusive. The military must practically take charge of this highway.

On the flip side, it is heart-warming that a number of Borno indigenes are now getting up to openly punch holes in lies by the federal government that Boko Haram had been defeated. One of such people is Prof.

Khalifa Dikwa, the Dean of Borno Elders Forum. He was on national TV, raising the alarm that nobody is safe in Borno State except in the state’s capital, Maiduguri.

Dikwa remarked: “Even if they (Boko Haram) are not physically there, they are psychologically there, disturbing the people. From time to time, they ride their motorcycles, come and harass them to pay levies and so on. Outside Maiduguri, not even five kilometres, nobody is safe, and they can strike at any time.�

Another point I found thought-provoking in Dikwa’s remarks was the allegation that the Private Military Contractor (PMC) engaged

by the Jonathan government, after decimating Boko Haram, advised the Nigerian military to man the country’s land borders meticulously, but the military did not heed the advice.

He said: “At that time, they (PMC) said, ‘okay, we have done our bit, the rest, it has to be political. Have dialogue at a position of strength and that you should allow the other paramilitary, particularly the police, to take over the terrain recaptured. You (military) move to the borders.’ Unfortunately, the military has continued to usurp the role of the police which is not supposed to be so.�

Dikwa adds: “If you put all the military inside Borno, it will contain it. It looks like there is no synergy between the security and defence agencies, as if it is rivalry, when they are actually working for this country and they signed to defend the people of this country and the territory. As a President, he (Buhari) should be able to stamp his feet to say to the military, do the work; I am giving you one, two months maximum. If you don’t finish up this thing, submit your resignation letter.�

My message today to President Buhari with this narration is very simple: Stop deluding yourself with fabricated success stories against Boko Haram. Nigerians are tired of these shenanigans. Our IDPs are desperate to return to their homes. They can’t do this if you don’t clear Boko Haram terrorists from the towns and villages they control. Buhari must practically defeat Boko Haram. Enough of this “technical� defeat of the terrorists. As for the military, please stop deluding Nigerians with imaginary bombing media stories that have produced no result.

Rampaging Bandits and the Infamy of a Country Niger State has slipped into the inglorious club of bandit-infested states, with five local governments becoming killing fields - Shiroro, Munya, Rafi, Mariga and Mashegu. The situation in this state is now as bad as Zamfara, Katsina and Kaduna states. Rafi Local Government Area is one of the very bad zones. In fact, it is the epicenter of the attacks, with most of its towns and villages in ruins. Recently, bandits raided Yakila community in Rafi, and left behind huge blood and tears. The District Head of Yakila, Mohammed Abdulhamid and three of his daughters were abducted by the bandits.

As at press time, they had not been freed. This is not the first time the bandits will visit the community. They have repeatedly attacked these people, slaying and injuring. Yakila is now a ghost town, with families counting their losses and shops/businesses destroyed.

Governor Abubakar Sani Bello must go beyond showboating to protect people in Rafi and other affected communities in the state. He visited Rafi this week, but offered no succour. Bello spent time accusing community members of working as informant for the bandits. This is clearly not the way to help wipe the tears of a bereaved community.

Birnin Gwari area of Kaduna State is still bleeding. Bandits persistently kill and abduct innocent Nigerians here too. Last Sunday, they killed nine travellers, including infants, in Zankoro village along Birnin Gwari-Kaduna highway.

On the same day, at Dan Kungi village, in the Birnin Gwari axis, 11 people were kidnapped by bandits. The Kaduna State Government confirmed that 40 persons were abducted by the bandits on this axis between December 20, 2020 and January 4, 2021. Relations of the victims are paying to secure their freedom while security agents look away. It has been sorrow

Tukur Buratai

and tears for the people of Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State. By now, a quick response squad should have been deployed on this axis. Unfortunately, it has not happened.

In Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa, bandits are also rampaging unrestrained. Last Tuesday, 20 people were abducted in Gadabuke area of Toto LGA. One of the preys, a former education secretary of Nasarawa Local Government Area, Malami Salihu, was killed by the bandits. Others were marched into a bush. As at press time, families of the abductees were still negotiating ransom with the bandits.

While all these abductions and killings are on, security agents hardly respond appropriately.

They go about telling lies about imaginary

onslaughts against the bandits. Nigeria is clearly in a big mess. In all the cases I have mentioned, the police failed to uncover even one.

It is so depressing seeing security agents asking families of victims for updates on negotiation with bandits.

One of the recent lies by police, which I still find disappointing, was the case of the Chairman, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) Kaduna chapter, Apostle Emmanuel Bako, and his wife, abducted on December 26 last year, but regained freedom 48 hours later. The Kaduna State police Command came out to say they rescued the couple. Bako could not endure the lies and had to speak out, saying the police did not contribute anything to his freedom.

He declared: “A ransom of N4.5 million was paid for my wife and me. It was not the police that rescued us; even the kidnappers said the police would start lying that they rescued us. We were far gone before the police came, they just stopped at my house; they didn’t even go beyond the fence of my house.

So how can the police say they rescued us?

They couldn’t even trace us. Even soldiers couldn’t have located us, the terrain is too harsh. They can only locate us with the use of technology.�

Bako said the ransom was paid by concerned individuals: “These individuals were not even members of my church but people I had impacted their lives at one point or the other. The kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of N20 million. Then they brought it down to N15 million, then N10 million, and then N7 million. Eventually they put it at N4.5 million. It was paid in cash.�

This is the level the Nigerian Police has degenerated. The leadership has failed; so, things have fallen apart.

Ganduje

Ganduje’s Miserable New Year Gift to Workers It’s official. Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has stopped the payment of the N30,000 minimum wage signed into law by President Buhari in April 2019, and reverted to the old N18,000 minimum wage. This is the miserable New Year gift to Kano State civil servants from this unfeeling governor. He signed the agreement to implement the N30,000 minimum wage with the workers in December 2019, while arrears of April-November, 2019, were to be settled in installments. This, Ganduje must respect. Lawlessness has no place in a democracy. In fact, Kano civil servants were paid in November and December last year, based on the old N18,000 minimum wage. How can this governor be talking about N18,000 in an era of galloping inflation? This must not happen in an era in which the Naira is fast depreciating. Do I need to remind this governor that the cost of living is persistently on the rise?

Yes, revenue has been dwindling, but has Ganduje reduced his own expenditure, retinue of aides and convoy of vehicles? Has he reduced his unending trips to Abuja with entourage that cost millions of Naira per trip?

Labour leaders must rise and stop this Ganduje garbage.

10

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPA P PER ˾ JANUARY 9, 2021

SUPER SATURDAY

Omah Lay ay

The New Kid on the Block Chart-topping p g hit song g ‘Godly’ y, the centerpiece p of Omah Lay’ ys new EP ‘What Have We Done’, extends its feat for longest No. 1 in Top 50 history after spending five consecutive weeks at the top. Ferdinand Ekechukwu reports

T

here’s no doubt about how brightly Nigerian singer, Stanley Didia, aka Omah Lay’s star is shining, and considering the short time it took for the pop star to become one of Nigeria’s hottest artistes at the moment, it can be easily forgotten that he hasn’t always been around.

His latest hit song, ‘Godly’ has occupied the number one spot on Nigerian combined music charts for more than a week since December 2020, weeks after bouncing back with the offi fficial video for this chart-topping hit song which is off his ‘What Have We Done’ EP, his second in eight months.

The fi first single, ‘Get Layd’ which received rave reviews paved the attention he is currently getting. ‘What Have We Done’ released on Nov. 20, 2020, becomes his fi first body of work under Warner Music Group to which he recently signed. ‘Godly’ extends its record for longest No. 1 in Top 50 history after spending fi five consecutive weeks at the top. The Top 50 blends all-genre streaming (Top Streaming Chart), radio airplay (Top Airplay Chart) and TV airplay (TV Top Songs Chart) in Nigeria. All charts is dated and updated on Mondays, this week’s chart was revealed on Monday, January 4.

‘Godly,’ released under KeyQaad/SIRE/Warner, tallied a fourth week at No. 1 on radio chart with 45.8 million radio airplay audience impression (down 2.96%). It stays atop the streaming chart for a third week with 2.75 million equivalent streams (down 1.78%) and jumps to No. 15 on TV chart with 5.19 million TV airplay audience impressions (up 64.24%). As

a result, ‘Godly’ becomes the last No. 1 song of 2020 and the first No. 1 of 2021. fi With ‘Godly’, the centerpiece of his new EP ‘What Have We Done’, Omah Lay spuns a narrative that concludes that drinking and relationship with God are the remedies for anxiety in the face of isolation.

The song is a dramatic and intently personal narration of Omah Lay’s struggles, while grinding to become the superstar he is today. And as such, he’s able to mix raw emotions with a spiritual message for how his faith in God has helped him achieve his dream. Just at the start of 2020, Omah Lay was just another Port Harcourt boy trying to make headway in life. Fast forward months later and he is a fan favourite to many music lovers across the continent and is poised to dominate the music industry like Davido, Wizkid and former Port Harcourt-based and now internaa tional superstar, Burna Boy. Before his recent arrest alongside fellow Nigerian star, Ms Tems in Uganda for performing at a concert which flouted Covid-19 restrictions, Omah Lay was the name on most lips.

His song ‘You’ recorded viral success. Same with a couple of his other songs that have since developed into hit songs.

‘Bad Infl nfluence’, another song of his, was named the Top Song of 2020 by Apple Music. The 23-year-old Nigerian act, who released his debut EP, ‘Get Layd’ earlier this year, has been described as wielding the “lyricism of Burna Boy and the melodies of Wizkid.”

Following the grand reception of singles ‘You’ and ‘Bad Infl nfluence’ Omah Lay released the ‘Get Layd’ EP on May 22

last year. Singles like ‘Hello Brother’ and ‘Do Not Disturb’ which was released in 2019 heralded his emergence in the music scene but got everybody’s attention with “You” and “Bad Infl nfluence” which were off the EP. As a gifted artiste with an uncanny ability to exist in his space, even when circling around the afro-fusion tag that has seen a recent rise in adaptability, the promising act has left many music buffs to tip him to win the ‘Next Rated’ act at the forthcoming Headies Awards.

Speaking on his career trajectory and his brand of music earlier last year, he said: “I started out when I was around 15. I became a music producer for a long time and then started singing again. I heard a lot of stories about my grand-dad while growing up, that he was a percussionist for legendary highlife singer Celestine Ukwu at a time. I think that’s where the whole thing comes from. My dad was a drummer also. These people were all inspirational to me.”

“My sound is afro-fusion, but I don’t like being boxed in some type of way; I’m not that kind of artiste. There are so many infl nfluences to my music,” he enthused while describing his brand of music and sound.

Born into a family with deep musical roots in Port Harcourt, his grandfather, a percussionist played in Celestine Ukwu’s highlife band, which is reputed for great highlife hits like Ije Enu, Igede and Money Palava in the 60s until 1976.

His father also played the drums though he didn’t reach the heights of his father. This no doubt gave Omah more confi n dence in music, as he created his own brand of music, Afro-fusion, a blend of Afrobeat and Highlife genre.

SATURDAY JANUARY 9, 2021 • T H I S D AY

11

12

Î Ëœ ͺ͸ͺ͚ Ëž THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

COMMENTARY

RAGE AGAINST HIKE IN ELECTRICITY TARIFF It’s time to work on alternative sources of power supply, argues Ayo Oyoze Baje

“The price of power is responsibility for the public good.�

-Winthrop Aldrich

C

oming at a perilous period of a second wave of the debilitating COVID-19 pandemic and a second economic recession in five years, the recent increase in electricity tariff by 50 per cent by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) says much about the inhuman and anti-people policies of the current administration! “Haba, have Nigerians not suffered enough?� a concerned citizen ventilated his anger as soon the increase in the electricity tariff became a news item.

Of course, we have. If we are not battling against the increase in Value Added Tax (VAT), it is that of the incessant increase in the pump price of petrol in a so-called oil-producing country. One does not need rocket science to understand the domino effects such aberrant increases have on the cost of living here in Nigeria. The price of foodstuffs has skyrocketed.

It has affected that of transportation, healthcare delivery, house rents, communication, even as Nigerians battle against sundry bank charges. So, what is the role of government if it cannot protect its citizens against all forms of insecurity, or provide for their welfare but takes a bizarre interest in pauperizing the populace?

With the New Year one had expected a paradigm shift, in terms of the government coming up with palliatives and economic buffers to take the stress off the shoulders of longsuffering Nigerians. But it has become patently obvious that our policymakers and those who implement them are out of tune with the harsh reality of the negative effects of their leadership failure on the human development index(HDI) of the people.

What with Nigeria’s economy slipping into its second recession in five years as the gross domestic product contracted for the second consecutive quarter. That was as of November, 2020. According to the National Bureau of Statistics the nation’s GDP recorded a negative growth of 3.62 per cent in the third quarter of 2020. The country had earlier recorded a 6.10 per cent contraction in the second quarter. It is the nation’s second recession since 2016, and the worst economic decline in almost four decades. With such a scary economic situation, increasing the burden on the people should never have been an option.

But electricity distribution companies started 2021 with a further increase in electricity tariffs. This followed a new order issued by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) instructing DisCos to increase tariffs effective January 1, 2021. The order was signed by the new NERC Chairman, Sanusi Garba.

While Nigerians were still trying to understand what it all meant, the NERC issued a public notice explaining the tariff increase. “The Commission hereby states unequivocally that NO approval has been granted for a 50% tariff increase in the Tariff Order for electricity distribution companies which took effect on January 1, 2021.� The increase in tariffs followed a suspension of an earlier order issued in August increasing tariffs starting September 1, 2020. However, a threat by Labour to go on a nationwide strike forced the government to suspend the tariffs for two weeks ending October 15th, 2020.

THE ISSUE OF UNRELIABLE POWER SUPPLY REMAINS A MAJOR HINDRANCE TO NIGERIA’S ECONOMIC GROWTH, IDENTIFIED AS THE SECOND BIGGEST OBSTACLE TO DOING BUSINESS IN THE COUNTRY, AFTER A LACK OF ACCESS TO FINANCE

The federal government and the organized labour then agreed to provide a tariff relief of N10.20 per kilowatt-hour for Nigerians for the next three months and also distribute six million free meters following the completion of the two weeks suspension of electricity tariff. But in November 2020, the electricity distribution companies (DisCos) began implementation of a service-based reflective tariff (SRT) structure nationwide after receiving approval from President Muhammadu Buhari.

The latest tariff hike suggests all customers will see their tariffs increased regardless of the band unlike in the previous order where tariff class D & E was frozen. Customers on Tariff Class A, B, and C will see their tariff go back to the tariff order released on September 1st, 2020. Some of these customers will see their tariff increase by as high as 120% compared to the pre-September 1st MYTO 2020 levels.

Customers in tariff classes D & E who are those with less than an average of 12 hours of electricity daily also saw their tariff increase albeit slightly and not up to the levels originally included in the September 2020 tariff order. In general, Nigerians (including businesses) will see their tariffs rise by as much as 75% depending on the distribution companies. So, who and what are we to believe?

Expectedly, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has rejected the tariff hike. That is understandable because the increase has come to compound the challenges the members face while trying to generate their electric power, distribute and market their products along decrepit roads, multiple taxes, influx of imported goods, and operate under an economy with low purchasing power.

Yet, most of MAN-member companies were classified in the ‘D’ categorisation (D1, D2, and D3). This means that ‘Industrial Consumers’ belong to where the tariff is the highest. According to the General Secretary of the Federation of Informal Workers’ Organisation of Nigeria (FIWON), Comrade Gbenga Komolafe the tariff increase is “absolutely insensitive, thoughtless and disdain for the people�. The Director-General of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr. Muda Yusuf, said “for investments to thrive in the power sector cost-reflective tariff was inevitable.

The alternative was for the government to subsidize it�. The latter is the way to go.

The issue of unreliable power supply remains a major hindrance to Nigeria’s economic growth, identified as the second biggest obstacle to doing business in the country, after a lack of access to finance. It also costs the country an enormous amount of money. Quoting Nigerian government data, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says that a lack of access to reliable electricity costs Nigeria an estimated $29 billion a year. Nigerians spend an estimated $14 billion a year on small-scale generators. Millions of Nigerians, households and organizations have resorted to fossil-fueled generators.

The situation comes with environmental and health risks, too.

Working on alternative sources of electric power generation, away from fossil-fuel that are safer such as solar, wind, recycled wastes, coal and even the ocean tides, is long overdue. Perhaps, with holistic restructuring of the country and a review of the extant laws on electric power generation and distribution, sustainable solutions would be available to the people of Nigeria.

TO SAM WITH LOVE

Kunle Somorin pays tribute to Sam Nda-Isaiah, publisher of Leadership Newspapers

D

eath crept in like a thief in the night and snatched away Sam Nda-Isaiah, fondly called Kakaki Nupe because of the traditional title he held. Sam was the mercurial petrel of APC whose appearance on the presidential primaries platform will forever shock President Muhammadu Buhari and many of his acolytes.

Majority of my past colleagues and Sam’s acquaintances, will attest to the fact that he was literally a round character — humble and abrasive; peaceful, compassionate and combative; kind-hearted and coldly decisive — depending on which side of his heart your issue falls.

The charms of the ubiquitous man who loved to get things done — even if it took hours after deadline — had been interred, but the memory lives on. Failure to carry a story, no matter how small, sketchy or inconsequential the subject matter was, discomforted him. For him, that was the kind of editorial indolence that should earn a reprimand. It earned LEADERSHIP some bad ratings sometimes.

But he was a Mr. Projects – churning out title after title. Failure of one project marked the beginning of another which might be successful. We’ve all heard the story of the nightmare boss because it’s all too common in our offices. But we rarely celebrate people like Sam, who are permanently on the run.

Not that they are perfect but they transform the way we feel about our jobs, the company we work for, our colleagues, our internal and external customers and above all ourselves and families. Sam Nda-Isaiah was a man cast in that mould.

He was like one’s favourite teacher who leaves a lasting impression on one’s life. I have had several workplace experiences — in civil society organisations, private enterprises

and in government — and found him worthy and eclectic. I worked with him and either resigned or took leave of absence and returned to him a number of times. And that’s strange in our climes.

For a month now, I had struggled with paying him a tribute. I was wary of the deluge and cornucopia of encomiums. I might as well be caught in the maelstrom of scripting to soothe the spur of the moment by joining paternosters and the bandwagon of praise singing. We don’t speak ill of the dead here, at least.

I had a swell time working and sharing thoughts with this pharmacist son of a newspaperman who eventually etched his own name in the newspapering business as both a writer and businessman. He was greater than his father (and may his children turn out greater than him, I pray)!

My people have a saying that money and women are the greatest threats to men’s friendship/relationship. No, Sam is not cast in that mould. In fact, many wondered if he had time for such epicurean stuffs. Like the Nazarene of old, he was a teetotaller but not your compulsive church-goer. He was a just Christian. When LEADERSHIP became burdened with unpaid salaries (occasioned principally by his political adventure) many, conscious of the ethical implications, left.

Hitherto, salaries were promptly paid before the BIG IDEA assailed him. For me, that was a big lesson on romance with Nigerian politics.

Ideas don’t govern our political choices; huge money and godfathers do. Great as his philosophy and insight on statecraft was, Sam was too theoretical. His vision anchored on citizens’ welfare derived from human and material resources available, and his transformational leadership agenda took

only a flight of fancy. Emotional intelligence failed him and left his baby, LEADERSHIP, haemorrhaging.

After his costly political gambit, he had brought many ‘experts’ to perform surgery or even miracles on LEADERSHIP. My oga, Azubuike Ishiekwene, was the ultimate witchdoctor. His magical touch only made the paper survive, not bubbly. Sam would give a boss the right to fire under-performing staff, but would be the same person to reinstate the fired staff through the back door. He was a boss who on a good day would make a green horn reporter a desk head and less than a month later upscale the same wannabe to the editorial chair. A good number of his staff ended their careers before the careers truly started because the shoes were either too big or some other extraneous considerations exposed their inadequacy to occupy the office.

I know of a sacked reporter who had a relationship with a former Head of State and returned as Editor of the flagship title.

Needless to say, the same fiery Sam ignominiously re-sacked the editor on the ground of incompetence, shoddiness and tardy editorial judgment. At a point, a youth corps member was made editor of the Hausa title! I also worked with a rambunctious Accountancy graduate on the Foreign Desk. He cut his teeth in LEADERSHIP as a reporter. Usually vivacious, business-inclined, with high networth contacts and bristling with ideas like Sam, he could make one become a millionaire selling coal in Newcastle. The young man took permission for a three-day trip to travel to the East, only to call me three weeks later to enquire about goings-on at our desk.

Petrified, I walked up to Chairman to ask for the man’s redeployment away from my desk. “Kunle, with your temperament, anybody you cannot tolerate cannot work anywhere.

In fact the guy cannot be here. Let him just go.� Surprisingly, my boss called a couple of days later to tell me how he had been under pressure by some governors; a former president of the senate also spoke to me on Sam’s phone concerning the guy and I had to let go. To the glory of God, the man is making waves in marketing communication and I have immensely benefitted from his goodwill too.

The same iconic Sam would not listen to the rumour mills that I was consulting for international development agencies while working in LEADERSHIP. Yes, I was and it paid me materially and editorially. He called me while the stoolpigeon and squealer, a supposed friend was around, “Your people are grumbling that you don’t help them in the newsroom‌that you are always either writing or researching for USAID or IRI or any of these foreign NGOsâ€?. I fretted but he quipped: “I’ve told them I didn’t hire you as News Editor or the Editor. I am pleased with your innovations on Foreign and Development. They should do their work.â€?

Because he saw my penchant for research and love for books, each of his many trips saw him buying books for me to read and return. He didn’t joke with his vast library that would dwarf many of those in today’s glorious secondary schools called universities.

Soon, the man came up with a big idea called LEADERSHIPEDGE, an “all-gloss fortnightly with special focus on in-depth corporate briefs, informed analyses on leadership and statecraft that also offers useful tips on business, boardroom affairs, international intelligence and diplomacy�.

Somorin is Chief Press Secretary to Ogun State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun

13

Î Ëœ ͺ͸ͺ͚ Ëž THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

INSIGHT

An attack on democracy...

TO OUR READERS /HWWHUV LQ UHVSRQVH WR VSHFLÂżF SXEOLFDWLRQV LQ 7+,6'$< VKRXOG EH EULHI ZRUGV DQG VWUDLJKW WR WKH SRLQW ,QWHUHVWHG UHDGHUV PD\ VHQG VXFK OHWWHUV DORQJ ZLWK WKHLU FRQWDFW GHWDLOV WR saturdayeditor@thisdaylive.com :H DOVR ZHOFRPH FRPPHQWV DQG RSLQLRQV RQ WRSLFDO ORFDO QDWLRQDO DQG LQWHUQDWLRQDO LVVXHV SURYLGHG WKH\ DUH ZHOO ZULWWHQ DQG VKRXOG DOVR QRW EH ORQJHU WKDW ZRUGV 7KH\ VKRXOG EH VHQW WR saturdayeditor@thisdaylive.com DORQJ ZLWK WKH HPDLO DGGUHVV DQG SKRQH QXPEHUV RI WKH ZULWHU

Ravages of COVID-19 Second Wave

T

here is no gainsaying the fact that the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic all over the world is killing faster and easily transmittable compared to the first wave. This statement is not to cause unnecessary panic in the mind of people in the country but the need for all and sundry to continue to take necessary precautions by observing the laid down guidelines to curtail the virus.

