FRIDAY 13TH JANUARY 2023

CBN Intensifies Nationwide Awareness on Redesigned Naira Insists new banknotes have come to stay Sensitises Onitsha traders, Kano grain marketers, others on security features of new notes Maintains new N1,000, N500, N200 can only be dispensed through ATMs James Emejo in Abuja, DavidChyddy Eleke in Awka, James Sowole in Abeokuta and Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)

yesterday continued its nationwide enlightenment campaign on the redesigned N1,000, N500, and N200 banknotes, urging Nigerians to accept and respect the currencies as national symbols.

Addressing market men and women during sensitisation exercise on new naira notes in major cities across the country, the banking sector regulator stressed the need to handle the nation’s currencies with respect.

At the Wuse market, Abuja, CBN Abuja Branch Controller, Mr. Michael Ogbu, stressed that the new banknotes have come to stay and should not be seen as fake or rejected for transaction purposes.

The exercise afforded traders the opportunity to ask questions and disabuse their minds about the negative conceptions they had about the redesigned currencies denominations, as well as the

January 31, 2023 deadline for the return of the old naira notes.

If anything, the awareness campaign left the traders wellContinued on page 5

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Obi: We will Destroy Structure of Criminality, Build New Nigeria Says PDP, APC failed Nigerians Amby Uneze in Owerri, Gideon Arinze in Enugu and Gabriel Emameh in Abuja The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has

Insists lecturers won’t go on strike under him Promises insurance for security agencies

declared that his administration will destroy the structure of criminality, which he said had plunged Nigerians into poverty and enthrone good governance if elected president next month.

Obi gave the assurance yesterday in Enugu, during the party's presidential campaign rally, which was held at the Michael Okpara Square.

The rally was attended by

the governorship candidate of the party in the state, Chijioke Edeoga; former governor of Anambra State, Chukwuemeka Ezeife; former President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Nnia Nwodo;

vice presidential candidate of the LP, Yusuf Baba-Ahmed; Victor Umeh; presidential campaign Director-General (DG) of the party, Akin Osuntokun, spokesperson of the campaign, Kenneth Okonkwo,

among several other teeming supporters of the party.

Earlier in the day, Obi visited both campuses of the University of Nigeria Continued on page 5

Again, Buhari Warns Foreign Missions against Interference in Nigeria’s Politics Says nation working with ECOWAS to secure region, halt coups Spain to collaborate with Nigeria in insecurity fight Confers posthumous award on late envoy, Seriki Sylva seeks help to tackle insecurity in oil sector Deji Elumoye, Michael Olugbode and Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja As Nigeria heads to the polls next month, President Muhammadu Buhari has again warned foreign diplomats in the country against meddling in the nation's politics.

The president gave the warning yesterday, while receiving Letters of Credence from the Ambassadors of Switzerland, Sweden, Republic of Ireland, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Republic of Senegal and the Republic of South Sudan at the State House in Abuja.

The warning from the president came on a day the government of Spain pledged its commitment to help Nigeria tackle the rising state of insecurity across the country.

The Minister of State, Petroleum, Mr. Timipre Sylva, has also said that Nigeria will need the support Continued on page 5

BILATERAL MEETING...

L-R: Group Chief Executive Officer, NNPC Limited, Mallam Mele Kyari; Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority, Mr. Ahmed Farouk; Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva; Spanish Foreign Minister, Mr. Jose Albarese; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resource, Ambassador Gabriel Aduda; Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission, Mr. Gbenga Komolafe; and Managing Director, Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, Mr. Philip Mshelbila, during a bilateral meeting between Nigeria and Spain, in Abuja…yesterday

Your Allegations against Me Unfortunate, Monarch Replies Kogi Government... Page 10

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PAGE FIVE AGAIN, BUHARI WARNS FOREIGN MISSIONS AGAINST INTERFERENCE IN NIGERIA’S POLITICS of Spain in its efforts to curb the security challenges in the country’s oil and gas sector.

Buhari, according to a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Mr. Femi Adesina, asked the new foreign diplomats to keep their activities and concerns within the limits of their calling and the reasons for being sent to Nigeria.