It would be recalled that the first wave statistics by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) as of December 17th 2020 had total confirmed cases of 76,206; 67,110 discharged and 1201 deaths, but the number of cases and dead persons wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as rapid as the second wave.

Lagos State in particular has recorded a spike in the number of people testing positive to the virus and this brings the number of cases in Lagos alone to more than 32,000.

So the need for people to be more cautious in the way they live, interact and socialise with colleagues, families and friends. Anyone would agree with me that this second wave comes with severe symptoms and if care is not taken, there is tendency to have high number of cases and deaths this period.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disheartening that the resurgence of COVID-19 has claimed lives within the shortest period including the younger brother of the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat; immediate past Registrar of Joint Universities Preliminary Examinations Board (JUBEB), Duro Ajeyalemi, whose death came less than 72 hours after a former Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos, Prof. Oyewusi Ibidapo Obe died due to the COVID-19 complications. There were several other deaths of unknown persons.

The global pandemic is really ravaging our societies this time but before it goes beyond control, our government needs to apply strict sanctions to defaulters of COVID-19 protocols, such as regular handwashing, use of face masks, hand sanitizer, avoiding crowded areas and maintaining social distancing in order to curtail the spread of the virus in the states and country at large.

Government at all levels should also try as much as possible to set up more collection centres.

Meanwhile, the rate at which the virus is afflicting people, the government might resolve to declaring another lockdown which many Nigerians might not find too comfortable as many are still trying to get over the first experience. The first lockdown had adverse effects on many citizens especially the less privileged, vulnerable, the artisans and unemployed youths.

Countries like United States of America, Uganda, UK, South Africa, amongst others, distributed foods and beverages from house to house to their citizens, but the reverse is the case in Nigeria. The palliatives distributed to the aged and vulnerable did not go round the targeted persons.

However, if going for the vaccines is the best way to curb the spread of the virus in the country and the world, there is need for government to be careful and examine the vaccines before administering it on citizens so as not to cause unnecessary havoc while health practitioners should also be well equipped with personal protective materials for prevention.

Taylor Temitayo, Oke-mosan, Abeokuta

Calling on Govt School Maitama

G

overnment Model Secondary School, Maitama, Abuja, runs extra lessons for her students after the school hours and equally gets paid for doing so from the parents whose children participate in the extra lessons.

It is a welcome development but something is wrong about it and should be corrected before it is too late. The teachers that take these students during the extra lessons teach in the same school but prefer attending to the students only when it is time for the extra lessons.

It may interest you to know that during the school hours some of the teachers go for their personal businesses after signing the attendance register, and return when it is time for the extra lessons.

Some of these teachers that manage to stay without going out after signing the register still donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t attend to students. They log into social media platforms to chat, post, and do other things to while away time until the period for extra lessons.

Parents whose children attend extra lessons pay N3, 000 per each student at the end of every month. This is cheating. The teachers in question collect their salaries at the end of every month for doing nothing. And thereafter, collect what the parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; pay for extra classes to add to their salaries. Therefore, it is obvious that those who canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afford to pay the needed amount for the so-called extra lessons, their children wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t learn anything since these teachers donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t teach during the school hours.

The FCT Ministry of Education should discourage the unhealthy practice.

Awunah Pius Terwase, Mpape, Abuja

T H E SAT U R DAY N E W S PA P E R EDITOR YEMI ADEBOWALE DEPUTY EDITOR FESTUS AKANBI MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATIONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN MANAGING EDITOR JOSEPH USHIGIALE

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

Time to Switch it Off

F

acebook and Twitter have finally stopped Donald Trump from posting, even if it is only for a short time. This was as a result of his words that encouraged an act of terrorism at the Capital and his repeated lies about the Election result. Why has it taken so long?

With a number of Republicans finally standing up to Trump, surely the social media organisations could switch off his vitriol and false claims for the remaining few days although a permanent block would be appreciated by many. I know freedom of speech is important, but this could be the exception.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž 9 , 2021

14

NEWS EndSars: Osun Judicial Inquiry Resumes Hearing with 30 Petitions Yinka Kolawole Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2122;

YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE WELCOME ...

L-R: Former Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Women AďŹ&#x20AC;airs Mrs. Ifeoma Adaora Anyanwutaku, handing over to new Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Anthonia Ekpa, at the ministry headquarters in Abuja during the week

CBN Awaits Mandate from OAGF to Pay Nigerian Scholars Abroad Ferdinad Ekechukwu As Nigerian scholars on the various bilateral agreement programmes outside the shores of the country await the payment of their last tranche for 2020, a source at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) told our correspondent yesterday that the payment could only be processed when payment mandate is received either from the Federal Ministry of Education or the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.

The payment, which was supposed to cover a period between September and December 2020 is still outstanding at a period when the global lockdown is said to be exposing the scholars to pressing financial needs since they have to take precautionary steps in the midst of the crisis.

A source from CBN said the apex bank was still expecting a mandate from the Ministry of Education or from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation as at yesterday.

The Minister of Education,

Malam Adamu Adamu had told THISDAY few weeks ago that efforts were ongoing to ensure the scholars were promptly paid.

He explained that there was no need for any of the student to be broke if they have been handling their finances well.

He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Documents covering funds for September to December 2020 for remittance to BEA countries were processed and sent to the CBN on November 19, 2020 for remittance to the BEA countries. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The issue of exchange rate dif-

ferential, as a result of fluctuations of the dollar to naira exchange rate has also been processed and submitted for approval,â&#x20AC;? the minister said, adding that the federal government is up date with its scholarship payments.

Meanwhile, efforts to get the response of the Accountant General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris did not succeed as his phone was not reachable.

The short message sent to his phone was not responded to either as at the time of going to press.

50,000 Nigerians to Receive Electoral Act Amendments: INEC Chairman Calls for Bipartisan Approach COVID-19 Vaccines in February Onyebuchi Ezigbo Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x152;Ă&#x;Ă&#x201D;Ă&#x2039;

Chuks Okocha Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x152;Ă&#x;Ă&#x201D;Ă&#x2039;

The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has called on National Assembly to use bipartisan approach in amending the Electoral Act to help improve elections in the country.

He made the call at the inauguration of the Joint Technical Committee on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill yesterday in Abuja.

The event was organised by the National Assembly Joint Committee on INEC and Electoral Matters with support from Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) and UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO).

The INEC chairman was represented by Mr. Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee.

Yakubu said that the amendment was timely, saying that more fundamentally, the reforms must be impactful, approached from a bipartisan angle, devoid of divisive issues and concluded at least by the first quarter of 2021..

The INEC chairman welcomed the renewed efforts and commitment by the leadership of the National Assembly towards amending the electoral legal framework for the conduct of elections.

Yakubu said that the renewed drive by the legislature was timely and must be sustained and approached with a sense of history and urgency.

He said that the efforts must be diffused with clearly defined timelines, priority, interventions and strategic thinking.

Yakubu said that the commission was fully committed to the amendment process and would continue to offer suggestions and recommendations that would help improve the regime of elections in the country.

He further said that amending the electoral legal framework would not automatically lead to improvement in the management and conduct of elections. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Constitution and the Electoral Act are not self-executory, and both operate through the actions and inactions of the critical stakeholders in the electoral process,â&#x20AC;? he said.

A member of the Technical Committee, Mr Sadiq Muaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;azu said that one of the advantages of the electoral reforms was to bring all amendments together in one document.

Muaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;azu said that the major target of the amendment was to ensure that all political parties were gender sensitive as well as eliminate all forms of discrimination in all political parties.

Federal Government has said that 50,000 persons would be administered with COVID-19 vaccines in the first phase of the rollout.

National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) said the country is expecting to take delivery of 100,000 doses of vaccines by the end of this month.

The agency said the federal government had put in place a technical working group for COVID-19 vaccine headed by the Executive Director of the NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib that would coordinate the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination in the country.

The technical group is made up of all relevant ministries, parastatals and partners.

Director of the Department of Diseases Control and Immunisation at the agency, Dr. Bassey Ekposen who disclosed this during a virtual meeting with media stakeholders yesterday, organised by NPHCDA, said that health workers across the country would form the bulk of the initial beneficiaries of the vaccines. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The team is planning to introduce COVID-19 vaccine with the sole aim is interrupting the transmission of COVID-19 in all parts of the country,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Ekposen said there are many vaccines available globally for

dealing with COVID-19 but that the country is zeroing down on two options, the COVAX scheme which is coming through the GAVI - Global Vaccines and Immunization that Nigerians are used to.

He said that through GAVI, the poor and low income would be able to access the COVID-19 vaccines when they are ready.

He said that apart from the COVAX scheme, Nigeria also has other alternative sources to obtain the COVID-19 vaccines, like the Russians and United Arab Emirates.

According to him, the technical group is working on plans to also source vaccines from these countries as an alternative platform to get enough vaccines for our citizens.

Ekposen said that it was important to use the occasion to clear the fears about the safety of those that would take the vaccines, stating that as far the agency is concerned, the COVID-19 vaccines to be administered are â&#x20AC;&#x153;safe and effectiveâ&#x20AC;?. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of work is going on to ensure that the vaccines that will be introduced in Nigeria are safe and effective,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Speaking in the timelines for the introduction of the vaccines, the Director said that as soon as the vaccines arrive the country, there is going to be some kind of prioritisation in order to optimise the limited resources available.

The Osun Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Police Brutality, Human Rights Violations and Related Extra Judicial Killings yesterday said it has received thirty petitions so far.

The Panel reiterated its commitment to ensuring fair hearing and justice in all the petitions received within the time frame of stipulated six months.

This is just as the Chairman of the Panel, Justice Akinwale David Oladimeji, berated the attitude and misconduct of some officers and men of Nigeria Police Force.

Addressing journalists shortly after the hearings, Justice Oladimeji said the evidence gathered so far show that police are the cog in the wheel of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s progress Oladimeji said it was unfortunate that most of the cases received were premised on the non- execution and

non-implementation of court verdicts against police.

He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of things have been exposed about the conduct and activity of the Nigeria Police. â&#x20AC;&#x153;From the evidence we have gathered so far, it appears that it is some of the Police officers and men that are the cog in the wheel of progress of this country; that is my beliefâ&#x20AC;?.

Speaking on the proceedings so far, the Chairman of the Panel maintained that 30 petitions have been received and some cases have been concluded while others have been treated for fair hearings.

He reafirmed the panelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to adjudicating justice within the period allocated to conclude all the hearings of all the petitions and cases before it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have been receiving petitions and we have about 30 cases. Though we have resolved some of the cases, there wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be any report until we conclude all the proceedings.

Eight Docked in Ekiti for Alleged Arson, Stealing Victor Ogunje Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;

No fewer than eight persons were, yesterday, arraigned before an Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistratesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Court over alleged arson attack on police stations and stealing, among others during the EndSARS protest.

The defendants, who are all residents of Ikere Ekiti are: Olatayo Abiodun, 25, (m) Olaoye Toyin, 23, (F) Fasoroti Ifedayo, 25, (m) Ojo Idowu, 18, (m), Adetayo Damola, 20, Owolabi Oluwaseun,21, Ajewole Ojo, 21, and Moses Ifianyi, 20.

They were slammed with four-count charge of conspiracy to commit felony, willful damage, arson on police stations and stealing.

The prosecutor, Inspector Oriyomi Akinwale, told the court that the defendants committed the offences on October ,20, 2020, in Ikere-Ekiti.

Akinwale alleged that the defendants during ENDSARs protest, conspired among themselves to commit felony, willful damaged, arson on two police stations and barracks in the town.

He also alleged that the defendants damaged the exhibit apartment and stole the following items; one AK 47 rifle, gas cylinders, standing fans, and a plasma television set.

Other items stolen were; Dane gun, laptop computers and other registered exhibits.

According to him, the offences contravened Sections 516, 451(b), 443(a) and 390(4) (f) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.

The prosecutor urged the court to remand the defendants in the correctional centre pending legal advice from the office of Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

The court didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take the pleas of the defendants.

Sanwo-Olu Inaugurates Armoured Shield Isolation Centre Bennett Oghifo Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yesterday inaugurated Armoured Shield Isolation Centre in Victoria Island, even as the government has intensified its public advocacy and sensitisation on the emergence of a second wave of COVID-19.

The isolation centre is a purposebuilt medical facility equipped with ICU capacities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The isolation centre was established by Armoured Shield Medical Centre to provide an emergency isolation centre to respond to the potential risk of local transmission of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking at the official commissioning of the Armoured Shield Isolation Centre in Victoria Island yesterday, Sanwo-Olu assured Lagosians that his administration would not backtrack on public health deliverables.

He said COVID-19 was still a public health issue, therefore the

government would continue to lead from the front.

Governor Sanwo-Olu while stressing the need for collaborative efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, advised the public to keep to all the protocols by wearing their facemask, washing of hands regularly, maintaining social distancing and staying away from huge crowd.

The governor, while commending the visionary thoughts of the Reddington Group for putting up the Armoured Shield Isolation Centre, said the good gesture is a plus for public and private sector collaboration.

He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This isolation centre is important for us as a government because it is a clear demonstration of power of collaboration between the public and private sector and ensuring that we cannot do it all by ourselves. And when public issues arose and private sector raises up to such occasion, the least we can do is to encourage them.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž J Î Ë&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŻ

15

NEWSXTRA

Masari: Katsina has Received 304 Kidnapped Victims Francis Sardauna Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2039; The Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, has revealed that the state government has so far received 304 kidnapped victims from banditsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; captivity.

The governor disclosed this on Thursday evening when he received another batch of 77 abducted victims, mostly women

and children, including a sergeant with the Nigerian Army from security operatives at the Government House.

Masari noted that the rescue of the captives was in continuation of an exercise that started with the recovery of the recently abducted 344 students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara.

He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;With this 77 num-

ber, we have so far received 304 of the kidnapped victims and the process is still ongoing. We are doing this as quietly as we can to make sure that nobody is harmed and further kidnapping is stopped.â&#x20AC;?

The governor explained that the victims were rescued by the state government in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army,

the Nigerian Air Force, the Department of State Services and other security agencies in the state.

Masari affirmed that the â&#x20AC;&#x153;unconditionalâ&#x20AC;? release of the kidnapped victims, who hail from Batsari, Faskari, Dandume, Sabuwa, Dan-Musa and other local government areas of the state, followed his administrationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quest and

relentless efforts of security operatives to restore peace in the state.

Presenting the freed captives to Governor Masari, the state Commissioner of Police, Sanusi Buba, said many of the bandits are now repenting from their criminal ways and seeking for peace in their enclaves. He said the Inspector General of Police (IG), Muhammad Adamu, decided to put machinery in place to reach out to the bandits to testify whether or not they stick to their words by asking them to release those that have been in their captivity which they have

demonstrated.

The police chief said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This process has been on for some days. We are making efforts to ensure that all those that are still in captivity are safely rescued without the payment of any ransom or hindrance. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We hope and pray that this method will not only be limited to Katsina State but will go beyond all other vulnerable states.â&#x20AC;?

Meanwhile, the 77 victims freed on Thursday are expected to undergo medical checks at the state governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s facility after which they will be reunited with their families.

UAE Firm to Build Specialist Hospital, Diagnostic Center in Osun Yinka Kolawole Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2122;

DISCUSSING COLLABORATIONâ&#x20AC;Ś L-R: Vice President Yemi Osinbajo virtually meets with the President and CEO of Microsoft Corporation, Mr. Brad Smith...Thursday Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122;Ë? Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x201C; Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;

Lekoil Loses Board Fight with Top Shareholder

Ondo Bans Trading in Vehicular Traffic, Walkways

Festus Akanbi

James Sowole Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă?

The founder and chief executive of Lekoil,, Lekan Akinyanmi a London-listed Nigerian company, yesterday lost a protracted boardroom squabbles as shareholders of the embattled company voted to approve the proposal of a new investor, Metallon Corporation Limited to add three members to the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s board.

Lekoil is an Africa focused oil and gas exploration and production company with interests in Nigeria and Namibia.

The dispute between Akinyanmi who is also the biggest shareholder of the company and Metallon even drew in Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ministry of Petroleum, and created more unwanted public

turmoil for the company, which was caught out by an alleged fraudulent loan last year.

Agency report indicated that a large majority of shareholders approved Metallonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proposal to appoint Metallon CEO Thomas Richardson along with two others to the Lekoil board, expanding it to seven members.

Lekoil Chairman Mark Simmonds said he would stand down with immediate effect. The newly enlarged board will appoint his replacement.

Metallon, a private investment company that owns four gold mines in Zimbabwe, became a shareholder of Lekoil last March and now has a 15.1% stake, making it the top investor.

The Ondo State Government has placed total ban on trading along vehicular traffic lanes, pedestrian paths and walkways on major market corridors in the state.

The ban, according to a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Donald Ojogo, was sequel to the setting up of the Committee on Waste Management.

Ojogo added that the action of the government was also in its bid to instill sanity, especially in Akure the state capital.

The commissioner, said the ban also includes artisans such as vulcanizers whose activities impede free flow of vehicular traffic, especially on the market corridors.

The statement said, "Put

simply, traders and artisans who have encroached on the main road and walkways in Arakale (Market) and Oja Oba along Oba Adesida road, Akure, with their wares are hereby directed to vacate such unauthorised trading spots with effect from Monday, January 11, 2021.

"This directive becomes pertinent in view of the abuse and brazen disregard to the status of Akure, the State capital. It is particularly, a major source of concern that vehicular and pedestrian traffic now contend for space amid trading activities on same spots.

"In order for the directive to be fully obeyed, the Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Special Task Force shall, beginning from Monday, January 11, 2021, swing into action for effective enforcement and compliance."

MICROSOFT BACKS FGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION PLAN Continued from Page 5 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Just looking at agriculture, this is obviously something that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve spent quite a bit of time and resources on especially in the past few years. We have also seen the development of a good number of agric-tech type companies and fin-techs that are also working in the agric sector. So, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a whole load of innovation around the agric tech space, especially in the past few years. So, I think we really are up for programmes that will support these sorts of agric-tech initiativesâ&#x20AC;?.

Referring to the partnership with Microsoft, especially the establishment of the development centre, the Vice President said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have always wondered how Microsoft can just be a much more effective partner with us as a country.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Beginning with the African Development Centre which I think is excellent; I think it shows the commitment of Microsoft in developing the digital centre here in Nigeria. And it also shows the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s confidence in the sort of talents that we have and the commitment of government to ensuring that we develop that talent in the best possible ways that we can.â&#x20AC;?

Assuring investors in the Nigerian economy of the commitment of the Buhari administration in creating the right environment for businesses to thrive, the Vice President said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are all working to create the right environment for innovation and creativity. That remains an issue that we are dealing with on a daily basis, and I think that the

challenges are the challenges of the sort that we are going to have to be dealing with (in my view) even in the coming years.â&#x20AC;?

On his part, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Ali Isa Pantami, said the federal government had alreadyputinplacethenecessary structures to partner with Microsoft and other tech companies in developing Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s technology ecosystem.

He said the National Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Policy, the National Policy on E-governance, among others, had been adopted by the Buhari administration to support the growth of technology and innovation in the country.

The Microsoft boss proposed a 90-day timeline for stakehold-

ers on the government side and from Microsoft, to iron out details of the various areas of collaboration.

Other participants at the meeting include Microsoft Corporationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Country Manager for Nigeria and Ghana, Mr Akin Banuso, among others.

While Google Inc. in July 2020 announced plans to establish its first Google Launchpad Space outside the United States in Lagos, Facebook, in September of same year made public its decision to open an office in Lagos as part of its planned expansion in Sub-Saharan Africa. HUAWEI on the other hand last November promised the Vice President that the company would position Nigeria as a technology center for the African continent.

The MGT Group, a multi sectoral and multidisciplinary firm with patented technologies headquarted in the United Arab Emirates, UAE, and operating in several countries of the world has expressed readiness to invest in building a worldclass specialist hospital and a medical diagnostic center in Osun State.

The firm also expressed interest in investing in the State's solid mineral asset, just as it applauded the Oyetola's administration for building, renovating and revitalising 332 Primary Healthcare Centres across the State, describing it as worthwhile, unprecedented and unparalleled.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ismail Omipidan, said in a statement that the Founder and Chairman of the MGT Group, Ashok Puri, made these disclosures when he received Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, who was on a working visit to the firm's office on Thursday.

The Governor was accompanied on the visit by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Prince Abdullah Adeyanju Binuyo.

Puri noted that the firm had been following news

CHANGE OF NAME

# "

" " "

!

# "

" " "

!

# " " " " #

" " # "

# "

" " "

!

about Osunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s giant strides in the health sector, and was ready to complement the government's efforts in boosting the sector. He also commended the Governor's leadership style and his commitment to attracting investments to the state.

In his response, Governor Oyetola expressed the administration's readiness to attract investments to the state, stressing that the government would continue to provide an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are in a hurry to develop Osun. We have demonstrated this in the last two years and we will not be deterred even by the setback COVID-19 pandemic poses, in fulfilling our mandate to the good people of Osun,â&#x20AC;? he added.

The governor, accompanied by his Deputy Chief of Staff, went on a trip to Dubai to seek partnerships with a team of investors in the health, water resources, tourism and solid mineral sectors, and attract investments to Osun.

CHANGE OF NAME

# "

" " "

!

# "

" " "

!

# "

" " "

!

# " " " "

!

#

" "

!

16

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž Î Ë&#x153; 2021

FAIRGROUND with

Aiteo Praise in the City 2020

AZUKA OGUJIUBA

azuka.ogujiuba@thisdaylive.com

T

he Aiteo Praise in The City 2020 Concert is an annual end-ofyear family gospel event, featuring gospel artistes and popular gospel ministers on the same stage in Lagos.

Benedict Peters, the chairman and founder Aiteo Group, one of Nigeria's largest indigenous oil producing firm, uses this event to assemble people to glorify God for all he has done for them throughout the year. Peters is a staunch Christian and a philanthropist.

This year â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s concert was held at The Blessed House International Church Mende, Maryland Lagos on December 26, 2020 and it featured Onosariyo, Tope Alabi, Chioma Jesus, Ministerguc, Bigbolaji, GUC, Eben, Efenathan, Frank Edward's, Chinyereudoma, Beejay Sax, and a host of other amazing gospel artistes.

The event was hosted

by Titi Oyinsan and her husband Oscar Oyinsan.

The highlight of the event was when Pastor Jerry Eze of NSPPD preached about how healing is a personal decision. He also emphasized on total submission to God. The next minister of God who took over the pulpit was Apostle Joshua Selma who vibrated the atmosphere with his teaching of the gospel and a lot of souls were won for God.

Apostle Joshua Selman and gospel artiste GUC

Pastor Jerry Eze P

Chika Acholunu, Awele Ezenwa , GUC and Uju Nwokolo

Onos Ariyo

Chinyere Udoma and Bibiana Peters

Pastor Jerry Eze, Chika Acholonu and Uju Nwokolo

Chioma Jesus

Esohe Iyoha Urhoahide and Doja Allen

Frank Edwards

Tope Alabi

Eben

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ APRIL 24, 2011

Francis Durosinmi-Etti

One Thing I Cherish in Life is Integrity…

3

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž 9, 2021

28

PLUS One Thing I Cherish in Life is Integrityâ&#x20AC;Ś Prof. Francis Abayomi Durosinmi-Etti (OFR) is an oncologist of repute whose impact in a tough and rare field has made history across the globe. Many will always remember him as the pioneer Chief Medical Director/CEO of the National Hospital Abuja. He also once served as the Secretary, Federal Character Commission. As the first Professor of Radiation and Clinical Oncology in Nigeria and possibly West Africa, he has not performed below par in the various capacities he found himself, including working at the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inVienna, Austria. Jovial, meticulous and incredibly unassuming, the extraordinary sanguine veteran has the right cheers for every situation, such that endear him to all. No wonder, he is a toast of patients, colleagues and even employers. Durosinmi-Etti who is one of the brains behind aided cancer treatment in Africa, has no doubt paid his dues, but still relentlessly paying more at ensuring that the clichĂŠâ&#x20AC;&#x153;cancer is a death sentenceâ&#x20AC;&#x153;is completely reversed. He shares with Omolabake Fasogbon how he intends to achieve this, experiences with surviving and dead cancer patients, love life and unconditional love for Nigeria.

N

Durosinmi-Etti

ot just that he looks dapper in his two- piece suit matched with a suiting bow tie, which has become his signature overtime, his appearance in a neatly ironed white apron is such that brings message of hope and induces strength. No wonder every patient would not mind taking a turn to have him attend to them, amid other thousands of physicians.

Durosinmi-Etti is not only great in skills, he boasts a rare psychology that magnets life.

From overseas to Africa and now Nigeria, he is a sought after clinical oncologist, with tempting opportunities in the queue right from the beginning of his career even till and after retirement, but Nigeria of all, remained the priority of this University of Lagos graduate. He explains: â&#x20AC;&#x153;After graduating from the College of Medicine at the University of Lagos in 1972, I had the privilege of being sent on study leave by Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, for my postgraduate training in Cancer Management at the world-famous Christie Hospital and Holt Radium Institute, affiliated to the University of Manchester, UK from 1975 to 1980. On completion of my studies, I had the temptation of staying back because of the offer of consultant position by some hospitals in England. However, I knew it would have been most improper for me to stay back when I knew my services were badly needed in Nigeria, my country and particularly LUTH that sponsored me, my wife and two children abroad. One thing I cherish in life is integrity and it was unthinkable for me to betray my country and my sponsors by staying back. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Amazingly soon after I returned, I was offered a Lecturer 1 position at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos and also made a Consultant in Radiotherapy and Oncology in LUTH. The remunerations at that time were almost at par with what I would have been earning if I had elected to breach my bond with LUTH by staying back. I returned and have never regretted my coming back home since then. It is worth noting that if I had betrayed my country and stayed back after my training in the UK, I would not have had the unique opportunity of being head hunted by the United Nations and literally begged to take up the IAEA job in 1988, which turned to be a major boost to my career on the international scene as well as the opportunity to get more cancer specialists and equipment for other hospitals across Nigeria and other parts of the world.â&#x20AC;?

Interestingly, Durosinmi-Etti has always wanted to be a policeman or a pastor but fate, as he said, led him to a tougher responsibility on purpose. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I could rightly claim this was by divine inspiration. Soon after qualifying as a doctor in 1972 and during my housemanship at LUTH, it occurred to me that many of the cancer patients I treated presented with very late and advanced diseases such that they died under very pitiable conditions.

The urge to do something to help alleviate the plight of the patients along with finding possible cure largely influenced my decision to train and qualify as a clinical and radiation oncologist. â&#x20AC;&#x153; Despite being widely celebrated on the beat, he still has some regrets: â&#x20AC;&#x153;That over 80 percent of cancer patients present with late

and advanced disease which they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get to survive in most cases is worrisome. I feel sad when any of my patients die especially when they are also children. Unfortunately, such scenarios play out regularly even as recent as yesterday, as most patients present with late and advanced disease. In this case, we always let the patient and his relations appreciate the seriousness of their condition and that what you are aiming at during treatment is for adequate palliation to relieve any distressing symptoms and keep the patient relatively comfortable before the inevitable end comes. We do not promise a cure, but the alleviation of distressing symptoms such as pain, bleeding, relieving obstructive airway and generally giving a patient a relatively good quality of life until the eventual death.â&#x20AC;?

This notwithstanding, the widely travelled physician has influenced many breakthroughs that is motivating him to do more. Sharing some of them, he says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have encountered a few who lived for about four to five years longer than expected. I have been in clinical oncology practice for 47 years and since I became a consultant clinical oncologist in 1981, I have had the opportunity of seeing some of my patients alive and well over 20 years later. I have had patients with huge and disfiguring lesions on their faces resulting in complete regression seen as total disappearance of huge cancerous growths following some courses of chemotherapy followed by external beam radiotherapy. Similarly, some patients with early cancer of the cervix treated many years ago also survived for many years later when they are lost to follow up.â&#x20AC;?

His breakthroughs on the job are the innovations he spearheaded. He enthuses, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have had the rare privilege of working for about six years with the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in Vienna, Austria as the radiotherapy specialist in charge of all the activities of the IAEA in the field of cancer radiotherapy all over the world. This had been a very exciting period of my life and career and I have had the opportunity to help in the establishment of Cancer Radiotherapy facilities in several countries of the world including Africa, Asia and Pacific, Europe and Latin America, among others. I have been involved in the upgrading of Radiotherapy Cancer management and facilities at LUTH where I assisted in getting a brand new Cobalt-60 Radiotherapy machine in those days, along with two low dose rate Brachytherapy machines which made LUTH the West African sub regional Centre of excellence for cancer treatment in those days. I was also able to ensure that due professionals were awarded long term IAEA Fellowship for postgraduate training and other clinical trainings at institutions abroad. Some staff were also trained abroad to ensure the smooth operation of their cancer treatment facilities. My joy today is that virtually all of them returned back to Nigeria on completion of their training and many of them later rose to exalted positions and have also helped to enrich and enlarge the field of cancer treatment in Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;?.

Thankful to Nigeria as always, Prof, as he is fondly called believes his story might not have been heard if not for the opportunity

29

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž 9, 2021

PLUS I Feel Sad When a Cancer Patient Dies

Prof.Durosinmi-Etti, wife, sons and daughters in law.

presented him by Nigeria, now rubbing off positively on the health system. He says: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nigeria has been and is still being very kind to me. I was granted leave of absence from my duties to enable me take up my appointment with the United Nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s IAEA for many years which were counted as being on National Diplomatic service, following which I returned to my old job at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos and a Consultant Radiation Oncologist to LUTH. Soon after, I was appointed the Acting Chief Medical Director of LUTH following which I was appointed the Pioneer Chief Medical Director /CEO of the prestigious National Hospital Abuja. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Federal Government in appreciation of my competence and dedication to duty also appointed me as the Secretary to the Federal Character Commission under the Presidency. I served in this position for eight years following which I voluntarily relinquished the position to enable me return to my primary duties as a Professor and Consultant in Radiation and Clinical Oncology at the University of Lagos. I was thereafter given less demanding part-time appointments at different times as the Chairman of the National Commission for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons and later as the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Federal Medical Center, Ebute Metta, Lagos, which is still one of the best Hospitals in Nigeria. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To top this up, Nigeria, my country which I love and served so meritoriously honoured me in 2006 with the National award of the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR)â&#x20AC;?.

In nostalgia, he shares some of his enchanting experiences with patients in his over 47 years of practice this way: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I can never forget my experience during my training as a young registrar in Manchester, England. I was the only black doctor and very proficient and dedicated such that the patients often wished that I am the one to administer their chemotherapy injections. There was a white patient who was very fond of me and no one else could administer his chemotherapy apart from me. He had a condition called Lymphoma of the skin such that his skin is so fragile and unstable. During the administration of one of his drugs, in spite of all the care,

some of the drugs extravasated into the skin. This resulted in a nasty ulcer for which he needed skin grafting as part of the treatments. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As to be expected, we had to get the health insurance involved as the man told me to forget that we are friends but he had to claim from my hospital insurance which all doctors were mandated to have. Being the only black doctor, I was worried that my other colleagues out of jealousy would like to heap blames on me rather than see the root cause of the problem. I felt dejected even though my consultants understood and did not complain. However, the most senior consultant under whom I worked had an almost similar experience with another patient a few days later. I felt glad because that accident helped in saving my reputation and career as no one was able to pass any adverse comments about me without passing same on our boss. The incident looked small but remained indelible in my heart because I know God had a hand in saving me from inevitable and unfair racial comments which had nothing to do with our competence. Generally speaking, I have always had very good relationship with all my patients.â&#x20AC;?

He relays his sad moment on the job.

One of such unforgettable experience occurred â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the past when cancer patients used to die as a result of lack of access to uninterrupted radiotherapy when machines available then were always breaking down for months due to poor maintenance culture.

Thankfully this is no longer the caseâ&#x20AC;?.

Now the most senior radiation and clinical oncologist in Nigeria and the Chief Clinical Oncologist of newly established NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre, he was once tempted to single-handedly establish a cancer centre in desperation to reduce cancer casualty: â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I observed the unusually high rate of increasing number of cancer patients in Nigeria and weighed it against the near total lack of treatment facilities in Nigeria due to neglect and poor maintenance of the previously existing services, I was tempted to take the risk of starting a private world class cancer centre to stem the tide of many cancer patients travelling abroad for radiotherapy, even to the centre at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, which I helped to initiate years ago. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Many patients usually travelled to

India, Dubai, Britain and America among other places and ended up paying between $15,000 and $120,000 dollars for treatment excluding air fares and accommodation for the patient and the accompanying relative and other difficulties and indignities they experienced. I knew it was going to be a viable and affordably cheaper facility once this was developed. However, through divine help as I would like to see it, the NSIA went into a PPP arrangement with LUTH and established the current world-class standard cancer centre at LUTH which has saved many Nigerians the headache and huge financial burden of travelling abroad for probably more inferior treatment. As such, I have been saved from the temptation and hard work I would have had to do unaided by the coming on board of new cancer centresâ&#x20AC;?.

On another hand, the septuagenarian tried to correct the belief that cancer might be a spiritual attack, he clarifies this, saying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;No! Cancer is not due to any spiritual attack. There is what we call risk factors which could expose individuals to specific types of cancer based on their exposure to such risks. There are also some of these risk factors which are modifiable such that we can prevent or reduce the risk of cancer while others are non-modifiable risks, which cannot be influenced. The proliferation of several anti-cancer NGOs have led to increasing public awareness of these risk factors. Spiritual attack is certainly not one of them.â&#x20AC;?

He however feels alternative therapies should be explored in the treatment of cancer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I personally believe we in orthodox medical practice should collaborate with the alternative therapies to further explore their claims. While God is the ultimate healer of all sorts of infirmities, we do know that in some instances, we can have what we call the concept of spontaneous tumour regression.â&#x20AC;?

Until recently, Prof. has had 47 years of his life fixed to a routine that has nothing much to do with his personal life. He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The daily working schedule of a full-time consultant radiation and clinical oncologist could be very busy. Such clinical schedule is also often associated with your duties as a professor or lecturer at College of Medicine. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had to make out time for various research activities

and other administrative responsibilities bestowed on me by the University of Lagos. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And of course, I have other family and societal commitments as a responsible elder within my community. These activities compounded by the usually chaotic traffic situation in Lagos while commuting between my house at Lekki, the University of Lagos and finally LUTH and the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, usually resulted in a busy daily schedule which starts from about 8am till about 8pm when I returned home.

These busy activities have eased up a lot since I retired from the University in 2018. I am currently on a special employment contract with NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre. I thank God that I am still going strong and in active practice. Meaning, I am still busy studying and being up to date in my specialty.â&#x20AC;?

Though he is up there, he still aspires for more heights as he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I crave to ensure I raise worthy successors that will keep the specialty well sustained forever in Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;?.

Tired as he may be, he still creates time to catch up with social activities: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yes, I try to relax and rest from time to time. I sleep a lot these days following the harrowing traffic situation currently in Lagos. Besides, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a squash and golf addict. I am also a life member of Ikoyi Club; member of Island club; member IBB Golf Club and some other exclusive and private clubsâ&#x20AC;?.

The Septuagenarian also speaks on what he wished to be known for long after now. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wish to be remembered as a gentleman and professor who sacrificed his life in making sure that curative cancer treatment facilities are available in many developing countries of the world, more importantly for his fellow Nigerians many of whom have died from non-availability of sustainable cancer treatment facilities in the past.â&#x20AC;?

He insisted that Cancer is not a death sentence. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The truth is that in this day and age, having Cancer is not necessarily synonymous with death. The key is to pre-empt it, prevent it and where inevitable, obtain early diagnosis and treatment. There are various kinds of cancers each having its peculiarities and mode of behaviour but the golden rule is to prevent it through various available cancer-specific screening tests. This is the message we try to promote every year when we observe â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cancer Month.â&#x20AC;?

20

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž Î Ë&#x153; 2021

SHOWBIZFLAIR

Monalisa Chinda isWorking on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Graveyardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Forthcoming feature film, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Graveyardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by newly launched creative firm, Angel and Ninjas Production, has a mingling of the horror/supernatural genre, writes Ferdinand Ekechukwu

F

ans of veteran Nollywood thespian Monalisa Chinda should expect to be fascinated by her upcoming production â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Graveyardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; which will be available in cinemas this year. The silver screen icon stated this in a recent interview with THISDAY. Graveyard is a slasher film that tells the story of Cheta, a handsome narcissistic, covetous and envious young man who must get anything and everything he wants at all cost even if it means taking out the original owners and burying them in his graveyard mansion.

Monalisa played the role of Agnes, the mother of Cheta. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The movie is at the post production stage. We hope to release this year... no exact date secured yet. Fans should expect to be intrigued firstly by the story - a stray from the norm in Nollywood, to see Monalisa in another light - playing a character thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a regular for her, then to see a new talent emerge from this film in the person of Emmauel Momoh.

They should expect more of the horror/supernatural/slasher genre from the newly formed production company, Angel and Ninjas Productions, as this is their niche storyline.â&#x20AC;?

The forthcoming Graveyard is written and directed by

Willis Ikedum and co-produced

by Monalisa Chinda-Coker.

Principal cast of the film project include Bolanle Ninalowo, Uzo Osimkpa and newcomer, Emmanuel Momoh in the lead role.

Lately, the superstar actress has starred in a number of other movies including The Escort, Infant at Heart, The Good Husband, and her own production Catwalq Series. In the latter, she played the character Kima.

Others include The Long Weekend, Love Police, and Four Wives and a Mistress.

One could remember seeing her just last year among the cast in one of the movies â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Bling Lagosiansâ&#x20AC;?. Over the years, Monalisa has starred in countless movies, assuming various roles in different characters. The Monalisa Chinda brand as a movie practitioner has evolved from when she made her Nollywood debut in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Pregnant Virginâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in 1996 till date.

She has worked out her hands in a couple of other ventures that cut through production to publishing and owning a television talk show, which she sees as natural transition borne out of creativity and force of art.

Some of her roles have in reality reflected her character, like in her role in Catwalq.

Monalisa recently signed a mouth-watering deal with Bebuzee, a video streaming service as its brand ambassador.

Monalisa Chinda

Goldberg Revamps Popular Cultural Centre, Ibadan Tosin Clegg

As part of its efforts to deliver quality enjoyment to consumers, Goldberg Lager has completed the renovation of the cultural centre at Mokola, Ibadan. Unveiled at an exclusive event last December, the Regional Business Manager, Nigerian breweries, said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is my pleasure to declare the cultural centre open, for the enjoyment of the public. This one time dilapidated monument has received a complete facelift.

We Invite families and friends to come and experience the newly commissioned recreational centre which now has ultra-modern relaxation facilities for the enjoyment of everyone in Ibadan.â&#x20AC;?

In his remarks, the National Trade Marketing Manager, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Funso

Ayeni expressed appreciation to the people of Oyo state for their support over the years adding that Goldberg will continue to deliver more enjoyment to residents and visitors to the state.

Ori-oke, the ultra-modern recreational facility now comes complete with an elevated experience that includes a cluster market, standard car park, a new central gate, stencil branding/ permanent visibility and many more.

Offering unique experience which is a destination for relaxation, fun and excitement The brand celebrates and associates with not just the cultural beliefs of the people, but also believes in keeping values and traditions alive and fresh as a way of shaping the future.

That was why the brand embarked on the makeover of the popular facility.

Brand Manager Manager, Goldberg Goldberg, Funmi Ogunbodede; Regional Business Manager Manager, Nigerian Breweries Breweries, Mr Mr. Lekan Awosanya; Brand Ambassador, Goldberg, Odunlade Adekola; Channel Manager, Strategic Programs, Nigerian Breweries, Oludare Olateju, and National Trade Marketing Manager, Nigerian Breweries, Funso Ayeni during the commissioning of Goldberg Ori-Oke Enjoyment Centre, Mokola, Oyo State.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž Î Ë&#x153; 2021

21

SHOWBIZFLAIR

The World of Anita Joseph at 35 Feisty Nollywood actress, Anita Joseph celebrated her 35th birthday last Monday. While some of her fans feel sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s way older, others were pretty fascinated by her stunning outfits as she delights in them, writes Ferdinand Ekechukwu

I

It has become a tradition for celebrities especially in the entertainment industry to share stunning photos of themselves on their birthdays and it seems these stars now try to outdo themselves with creative themes for their photo shoot. To mark her 35th birthday last Monday, actress, Anita Joseph released stunning new photos on her social media page to celebrate her special day. The Nollywood diva clocked a new age on Monday, January 4, 2021, and she shared the good news to her fans, friends and followers.

The big, bold and beautiful Anita had fans drooling over her posts celebrating her birthday. Her posts on Instagram got massive reactions from her friends and colleagues as they filled her comment section with lovely messages and well wishes. As expected, her fans also got on her comment section to relate with her on the occasion. While some of her fans question her age, others were pretty fascinated by her stunning outfits. Anita further expressed gratitude to God for enabling her to see a new year.

She gave credit to God for blessing her to such an extent and making her a star.

The actress noted that God has been very kind towards her even when she does not deserve it. She was overwhelmed with how God continues to bless her regardless of where she is. According to her, God comes through for her even when she thinks that she does not deserve it. Expressing her gratitude to God, the film star stated that her parents must have done something good for God to be treating her kindly.

The â&#x20AC;&#x153;mother henâ&#x20AC;? donned three stunning outfits to celebrate her special day.

She shared photos of herself in red and pink designed costume. In one of the photos, the actress was donned in a pink ball gown. She also had a pink wig on her head. In the second photo, Anita donned a lovely dress with a blue wig.

The actress third outfit is a mixture of red and gold and it made Anita shine like a rainbow.

In a heartwarming message to celebrate her 35th birthday, the plus-sized actress wrote: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This adorable day a very special day an angel was born the one who carries the burden of others on her head the one who cry at the tears of others. The special ones who have been protected and crowned a queen by God on this special day just want to thank you God for the priceless gift of life that you have given me and for the wonderful people you have put in my Life. I have had moments where I wondered why God loves me so much chai to give me another year of bliss filled with love I have Assurance and trust God for the many more years of bliss ahead kneel on your throne and I am shouting at the rooftop saying thank you, Jesus. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m most loved by God happy special birthday to me.â&#x20AC;?

She wrote in another post: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Happy birthday to Mrs. Olagunju. As I add another year, I just realized I appreciate

everyone every once in a while so allow me to use this opportunity to appreciate myself. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m such an awesome person that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard for anyone not to recognize it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; even me I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t recognize me sometimes. I go through lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hurdles and I come out on top and sometime even with a smile. My scares are my beauty marks. I have been loved by God and always will be. I appreciate me the sun, the sky, the moon and the new horizon that has been opened unto me Amen.â&#x20AC;?

The curvaceous actress is one celebrity whose shape announces her presence even before she makes a statement at any event. With curves to die for, Feisty Anita never shies away from strutting and flaunting her massive backside.

Contrary to what not a few believe, Anita maintains that her body was not surgically enhanced. In a recent chat, she said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;My curves are natural. They are not surgically enhanced, though training my waist has helped a lot. As a mother, waist trainers helped me get rid of my baby bulge after delivery. It helped me to keep in shape as it got tight as soon as I put on weight. I also like how it gives me that hourglass shape.

I am really in love with my waist and shape.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; As an entrepreneur, the Hourglass Fashion World owner shared her thoughts on her platform regarding her side business. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is true that a lot of celebrities have side businesses.

However, acting pays well too. As humans, we need to be prepared for the future by creating more avenues to make wealth and not depending on just one stream of income. With the platform I have on social media, it is good to have a side business. It helps one to diversify and I love what I do.

I own Hourglass Fashion World and we sell waist trainers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some people think that being voluptuous makes actresses popular but it is not just my shape that gave me fame. It was the content I churned out and how versatile I am as an actress. However, I must admit that my shape makes me stand out in the crowd. One of my greatest fears in life is failure, so beauty with no brain makes no sense. People think that being a celebrity or an influencer makes business thrive, compared to others. But it is the favour (of God) that works for me. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I market my business very well and the support I get from fans also helps me get great customers. My business is doing well and we are seeing returns on our investment.â&#x20AC;?

For those conversant with the escapades of the Anambra State indigene on social media, her wedding to MC Fish (Michael Fisayo Olagunju) in February 2020 may have given her a new lease of life.

For months now after their wedding and ever since they met, to the time leading up to their marriage, hardly a day without Anita intimating or posting pictures or comments relating to their relationship on her social media space.

Anita A it Ol Olagunju j

22

SATURDAY JANUARY 9, 2021 â&#x20AC;¢T H I S D AY

23

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ANUARY 9, 2021

POLITY Tetfund Launches Centres of Excellence in Research 12 Nigerian universities across the six geopolitical zones will begin 2021 on a sound note as the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Tetfund, recently commissioned them with a grant of N1bn each as Centres of Excellence to champion research in assigned areas of national priority. Olaoluwakitan Babatunde dissects the implications of R&D vis-à-vis the Centres national development

T

he phrase, “garbage in, garbage out”, is a concept that underscores that flawed or nonsense input data can only produce nonsense output or garbage. It is more like the law of sowing and reaping in religion.

The relationship between Research and Development (R&D) and national development is one area this is most manifest. Nations, which don’t care about R&D or throw peanuts at it, reap peanuts. But nations that invest handsomely in R&D reap generously in terms of socioeconomic prosperity and quality of life of their citizens. It is, therefore, not surprising that the world’s leading and emerging economies are knowledge economies. They have achieved and sustained their feats by linking education and development through unrelenting investments in R&D. For instance, one common thing among the top ten global economies today, namely U.S, China, Japan, Germany, India, U.K, France, Italy, Brazil, Canada, (in that order) and others like South Korea and several other Asian and European economies, is that they are among the heaviest investors in R&D. Also, seven of the top ten/most competitive economies – Singapore, U.S, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, Germany, U.K, and Denmark are also ranked among the top 15 R&D funders by the UNESCO Institute of Statistics.

Indeed, in the developed economies, long-run economic growth is powered by innovation. A study published by the United Kingdom National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts discovered that two-thirds of U.K’s private-sector productivity growth between 2000 and 2007 was a result of innovation. Also, what took the developed nations centuries to achieve, South Korea achieved in a few decades by breaking into the club of trillion dollar economies in 2004 courtesy of investment in R&D and innovation.