“I urge you to be guided by diplomatic practice to ensure that your activities remain within the limits of your profession as you monitor the build-up to the elections and the conduct of the general election itself. ‘‘I wish you all success in your respective tours of duty and at the same time encourage you to take time to enjoy the unique nature and culture at your disposal as you travel across our country," the president said.

Buhari also told the envoys that Nigeria was working closely with

ECOWAS to deal with insecurity in the West African region as well as implementing strategies to contain the spate of unconstitutional changes in governments within the region.

He called for cooperation and collaboration from the countries to overcome challenges in West Africa.

Buhari also invited friendly countries to support Nigeria's efforts to address the problem of insecurity, fight against corruption, diversification of the economy, and the efforts in promoting good governance.

The president told the ambassadors that Nigeria, no doubt, enjoys very cordial and mutually beneficial bilateral relations and cooperation with their respective countries, commending the roles of their predecessors who demonstrated diligence and commitment to advance these causes.

“I am therefore confident that your appointments are obviously

deliberate to build on the successes of your immediate predecessors in order to advance our relations to significant and enviable heights.

"As you settle down to your diplomatic responsibilities, I am hopeful that you will appreciate the political, socio-economic and cultural diversities, which are the hallmarks of the Nigerian nation. ‘‘I encourage you to build friendships and take time to fraternise across the length and breadth of the country, including interfacing with both the public and private sectors in bid to explore areas of mutual benefit to your respective countries and Nigeria. ‘‘Sectors such as healthcare, education, infrastructure, local manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, agribusiness, transportation, solid minerals are areas of particular interest to us and foreign investors alike. ‘‘This will enable us to collectively

CBN INTENSIFIES NATIONWIDE AWARENESS ON REDESIGNED NAIRA informed about the benefits of the currency redesign policy by the central bank and the rationale behind it.

Represented by the Branch Assistant Manager, Mr. Karim Williams, Ogbu, further advised the members of the public to ensure that they deposited the old notes at their commercial banks, pointing out that there was no limit to how much a customer could deposit between now and January 31 as the CBN has suspended bank charges.

He further promised the traders that the redesigned banknotes have enhanced security, greater durability, and attractiveness, and remained the country’s heritage.

He also reminded the businessmen and women that the old naira denominations being withdrawn from circulation would cease to be legal tender after January 31.

He pointed out that currency management remained a key function of the apex bank as enshrined in Section 2 (b) of the CBN Act 2007.

He said: “Indeed, the integrity of a local legal tender, the efficiency of its supply, as well as its efficacy in the conduct of monetary policy are some of the hallmarks of a great central bank.

“In recent times, however, currency management in Nigeria has faced several challenges that have continued to grow in scale and sophistication with unintended consequences for the integrity of both the CBN and the country.”

Highlighting the basic challenges of currency management in recent times, Ogbu pointed to a significant hoarding of banknotes by members of the public.

According to him, N2.72 trillion out of the N3.26 trillion currency in circulation as of June 2022, were outside the vaults of commercial banks across the country and supposedly held by members of the public.

Further highlighting the enormous benefits of the currency redesign to the economy, Ogbu said the policy would help to control inflation as the exercise would bring the hoarded currency into the banking system, thereby making monetary policy more effective.

He added: “It will also help with better design and implementation of monetary policy as we would have much more accurate data on money supply and monetary aggregates.

“We believe that this exercise would help in increasing financial inclusion, moving towards a more cashless economy, and ensuring greater formalisation of the Nigerian economy.

“The currency redesign would assist in the fight against corruption as the exercise would rein in the higher denomination used for corruption, and the movement of such funds from the banking system could be tracked easily.”

He added: “Although the global best practice is for central banks to redesign, produce and circulate new local legal tender every five–eight years, the Naira had not been redesigned in almost 19 years.”

Also, in Onitsha, the CBN urged the traders to ignore rumours that

the new banknotes were not real, maintaining that the currencies are of international standard.