It is the 12th largest global economy by GDP in 2019 and 4th in Asia, rivaling China, Japan, and India. Equally, from a GDP of mere $189.439 billion in 1980, India has continued to rise from an agrarian economy to a knowledge economy, hitting $2.94 trillion GDP to overtake U.K and France and become the fifth-largest economy in 2019.

Significantly, however, at the centre of these innovations powered by R&D are the universities. Some of the world’s most celebrated discoveries such as invention of the telegraph, the discovery of AIDS, internet, advances in stem cell research, etc. have been made through university research. Currently, 56 per cent of basic research in the US are conducted by the universities, which pass their finding on to the private sector.

Johns Hopkins University alone spends more than a whooping $2.5 billion annually on R&D. Interestingly, the Federal Government of US provides $2.1 million of that amount, while State and local government, businesses, NGOs, and private donors provide the rest. Johns Hopkins developed the first effective treatment for sickle cell anaemia in 1955 and in 1999 discovered HIF-1, which helps cells to manage low oxygen levels. Johns Hopkins alone has produced 29 Nobel Laureates, and this includes former president Woodrow Wilson.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, which is ranked 14th in research expenditure per annum in America is nearing $1billion ($952,017,000), with American Federal Government providing $487,434,000, and State and local government providing $1,797,000. As of 2014, 81 Nobel laureate have been affiliated to the MIT. Unfortunately, while Wikipedia lists U.S, China, Japan, Germany, South Korea, India, Brazil, UK, Russia, France, among the 90 nations that recorded more than $50 million an-

Chairman, Tetfund BoT, Alh. Kashim Ibrahim-Imam (middle) presents letter of allocation as Tetfund Centre of Excellence to the VC, UNIBEN, Prof. Lilian Salami, in Abuja, while Executive Secretary, Tetfund, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro looks on nual expenditure on R&D in the last ten years, Nigeria was conspicuously missing. Only South Africa (32nd), Morocco (50th), Ethiopia (58th), Tunisia (59th), Uganda (71st), Sudan (76th), Algeria (77th), and Botswana (83rd) got a mention.

Tetfund to the Rescue It is against this backdrop that the decision of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Tetfund, to set up Centres of Excellence to power R&D in 12 Nigerian universities (two in each geopolitical zone) has been received with a sigh of relief by the universities, stakeholders in the education/ economic sectors and citizens.

Although this paradigm shift towards deepening Tetfund’s interventions in the core areas of academic components alongside physical infrastructure development dates back to 2014 in Prof. Suleiman Bogoro’s first stint as the Executive Secretary of the agency when he proposed a new Department of R&D/Centre of Excellence, it was only in late November 2020 on his second stint that the Centres were ratified and also inaugurated by the Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Imam-led Tetfund Board of Trustees, BoT, at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.

Underscoring the import of the Centres, Bogoro stated: “Let me proclaim, once again, the inescapable and universal doctrine, one that has since garnered ardent adherents in the world’s most successful knowledge economies: there is but one true path to socio-economic and technological advancement – R&D – and the new 12 Centres of Excellence, which we are to fund for five years with a grant of N1 billion each, will be at the heart of the mechanism for the attainment of our national aspirations”.

On the basic strategic aims for the Centres of Excellence, he explained: “The overarching goal is to support strategic and applicationsoriented research and expertise with potential industrial applications. This means supporting national and global competitive research and development in strategic and applied sciences (including Medicine) with the aim of generating innovations through focus on governmentdefined priority areas.

“It is to bring together the complementary resources needed for technical development and industrial application. This includes concentrating multidisciplinary and translational research competence in order to further the development of products, processes and

services, typically by focusing on problems that demand larger efforts than can be provided by smaller projects.

“It is to bridge the gap between researchers and users, and stimulating and strengthening triple-helix relationships. This is in order to enhance scientific research being patronized by industry, and in order make the Tertiary Educational Institutions generally more responsive to industry needs. In addition is expertise development and training at doctorate level in areas of industry interest, and the development of knowledge management platforms and innovation hubs.

“Perhaps most importantly, where national systems lack critical mass in any one field of inquiry, the Centres of Excellence approach, with its emphasis on resource concentration and interdisciplinary approaches, will address three main challenges, namely, dilution and redirection of possible resources for research, challenges poses by the rapid expansion of higher education to meet increasing demand, and fragmentation of research-oriented action”.

The Centres of Excellence He listed the universities and their assigned research areas based on national priorities. They are: North Central: University of Abuja (Tetfund Centre of Excellence in Public Governance and Leadership) and University of Jos (Tetfund Centre of Excellence in Food Security); North East: Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi (Tetfund Centre of Excellence in Food Security) and University of Maiduguri (Tetfund Centre of Excellence in Arid Zone Research and Development); North West: Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto (Tetfund Centre of Excellence in Urology and Nephrology) and Bayero University, Kano (Tetfund Centre of Excellence in Renewable Energy).

The rest are: South East: Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (Tetfund Centre of Excellence in Root Crop Research and Development) and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (Tefund Centre of Excellence in Agricultural and Engineering Translational Studies); South South: University of Benin (Tetfund Centre of Excellence in Aquaculture and Food Technology) and University of Uyo (Tetfund Centre of Excellence in Computational Intelligence); and South West: University of Ibadan hosts (Tetfund Centre of Excellence in Multi-Disciplinary Studies) and Univer-

sity of Lagos (Tetfund Centre of Excellence in Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Management).

To whom much is given Inaugurating the Centres, the Chairman of the Tetfund BoT, Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, who expressed appreciation to the Minister for Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu and President Muhammadu Buhari for approving the initiative, emphasised the need to reciprocate the support by way of results.

“To whom much is given, much is also expected. I want to acknowledge here that at Tefund, much has been given. On your behalf, I want to thank the President and the Honourable Minister of Education because it is one thing for Tetfund to conceive this idea, but another for the Honourable Minister to go the extra mile to obtain a presidential approval.

“N1 billion for each Centre for Research Excellence, that is N12 billion. That is a major step in the right direction. I also want to let you know that this will be an annual event. Next year, we will be nominating another set of universities as Centres of Excellence.

“It is also a very important step for us as a country. No nation has ever developed or can develop without technology. The most advanced economies in the world are those that are knowledge-driven and we must invest heavily in R&D in order to make the quantum leap we crave as a nation”.

He said Tetfund was deliberate in emphasising food security in various ways in assigning the priority research areas to the Centres of Excellence, noting that whereas Nigerian farmers could hardly do tow or three metric tons of maize per hectre, their counterparts in more advanced and technologically driven countries exceed between 18 to 2o metric tons per hectre.

Ibrahim-Imam, however, assured that Tetfund was aware of the need to strike a balance between R&D and physical infrastructural needs of the tertiary institutions.

“I have visited so many public universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education since the past few weeks. The recurring phrase everywhere is ‘But for Tetfund, but for Tetfund’.

“As I said, it is R&D that will take Nigeria to the next level. But we also have to balance it with creating the enabling environments for scholarship, learning, and even for research”, he added.

24

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JANUARY 9, 2021

POLITY/TRIBUTE

Solving Religious Conflict: Beyond the Moral Case Abare Kallah, Isa Buba and Shanta Premawardhana

O

ur common understanding of the stakes of religious and ethnic conflict is inadequate, especially in complicated, populous areas like the north and northeast zones of Nigeria. Put simply, many of the stakeholders who should be investing in solutions do not fully recognise themselves in the problem. Others see how their interests are impacted by religious violence but don’t see any hope of addressing it.

Businesses in particular have a great deal to gain or lose and need to, individually or collectively, stop the slide and reverse it. To act, however, businesses must be convinced that they are investing in proven solutions, not platitudes. By accounting in detail all that is lost to religious violence, we hope to reveal how diverse and powerful these relevant stakeholders are. And to prove to these stakeholders that there is a viable avenue for change, we share firsthand success stories from deeply riven areas where a strategic interfaith peacemaking model has helped people with different religious commitments make the changes they need to thrive as a community.

In writing about religious and ethnic violence in Nigeria, we always caution readers not to oversimplify the issue at hand. It is not just Christians vs. Muslims or farmers vs. herders; Boko Haram does not limit its terrorizing to one ethnicity, religion, or community. For an exceedingly complex country like Nigeria, where each regional zone has a specific history in terms of conflict as well as specific resources and strengths, this reminder is apt. Yet the same specificity and thought must be applied as well to the impacts of that violence.

Take food security. Nigeria’s farmer-herder conflicts center on a struggle for land and water resources and have resulted in an estimated 10,000 deaths over a twoyear period. In halting the harvesting of farmers’ crops and their transport to market, these conflicts have created an acute and immediate problem: community hunger.

Food is not getting from where it’s produced to where it’s needed. What’s less obvious is how this violence contributes to food price inflation, which makes the food that is available out of reach for poor Nigerians. Food price inflation leads to an overreliance on imports, which harms the nation’s economy and self-sustainability.

Even this last resort to imported food products may be closed off when violence threatens the food supply chain.

Without reliable supply chain infrastructure, outside food producers—whose prices might be more accessible—will not enter the market. Finally, with farmers afraid to work the land, farmland is left fallow. With harsh climate condi-

tions stripping off invaluable topsoil, leaving the land unworked can imperil its productivity for years to come.

The issue of food security links the agricultural sector to the health sector to the business sector; violence poses a financial and humanitarian threat to each of these. But what about a sector like tourism? Tourism may seem a second-order issue in comparison with food security, but it has the potential to provide critical employment opportunities and both the funds (including significant tax receipts) and the impetus to overhaul a country’s transportation infrastructure. In the European Union, for example, tourism drives 20% of all service sector jobs and one in ten non-financial businesses are part of the tourism industry. Ghana and Kenya are two examples where—before the COVID-19 pandemic—relative political and social stability yielded immense benefits in terms of employment and infrastructure investments. Security risks have made tourists steer clear of Nigeria, however, even though its natural beauty and cultural resources are on a par with those other countries’.

In hobbling the tourism sector, religious and ethnic violence may also be robbing Nigeria of its environmental future: it is often only when natural resources are understood to be a financial asset that stakeholders come together to protect them—witness the diverse conservation efforts being made in Kenya, for example.

Health, food security, and tourism are three examples of interlinked sectors being brought to their knees by violence. Indeed, such violence produces downstream damage everywhere it touches: by threatening federalism and governance, it opens the door to corruption and closes the door on outside investment. By causing the abduction and rape of children, it devastates souls but also dismantles educational standards and guts the nation’s workforce.

Because all of this destruction is connected, our response must be, too. Stakeholders have to start seeing themselves as part of a network of partners who can, in fact, stem this tide.

In over 70 villages in northeastern Nigeria, an interfaith peacemaking approach has demonstrated effective gains in both conflict prevention and community-led development. Instead of pursuing a secular solution to religious violence and sidestepping Nigerians’ profound religious commitments, this approach capitalizes on them. Interfaith Peacemaker Teams (IP Teams) enlist local religious leaders to work together across ethnic and faith-based lines to secure, support, and sustain their communities. In northern Nigeria, we believe, the way forward is not away from religion but through interfaith collective action.

This action is neither outside-in nor top-down; what sets interfaith peacemaking apart from traditional devel-

opment initiatives is that it starts within the community, and targets the urgent, relevant, and winnable issues that community members identify. Two examples convey the concrete results of this model as well as the empowerment it engenders. In the village of Talasse, a Boko Haram attack led the local bank to warn of impending closure—a loss that would have meant over 75 km of travel if villagers had to do any banking. The village head pleaded with people who had left the community to deposit enough of their money in the bank to keep it afloat, but he was unsuccessful. The village’s IP Team mobilized its Muslim and Christian stakeholders to do similar outreach themselves—and their efforts were successful. Now solvent, the bank is a vital symbol of effective interfaith action in the face of ineffective government.

Over 500 kilometers from Talasse, the village of Bagadaza faced a major infrastructure problem in the form of a broken culvert. In the dry season, this was less of a problem; in the rainy season, however, the villagers knew it could spell disaster. Apparently successfully, they lobbied the government to come fix the culvert—but the government changed before any repairs were made.

Deciding they couldn’t wait any longer, the IP Team organised the people to raise the money for raw materials and build the culvert themselves. This project does not just meet the immediate needs of the community but also encourages them to tackle other needs that are “urgent, relevant, and winnable” (the IP Team mantra).

So many more examples can be drawn from the IP Team approach in Nigeria and elsewhere, but each one reinforces the lasting effectiveness of interfaith action.

Scaling up the solution Moral generalisations and mournful sentiments are valuable to a point, but the only proven solution to religious violence is the interfaith peacemaking approach.

To unlock the massive, interconnected web of human capacity and talent, infrastructure, and natural resources of northern Nigeria, stakeholders need only to scale up the model that’s already working.

–––Rev. Abare Kallah is OMNIA Institute for Contextual Leadership’s National Coordinator for Nigeria. He is also the Chairman for the Northeast Zone for the Christian Association of Nigeria.

Sheik Isa Buba is an imam and the Chairman of the Fitiyanu Islam of Talasse Mosque in Gombe State in Nigeria. Dr. Shanta Premawardhana is the President of OMNIA Institute for Contextual Leadership, based in Chicago, USA. OMNIA builds Interfaith Peacemaker Teams in Gombe State, and in other countries where religious extremism has caused social disruption.

Shedrach Mbanefo: A Man of the People Sola Adenrele Joel

I

n every generation, community, race or society, once in a time, God almighty sows a titanic seed for a purpose. If properly harnessed and managed that seed in human form gives to the people a super human and intellectual service according to the divine design. Late Chief S.O. Mbanefo falls into this category of human creature. He was born on 4th August 1938 to the Mbanefo family of Umudiana Kindred of Ekwenanyika Village in Nri the Ancestral home of the Igbos. Mbanefo was a man of the people and consummate Christian. He was a politician, leader, traditional Man and a fulfilled Man. He was a man of valor in words, deeds, an advocate of action, justice and promptness. An orator, disciplinarian and epitome of elegance and intelligence, he was well recognized across the length and breadth of Igboland. He was admired by his people and he stamped his name on the sands of time in Nri and across Igboland in general He attended St. Mary’s Primary School, Nri and Emmanuel Church School, Enugu-Ukwu between 1943 – 1954; a rare feat at the time. He showed spectacular academic brilliance at school and this earned him the nickname President; a title which is not yet lost on his peers. After his primary education, the young Shedrach opted for textile business and was apprenticed to his kinsman Mr. Levi Okeke from Ekwenanyika Village who was a textile trader based in Onitsha. After seven years of apprenticeship, he gained his freedom and established his own textile business and rose from very humble beginnings to become a major distributor of the famed United African Company (UAC) Ltd. His flourishing textile business suffered a setback as a result of the Nigeria Civil War. Out of patriotic zeal, he enlisted and served with the International Red Cross

in the defunct Republic of Biafra.

After the civil war and in view of the changing times, young Shedrach adapted to the changing situations by relocating to Awka Town the present capital of Anambra state where he established a successful block industry known as “Three Star Block Industry” and later he established Ozo Nwayo Bright Stores as a subsidiary support venture to his Block industry enterprise. It is a self-evident fact that young Shedrack excelled in his chosen profession and this enhanced his foray into identifying with traditional concerns of his people. In 1968, he took the Ozo title and choose the title name of Ozonwayo (gentle Chief) in tune with his gentle disposition.

In 1969 a year later, he was admitted into the esteemed Oba society which is acclaimed as the highest Chieftaincy Title in Nri Kingdom. Having distinguished himself as a social and moral crusader, it was not surprising that the elders of Umudiana considered him worthy as the true son, thereby bequeathing on him the headship of the struggle for emancipation of Adama people from the shackles of traditional despondency, captivity, and marginalisaion.

It is an incontrovertible fact that his unparalleled sterling qualities and patriotism were instrumental to giving the people of Umudiana an undisputed relevance in the scheme of things in Nri Kingdom. He was one of the greatest Ambassadors of the Igbo cultures and Traditions of our time and his death, no doubt is a big loss to the Ancient Nri Kingdom as a whole.

His Charisma and leadership skills were some of the things many admired most about him. This explains why he was considered the right person to crown late Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu as Eze Igbo Gburugburu and Daddy Hezekiah (the General Overseer of Living Christ Mission) as Odum Ebo Ndigbo.

Before his death Oba Mbanefo was the head of Adama Traditional Authority in the Ancient Nri

Mbanefo Kingdom. He was the head Nze ma Nze Akamkpisi na diodo Nri and also the head Oba Traditional Society Akamkpisi na Diodo, Nri. It is a great loss, but God knows why it came at this time.

Adieu Daddy. Adieu Oba. Adieu Onyeisi Nze Akamkpisi Na Diodo.

25

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ANUARY 9, 2021

POLITY

Ugwuanyi Canvasses Peace, Inaugurates Panel on Oruku Crisis

G

overnor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has urged the people of Oruku Community in Nkanu East Local Government Area to stay the course of peace, which his administration strives to entrench and nurture in the state.

Ugwuanyi’s peace call followed the recent crisis that erupted in Oruku, which led to the killing of the traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Emmanuel Chidiebere Mba. Speaking during the inauguration of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry constituted by his administration to investigate and ascertain the remote and immediate causes of the crisis, Ugwuanyi said that the government and people of the state received the sad news of the incident with rude shock.

Members of the newly inaugurated Commission, headed by Justice Harold Eya, are HRH Igwe Amb. Lawrence Agubuzu, Prof. Den Chris Onah, Barr. Anthony Ogbu, Dr. Mrs. Chinwe Onah, Dr. Godwin Anigbo (Secretary) and Barr. Paschal Okoloagu (Counsel for the Commission).

Ugwuanyi disclosed that the state government, in the wake of the crisis, swiftly directed deployment of security operatives to Oruku Community to stem the mayhem and forestall further loss of lives and destruction of property.

Reiterating his administration’s commitment to the security and welfare of the people, which is the primary purpose of government as enshrined in the constitution of Nigeria, Ugwuanyi acknowledged the efforts of the Chairman of Nkanu East LGA, as well as the sincere concern shown by all the traditional rulers in the council area towards the restoration of peace in Oruku.

He noted that the traditional rulers made a strong request for the constitution of a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to unravel the persons and circumstances behind the unfortunate incident, The terms of reference of the panel constituted by Ugwuanyi, pursuant to Section 4(1) of the Commission of Inquiry Law, Cap. 24, Revised Laws of Enugu State 2004, include to ascertain the number of persons killed or injured, identify persons, group or institutions who either by acts or omissions were directly or indirectly involved in, or sponsored the crisis, and investigate

any other matter(s) that may come to the knowledge of the Panel in the course of the inquiry, not covered in these terms of reference.

Others are to make recommendations regarding persons whom the Panel finds culpable and/or blameworthy in connection with the crisis, and generally make recommendations, in the light of its findings, on how to prevent similar crisis in future and make other recommendations which the panel may consider appropriate in view of its findings.

The governor therefore most solemnly charged members of the panel, who have eight weeks to complete their assignment, “to expeditiously and most sincerely discharge this onerous task which outcome will inform further government’s actions on the Oruku crisis”.

Responding on behalf of other members of the panel, the Chairman, Justice Eya, appreciated the governor for finding them worthy to serve in the commission and assured him that they will discharge the onerous task diligently with the help of God.

Martin Ezedinbu Nwoko WARIF Spotlights Campus Sexual Violence Passes on at 93

T

he family of Prince Martin Ezedinbu Nwoko of Idumuje Ugboko in Aniocha North Local Govt. Area of Delta state has announced the passing away of the their father, husband, uncle and grand father. He passed on at 93 years after a brief illness.

According to a Press Release signed by his first son Prince Uzor Nwoko, late Nwoko will be buried in his country home in Idumuje Ugboko on Friday 22nd Jan 2021 after a church service at the Saint Matthew’s Anglican church in Idumuje Ugboko.

There will be a wake keeping on Thursday 21st and an outing service on Sunday 24th Jan 2021.

Prince Martin Laurence Ani E. Nwoko was a philanthropist and will be fondly remembered by the number of children he assisted to acquire education both at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. He was survived by two grown Pa Nwoko boys and three married daughters

T

he Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF) has completed the first ever virtual online classroom training programme on the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Nigeria.

This programme is in partnership is with the joint EU-UN Spotlight Initiative -a global multi-year partnership between the European Union and the United Nations to eliminate all forms of sexual and gender-based violence against women through various implementation programs and partners all over the world.

The Initiative represents an unprecedented global effort to invest in gender equality and women’s empowerment as a precondition and driver for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The project which was launched in January 2020 with an aim to increase the awareness of gender based violence and to design and adopt school related gender based violence policies in tertiary institutions. Following the high and increasing rate of sexual violence and harassment in these institutions; it was necessary to implement a program such as this to break the culture of silence, offer solutions and ensure the overall reduction of these cases.

The revolutionary online training programme involved

over 3000 university students from 163 institutions across Nigeria. These participating students will now go on to cascade the knowledge learnt and also implement different awareness programs and activities in their various schools and communities as advocates and ambassadors.

The training ended with a symposium in Yaba, Lagos which reiterated the knowledge learnt and gave the students the opportunity to network, interact and brainstorm on the various ways to prevent gender based violence in their schools and communities.

One of the students in attendance, Adegoke Olawale; a 300 Level Student of the Lagos State University stated that it was good to know that there were solutions available for survivors of sexual violence and he would continue to create awareness to reduce sexual violence in his direct community.

Speaking on the prevalence of sexual violence in tertiary institutions and the partnership with WARIF; Ms. Comfort Lamptey, UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS stated that “Breaking the silence on sex for grades, and exposing the magnitude of the issue, is the first step to ending sexual harassment and violence in tertiary education institutions.

PHOTO NEWS

L-R: Head of Social Welfare, Island Maternity Hospital, Lagos, Mary Olayemi; Head of Nursing,, Bukola Cole; Medical Director, Dr. Olufemi Omololu; Senior Pastor, Trinity House, Pastor Ituah Olajide Ighodalo; Minister, Trinity House, Olu Victor Oyinloye; and Minister in charge of hospital Ministry, Trinity House, Lawrence Ebhodaghe during the late Ibidun Ighodalo Foundation presentation of gift to new born baby’s at Island Maternity Hospital, Lagos....recently

L-R: Acting Director, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion, (NOTAP) , Tuedor Smart; President, Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria, APBN, Surv. Akinloye Oyegbola; Director General, NOTAP, Dr Dan’Azumi M. Ibrahim; and APBN Administrative Manager, Mrs. Miriam Joseph, during a courtesy visit of the Director General of NOTAP to the APBN Secretariat in Lagos...recently

L-R: Montego Upstream Services Ltd, Head Corporate Communications, Kenechukwu Okafor, wives of HRM Oba Gbadamosi, Apekunjoye 1, Oni - Ito of Ito- Omu, Olori Mariam Gbadamosi, Olori Florence Gbadamosi, staff of Montego Upstream Services Ltd, Taiwo Kabiawu and Jude Onyia, during the MontegoUpstream Services Ltd’s presentation of food items to Ito- Omu, community in Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State.. recently

L-R: The Marketing and Communications Manager, Ultimus Holdings, Colette Amaeshi; Founder, FilmHouse Cinema, Kene Mkparu; Nollywood actress, Rita Dominic; anotherNollywood actress, Stephanie Okereke and President/CEO, Ultimus Holdings Limited, Ifeanyi Odii during the exclusive launch party for The Classroom held in Lagos…. recently SUNDAY ADIGUN

26

Ë&#x153; Ëž JANUARY 9, 2021

PEOPLE Funmi Omo

Nigerian Women Ready, Fit for Leadership Mrs. Funmi Omo is the Managing Director/Chief Executive of Life Insurance Enterprise Group, Ghana. She is also the promoter of Funmi Omo Foundation. In this encounter with Festus Akanbi, she speaks on a number of issues including the need to encourage women to climb the ladder of leadership, and the urgency of reshaping the educational system to suit the present challenges, among others My Background

F

unmi Omo is a corporate executive. I lead the team at Enterprise Life Nigeria as MD/CEO and live the other facet of my life as the Founder of the Funmi Omo Initiative. My purpose is to impact as many lives as I can, both in my professional and personal capacity. I started my education journey at Adrao International School in Victoria Island, Lagos, after which I went to Holy Child College for my secondary school and Methodist Girls High School for my A levels (both in Lagos). I studied Insurance at the University of Lagos.