The Branch Controller, CBN Awka, Mr. Benedict Maduagwu, who spoke at the Onitsha Main Market, Anambra State, urged the traders to ensure that they return their old N200, N500 and N1,000 notes before the deadline.

Onitsha Main Market is reputed to be the largest market in West Africa.

Speaking on the reasons for redesigning the currencies, Maduagwu said: "This statistic shows that 84.71 per cent of currency in circulation is outside the vaults of commercial banks, with only 15.29 per cent in the central bank and commercial banks’ vaults.

"Second, is the worsening shortage of clean and fit banknotes with attendant negative perception of the CBN and increased risk to financial stability.

"Third, there is increasing ease by criminals and risk of counterfeiting, evidenced by several security reports received at the CBN. "The benefits of the currency redesign to the Nigerian economy are enormous. This policy will help to control inflation as the exercise will bring the hoarded currency into the banking system, thereby making monetary policy more effective.”

The Chairman of the market, Mr. Innocent Ezeoha complained that despite the short duration of the deadline, commercial banks were not dispensing the new notes yet, to customers.

State Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Charles Nworji, said the agency was set to move into communities to sensitise the rural dwellers about the new banknotes. He said the agency would spend two weeks on the task to ensure that traders deposit their old notes on or before the deadline.

In Ogun State, the CBN maintained that for now, there would not be over-the-counter payment of the new banknotes, unless through ATMs, until it was satisfied with the level of its circulation.

The CBN advised Nigerians that the simplest method of exchanging their old currencies for redesigned ones, was to deposit them in their accounts in banks.

The CBN Abeokuta Branch Controller, Alhaji Wahab Oseni, said this during an enlightenment campaign at Kuto Market, in Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun State, which was attended by market men and women and their leadership.

Addressing the gathering, Oseni, who spoke in Yoruba for easy understanding of messages, said the redesigning of naira notes was long overdue.

He said: "Exchange of currencies over-the-counter shall not be allowed. The simplest way to do it is to deposit your cash in your account and when the banks want to pay you, they will pay you the new currency notes.

"Opening an account in banks is no longer difficult as banks are now looking for more customers to have more money to loan their customers."

The controller advised the people to make use of the alternative means of payment like the point of sale (PoS), e-Payment, among others, to reduce the cash they would be carrying about.

Oseni commended the traders for their understanding, and urged them to report any bank that failed to comply with the CBN’s directive.

Similarly, in Kano, the apex bank also sensitised grain marketers on the redesigned naira notes.

Speaking during an awareness campaign for traders on the redesigned naira notes at the Dawanau International Grains Market in Kano State, the Director of Currency Operation of the CBN, AB Umar, said the traces of intaglio ink produced by the redesigned naira notes when rubbed on plain white surfaces meant they are genuine, and not fake.

Umar, who was represented by an official at the bank, Shamsuddin Zubair Imam, debunked the insinuations that the new naira notes produced the ink mark because they are produced with low quality features.

“The new naira notes had been designed with enhanced quality features that make it difficult to be faked.

"It is untrue that if you rub the new naira notes and see the mark of the ink means the currency is fake. That ink mark is the sign of quality. It means it is genuine, not fake. That is the feature that shows a currency is genuine.

"Even American currency, if rubbed on surfaces, leaves the ink mark; that means it is genuine," he said.

Umar also urged the traders to rush to banks and deposit their money before the January 31 deadline.

He pointed out that the redesign policy would help the apex bank reduce cost of currency management and check proliferation of fake currencies in the country.

In his remarks, the Deputy Chairman of Dawanau International Grains Market, Alhaji Baba Wawo decried the non-availability of the new currency for the traders.

According to him, traders in the market, which is the biggest grains market in West Africa, find it difficult to access the redesigned N1,000, N500 and N200 notes, even as the deadline is fast approaching.

"We call on the CBN to make the new currency available in the banks and other financial institutions.

We welcome the new policy but let it be eased for us.

"We call on CBN to provide other means that will ease our transactions with our customers in rural areas. We will welcome this cashless policy even though it is a risk to us to carry huge amounts of cash to cover long distances by road.

"However, we call on the CBN to provide level ground for us to run our business with ease. The apex bank should consider that our business is cash-driven, hence, if special provision is not made, we will be at loss," he added.

strive to resuscitate all our countries’ economies in the post pandemic global recovery processes," he explained.

Buhari also acknowledged the support of the respective countries in his government's move to deal with kidnapping, banditry, terrorism, drugs and human trafficking, as well as the threats posed by environmental challenges, resulting from climate change in the Lake Chad Region.

He stressed that different factors that accounted for these challenges were beyond the abilities of any single country to effectively contain.

The president emphasised that matters of security have become the business of all nations of the world to work together at both bilateral and multilateral platforms and build consensus in order to overcome these challenges.

The envoys who presented their Letters of Credence were: Nicolas Lang, Switzerland; Annika Hahn Englund, Sweden; Peter Ryan, Ireland; Kitiisak Klomchit, Thailand; Nicolas Nyouky, Senegal, and David Chaot of South Sudan.

Responding on behalf of his colleagues, the Ambassador of Switzerland promised the Nigerian President that they would exercise, ‘‘their functions as Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary with dedication, to the best of their knowledge and belief, and for the mutual benefit of our countries.’’

Wishing Nigeria peaceful, free and fair elections, the Ambassadors extended their goodwill to the president on his remaining days in office. ‘‘We are keenly aware of the importance of Nigeria to the wellbeing of the entire African continent, its role in international politics and its weight in the world economy. ‘‘Each and every one of us is proud to represent his or her country and its interests in this great Federal Republic of Nigeria,’’ Ambassador Lang stated.

Meanwhile, the government of Spain has pledged its commitment to help Nigeria tackle the rising state of insecurity across the country.

This was made known when the Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister, Jose Manuel Albares, led a delegation to the Nigeria Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, in Abuja, yesterday.

Albares noted that his first visit evolved around bilateral and economic cooperation, adding that the existing relationship between both countries would be improved upon.

The Spanish minister commended efforts so far by the federal government in curbing insecurity, stating that it was ready to extend a helping hand to address the root causes of insecurity.

“Spain is one of the best clients

of Nigeria in the world. Very specifically, we are the second client of Nigeria in the world. We have been one of the largest clients in gas and petroleum for a long time.

“We want to continue to strengthen that energy relationship but the bilateral relationship is getting deeper. Most aspects have been covered.

“Security, is a common challenge to Nigeria and as a country, we want to offer our support to Nigeria in this challenge. We want to express officially our solidarity with Nigeria in the fight against terrorism.

“We commend Nigeria’s efforts in the fight against violence and terrorism and at the same time, we want to help Nigeria address the root causes of these conflicts. We are improving our relationship for the interests of the two countries in many other fields.”

Responding, Onyeama appreciated his counterpart, saying both countries would continue to work together, especially in the area of the economy.

Onyeama said, “We are very close and deep economic partners. Nigeria is one of the primary suppliers of oil and gas and petroleum to Spain.

We want to diversify our economic cooperation. Spain is a big player in the European Union and globally, so we want to see increased trade.

“We are particularly delighted as you spoke on insecurity. Not just military security but food security.

Spain is a huge investor in Africa in the agricultural sector. Food security and agriculture are major priorities of the Nigerian government. We are delighted to see the cooperation in that area.”

The Spanish government also conferred a posthumous award on the late Nigeria Ambassador to Spain, Ademola Seriki, for the tremendous work towards strengthening NigeriaSpain relationship.

The award, which was presented by the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, was received by the wife of the late Ambassador, Wosilat Seriki, and his son, Wale Demola-Seriki.

Confirming the award, Onyeama said it was evidence of the great work and tenacity of the late Ambassador in promoting the bilateral relations between both countries.

Onyeama said: "The Honourable Minister came and personally, on behalf of the King of Spain, presented a posthumous award of national honour to late Ambassador Demola Seriki and which was received by his wife Mrs Wosilat Seriki and son, Mr. Wale Demola-Seriki.”

He added that: “This really showed not just the appreciation of the Spanish government for the excellent work that Demola has done as Ambassador of Nigeria to Spain, but also the appreciation of his personal and human qualities.