I have also attended programmes at the Lagos Business School, and China European International Business School. I am an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Insurance, London, an Associate Member of the Nigerian Institute of Management, and an Associate of the Certified Pension Institute of Nigeria.

Experience that shaped my life As a young undergraduate, I was fixed on studying accounting and worked towards that with so much expectation. However, I was admitted to study insurance instead. I will admit that I was disappointed, but once I resolved to give the course my best, I fell in love with insurance. That event has shaped my professional life and looking back, I have no regrets. I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t change a thing.

What I gained from the quality of education received Absolutely! The quality of education I got in UNILAG was top notch. We were privileged to be taught by some of the best minds in the finance and insurance landscape of the time. You could say my teachers made me.

Unfortunately, the steady decline in the quality of education is not the fault of the teachers or the students, rather it is an infrastructural problem that needs to be addressed.

How my parents impacted me My parents laid the foundation for me, and they worked hard to ensure that my siblings and I would never settle for mediocrity. Their example was our blueprint for hard work and success.

My entrepreneurial spirit Again, I have to say I got my entrepreneurial spirit from my parents. They pushed us to aim for better, by reinforcing the values of hard work and purposeful living. My fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biography â&#x20AC;&#x153;Let the Determined Mind Triumphâ&#x20AC;? is a testament to his philosophy.

Lessons from Year 2020 2020 was a year full of shocks indeed, but difficulties stretch the bounds of possibilities. The way we do business in Africa, and even in Nigeria has experienced a massive shift. Imagine: The digital transformation that would have taken a decade to achieve was achieved in a year! Integrating remote working models and digital transformation into our business landscape is here to stay. It was a humbling year for all of us. We lost people, property, and dreams. We have learned how to prioritise health and safety while remaining productive. It has been a very challenging year, but it has also been a year of growth in unexpected directions. Nobody saw the events of this year coming, but what makes a difference is how we have adapted solutions that ensure progress.

Making our graduates employable Education without practical application is wasted.

Nigerian graduates have had to learn in the worst of conditions, with almost no support from the educational institutions that take the credit for moulding them.

There is also the challenge of the rising cost of education in Nigeria. A shift in our education sector has to start with our institutions becoming intentional about producing graduates that can compete internationally.

We need to combine technical knowledge with the theoretical, and the government has to lead this charge to implement a holistic curriculum as we used to have decades ago. This is why my work with The Funmi Omo Foundation is important to me. We recently set up a scholarship fund that empowers young Nigerian women with the finances they need for good university

Funmi Omo

education, backing this with mentorship. I believe in the power of education to transform lives.

is up to Nigeria, and the world at large, to catch up.

Nigeria is ready.

Female leaders in Nigeria

Projections for 2021

I have experienced gender bias first hand in the course of my career, and I can confidently say that the lack of women in Nigerian leadership is not due to a lack of capable or qualified women. Let me put it this way: women have always been ready and fit for leadership. It

In many ways, 2020 was the year of discovering new ways to do old things. We have had to stretch the bounds of our capabilities in overwhelming odds. 2021 is for building sustainable systems for this new normal. I am confident that 2021 will be a much greater year for us.

3

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ APRIL 24, 2011

GLOBAL SOCCER A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

09.01.2021

NEWS

TITLE DEFENCE BEGINS PAGE. 29

What Next for Ogenyi Onazi?

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž 9, 2021

28

GLOBAL SOCCER

Ogenyi Onazi, in one of the training sessions with SonderjyskE

What Next for Ogenyi Onazi?

After a failed attempt at reviving his career with Turkish team, Denizlispor, Ogenyi Onazi joined Danish Superliga with SonderjyskE in a desperate effort to resuscitate his career, but it was not meant to be as the 2013 AFCON winner ended his stay at the Sydbank Park during the week after just six months.The big question begging for answer is whether the Nigerian midfielder would ever play at the top level

H

is attempt at reviving his career in Turkey after Super Lig side, Trabzonspor deemed him surplus to requirement did not go as planned as he was condemned to just nine starts.

In a desperate effort at reviving his career which has been plagued by injury, the Nigerian midfielder took his football trade to the Danish Superliga after injury struggles in Turkey.

The Super Eagles midfielderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s injury nightmare started with a ruptured Achilles tendon back in December 2018, which ruled him out of action for almost a year.

He found it difficult to break into Trabzonsporâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first-team after the injury, and he left the Turkish Super Lig club to join their rivals Denizlispor on a short-term contract in January.

Onaziâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hopes of securing regular playing time with the Roosters were dashed when he suffered a groin strain and hamstring injury which limited him to just nine league matches last season. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Injuries are inevitable because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something that happens a lot in football, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not been fair to me,â&#x20AC;? Onazi said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At the most important time in my career is when it happens to me and I

have no proper explanation for this. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Coming from where it all started I believe Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen the worst that life has to offer on and off the pitch. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am more hungry and determined to do extra well. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve lost a lot of grounds, but it can only be better from here on. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had other offers from different places but the main reason I chose Denmark is because I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t played in a while. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I decided to go to a place where I can have proper fitness, get regular game time and test myself mentally. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was not the best option financially but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the most challenging and it provides a tough physical challenge.

The training is physical like the German league. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a short-term plan but I am prepared to take it one week at a time and after this we can look at something bigger.â&#x20AC;?

Before signing a year contract with SonderjyskE which comes with an option to extend the deal with two further years, the former Lazio star confirmed he was close to completing a return to Serie A but Crotone withdrew their deal.

His dream of reviving his career in Denmark did not however go as planned as

the Nigerian international has ended his stay with the Sydbank Park outfit after only six months with the club.

Onazi terminated his contract with Danish Super Liga side SonderjyskE by mutual agreement.

The 28-year-old teamed up with the Sydbank Park outfit in October last year with an option to extend the deal by two more years.

The midfielder joined SonderjyskE in an effort to regain match fitness after rupturing his Achilles tendon during his time with Turkish Super Lig club Trabzonspor.

The injury forced him out of football action for more than a year and when he returned, he left the club to join rivals Denizlispor in January on a six-month deal before signing for SonderjyskE. Since teaming up with the Sydbank Park outfit, Onazi has struggled for game time and only managed to feature three times for the club.

He has now ended his stay with the Danish side and the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sports director Hans Jorgen Haysen has praised him for his contribution. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is not a finger to put on Onaziâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts in SonderjyskE. He has been a professional to the tips of his toes,â&#x20AC;?

Haysen told the club website.

â&#x20AC;?He has fitted in well with the group with his dedication and he has also scooped out his experience to the young players on the team. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He came with a backlog from an injury, but he has been in almost all training sessions with us, and also earned a starting place in the Sydbank Cup and a few innings in the 3F Super League. â&#x20AC;&#x153;However, it did not turn out quite as he and we had hoped, and he himself has expressed that he might fit better into another league than the 3F Superliga, and he now has the opportunity to try it out. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We thank him for his efforts in the light blue jersey and wish him all the best for the future.â&#x20AC;?

Onazi began playing football in the streets of Jos in 1998. His football skills and abilities drew a lot of attention to him and afforded him the opportunity to play in some academies in the city.

His footballing abilities came to prominence when he moved to Lagos to play for My People.

As a 16-year-old, Onazi represented his country at the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup, where Nigeria finished runnersup. However, he was overlooked for selection at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup two years later, despite participating in the training camps in Portugal and Panama.

He made his debut for the senior national team in an Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Liberia.

Onazi was called up to Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 23-man squad for the 2013 AFCON, where he played in every game. He was also named in Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s final squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and started in all four games as Nigeria were eliminated by France in the Round of 16.

29

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž 9, 2021

GLOBAL SOCCER

Resurgent Arsenal Begin FA Cup Title Defence

Spurred by their three victories in a bounce in the Premier League, Arsenal will start the defence of the FA Cup as they welcome Newcastle United to the Etihad Stadium in what no doubt is the headline ďŹ xture of the weekend. The Gunners would be boosted by the return to training of Thomas Partey after weeks of inaction due to injury, and Manager Mikel Arteta has said the midďŹ elder could be in action against the Magpies

Arsenal players led by their captain, Pierra-Emeric Aubameyang celebrate winning the 2020 FA Cup at the Wembley Stadium

A

rsenal will be looking to book their spot in the fourth round of the FA Cup when they welcome fellow Premier League side Newcastle United to the Emirates Stadium this evening.

The Gunners will enter the match off the back of three straight Premier League victories, but Newcastle are winless in their last six matches in all competitions during a disappointing run.

There was serious pressure on Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta when Manchester City recorded a 4-1 victory at the Emirates Stadium in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup on December 22.

However, it has been a strong couple of weeks for the capital outfit, who have beaten Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion and West Bromwich Albion in their last three league fixtures to rise into 11th position in the table.

Artetaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side actually now have three games in a row on home soil, welcoming Crystal Palace and Newcastle in their next two league matches before travelling to Southampton on January 26.

Arsenal are the holders of the FA Cup, beating Chelsea in last seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s final to lift the trophy for the 14th time, making them the most successful side in the history of the competition.

The Gunners have recorded four straight wins over Newcastle in the league, but this weekendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clash will be the first time that

the two teams have met in the FA Cup since January 2008, when the London club recorded a 3-0 victory to advance to the fifth round of the competition.

Newcastle, meanwhile, are sixtime winners of the FA Cup but have not won the trophy since 1955; the Magpies reached the quarterfinals of last seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s competition, though, before losing to Man City.

Clubs across England are expected to make wholesale changes to their usual starting XIs in the third round of the FA Cup, and it would not be a surprise to see Steve Bruce take similar action as his team are currently on a poor run of form in Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top flight.

Newcastle picked up a point at home to Liverpool at the end of December but will enter this match off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Leicester City, while they have not won in the league since December 12.

A total of 19 points from 16 matches has left the Magpies in 15th spot in the table, and there is little doubting that next weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clash with Sheffield United in the league is more important than this FA Cup third-round contest against the holders.

Meanwhile, Premier League highfliers Leicester City begin their FA Cup campaign with an away match against Stoke City this afternoon.

The Foxes make the trip to the bet365 Stadium sitting third in the top flight, while opponents Stoke are eighth in the Championship.

Leicester are unbeaten in four league matches and enter this game

on the back of a 2-1 win at Newcastle United last weekend.

That victory, combined with Liverpoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shock loss to Southampton, leaves Brendan Rodgersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side just a point off top spot.

Having narrowly missed out on a Champions League spot last season - the consolation prize being a place in the Europa League - Leicester City are well in the mix for a topfour finish again this term.

Indeed, with a Europa League last-32 tie with Slavia Prague to come next month, the Foxes are still competing for silverware on three fronts in the second half of 2020-21.

The FA Cup will be considered another realistic opportunity to win some silverware, though this is a competition Leicester have never previously won, reaching the final on four previous occasions without lifting the famous cup.

Stoke, likewise, have never previously gone all the way, reaching the final just once before in 2010-11, going down 1-0 to Manchester City at Wembley.

Winning the FA Cup this season is not the Pottersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; main target, but rather earning promotion from the Championship.

Michael Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side are winless in three league matches, but they remain just two points adrift of the playoff spots with a sizeable chunk of the campaign still to go.

Stoke, who were eliminated from the EFL Cup at the quarter-final stage by Tottenham Hotspur last month, have a poor record in the FA

Cup, losing each of their last four third-round ties.

Leicester, meanwhile, have progressed from all five of their FA Cup ties against Championship opposition since they won promotion to the Premier League in 2014.

FA CUP THIRD ROUND FIXTURES TODAY

Boreham Wood v Millwall 12:00 Everton v Rotherham Utd 12:00 Luton Town v Reading 12:00 Norwich City v Coventry City 12:00 Nottingham Forest v Cardiff City 12:00 Chorley v Derby County 12:15 Blackburn v Doncaster Rovers 15:00 Blackpool v West Brom 15:00 Bristol Rovers v Sheffield Utd 15:00 Burnley v Milton Keynes 15:00 Exeter City v Sheffield Wed 15:00 Oldham Athletic v Bournemouth 15:00 QPR v Fulham 15:00 Stevenage v Swansea City 15:00 Stoke City v Leicester 15:00 Wycombe v Preston 15:00 Arsenal v Newcastle 17:30 Brentford v Middlesbrough 18:00 Huddersfield v Plymouth 18:00 Man Utd v Watford 20:00 SUNDAY

Barnsley v Tranmere Rovers Bristol City v Portsmouth Chelsea v Morecambe Cheltenham v Mansfield Crawley Town v Leeds United Man City v Birmingham Marine v Tottenham Newport County v Brighton

13:30 13:30 13:30 13:30 13:30 13:30 17:00 19:45

MONDAY

Stockport County v West Ham

20:00

30

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž 9, 2021

GLOBAL SOCCER

Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Sola Aiyepeku

Taiwo Awoniyi celebrating one of his goals for Union Berlin

Awoniyi Reveals Mission in Union Berlin Amidst Covid 19, Lagos Unveils

Nigeria under-23 international Taiwo Awoniyi has opened up about his scintillating form in the German Bundesliga.

The bulky centre forward has scored five goals in his last seven league matches for Union Berlin.

Awoniyi, who is on loan at Berlin from English champions Liverpool FC, has netted five goals from 12 league matches this season.

The 23-year-old player explained that he is only focused on helping Berlin in the Bundesliga with his contributions in front of goal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For me, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always about the team. Always fighting, working, doing everything for the team,â&#x20AC;? Awoniyi told the Bundesliga website. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And for a striker, I believe once you put that first, the rest of the things will come.â&#x20AC;?

Berlin are currently placed on the UEFA Europa League spot (fifth) on the Bundesliga standings â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a point behind fourth-placed Borussia Dortmund.

Awoniyi moved to Anfield in 2015 but he is yet to play a

match since his arrival and the Nigeria youth star has stated he prefers to leave Liverpool after failing to secure a work permit in the UK since his arrival in 2015.

Awoniyi joined the Reds five years ago following his heroics at 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup and 2015 Africa U-20 Championship where he helped Nigeria win both tournaments in the United Arab Emirates and Senegal respectively.

Since his move to Liverpool, the 23-year-old has had seven loan stints in clubs across Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.

He disclosed his ambition to play for the reigning Premier League champions but he was left with second thoughts after another loan deal was agreed with Union Berlin in September for the entire 2020-21 season. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is my dream to play for Liverpool. But me playing for Liverpool has to do with getting myworkpermit,â&#x20AC;?Awoniyitold ESPN. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Without it, there is no chance for me discussing about

playing for Liverpool for now. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This season was maybe a bit tough to make the decision because honestly, I was hoping to leave permanently. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Liverpool have been great, they have been so supportive and we always talk with the director and every time, they tell me to be patient. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But the reason I discussed something permanent this season was just that I felt most loans I have been to, have not really been the way I want it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And I felt like it happens that way because the loan players get less of an advantage than the players of their own club. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That was what made me think, okay, maybe itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to find a home with my family in my new club.â&#x20AC;?

Awoniyi recently stated that he is eyeing his maiden call-up for Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s senior national team, Super Eagles.

He will be hoping to be included in the next Super Eagles squad by the national team head coach Gernot Rohr.

Nigeria are scheduled to face Benin and Lesotho in the 2022 AFCON qualifiers in March 2021.

Reading to Block Oliseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Transfer Amidst Chelsea, Liverpool Interest Reading coach Veljko Paunovic has reiterated that France youth international of Nigerian descentMichaelOliseisnot forsaleamidspeculation linking the midfielder with a departure from the club in the January transfer window.

ThelikesofLiverpool, Chelsea,Arsenal, Leeds United and Leicester City are believed to be keeping tabs on Olise

who is regarded as one of the most exciting teenagers outside the Premier League.

Olise has been involved in 12 goals (four goals, eight assists) from 22 Championship appearances so far this season.

Paunovic gave an update on the future of the FrenchNigerian teenager in

Thursdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s press conference ahead of his sideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meeting with Luton Town in the third round of the Emirates FA Cup. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very happy with the progress of Omar and the relationship we are building and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m hopeful we can have both - together withOlise-butweâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;renot going to get involved in therumours,â&#x20AC;?Paunovic

wasquotedassayingby Get Reading. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important how we feel about each other and if we want to continue working together andIthinkthatisthecase with all of them.â&#x20AC;?

Olise is in the final eighteen months of his contract with Reading, whom he joined in 2016 after spells with the youth teams of Chelsea and Manchester City.

FA Cup, Bundesliga, La Liga Live on StarTimes this Weekend Football fans will be treated to live football actions across Europe this weekend.

Matches will be broadcast live and in HD on StarTimes Sports channels.

English football fans will be delighted to start the year with two rounds of The Emirates FA Cup. Third and fourth rounds will be played from 8th and 22nd January respectively.

Cup holders Arsenal will face Newcastle today at 6:30pm, among other fixtures to be broadcast live on StarTimes.

January will be intense for Spanish clubs that in the meantime still have five La Liga matchdays to play until

the end of the month. Given they havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t had a rest during Christmas, January will be a real test for La Liga players. And it will be the opportunity to make the break for Lionel Messi to prove he is still La Ligaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s number one player.

With five match days from January 10, until the end of the month, a lot of goals and actions are expected in the German Bundesliga. Bayern is leading the league, closely followed by Leipzig, Leverkusen and Dortmund.

For the last two seasons RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund have been the best of

the rest behind Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.

And there is little to suggest that Dortmund and Leipzig will not be amongst the main challengers this time around again.

Today at 6:30pm, Dortmund travel to Leipzig in a matchday 15 game, both teams need to win to try to keep the pace with Bayern at the top of the table.

Table topping Bayern, faced old rivals Borussia MĂśnchengladbach yesterday.

Bayern and MĂśnchengladbach were fierce rivals in the 70s, as they were the dominant clubs in Germany during that time, winning eight titles.

New Strategy for Sports Development

Grassroots community sports development, Girl-child initiative programme on the menu Kunle Adewale

T

he Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Mr. Sola Aiyepeku has unveiled a variety of plans being put in place by the commission to take sports development in Lagos State to a new level should the current wave of Covid-19 pandemic continue to affect school sports development and other avenues for talent hunt.

The state government also reiterated its readiness to ensure that Lagos remains Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hub for sports and that the youth are constantly engaged in a way to enable them exhibit their God given talents in sports.

Speaking at an interactive session with selected sports journalists on Tuesday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere to unveil the commissionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programmes for sports in the New Year. Aiyepeku admitted that though Covid-19 pandemic took a lot of shine off most of the commissionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s planned programmes in 2020, he said moving forward in 2021, the commission has mapped out strategies to keep the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s athletes busy, while adhering strictly to all health protocols to guard against the spread of coronavirus. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our plan is to combine education and sports because we want to place premium attention on school sports in Lagos State in 2021,â&#x20AC;? Aiyepeku said via Zoom. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The reason for this focus is to unearth these young athletes at their tender ages. We want to discover them, nurture and groom them to become elite athletes in the nearest future. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Sports Commission will work in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth and Social Development to achieve this goal. In as much as our primary focus is on school sports, it would not be at the detriment of other categories of athletes. Other athletes will not suffer neglect as we want to bring multi-level layer of success to Lagos State,â&#x20AC;? Ayeipeku said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But for Covid-19 pandemic, the school sports programme was planned to take off last April and as a result we had to put it on hold. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This year we want to create platforms where our talents will be out to express themselves, give them talent profession, though it will be gradual, we must however start somewhere,â&#x20AC;? he noted.

Aiyepeku revealed that in the next few weeks, the state will unveil a programme tagged Grassroots Community Sports Development targeting at talents outside schools. This programme, according to him, is to rejuvenate sporting activities across the nooks and crannies of the state with the objectives of keeping the youth actively engaged and to give them rewards and honours for their talents.

He also disclosed that the state will also come out with the Girl-Child initiative programme as well as the Disabled Games for the physically-challenged athletes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whatever happens, we are looking forward to doing things that are tailored towards the development of sports and our athletes in Lagos State,â&#x20AC;? Aiyepeku stated.

On his part, the Director General of the sports commission, Mr. Oluwatoyin Gafaar said that Lagos State is noted for its good and robust welfare packages for its athletes and officials. He assured that there are incentives for those athletes that will be discovered.

He said that while observing strictly COVID-19 protocols in all its activities, Lagos State Sports Commission plans to have continuous events throughout the year.

GOtv to Air FA Cup, LaLiga Matches Live The year begins with series of topnotch games involving elite European teams across various football competitions to be aired live on GOtv this weekend.

The matches scheduled to hold from 8-10 January will be broadcast live on SuperSport Football to GOtv Jolli and GOtv Max subscribers, and on SuperSport La Liga and SuperSport Select 1, exclusive to GOtv Max subscribers.

In the FA Cup special, a fascinating game awaits viewers with tough clashes between QPR and Fulham at 5;00pm; Manchester United and Watford at 9:00pm and Chelsea versus Morecambe on Sunday at 2:30pm. All FACup matches will be broadcast live on SuperSport Football (GOtv channel 31).

While on the La Liga scene, top-of-the-table, Atletico Madrid will welcome Athletic Bilbao at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium today. The game will be aired live on SuperSport La Liga at 4:15pm.

Atletico, having the best home record so far this season, will be returning to La Liga looking to maintain their remarkable position while Bilbao will probably have a struggling game as they had the second worst away record in La Liga. Their last five away league games against Atletico have all been lost with their last win in 2011.

Other La Liga matches to look forward to today are; GranadavsBarcelonaat6:30pm and Osasuna vs Real Madrid at 9:00pm.WhileonSunday,Elche

will face Getafe at 6:30pm, Valladolid vs Valencia at 9:00pm.

All La liga matches will be broadcast live on SuperSport La Liga (GOtv channel 32) Also, to be broadcast on Saturday is the Serie A encounter between AC Milan and Torino at the San Siro stadium. The game is at 8:45pm and will be shownliveonSuperSportSelect 1 (GOtv channel 33).

Both teams will be bringing their A-game as current Serie A leaders, Milan will be looking to retain their stay atop the league on Saturday night after suffering a midweek setback against Juventus, losing 3-1 at home while Torino who had a terrible end to last season, will be bringing in their best form.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž 9, 2021

31

GLOBAL SOCCER

Samuel Chukwueze

The Centurion Man When Samuel Chukwueze joined Spanish side,Villarreal in 2017,` very few doubted his ability to perform at the highest level. What many did not however envisaged was the ability of theYellow Submarine to be able to retain his services considering his continuous link away from the club to big European giants.The Nigerian wingerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision to stay put at the Estadio de la Ceramica has indeed paid off as he on Tuesday became the youngest player to hit the hundredth- game mark forVillarreal

Barcelona defensive duo of Jodi Alba and Clement Lenglet struggling to match the pace of Samuel Chukwueze

S

amuel Chukwueze, became Villarrealâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youngest-ever footballer to feature in 100 games when stepped out onto the pitch against Zamora on Tuesday.