Sylva Calls for Spain’s Help against Insecurity in Oil Sector In another development, the Minister of State, Petroleum, Sylva, has said that Nigeria will need the support of Spain in its efforts to curb the security challenges in the country’s oil and gas sector.

Speaking when he received the visiting minister of Foreign Affairs, Spain, Jose Manuel Albares, in Abuja, Sylva described insecurity as the biggest problem besetting the oil sector in Nigeria today.

He noted that since Spain is interested in the country’s gas shipments, it was also necessary to protect the facilities by helping in the deployment of technology to tackle the menace.

In the last few years, Nigeria’s oil production has fallen from a remarkable 2.2 million barrels per day production to about 900,000 barrels per day a couple of months ago.

Sylva stated that Spain remains a good partner to Nigeria, explaining that the country is a customer to the Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) from inception.

“The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) is having a bid round, and with these potential investors, because ordinarily we would have gone to meet them in their country through roadshows to meet the investors, but they are here by themselves. So, this meeting is very important.

“As a country, we need a lot of investment. We need this and Spain can give us a lot of this.

This is economic diplomacy. This is important for the economy,” he stated.

As a country, he said Nigeria was focused on developing its massive gas reserves, with over 200 TCF of gas which he stated can be increased to 600TCF. “To do this, we need investors and Spain is one of the countries we are looking towards. Europe also requires the gas because we are shouting that gas should be part of the conversation. There is a need for us to tarry awhile with gas; so, we need to develop the gas resources.

“We are calling on Spain to support in the area of security because we have a big problem in the oil and gas sector today. The biggest problem we are having today is insecurity and Spain is in a position to also support us in this area in terms of investment in technology. Spain also looks up to us to supply them gas,” he added.

Albares, in his remarks, described Nigeria as a strategic partner which has proven over the years to be trustworthy.

OBI: WE WILL DESTROY STRUCTURE OF CRIMINALITY, BUILD NEW NIGERIA at Nsukka (UNN), where he urged young people to seize the opportunity of the February election to take back their country, promising that he has come to liberate the country from its present decay and backwardness.

He enjoined Nigerians to vote in competent persons who were mentally and physically prepared for the task of providing leadership for a sick nation such as Nigeria.

He said, “In United States during elections, they go for debates; somebody once asked Barack Obama questions that are personal and he answered.

“But here in Nigeria, somebody wants to contest elections; we don’t know his real age; we don’t know his name; we don’t know the schools he attended.

“Nobody knows his real identity.

My name is Peter Obi, I can say I went to CKC, went to University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Both the VC today, the DVC today, these are my school mates. We came into the university the same year and left the same year.

“The people I went to school with, I can see them here today - my seniors and my juniors. How come we now have people who do not have classmates. This is very important.

This is all about character and people we can trust.”

The LP candidate explained that someone that is honest does not pretend to be someone he was not and should not be afraid to tell people the truth about himself.

Obi cited an example of the legal luminary and founder of Afe Babalola University in Ado Ekiti, Chief Afe Babalola whom he described as an upright Nigerian who isn’t ashamed of his background.

He said: “Afe Babalola once told me he never had the opportunity of going to a formal school. There is nothing wrong with that. There are so many people who have done well in life and never went to formal school.

“This country is sick and should not be handed over to a sick person.

I am not saying that anyone is sick.

We have been here for over two hours; we don’t want people who can’t stand for 30 minutes.

“If you said you will fight corruption, let’s go to the road you have passed and see what is remaining there after you left.

“This year’s election must be based on competence. This job requires physical and mental energy; it is not a retirement job.”

While addressing the large gathering of supporters at the square, Obi urged young people to take back

their country from the grips of bad leaders who had caused pain to the people and failed to deliver on their promises.

The LP presidential candidate added that both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have held power for years and have not delivered on their promises.

"Both the PDP and the APC have held power for years and have not delivered on their promises.

“Now is the time to ask them to go. We want to throw away the structure of criminality and bring back a structure of good governance to the people.

“We cannot continue to have millions of Nigerians living in poverty.