The Nigerian international reached this hallowed rank having starred in the Yellow Submarineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 4-1 defeat of Zamora in Tuesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Copa del Rey encounter.

At 21 years, seven months and 11 days, he eclipsed the record set

by Argentina international and AC Milan centre back Mateo Musacchio, who reached the centenary mark aged 21 years, 11 months and 20 days. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A record-making centenarian.

Samuel Chukwueze has reached 100 games with Villarrealâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first team after starting the Copa del Rey game against Zamora CF,â&#x20AC;? wrote the LaLiga side in a statement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Nigerian forward has reached the 100-game mark (79 in LaLiga, 13 in the Europa League and eight in the Copa del Rey), aged just 21 years, seven months and 11 days, becoming the youngest player to reach this mark in

official games for the Villarreal CF first team.â&#x20AC;?

To mark his latest achievement, the jet-heeled Super Eagles forward bagged an assist as Unai Emeryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s men sent the fourth tier Spanish side packing from the competition with Carlos Bacca, Yeremi Pino, Carlos Ramos, Fer Nino and Daniel Raba finding the net.

After an impressive shift, he was substituted for Dani Parejo in the 63rd minute of the encounter staged at the Estadio Ruta de la Plata.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian football great and LaLiga ambassador Mutiu Adepoju has taken to social media to congratulate the 2015 Fifa U17 World Cup bronze boot winner on his historic feat. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dear Chukwueze, becoming Villarrealâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youngest centurion ever is a very beautiful accomplishment from you. Well-done on this and I hope this unlocks other hidden potentials in you. Wishing you greater successes ahead,â&#x20AC;?

Adepoju tweeted.

The youngster was snapped up by the Spanish top-flight team from Diamond Football Academy thanks to his impressive outing where he helped Emmanuel

Amunekeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Golden Eaglets win the 2017 Fifa U-17 World Cup in Chile.

There, he was named third-best player behind Johannes Eggestein and compatriot Victor Osimhen.

Having impressed for the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reserves in the third tier, he was promoted to the senior team â&#x20AC;&#x201C; making his debut in a Europa League game against Rangers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as manager Javi Calleja brought him in as a 79th-minute replacement for Nicola Sansone.

Since then, he has been a regular in the Yellow Submarine setup, while accentuating his importance to the team with eye-catching performances.

Days after winning the Bronze Ball - on the strength of three goals and three assists - and helping Nigeria win a fifth U-17 world title, football agency Stellar Group signed Chukwueze and three other players from the Nigerian squad.

The deal saw the highly soughtafter star, who models his game on Arjen Robben, sign for a top European club, as those before him had done.

The only snag that hindered a potential move abroad very early was his age, as the attacker 16, and

would have to wait for two years before he could sign professional terms.

The teenager returned home while awaiting news from his agents about a potential career move, and kept busy by shuttling between training and playing for Diamond Academy and the Nigeria U-20s, who were involved in the qualification for the ill-fated 2017 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.

After celebrating his 17th birthday, he seemed poised to join Arsenal, alongside Nwakali, who signed a five-year contract with the Gunners.

However, Diamond Academy pulled the plug on the deal at the last minute, and Chukwueze began to slip out of the limelight, a situation made more challenging by his Golden Eaglets teammates of lesser profiles securing moves to Europe.

Undeterred by those series of disappointments, Chukwueze eventually packed his bags and journeyed to Spain, first joining Villarrealâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s U-18 team, before being promoted to the B team.

Chukwuezeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s emergence came as positive news to Nigerian fans, with the national side lacking a naturally left-footed winger since the untimely retirement of Emmanuel Amuneke, who coached the wonderkid in the Eaglesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; U-17 and U-20 teams.

Despite his relative inexperience, Rohr identified the starletâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s raw talent and handed him an audition in a team which, for all its outstanding attacking players, lacks a natural left winger to create panic and havoc on opposition defences with direct running, effective crossing and superb technique.

G LO B A L S O C C E R ASSISTANT EDITOR

THISDAY ON SATURDAY EDITOR

THISDAY NEWSPAPERS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN

MANAGING DIRECTOR

DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR

32

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ 9, 2021

JANUARY ͷ˜ ͰͮͰͯ ˾ THISDAY,THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

33

34

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž Î Ë&#x153; 2021

AUTO WORLD

Bennett Oghifo 07052343083 Email:bennett.oghifo@thisdaylive.com

TIPS OF THE WEEK Wrong Way to Park Your Car That Will Damage Gearbox Awrong way to park an automatic transmission car can damage the gearbox and send you looking for a replacement sooner than is expected. This is a common mistake many drivers make on regular basis without knowing it. When the car is stopped many people push directly from *D* to *P* then apply the handbrake and turn off the engine. This parking is not correct. Pushing directly into the *P* gear puts the stress of the whole car on the *P* locking hole not on the handbrake. If you continue to do this for a long time, this will damage your gearbox.

Thecorrectmethodiswhenthecarisstopped,first push to the *N* gear and then apply the handbrake so that the force point of the car is on the handbrake.

Next, push to the *P* gear then turn off the engine.

I am aware many of us donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know this and have been gradually damaging our vehicle gearbox without knowing it.

Mercedes benz

Six new Mercedes-EQ Launches by 2022

M

ercedes-Benz is targeting leadership in electric drives and vehicle software. The consistent electrification of the entire product portfolio is a key element of the strategic focus â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ambition 2039â&#x20AC;? and a prerequisite on the way to CO neutrality. In 2022 the portfolio includes eight all-electric Mercedes-EQ models. The global Mercedes-Benz production network is ready for the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s electric product offensive and is integrating its Mercedes-EQ models into series production in its existing plants.

Markus Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG; responsible for Daimler Group Research and COO Mercedes-Benz Cars: â&#x20AC;&#x153;With its â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Electric Firstâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; strategy, Mercedes-Benz is consistently on the path to CO neutrality and is investing

heavily in transformation. Our vehicle portfolio becomes electric and thus also our global production network with vehicle and battery factories.

We intend to lead in the field of e-mobility and focus in particular on battery technology. We are taking a comprehensive approach, ranging from research and development to production, and also including strategic cooperation.â&#x20AC;?

The EQS, the first electric luxury sedan from Mercedes-Benz, will start in the first half of 2021 in Factory 56 at the Sindelfingen site (Germany).

With the production launch of the electric compact SUV EQA at the Rastatt plant (Germany) and the current decision to locate EQB production in the Hungarian plant in KecskemĂŠt, the company is taking further important steps toward making its product portfolio CO neutral. The course has also been set toward â&#x20AC;&#x153;Electric Firstâ&#x20AC;? in the global powertrain production network as well. High-

efficiency battery systems will also be manufactured and assembled within the production network.

JĂśrg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz AG, Production and Supply Chain: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Mercedes-Benz production network is global, digital and flexible, and ready for the upcoming electric offensive â&#x20AC;&#x201C; thanks, of course, to our highly qualified and motivated employees worldwide. We are now beginning a real MercedesEQ fireworks display. Six electric product launches by 2022 underscore the strength and competence of our Mercedes-Benz production sites worldwide.

The production network will have a total of six Mercedes-EQ car locations. Local production of highly efficient battery systems plays a central role in the Mercedes-Benz strategy - coupled with a comprehensive sustainability concept that spans the entire life cycle of the battery all the way to recycling.â&#x20AC;?

Autochek Unveils RMD as Brand Ambassador Autochek, an automotive technology company, has unveiled popular Nollywood actor, Richard Mofe-Damijo, RMD, as their BrandAmbassador Officials of Autochek announced this in a statement, saying the company is set out to transform the African automobile industry by deploying cutting-edge technology to redefine the buying, maintenance and selling experience for everything that pertains to cars.

The Head of Retail Growth and Marketing, Autochek, Busayo Olude, stated that she is confident in the future the partnership holds for the brand. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We believe the best choice of an ambassador should be an embodiment of a brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s values and culture. RMD is not just an award-winning maestro in acting, he is also a lawyer, a writer and a producer. He is well-loved by many for his disarming charm, legendary charisma and celebrated creativity. His agility, sleekness, and versatility are strong attributes of our brand as well, and we believe he is a perfect fit for what we embody,â&#x20AC;? she said.

RMD acknowledged the stir Autochek has caused in the African Automobile industry following its rebrand this year from Cheki to Autochek in a superlative and admirable manner and expressed his pleasure and pride in being associated with the visionary creators. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am very humbled to be deemed worthy of being the face of the brand and look forward to taking the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s message to the doorsteps of Nigerians,â&#x20AC;? he said.

The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vice President, Commercial, Mayokun Fadeyibi, stated that the brand is excited to have a veteran to drive home the message of the new experience Autochek affords all car

6 WaysTo MaintainYour Gearbox In Good Condition Owning a car in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world has become a necessity that not only reduces efforts but also saves time. But owning a car can also mean loads of maintenance, and not everyone can commit to that. One important aspect of car maintenance is the gearbox, which is a complicated factor, yet quite easy to sustain if given more attention.

Firstly, try to know the signs of how and why your gearbox would need more care and attention. You should know that the gearbox needs to be repaired if the following occur: your car is having difficulty in turning, your accelerator does not function efficiently, you feel the car vibrating at higher speeds, you see any fluid leaks, or you hear squeaks or any noise coming from the bottom of the car When it comes to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;why,â&#x20AC;? it can be caused by aggressive driving or shifting, not oiling it enough or frequently, or just shifting at the wrong speed, causing a major load on the gearbox and the engine.

There are a lot of ways through which you can maintainyourgearboxandkeepitingoodcondition.

Educatingyourselfwillhelpyoureapthemaximum benefits for starters. Below are six of these ways.

Shifting appropriately Thenumberonecauseofdisruptionofthegearbox is improper or violent shifting, which can obviously be solved by not shifting imprudently or forcibly.

This helps in synchronizing the shaft and cog rotation, and thus it runs efficiently. Also, you need your car to be at a complete stop position before changing the gear from â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;driveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;reverse,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; or the opposite. When you shift, turn off the clutch by pushing the clutch pedal. Then, after you shift, let the clutch be released slowly to keep a smooth drive. When you are in the reverse gear or 1, do the same to avoid shaking and jerks. There is an engine â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;RPMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; which indicates the correct or appropriate shift, which you need to know as it depends on the car you drive.

Warm up the car thoroughly Almost everyone has the habit of taking a seat in the car and driving off immediately. Before you sit in your car and start driving, you need to warm up your engine for a few minutes for the engine to work efficiently. This is particularly necessary to do in the winter because the components could get frozen and not work properly. Warm the car up for a minimum of 30 seconds before you take off.

L-R Chief Executive OďŹ&#x192;cer, Autochek Africa, Etop Ikpe; and Brand Ambassador, Richard MofeDamijo RMD, at the signing-up ceremony in Lagosâ&#x20AC;Ś recently owners, motorists and prospective car owners. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We remain committed to making the car ownership experience hassle-free, unmatched and enjoyable for our customers. With RMD onboard, Autochekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drive to recreate the automobile experience across Nigeria and Africa, we can only get better and will remain poised in surpassing our customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expectations,â&#x20AC;? he said.

The statement said, Autochek is a one-stop

automotive-technology shop offering 360-degrees digital solutions to automotive needs through its digital infrastructure for better sales coordination, servicing and financing for the African auto market.

Also, Autochek has a catalogue that features different car brands and segment options from SUVs,sedans,hatchbacks,tobusesandeverything in between.

Change oil in the gearbox frequently Changing the oil in the gearbox does not only help in cooling down the heated components and reduces friction amongst the parts but also preventscorrosionandlubricatesthesub-assemblies to function better. It is advised to change the oil in your gearbox almost every 50.000 kilometers, and not more than that. This reduces noise and allows smoother transitions by reducing vibrations. Basically, doing so handles all wear-and-tear issues. Made of a synthetic source, the oil helps maintain the temperature throughout and makes the process efficient. Also, make sure that you are using the correct oil for the respective gearbox, which can be taught to you by the experts. You can visit Vinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Automotive Group today to know more about changing the oil and learning about the right one. If you keep waiting to notice the oil leak yourself, you are bound to end up with a very expensive repair.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž Î Ë&#x153; 2021

35

AUTO WORLD

Hyundai Motor Wins Four 2020 GOOD DESIGN Awards

H

yundai Motor Company announced its win of four accolades at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s GOOD DESIGN Awards.

Hyundaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two most progressive EV concepts, 45 and Prophecy, together with the all-new 2021 Hyundai Elantra and the Hyundai Hi-Charger, an ultra-fast EV charging infrastructure, were recognized in the Awardsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Transportation category. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hyundaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design vision to provide lifestyle mobility that coexists with peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives has been recognized by winning these awards,â&#x20AC;? said SangYup Lee, Senior Vice President and Head of Hyundai Global Design Center. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Especially through our EV design, we would like to forge a strong emotional connection between humans and automobiles, giving more value to our customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s everyday life.â&#x20AC;?

The 45 EV concept, first introduced at the International Motor Show 2019 in Frankfurt, is a futuristic homage to Hyundaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s iconic Pony Coupe Concept. The styling of 45 is defined by its monocoque-style form, aerodynamics, light-weight design inspired by aircrafts, and diamond-shaped silhouette.

Earlier this year, the 45 shone under the spotlight at other world-renowned design competitions, including the 2020 International Design Excellence Awards, 2020 Red Dot Awards, and the iF Design Award 2020. Such accolades raise expecta-

tions of the upcoming release of IONIQ 5, Hyundaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first dedicated EV in the new IONIQ lineup brand launching next year.

The Prophecy, unveiled last March, is Hyundaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visionary concept that signifies a direction of future EV styling based on the Sensuous Sportiness design identity.

It expands on the era-defining example set by the 45 EV concept that stripped away complexity in favor of clean lines and minimalistic structures. Prophecy won â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Best of the Bestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in 2020 Red Dot Awardsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Design Concept group, and the concept was also named a finalist for 2020 International Design Excellence Awards.

Another big win went to the all-new 2021 Elantra, which made its debut earlier this year. The seventh generation Elantra offers a futuristic and innovative look and feel, thanks to its Parametric Dynamics design elements. The vehicleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exterior design is adorned with unique style features including a parametric-jewel-pattern grille and a H-tail Lamp that creates a Hyundai â&#x20AC;&#x153;flying Hâ&#x20AC;? logo-like shape. The interior further complements the Elantraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overall appeal with a 10-inch information-display cluster and infotainment system.

The Hyundai Hi-Charger demonstrates the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to offer a completely new charging experience to EV owners.

The 350kW ultra-fast charger enables users to easily power their EVs without feeling the weight of connectors and cables.

The user simply chooses the position of a

All-new 2021 Hyundai Elantra

vehicleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s charging port on a digital screen, and a connector automatically rotates and descends to the selected point for an effortless connection. Earlier this year, the Hyundai Hi-Charger won a prize in the User Experience Design category of the 2020 Red Dot Design Awards.

Celebrating its 70th anniversary, the

GOOD DESIGN Awards program is one of the oldest design competitions in the world. Every year, the program selects a list of products and industry leaders in design and manufacturing that have chartered new directions for innovation and pushed the envelope for competitive products in the world marketplace.

Toyota Leads Industry above 900,000 Sales in 2020

T

oyota has led the Australian automotive industry to a betterthan-expected sales total of 916,968 new vehicles for 2020.

The industry tally includes a record 54,335 Toyota hybrids, propelling electrified vehicles to more than five per cent of the annual national market for the first time.

Despite the toughest economic conditions experienced in a generation, Toyotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overall tally of 204,801 customer deliveries came within just 965 sales or 0.5 per cent of its total from the previous year.

Market share of 22.3 per cent was Toyotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strongest result since 2008 - a rise of 3.0 points.

Toyota became the first automotive company to take a clean sweep as the best-selling brand, while also having the top-selling vehicle in every major category - overall (HiLux), passenger car (Corolla), sports-utility vehicle (RAV4) and light-commercial vehicle (HiLux).

It was the best-selling brand for the 24th time, including the past 18 years in a row - and the

top seller in every state and territory.

Toyota dealers sold more than 200,000 vehicles for the ninth year in a row and for the 16th time in the past 17 years.

For the third year in a row, customers bought twice as many vehicles from Toyota than from any other make.

HiLux (45,176 sales) wasAustraliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best-selling vehicle for the fifth year in a row. It was also the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most popular commercial vehicle for the 23rd year straight.

The versatile workhorse has now been the sales leader in Western Australia for 13 years, Queensland for 14 years and the Northern Territory for 20 years.

RAV4 was Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best-selling SUV with a record 38,537 buyers. It was also the most popular hybrid with 26,400 or almost 70 per cent of its total demand.

Toyotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legendary Corolla was the best-selling passenger car for the 8th year in a row. Stablemate Camry has now been the most popular mid-size car for a consecutive period that now spans 27 years.

2021 Toyota Hilux double cabin

Carmageddon: Hidden War Between Motor Cars and People

T

here is a silent, ongoing, global war between motor cars and people.

It is silence because, though it kills many times more people than armed conflicts and terrorist acts combined. It seldom hits the headlines in the way they do. It is ongoing because it rages and will continue to rage around us day and night. And it is global because, though it started in the rich world just over a century ago, it has spread throughout the world and is now spreading like wildfire through poor countries.

I have called this was Carmageddon, from the Biblical word Armageddon, a dramatic and catastrophic conflict, especially one seen as likely to destroy the world or the human race. This article is a brief description of Carmageddon and four theatre of war.

THEATRE OF WAR The First, Motorcarnage, the daily killing on the roads, is the one we are most aware of.

The second is oil wars: large and small armed conflicts in pursuit of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s remaining oil reserves. Third, there is a global ecoside, the part played by cars in climate change and global warming, probably the most serious threat to human life in history. Finally, there is social ecoside, the degradation of communal life and culture brought by our dependency on cars to move

SAFE DRIVING with Jonas Agwu amnipr, mcipr,mprsa,arpa Assistant Corps Marshal Zonal Commanding Officer Federal Road Safety Corps.

ourselves around.

MOTORCARNAGE The killing vaguely comes into our sub consciousness in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Daily Trafficâ&#x20AC;? we hear on the radio, which tells us where to expect delays or which alternative route we can use where there has been a violent incident involving motor vehicles: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; there has been a terrible collision on the M2 near Bellville, expect some delays, or take an alternative route through so- and- so...â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; it seldom mention the victims.

Deaths due to motor vehicles exceed those due to armed conflicts by several folds. Annual traffic deaths number more than 1.2 million, those due to armed conflict around 310,000 1. In 2004, terrorist acts killed 1907 people around the world, a 3- fold increase over the year before. 2 Most of those killed and maimed by Motorcarnage do

not belong to the car-owning classes; militarist would see these deaths as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;collateral damageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; overwhelming, they are from poor countries and poor communities in rich countries. In 2002, for example, of all children killed, 96% were from low- income and middle- income countries, and in rich countries, the rich for children in families without a car is twice that of children in car owning families. 3 Motoring journalist often Climate change already kills an estimated 160,000 people each year 6 but the future looks even more interesting. Once again it will be the poor, the people who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t belong to the car-owning classes.

Who will suffer the most?

Refers to motor cars as weapons. For example, Dennis Droppa says the BMW 5M is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;more than just a cruise missileâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; it has â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;the ammo to take on the super charge E- 55 even though the Benz outguns itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;. His colleague, Michelle Lupini agrees. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; I reckon the BMW 5M has to be the ultimate driving weapon on the road today. 5Many other cars has been refers to as weapons.

OIL WARS Examples of oil was include the illegal and occupation of Iraq, the repeated attempt to overthrow President Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, the botched coup attempt in Equatorial Guinea, and the struggles between local communities and oil companies in Nigeria and Latin America.

We can expect oil wars to escalate for three reasons.

Firstly, the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oil production is predicted to peak soon (if it hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t already). After the peak, oil production will decrease. Secondly, demand will continue to increase, particularly in light of rapid economic growth and the motorization of the new superpowers like China and India. This will mean massive increase in oil price, with far reaching effect on the life of everyone. Thirdly, the US sees control of oil as a major strategic issue in terms of its foreign policies. The west coast of Africa with its oil reserves is likely to be a contested area in future oil wars.

GLOBAL ECOSIDE Cars are among the largest contributors to carbon dioxide and other emissions from combustion of oil and play a large role in climate changes.

Climate change already kills an estimated 160,000 people each year 6 but the future looks even more interesting. Once again it will be the poor, the people who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t belong to the car owning classes. Who will suffer the most? The intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is the foremost authority in this field. IPCC model show the climate change will threaten health â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;particularly in lower income populations, predominantly within tropical/subtropical countries.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; They confidently predicts that climate change will lead to an increase in heat-related death and illness, more epidemics of infectious disease after storms and floods, make significant impacts from the displacement of populations in response to rise in sea level and greater storm activity. (Concluded next week) Culled from DNA. com

36

Ë&#x153; Ëž JANUARY 9, 2021

MEDIAGAFFES

EXPRESSION

BY

Presidential Speech Solecisms

W

EBERE WABARA

ewabara@yahoo.com, 08055001948

ELCOME to the New Year! â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you borrow to fund white elephant projectsâ&#x20AC;Ś.â&#x20AC;? (Politics & Power, December 30) Get it right: delete â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;projectsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, which is encapsulated in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;elephantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. This way: to fund white elephants â&#x20AC;&#x153;PTF: Fresh mandate amidst (amid) COVID-19 second waveâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;For President Buhari the time is tickling (ticking)â&#x20AC;Ś.â&#x20AC;? (THE NATION ON SUNDAY, January 3, 2021) â&#x20AC;&#x153;If these three groups pull their resources together, it may not be diffi fficult toâ&#x20AC;Ś.â&#x20AC;? Get it right: pool (not â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;pullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;) resources with the exclusion of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;togetherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, which is otiose. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tenure elongation: Court dismisses Nasarawa LG chairman (chairmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s) suite (suit)â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time (high time) something drastic was done about this hell-born evil in the skin of doctorsâ&#x20AC;? Alternatively, it is time something drastic is done aboutâ&#x20AC;Ś. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Area Commander reads riot act (the riot act) to criminalsâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Airforce (Air force) jet crashlands (crashlands) in Yolaâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;NBA raises alarm (the alarm) over kidnap of memberâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;5,000 Ogun residents benefit fi from Aisha Buhariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health screening (health-screening) initiativeâ&#x20AC;?

Wrong: Cat and mouse game in APC Right: Cat-and-mouse game in APC â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dear customer, due to our BVN system upgrade (a comma) your ATM card has been deactivated. To reactivate (another comma) kindly (what is the function of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;kindlyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; here?) call MR. JOHN on 08163471976 for reactivation.â&#x20AC;? Abracadabra: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;to reactivateâ&#x20AC;Śfor reactivationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;! The number used to send this fraudulent message to gulll ible clients, mostly, is 09035088335. Please do

not be a victim of this kind of serial scam.

This intervention is much more important than the excerpted lexical and grammatical blunders. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jibrin, however, said his lawyers have (had)â&#x20AC;Ś.â&#x20AC;? (THISDAY, January 5) â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stakeholders urge EFCC, ICPC to conduct thorough investigation on (into) the matterâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Disease control (Disease-control) centre activates 3 labs for disease outbreak samplesâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Traders count loses (losses) as fi fire guts Sokoto old marketâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mohammed urged the cleric not to indulge in actions that can (could) divide the country along religious lines.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;You are arguably one of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foremost industrialistsâ&#x20AC;Ś.â&#x20AC;? What is the meaning of this schoolboy contradiction?

Most of the errors this week are from The Guardian of January 1: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even when memm bers of the Special Task Force (STF) came to restore order at the venueâ&#x20AC;Ś.â&#x20AC;? Conscience, Nurtured by Truth: restore order to (not at) the venueâ&#x20AC;Ś. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ekiti CAN members protest over clergy killings in the Northâ&#x20AC;? The Flagship (is it still?) of journalism in Nigeria should know that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;protestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; takes â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;aboutâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;againstâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;atâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;; not â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;overâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Even these are optional. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In Nigeria, if you loose, you call a press conference telling the world the judge does not like your face or is biased and so on.â&#x20AC;?

Just lose. first private refi finery takes-off â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fi soonâ&#x20AC;? Phrasal verbs abhor hyphenation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every one of us has a part to play as electorates because this is the only country we have.â&#x20AC;? Democracy for Justice: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;electorr ateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is a collective that does not need any infl nflection. A rewrite: Every one of us has a part to play as a member of the electorate or as an elector (or still, all of us have a part to play as the electorate). Perhaps, with time, the usage would register.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Śgood governance in a continent where the use of impunity, unfortunately, has become an instrument of democratic governanceâ&#x20AC;? Tunisiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s changing times: on a continent. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Like (As) I have always saidâ&#x20AC;Ś.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Ścalling to question the forced involvee ment of Nigeria in the second world warâ&#x20AC;? At a time like this: World War II. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was this situation that heightened the political condition in the country that culminated intoâ&#x20AC;Ś.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Culminateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; takes â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;inâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. â&#x20AC;&#x153;London was actually constantly under siege until he was eventually extradited back to Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;Ś.â&#x20AC;? The Guardian is not on trial, but let us delete â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;backâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; from the extract for all partiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; collective grammatical sanity. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The facility will result in improved fi of the Internet trafffic and security profile save the nation of the embarrassment ofâ&#x20AC;Ś.â&#x20AC;?

Info-tech: save the nation the embarrassment ofâ&#x20AC;Ś. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Renowned fi filmmakers will converge in (on) Nigeria next week forâ&#x20AC;Ś.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Voice of the Electorate (V.O.T.E) congratuu lates PDP delegates nationwide for (on/ upon) defining fi historyâ&#x20AC;Ś.â&#x20AC;?

THE PUNCH OPINION of January 1 circulated two goofs: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Politically, experts in IT advocated for the use of e-voting systemâ&#x20AC;Ś.â&#x20AC;?

Once again, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;advocateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; when used as a verb does not admit â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;forâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There will be what I call enriched mobile communication experience come 2021 through mobile moneyâ&#x20AC;Ś.â&#x20AC;? ICT development: experience in 2021. â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Śtodayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presidential primary may be riddled with so much (many) underhand deals and sharp practices.â&#x20AC;? What is the differr ence between â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;underhand dealsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;sharp practicesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;? The latter should subsume the former! An aside: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;muchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; instead of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;manyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;In doing so (a coma) some of the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supporters may certainly have overstepped the bound of proprietyâ&#x20AC;Ś.â&#x20AC;? Get it right: the bounds of propriety.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Reactions to this position have been pouring in, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highly elating that most share same position.â&#x20AC;? This way: most share the same position. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Majority of Nigerians are of the opinion that a country roundly blessed has no business tottering at the brink of disintegraa tion and collapse.â&#x20AC;? A/the majority of Nigeriansâ&#x20AC;Ś. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A court ruled affi ffirming zoning but paradoxically dismissing Atikuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suite.â&#x20AC;? ONE WEEK of big men and small men: simply Atikuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suit.

From the Other Side THE presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national broadcast of January 1, 2021, our Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s year indeed, was not devoid of errors. His speechwriters need to always make time to do a thorough work. Paragraphs 3 and 13, among a few other paragraphs, contain very glaring lexical and grammatical errors. Paragraph 3: â&#x20AC;&#x153;...we saw this year put to test (put to the test) our resilience....â&#x20AC;? We correctly say: put to the test, put to the vote, etc. Paragraph 13: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;...with a view to enhance (with a view to enhancc ing)â&#x20AC;Ś.Any secondary school student who is worth his salt knows that whenever any of the phrases: with a view to, look forward to, etc. is used, the accompanying word should end in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;-ingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mr. Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s speechwriters should always ensure that the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s speeches are properly edited before any broadcast. Happy New Year!

(Contributed by Dr. Stanley Nduagu/08062925996/Aba) FINAL WORD It is my supplication that we would have infrequent errors this year in our use of the English language. And so shall it be! May you never be involved in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;my bank and your wifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; a la FCMB!

NEWSXTRA

Kogi CJ Charges New Magistrates, Area Judges on Good Conduct

2021: Anambra APC Seeks National Leadersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Support to Win Guber Election

Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja

David-Chyddy Elekein Awka

Kogi State Chief Judge, Justice Henry Olusiyi has charged the newly appointed Magistrates and Senior Area Court Judges to always uphold the tenants of the oaths they took during the cause of discharging their duties.

Justice Olusiyi who gave the charged on Friday during the inauguration of eight magg istrates and two Senior Area Court Judges at the State High Court premises in Lokoja, Kogi State. The Chief Judge who will be retiring from service next week Monday, warned the new

judges that they are in charge of their courts and they should not allow any infraction to derail them from the oath they took to deliver justice without fear or favour.

"You should be faithful to the oath you have taken, it is a vow that you should take serious at all times. Also remember that Justice is about the discovery of truth and you should endeavour to know the truth so that you can do the right thing.

"You have taken oat of office and oath of allegiance and you should ensure that it is binding on you because it is not reverss

ible. Oath should be a constant reminder of your duties and you are expected to be guided by the fear of God at all time so that you don't go astray."

Justice Olusiyi who stated that the work of adjudication is the work that put Judges in the class of God, urged every Judges in the state to always remember that they are playing the role of God almighty and as such they should not allow external influu ence to distract them from doing the right thing as spelt out by the law.

Responding on behalf of other newly appointed Judges,

Joseph Ajesola a Chief Magiss trate 1 thank the Chief Judge for finding them worthy of appointment and promised that they would uphold the oath they have taken to discharge their duties creditably , assuring that they would never do any thing that would tarnish the image of the Kogi State Judiciary.

Joseph Ajesola and Eleojo Habibatu Audu appointed as Chief Magistrate 1 while Ree kiya Ameadi and Ipinera Felix Sunday are appointed as Senior Magistrate 1 and Avazi Juliana Ohunene appointed as Senior Magistrate II.

NANS: FGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2021 Education Budget, Worst in 10 years Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti The President of the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS), Com. Sunday Asefon, has described the 2021 budgett ary provision for education under President Muhammadu Buhari, as the worst in the last decade.

Disturbed by the neglect of the education sector, which was apportioned a paltry 5.6 per cent in the 2021 budget and the high level of insecurity in the country, NANS has planned to organise a Security and Education Summ mit, in partnership with stakee holders on how to arrest the drift

in the two critical sectors.

Asefon said this in Ado Ekiti yesterday during a courtesy visit to the office of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Correspondentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Chapel.

He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I condemn totally the federal governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2021 budgetary provision to educaa tion. It was the worst in the last 10 years. The federal government only apportioned 5.6 per cent to the sector out of a total of N13.6 trillion budgetary provision. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you remove the percentage for basic education, what then becomes of the tertiary cadre? The percentage is ridiculous, low and disappointt

ing. This is one of the challenges we are facing in the education sector.â&#x20AC;?

Asefon assured that the NANS under him would invest quality time to advocate for better funding of education sector, sayy ing the sector has been neglected because only the children of the poor attend public universities.

On the spate of insecurity in the land, Asefon described as shocking, the kidnap of over 300 boarding students of the Government College, Kankara, Katsina State by gunmen, saying this had attested to the utter faill ure of governance in the country. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was shocked by this incii

dent and I urge the federal govv ernment to do something urgent about this. When I was told that the Kankara students were kidd napped with motorbikes, I was not really happy. It shows we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have security around our campuses. Our students were being bullied and harassed by bandits across the North; that we wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tolerate. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nigeria is richly blessed. If you look at our budget, several billions of naira was budgeted to the security sector. In spite of this, we are not secure.

With the way things are today, Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gunpowder.

Leaders of All Progressives Conn gress (APC) in Anambra State have called for the support of the party at the national level to win the 2021 governorship election which come up in November this year.

Leaders of the party spoke in a special stakeholders meeting held in Awka, where speaker after speaker called for funding of the party to help it win the governorship election in the state.

Chairman of the party in the state, Hon Basil Ejidike who delivered a welcome address harped on the challenges of the party, calling for the support of its stakeholders and national leaders.

"A high powered committee of committed elders has been set up to explore avenues of sustainn ing the party financially. There is no steady source of revenue for the daily activities and sustee nance of the party," he said.

Hon Tony Nwoye, a goverr norship aspirant of the party in his own address called on the leader of the party in the state to reach out to the party at the naa tional level for support if the elecc tion must be fully prosecuted.

"This is a special meeting where we need to tell ourselves the truth. Our leader, Dr Chris Ngige (minister of Labour and

Employment) must play the role of a leader. He has to reach out to the party at the national for us to get the resources to discharge the election creditably.

"Let us tell ourselves the truth, we had the least votes in Nigeria for the presidential election and we had no Senate, House of Representatives or House of Assembly candidate who won in 2019 election. If we must grow, we must eschew all the past acrimonies and tell ourselves the truth and chart a course as to how we can win the forthcoming election."

Also, Paul Chukwuma the immediate past national auditor of the party and Emma Anosike, a former senator repp resenting Anambra North zone reiterated calls on Dr Ngige to speak to the national leadership of the party for them to "water the ground well for the party to be able to function in the forthh coming election."

Anosike said, "I have never seen a party that is in power at the national level, but when they is election here (Anambra), we are given money from back pocket to prosecute it, but when there is election in other states in other regions of the country, they give money from front pocket. If they do not want us to be a part of the election, they should tell us early enough so we go and rest."

37

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž Î Ë&#x153; 2021

MARKET PLACE with Omolabake Fasogbon... 08155131874

Engineers Lament Rising Cost of Building Materials

L-R: Actor, Director and Producer, Nollywood and Kannywood, Sani Musa Danja; Head, Marketing and Advertising, Santhosh Kumar Nair; Head, Sales, Haider Hussain Attar; and Nura Isah Idris, Marketer, Aspira Nigeria Ltd., during the endowment ceremony

Tax Professionals Tasked on Research, Capacity Building Experts have emphasized the importance of academic research to a sound and clear -cut policy that will aid national progress and development.

They clarified this at the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, CITNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual International Academic Conference on Taxation that was held in collaboration with Igbinedion University, Okada, in Edo State, recently.

Speaking at the conference, a Professor of Management and Accounting at Lead City University, Ibadan, Prof. Godwin Oyedokun, charged tax professionals to up their game in the area of research to be able to effectively deliver as policy

influencers.

According to Oyedokun who is also the conference Chairman, the place of research cannot be negotiated in the generation and exchange of tax knowledge in Nigeria.

He explained that the annual academic tax conference offered a platform to learn about trends in global taxation issues.

More importantly, he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The conference provides a wide range of opportunities for participants, host community, the nation and world at large, to extend the frontiers of knowledge in taxation and related fields. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It will also create a nexus for policymakers in evolving better

policies.â&#x20AC;?

Oyedokun informed that the institute received over 100 abstracts, from which those that scaled through review process were accepted for presentation at the conference.

He added that the the Institute had started accepting abstracts for the 4th International Academic Conference which is slated for August, 2021.

Earlier, President of CITN, Dame Olajumoke Simplice while treating the theme of the conference, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Taxation, Social Contract and Economic Developmentâ&#x20AC;?, urged government to enhance tax payment by building citizensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; trust through transparency and openness.

Aspira Endorses Sani Musa Danja as Product Brand Ambassador Aspira Nigeria Ltd., one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of hygiene/personal care and laundry care products in Nigeria, has signed-up one of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prominent celebrities, Sani Musa Danja, as its brand ambassador.

The signing opens a new chapter in Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fast moving consumer goods business, according to a statement by the company.

Reacting on the development, the management of Aspira Nigeria Ltd. said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are thrilled and excited to have Sani Danja as our brand ambassador for Aspira, being one of the most celebrated artists in Nigerian film industry with a rising sense of popularity and accomplishment.â&#x20AC;?

Expressing himself on his endorsement as Aspira brand

ambassador, Sani Musa Danja said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;I am happy. Being a brand ambassador of Aspira Nigeria Ltd. is a great achievement because this is a company that produces so many products. And it is based in Kano and so as an indigene of Kano, it is a great privilegeâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am also excited that the Aspira Nigeria Ltd. has a range of quality products that are effective and one that adds value to the life of the common manâ&#x20AC;? He added.

Also speaking at the event, head, marketing and advertising, Santhosh Kumar Nair, Aspira Nigeria Ltd. said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an honour to have Sani Danja on board as brand ambassador of Aspira. I believe his presence with us would significantly boost the value of our products. He is one of the

most popular celebrity, and he has made enormous contribution to the growth of entertainment industry.â&#x20AC;?

The operations of Aspira Nigeria Ltd. in Nigeria span over a decade with an enduring commitment to the daily lives of consumers.

Aspira commenced its operations in Nigeria in 2009, and have started local production of various brands of soaps and detergents. Aspira has its manufacturing plant with its headquarters located in Kano, in the northern part of Nigeria.

With a strong portfolio of over eight leading brands that includes Viva plus, Sabil, Chic, Family Care, Baby & Me, Fizz, Manuka & MP3, Aspira as a conglomerate pride itself to raising consumer satisfaction and market standards by offering world-class products.

Experts Seek Innovation, Investment in Beauty Sector Experts have sought for increased investment in Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beauty industry for more prospects in the burgeoning sector.

They declared this at the graduation ceremony of COC Beauty School that held recently in Lagos.

COC is a beauty product formulation institute and a recognised member of CPD certification services.

Speaking at the well-attended graduation ceremony, Chief Executive of the school, Ayo Bassey, stated that

Nigeria offered a vibrant environment for investment which she said that it has not been fully harnessed.

She added that driving investment to the sector would expedite the realisation of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goal of capturing the beauty and personal care market in Africa.

Among the graduands was the 2020 winner of Red Carpet Queen Intâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;l Reality TV Pageant, Bisoye Alagbe better known as Queen Adebizz, who officially joined the list

of players in the sector.

Adebizz beats other top contenders at the first edition of the Pageant to win for herself $2500 worth of scholarship to study skincare formulation at COC Beauty School for 6 months.

While congratulating the graduands, Bassey encouraged them to make good use of the knowledge they have acquired in the institute and urged them to always keep to the standards of the profession.

The Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers, NICE has lamented the rising cost of building materials, including Cement, warning that such could contribute to building collapse this year.

National Vice Chairman of NICE, Engr.Lola Adetona, gave the warning at Civil Engineersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Annual Dinner and Public Lecture, that took place in Lagos, recently.

The Vice Chairman said that rising prices of materials have forced many stakeholders to compromise quality for inferior materials.

She said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Skyrocketing cost of cement is making construction engineers, builders and contractors, particularly quacks, to find shortcuts at the expense of Quality Control and Assurance (QCQA), because they are more interested in making profit, regardless of what happens to a building in the long run. This is why we may continue to experience building collapse. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are in danger. Deep danger! We no longer have any other option than to find a way to stem this tide. We have an opportunity now to talk and take this matter to the next level.â&#x20AC;?

As a matter of urgency, Adetona called for a deep discussion among federal government, cement manufacturers, and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) that would address the threats. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I speak as not just an engineer but as a concerned mother, wife, resident and tax-paying citizen. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The reality of these tragedies when they happen are more graphic than we know; particularly to victims of collapsed buildings. When a building collapses, children, parents and even families are affected. Generations are destroyed and scarred forever, future of children is stunted, capital is lost, people lose jobs, while some end up in hospital or jail.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;You will agree with me that we cannot fight COVID-19 on one hand and at the same time do damage control of buildings that will be collapsing, when contractors will be forced to cut corners. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We can save those buildings today and as NICE, we must move our narrative in this direction because time is of the essence.â&#x20AC;?

The former National Chairman of the Institution, Engr. James Owivri also expressed displeasure about the hike.

He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Based on the usual 2500 prize per bag of cement, contract had been signed, and within short period of two weeks, the bag rose to N3800 and N4000, how is the contractor expected to reconcile the differenceâ&#x20AC;??

NGO Rolls-out Empowerment Initiatives A non-profit organisation, Glorycloud Global Outreach, has restated its commitment to societal growth just as its unveiled initiatives targeting societal growth and development.

Speaking while unveiling the programme, President of the organisation, Rev. Sunday â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Yinka Adebiyi, stated that empowering individuals with lifelong skills has always been at the centre of the organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s objectives.

He said in addition to fulfilling the organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pledge of giving back to the society, such initiatives are considered economy drivers producing multiple effects.

He said as part of the organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programmes was a two-week skill acquisition programme set to kick -off next Monday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Participants will be trained on catering, fashion design, web design and digital marketing, makeup & gele tieing,to mention a few in Eruwa, Oyo state. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So far, over 400 have registered for the exercise and they are expected to undergo intense practical training after which a graduation cermony will be conducted and certificates awarded.â&#x20AC;?

Adebiyi disclosed further that the organisation will be commissioning a Dream Centre i.e a media/viewing centre where motivational and inspiring movies will be aired from time to time. â&#x20AC;&#x153; We will also be handing over of a Borehole facility to Idi-ata community in Oyo state, to enhance productivity among the indigenesâ&#x20AC;?, he said.

38

Ë&#x153; Ëž JANUARY 9, 2021

THEFRONTLINES

FAJ/JOE

What A Tumultuous 2020

T

he out gone year 2020 would go down in history as a year that has redefined fi humanity and the world in all ramifi ifications. Given the huge expectations that heralded itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coming in the twilight of 2019, the year turned out to reset the world. It broke and shattered conventions, taught humanity lessons on lifestyles, impacted global businesses in such ways that some went into outright extinction, other still standing had to remodel, while also opening new opportunities for newer businesses. The same also reflected fl in profi fit and loss. While some companies lost so much money forcing them to fi file for bankruptcies, others who remodeled and seized the new opportunities thrown up were smiling to their banks, ditto the fortunes of high net worth individuals like Elon Musk the promoter of Tesla brand whose net worth is now above precious holder Jeff Bezos of Amazon as the richest man globally.

In all this, year 2020 was completely defined by the outbreak of the Coronavirus also christened COVID-19. Although the source of the pandemic that is still sweeping across the world even as you read this piece is still a matter of conjecture, the World Health Organisation (WHO) traced the origin to Hubei and Wunan provinces all in China where the pandemic broke out in late 2019.

From the global point of view, 88.1m people have so far contracted the virus, 49m recovered while 1.9m have died with the United States alone leading with 365,000 deaths as at today.

Nigeria has recorded 96,000 as number of people who contracted the virus today with 1330 deaths recorded so far.

According to the Global Finance quoting figures from the International Labour Organisation, (ILO) over 515m people lost their jobs globally. This means that over half a billion people have no means of livelihood, no housing, medicare and have lost the ability to fend for themselves due to the pandemic.

As a result of this, so many countries stepped forward to fill the gap created by the pandemic by announcing sweeping interventions to create safety nets for those hardest hit by COVID-19. Most notably, the United States congress this week approved a stimulus package that would guarantee a paycheck of $2000 to those out of work.

In Nigeria, despite the low percentage of recorded infections, the pandemic put a lie to past governments much touted â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;2020 Healthcare for Allâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; policies. It also exposed the present President Muhammadu Buhariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s messianic administration as merely paying lip service to bringing much needed change to the healthcare sector when apart from the general medical tourism engaged by Nigerians abroad, the President himself treats his ailments in London.

For instance, during the first wave, it began very clear that even the best government hospitals were ill equipped to handle

patients. Even a basic essential like oxygen that is required in case a patients needs a ventilator is unavailable. In fact, five years into the Buhari administration, hospital are worst than consulting clinics to put it mildly.

Now that the second wave is here and the pandemic is spiraling out of control. Hospitals are overflowing with patients and some no longer taking patients because of lack of space.

The unmotivated overworked hospital staff are overwhelmed.

The government is largely responsible for why people failed to adhere to protocols announced to keep them safe.

Despite the loss of jobs and the lockdown ordered by the federal government, it was during the lockdown period which began late March that Nigerians saw the beast and height of insensitivity in the Buhari government. While other countries were giving their citizens food stamps and pay checks to cushion their hardships, our government officials were distributing four loaves of bread and a 10kg sack of rice to a whole street in Lagos.

Now, many of those who adhered to the lockdown order to quarantine at home belong to the informal sector meaning that they have no daily means of livelihood except they work. How did government expect them to stay home without concrete palliatives to fight off hunger and want? For people who have to work before they can eat and feed their families, staying home or being quarantined under the lockdown was a death penalty.

It is not even as if government had no money to distribute to these indigent people. Apart from grants from abroad, we are being told that the government spent over N3trillions to combat the pandemic. The question is how? No hospital was equipped, no PPEs, ventilators, oxygen and the very basic items the hospitals need to help the ordinary citizen combat the pandemic.

Even the private sector intervention through Cacovid was a disaster. The private sector comprising majorly of banks contribb uted over N10b. In the end, they decided to undertake direct intervention. In the end, the palliatives comprising thousands bags of rice, beans, garri and sundry items were distributed to states pan-Nigeria. Regrettably, these items were hoarded and became the source of massive protest in states like Cross River, Plateau, Lagos, Kogi etc.

The year also saw the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the federal government (ASUU) through the ministry of employment and productivity finally reach an agreement. This is a fresh breathe of air given that students have been home for the better part of the year. It is hoped that this agreement would stand the taste of time and permanently rest the vexed issue of ASUU strike.

While Nigerians were reeling from the hardship occassioned by the pandemic, the insensitive federal government increased the pump price of fuel. This has further reduced the purchasing power of the ordinary Nigerian, increased the cost of goods and

MOG: Another Manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Meat...

A

s part of the conscious optimism of our country people in the possibilities and opportunities inherent in 2021, I have elected to play along with similar sentiment. Perhaps, all this can be traced to our collective determination to spit on the faded eyes of 2020 - for all the damage and devastation the pandemic-ravaged year brought to our backyards. One of the mainframes of our social fabrics, arguably, are our religious and spiritual preoccupations; and in a narrower sense, our â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;adorationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of our pet â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Men of Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (MOG) - as an aside, has anyone bothered to find out why the term, Women of God (WOG) is not as popular?

This â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;attractionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and our craving to â&#x20AC;&#x153;worshipâ&#x20AC;? at our big houses of God, were severely stretched and sullied by our half-hearted self-help; and governmental haphazard rush and measures we hope are still adequate to satisfy the glutinous consumption of Coronavirus, the new grim reaper.

While bold starry-eyed â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;visionistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; churn out â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;propheciesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;predictionsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of terrifying or fascinating treasures hidden deep in the intestines of 2021, we shall occupy ourselves with a tinted interlocution of some of our most publicised self-confessed servants of the Most High God. In two parts, here are my well-considered portraiture of these religious cognoscenti... without prejudice to what might have clung or shaved off their characteristics or idiosyncrasies...in the past 10 years.

PASTOR ENOCH ADEBOYE: The Ijesha man is about the only one I know who does not churn out strings of rustic verbal abuse, as is supposedly common with his kinfolk; at least Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve not heard or read anything of such mentioned with his name. His fascination with simply designed French suits gives him the image of a man at peace with God without having to use the poor to practise how hell will look like (that is what happens when pastors become so rich that they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hide the glory of God in their

lives without flaunting it at our faces - which is how we got â&#x20AC;&#x153;to hell with you!â&#x20AC;?). He appears contented; not overawed by the awesome â&#x20AC;&#x153;behemothâ&#x20AC;? his church has become, geographically and congregationally.

One of his greatest attributes - the magnetism which draws people to him like flies to honey - is Adeboyeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s almost surreal humility. I doubt even if the Pope can win a humble-tie with the Daddy G.O. of arguably the largest congregation in Africa. Yet, his meekness is original; not invasive or contrived. His type is not the one you can take advantage of - as it is obvious to keen observers that this man of God is not afraid to call a sinner to order, however highly placed. He just chooses not to do it from the hilltop...with mega-watt megaphones.

To show that it is not only the Whites who have the corner on God, Adeboye has now given us a bible with inspired annotations. When the Europeans refer to the Dakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bible (by Finis Jennings Dake), we in the black world can pose with the Adeboyeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bible. That feels so cool. The fact that the Nigerian soft-sell magazines or paparazzi donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t carry pictures or stories of his children or wife in one scandal, scam or incriminating position is also very inspiring and tellingâ&#x20AC;Ś itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so good to deny those characters any chance to gloat: â&#x20AC;&#x153;So tan, se bi dem sey him be man of God!â&#x20AC;? Thank you sir, for these and many more that I know and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know.

PASTOR DAVID OYEDEPO: My â&#x20AC;&#x153;townsmanâ&#x20AC;? is a shining example of putting your money where your mouth is. If you say (and I agree) that our God is a good God, the Bishop of the Living Faith Tabernacle has proved for the umpteenth time that God is what He says He is. With his ministry, outreaches, projects, and lifestyle, the man at the Canaanland has shown, time and time again, that he serves a good God. I am proud to address him as the first, if not the only, true multi-billionaire whose only business is marketing the word of God, free of charge to the unChurched.

And he has done that to the envy of his colleagues (and even fathers in the faith). Yes, who says men of God are not mere men like us, who are genuinely overcome by

JOSEPH USHIGIALE jushigiale@yahoo.co.uk, joseph.ushigiale@thisdaylive.com 08023422660 (sms only)

services as well as spike inflation.

It was also during the year that the country slipped into its second recession with just five years. Although the world bank has projected Nigeria as one of the countries with great potential for growth listing it at 25 position, the reality on ground is that Nigerians are very poor and still live below the poverty line where households still live on a dollar a day.

The out gone year also saw Nigeria borrowing more to finance infrastructure. Today, Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s debts have escalated under the present government. Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total debt profile rose to N31. 009 trillion ($85.897 billion) as of June 30, 2020, says the Debt Management Office (DMO). This is an increase of over $75b from the $10b left by the Goodluck Jonathan government when the handed over to Buhari in 2015.

Nigerians died more in 2020 through armed conflicts, kidnapping, banditry and insurgency. Over 2,700 lives were lost to violence in Nigeria in just three months. According to a report

by Nigerian research group SBM Intelligence, 2,732 people were killed in 33 states and the federal capital Abuja between April and June alone. Nigeria under the Buhari regime was the most dangerous country to live in 2020.

It was also in 2020 that the EndSARS protest engulfed the country. Initially started to protest prolonged police brutality against innocent citizens, the peaceful protest soon took a dramatic twist when government through its law enforcement infiltrated the protesters with miscreants and hooligans who now started looting and burning down government and private property especially in the South.

Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) who was supposed to be the number anti-corruption crusader himself became a subject of a probe. He was arrested, detained and quizzed by a special probe panel investigating allegations of sleaze leveled against him by the Attorney General of the federation. The probe report has been submitted and awaiting a white paper by the presidency.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the way forward in 2021? Nigeria has a great future going forward only if Buhari would tackle insurgency, rein in activities of Fulani herdsmen and kidnappers. Nigeria should stop borrowing and devise creative ways of attracting foreign direct investment in infrastructure and other areas yearning for development.

The federal government must diversify not solid minerals, agriculture and also develop its human capital development to enable the young employed graduate key into the lucrative knowledge economy to create wealth. Nigerians can do it, it is left for the federal government to create the enable environment for the creative industry too to thrive and absorb the teeming army of employed roaming the streets.

COUNTERPOINT

FEMI

AKINTUNDEE-JOHNSON fajalive1@gmail.com 08182223348 - (SMS Only)

occasional bouts of jealousy, at what God is doing in one manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s compound? Much like Prophet Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, who dealt Prophet Micaiah a handsome slap, and shouted: â&#x20AC;&#x153;When did the Spirit of the Lord bypass me to speak with you?â&#x20AC;?

When our people say it is not how long, but how well we have infused value into our environment that matters, they are unconsciously referring to Bros Oyedepo. Can you believe this giant-killing David became born-again only in 1981? Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (now 40) years old in the Lord, and his Living Faith Church is (now 37) years old. Look at his great leaps: one of the fastest growing churches in the world (over 400 branches in Nigeria alone, and in 50 countries around the world, the biggest house of worship perhaps in the entire Christian world (the Ota-Ogun-State-Nigeria based 50,400-seater auditorium has even entered the 2008 Guinness Book of Records - the man of God announced it himself at the Winnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Chapel on February 3, 2008). Add the hugely successful Covenant University (I heard a University of Ibadan lecturer-preacher dreamily wished he would be acc cepted to spend his Sabbatical at the (17)-year old Covenant University because of the very mouth-watering package on offer).

Oyedepo also launched an African Mission project since 1994 to confront our continentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s physical and emotional impoverishment through sound scriptural teachings and precepts, in about 30 African countriesâ&#x20AC;Śand, there are innumerable successful endeavours this Kwara-born pastor has accomplished. Yet, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s barely in his 60â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s! [By the way, most of these data were set ten years back]. This is truly a story of a distinctly successful man and his ministry. Thank God, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Nigerian.

We continue next time....

39

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž 9, 2021

SPORTS XTRA

Pinnick Charges Eaglets to Show Strong Winning Mentality against Ghana Ahead of the make or mar clash with the Black Starlets of Ghana today, President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick has charged Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s U17 Boys, Golden Eaglets to show robust winning mentality against their opponents.

Pinnick charged the players to believe in

themselves and go for victory when he visited the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s camp at the Hotel Novella Star in Lome, Togo, while admonishing the players to remain focused in the task of representing Nigeria very well at the tournament. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nigerians donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to know about tactics, just go, play and win the

game. The mentality of Nigerians is winning, they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t care how you win, just win. Winning gives Nigerians a lot of joy,â&#x20AC;? Pinnick said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So, I just want to crave your indulgence to represent Nigeria well. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m happy that I can see all the players in this U 17 team, I can see that we have the

youngest team in this tournament, which of course, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m very proud of. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is a developmental football af this level. It does not mean that we do not want to win.

Nigerians wants you to win so that you will be celebrated. We want you to be celebrated, it is very important

Golden Eaglets of Nigeria

Enyimba Not Sure of Opponent in Confederation Cup Play-off Enyimba will face either Rivers United or South Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bloemfontein Celtic in the play-off round of the Caf Confederation Cup. Following their 4-2 defeat on aggregate to Sudanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Al Merreikh in the Caf Champion League first round, the two-time African champions got relegated to the second-tier competition of African club football.

And going by the pairing conducted at Caf Headquarter in Cairo yesterday, Fatai Oshoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s men would be gunning for glory â&#x20AC;&#x201C; albeit, they must negotiate their way past their Nigeria Professional Football League rivals or the South African top-flight side.

The second leg first-round clash

between the Pride of Rivers and John Madukaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Siwelele billed for the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt on Wednesday was called off by the Confederation of African Football following the South Africansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; failure to get a waiver to fly into Nigeria from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had pleaded with Caf to stage the reverse fixture in any of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s neighbouring nations with less strict Covid-19 protocols. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Please understand that the health policy as put in place by the Nigeria health authority is aimed at controlling the spread of the already (high) number of Covid-19 infections in Nigeria and not

aimed at South African nationals,â&#x20AC;? read a letter signed by NFF general secretary Mohammed Sanusi.

Late goals from Godwin Aguda and Fortune Omoniwari handed Stanley Egumaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s men away win in the first leg played at Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium.

The first leg of the play-off round will be held at the Enyimba Stadium, Aba on February 14, with the return leg taking place seven days later.

Elsewhere, Cote dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ivoireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s RC Abidjan have been drawn against Pyramids of Egypt, while Niger Republicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sAS Sonidep will try Cameroonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Coton Sport for size.

FC Platinum Zimbabwe must overcome ASC Jaraaf (Senegal) to confirm their place in the round robin phase.

FIFA to Allow Concussion Sub at Club World Cup Footballâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ruling making body, IFAB yesterday gave the go-ahead for concussion substitutetrials,during nextmonthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Club World Cup in Qatar with one permanent replacement allowed for head injuries concussion.

The decision comes after the gameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rule-making body gave the go-ahead to additional trials last month.

The trial at the Club World Cup, which will be held from February 1-11, will allow one permanent concussion replacement in cases of head injuries.

Bayern Munich and the other Club World Cup sides will be able to make concussion substitutes The substitution can go ahead regardless of the number of

changes a team has made already.

The Premier League are hoping to introduce concussion substitutes later this month, while FIFA is also ready to trial the system at this year â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Olympic Games.

FIFA said teams participating in the Club World Cup are also permitted to make up to five substitutions per game rather than three.

A concussion sub trial will not begin until the FA Cup fourth round at the earliest in the UK. This is a rule brought in to protect player welfare amid COVID-19 related fixture congestion.

However, teams will only have three opportunities to make changes

during the game and also at half time.

European champions Bayern Munich and Qatari side Al-Duhail, who qual i f y t h r o u g h b e i n g hosts, are confirmed for the competition with the other sides yet to be decided.

Che Adams jokes he has â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;a bit of a cauliflower ear â&#x20AC;&#x2122; after he was kicked in the h e a d b y We s t H a m â&#x20AC;&#x2122; s C r a i g Dawson... but Southampton a t t a c k e r i n s ists he is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;feeling goodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 24 hours on Concussion substitute trials will not take place during FA Cup third round despite The Football Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan to introduce the new rule at â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the earliest possible stageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

that we must win. Just work hard and ensure we beat Ghana. The attitude we always display is that we can do it. That is the spirit under my leadership in the Nigeria Football Federation and that is what we expect from you.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your coach will tell you the te c h n i c a l and tactical way to achieve winning, but what I will tell you is that you are Nigerians and for you to be a Nigerian, you must be positively rugged to achieve your dream,â&#x20AC;? he said.

CAF Elections: Ineligible Ahmad Counts on CAS for Sucour The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has ruled that just two of the five candidates for Marchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presidential elections are eligible so far - with President Ahmad not among them.

The Malagasy has been â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;declared ineligibleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; given his five-year Fifa ban, although his camp have slim hopes an ongoing appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) could change this.

Both former Ivory Coast football federation president Jacques Anouma and current Senegal FA president Augustin Senghor have been authorised to contest the March elections in Morocco.

Further checks are required before either Mauritania FA president Ahmed Yahya and Patrice Motsepe, the South African who owns Mamelodi Sundowns, can be added to the list of candidates. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The committee considered that further checks are necessary before a final decision,â&#x20AC;? a Caf statement said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To this end, a hearing of these candidates will be organised in Cairo on 28 January.â&#x20AC;?

The elections to determine who will lead Caf into the future are set to be held on 12 March in the Moroccan capital Rabat.

Even though Ahmad has been declared ineligible, a source in his camp maintains that there is a possibility the former Madagascar FApresident, elected Caf president in 2017, could make the ballot after all.

After appealing to sportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highest legal body Cas in December, there are hopes that the Switzerland-based organisation will make a provisional ruling on Ahmadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ban by midnight on 11 January, the original deadline for Caf to announce the successful presidential candidates.

In the event that Cas rules as early as next week in his favour, which is far more a possibility than a probability, Ahmad could then appeal his exclusion from the list of presidential candidates.

It is unclear whether such an appeal would take place internally within Caf or externally at Cas once again.

Second Wave of Covid 19 Threatens Sports Festival With the rising cases of COVID-19 cases in Nigeria, concerned athletes have expressed fears over the hosting of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s National Sports Festival (NSF) in Edo state.

Former National Judoka, Abdulgafar Babagana told www.aclsports.com that the cases recorded by the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) can hamper the resumption of sports in Nigeria and halt the 2020/21 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

He said Nigerians careless about preventive and fails to wear nose mask when in public places.

TheAdamawabasedJudoka said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;If we are not careful, the 2021 National Sports Festival might suffer another postponement. The cases recorded during the second wave of the pandemic are alarming and this might lead the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 and the NCDC to place an embargo on sports. â&#x20AC;&#x153;TheNPFLhassuccessfullyresumedtheleaguebutitmightbe affectedifthenumberofcases increase by the day. The citizens are going about their normal businesses as if nothing is wrong; sportsmen and women have stayed without competition and it will be sad if it does not holdâ&#x20AC;?.

Former National Scrabble player, Adama Usman advised the ministry of sports to follow the laid down guidelines put forward by the Federal Ministry of Health if the National Sports Festival stands a chance of becoming a reality.

Hesaid,â&#x20AC;&#x153;MypleaisfortheministryofsportstogivetheFederal Ministry of Health assurances that they will follow the rules laid down by the PTF on COVID-19 and NCDC. If not, we should kiss the 2021 National Sports Festival in Edo state goodbyeâ&#x20AC;?.

Saturday, January 9, 2021

TEXT

‘COVID’ TO 58123

This service is provided in association with accredited service providers

UT H

& RE A S O

N

Price: N250

MISSILE

Book Your COVID-19 Tests & Vaccinations

TR

Ezekwesili on Buhari Government

“The greatest tragedy of the last five years of the country has been the fact that there has been poverty of ideas in terms of economic management. The economic management of this administration has impoverished many more Nigerians” – Former education minister, Oby Ezekwesili, rebuking the economic policies of the Muhammadu Buhari government.

PENDULUM DELE MOMODU

dele.momodu@thisdaylive.com

President Donald Trump: The Taming of the Shrew

F

ellow Africans, I’m sure many of us have been following the ongoing events and melodrama in the United States of America.

It is simply unbelievable. I remember, once upon a time, the refrain in Nigeria was “this can never happen in civilized countries” and America was our model country. But since the invasion of The Capitol in Washington DC by the rampaging domestic terrorists calling themselves Trump supporters, many Africans have been casting aspersions on America and calling it “a shit-hole”, mimicking how Trump had described us.

While it is true that President Donald Trump truly behaved like an African despot, we should salute America for the ability to rise up quickly to the occasion and immediately stamp out and squash the rotten irritant. Contrary to the general belief that America has been disgraced and reduced to the level of Banana Republics, I beg to disagree. Such erroneous impressions and conclusions fail to consider the swift reaction of established institutions and structures to deflate all the nastiness and horrid misadventures that Trump had visited on the country. Ultimately it was the triumph of democracy over a failed coup attempt at perpetrating and perpetuating dictatorship. The culmination of the events which started playing since the elections in November was what the whole world witnessed on January 6 2021 as the day America snuffed out any ideas that any would-be autocrat might have the capacity and opportunity to hijack the nation and its Government like Trump and his hooligans attempted to do. Democrats and Republicans alike stood firm and resolute in the face of attempted coup by the vocal minority thugs!

What happened in America was only one of those challenges that happens every now and then. For me, it has actually done America a world of good. Never again will Americans take the freedom that they fought for, over the centuries, for granted. There are salutary lessons for America and Americans to learn. For one, it has revalidated and rejuvenated their strong institutions. However, it has also sent a strong message to the Americans that the Democracy they practice is actually fragile and not as iron cast as they must have assumed. But for those institutions, America would have exploded in an orgy of bloody violence whose end might have been similar to the civil war that previously engulfed their country between 1861 and 1865.

Let me take you back a bit. It was obvious to those who had studied Trump reasonably well that the man is a loose cannon. From the way he talked, gesticulated and pounced on every living organism that scratched his body, one could see that America was taking a dangerous gamble. No doubt, Trump is a brilliant man, if you like call him an evil genius, you won’t be far from the truth. He is however also a narcissist and an egomaniac who has

Trump

fed on the glory and adulation that social media and reality TV brings. Whilst he claims that he also loves America more than the original founders he failed to understand that the greatest strength of America is in its diversity. I’m sure, Trump conveniently forgot that his own family and grandparents had migrated from far-flung places to the United States.

Even Melania, his latest wife, and the First Lady is a direct immigrant from Slovenia. His rabidly pathological hatred for immigrants was the beginning of his tribulations. Most people were willing to overlook his past and whatever shadiness or ugliness it contained since no soul is perfect but couldn’t accept his irredeemable proclivity towards white supremacy. Though he was able to convince Americans that he was the man for the top job, he could not stabilize the polity. Give it to him, he is an uncommon orator, even if some thought he was a veritable conman!

He got the job he most desired and coveted after beating one of the greatest women on earth, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who actually garnered more popular votes, but was unfortunate to fall short of the requisite electoral college votes. Unfortunately for Trump, he must have felt that the whole of America was now an extension of the Donald Trump Group of Companies. He wasted no time in hiring and firing. He had no patience for anything and anyone. He wielded the big stick endlessly against anyone who dared cross his path or disobeyed the Emperor and the 21st Century wonder.

Flunkeys and lackeys flocked to him just as he willy-nilly sacked decent hardworking government officials and political appointees who refused to dance to his tune. The fun loving man simply did whatever he liked and wanted without caring if America was on fire. He indulged in profligate adventures and relished his game of Golf.

Trump is not your kind of typical leader. No one could decipher him, just like I believe he could not even decode himself. He was anything but Presidential in conduct and sometimes even disposition.

He lacked decorum, fought everyone, hated and insulted some media houses once they dared to criticise him or his policies.

His treatment of his predecessor, Barack Obama was shameful and disgraceful.

He could find nothing good in anything Obama had done or achieved and seemed maniacally ready and prepared to pull down all Obama had done, even if it meant the destruction of America in the process.

Some people actually saw through his smokescreen and predicted the calamity that would befall America if he ever lost his second term bid. Some predicted a doomsday apocalypse, even something as terrible as a military coup. I had felt when I first read it that it was just an obvious hyperbole. But I was wrong. As I write this, no one could vouch for Trump not to attempt some dangerous stunts between now and January 21 2021, anything that can keep him in power may be on the cards right now. It is I believe for this reason that Nancy Pelosi, The Speaker of the House of Representatives had to inform the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that they must not disclose nuclear codes or take such kinds of instructions about deploying them from Trump. It is not beyond Trump to try to start a nuclear war so he can declare a state of emergency and cling on to power at all costs.

Africa has so much to learn and gain from the present hullabaloo in America.

My own country, Nigeria, in particular has gone through our own political imbroglio.

We’ve not had credible elections in many seasons due to the desperation of our leaders. Elections have been turned into theaters of wars and mayhem instead of carnivals of hopes and dreams. What saved America was very apparent, respect for the rule of law, the strength of their institutions and above all their patriotism.

When Trump started throwing his tantrums of a rigged election, no one stopped or discouraged him. He requested for a recount several times and he was gladly obliged. He filed many cases in courts, whether frivolous, preposterous or otherwise, the Judges welcomed him and allowed his agents to run riots as they wanted, but they lost spectacularly. They could not even intimidate or persuade those Judges that were appointed by Donald Trump himself.

He was mad and furious. He labelled all those who stood in his way and posed an obstacle to his inordinate ambition with unprintable names. However, everybody concerned simply ignored his tantrums and did their duties . He even attempted to blackmail and cajole State legislators and other elected officials like the Secretary of State of Georgia, Bradford Raffensperger, and threatened them with criminal action when he himself was misbehaving recklessly.

The situation in America reminds me of the recent disputed elections in Ghana. Just imagine that if the Electoral Commission

of Ghana had been this patient and transparent instead of rushing to declare and gazette the last election results, the skirmishes that followed could have been clearly avoided and averted. Imagine if the few disputed elections were allowed a recount like the luxury that Trump enjoyed, there would have been less acrimony in Ghana. Now that the case in Ghana has gone to court, many are still watching to see if government would put pressure on the Judges and force them to give incoherent, contradictory and implausible verdicts. Such is the level of paranoia we have acquired over time in Africa that we cannot even trust the hallowed and sacred institutions that should be our fountains and temple of justice, our law courts and our justices. The judiciary has always been said to be the last hope of the masses, the bulwark and bastion of democracy. However in our continent, they are complicit in the desecration of all that we hold dear and sacred, and are sadly viewed as an integral part of the rot.

Very few of them have been able to hold through to their sacred oath to do justice fairly and without fear or favour. This is very sad, lamentable and unfortunate.

We saw how some hoodlums invaded The Capitol and hoping to terrorize members of congress into abandoning the validation of electoral college results.

There was nothing President Trump did not try but he and his day-dreaming dare-devil fanatics and anarchists could not succeed.

In Nigeria and Ghana, the military would have been encouraged to smash their way into the National Assembly in Abuja and Ghanaian Parliament in Accra and that would have been it. They would have stood by and let the ravaging hordes enter their citadel of democracy and destroy it. This is where our agitation for a better country must start. The concept of separation of powers must be strictly enforced. As President-elect, Joe Biden, noted two nights ago, the different tiers of government must be equal partners.

Only by doing this can we strengthen our institutions and ensure that our leaders do not view themselves as Gods or demigods beholden to no one but themselves.

It is instructive that even Trump now faces the possibility of criminal charges for inciting the insurrectionists. Even as I end this, Twitter has just suspended Trump’s account permanently in order to prevent him from wreaking further havoc. The President is considered too dangerous and must be stopped for the protection of America and their allies. In Africa, it would have been the President that would shut down all social media platforms permanently but in America, Democracy is at work and no leader is above the Law. Perhaps, we should just return to monarchy or the rule of one Emperor and stop wasting our scarce resources on political office holders.

I’m not sure Africa is ready for Democracy.

Printed and Published in Lagos by THISDAY Newspapers Limited. Lagos: 35 Creek Road, Apapa, Lagos. Abuja: Plot 1, Sector Centre B, Jabi Business District, Solomon Lar Way, Jabi North East, Abuja .

All Correspondence to POBox 54749, Ikoyi, Lagos. EMAIL: editor@thisdaylive.com, info@thisdaylive.com. TELEPHONE Lagos: 0802 2924721-2, 08022924485. Abuja: Tel: 08155555292, 08155555929 24/7 ADVERTISING HOT LINES: 0811 181 3085, 0811 181 3086, 0811 181 3087, 0811 181 3088, 0811 181 3089, 0811 181 3090. ENQUIRIES & BOOKING: adsbooking@thisdaylive.com