We can't continue with the level of stealing in our country,” he said.

Obi maintained that he and his running mate have come to secure and unite Nigeria and ensure that there was respect for human rights and the rule of law as well as create jobs for the teeming youths.

"The police will become your friend. We will build a country that everyone will be proud to call theirs. A new Nigeria is possible for us," he said.

Continued on page 40

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NEWS

Group News Editor: Goddy Egene Email: Goddy.egene@thisdaylive.com, 0803 350 6821, 0809 7777 322

LAGOS APC RALLY...

L-R: All Progressives Congress Lagos West Apex Leader, Prince Rabiu Oluwa; Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Obafemi Hazmat; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; APC Lagos Chairman, Hon. Cornelius Ojelabi; and Director General of the Gubernatorial Campaign Council, Senator Ganiyu Solomon, during the party’s gubernatorial Lagos West II senatorial rally at Ojo...yesterday

NERC: Discos Collected N188bn as Revenue Out of N265bn Billed in Q2, 2022 Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has revealed that power Distribution Companies (Discos) were only able to collect N188.29 billion as revenue out of the total of N265.68 billion billed between April and June 2022.

In its report for the second quarter of 2022, the power sector regulator pegged the total energy received by all Discos during the period at 6,344.14GWh, while the energy billed to end-use customers was 4,959.53GWh. It noted that this indicated an average billing efficiency of 78.17

per cent, representing an increment of 0.79 per cent from the 77.38 per cent recorded in 2022/Q1.

“The total revenue collected by all Discos in 2022/Q2 was N188.29 billion out of N265.68 billion billed to customers. This corresponds to a collection efficiency of 70.87 per cent which represents 1.53 pp increase compared to 2022/ Q1 where the average collection efficiency was 69.34 per cent,” the report stated.

Collection efficiency is an indicator of the proportion of the amount that has been collected from customers relative to the amount billed to them by the

LP: Why Obi’s UK Firm, Next International, Was Shutdown Gabriel Emameh in Abuja The Labour Party (LP) yesterday responded to report that the United Kingdom-based company of its presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi was shut down by the authorities.

It was reported that the UK government dissolved Next International (UK) Limited, largely owned by Obi over failure to submit its annual accounts.

The report claimed that the said company failed to submit its annual accounts for 2020, hence it was dissolved in 2021.

However, reacting yesterday, Obi’s campaign team in a statement by the Head of Media, Obi-Datti Media Office, Diran Onifade, told critics to always verify facts and not falsify them.

According to the party, Obi’s political enemies were rattled by his rising popularity and resorted to using unfounded reports about Next International (UK) Limited against him.

It noted that “In order that the huge human and material resources deployed to search and locate any negative against the high flying Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, is not seen to have been wasted, anything could be concocted to justify the efforts.

“We have watched with bemused skepticism as agents of the political opposition unsettled by the high rising profile of the Labour Party

flag bearer, ran around and made fools of themselves over the Next International (UK) Limited being removed from the record in 2021.

“Ordinarily, this is the type of mischief and impishness that should deserve no response, but for the credulous in our midst who are the real target by this impairment.

“For the record, the entity was 99 per cent owned by Next Nigeria International Limited and established as its buying office in the 90s and Peter Obi was its CEO. “At the time Peter Obi became governor of Anambra State in 2006, his wife assumed management of the winding down of the company and about one year ago requested that the company be dissolved under the voluntary striking off of the entity on grounds of dissolution and being operational, which is normal in winding up an entity.”

The LP pointed out that Obi has consistently maintained that he was no longer involved in any Next-related business.

“When our principal insists that you go and verify facts about him and the information he dishes out, it didn’t say go and falsify facts.

“The LP candidate, by his antecedents in Anambra State for eight years, in private ventures where he held sway, his records among the pack in this race for the presidency puts him miles ahead in moral rating,” the statement added.

Discos.

“Many customers continue to default in payment of their billed amounts in part due to a lack of willingness to pay (including unsatisfactory Disco services). This has led to mounting commercial losses recorded by Discos,” the NERC stated.

Despite being the most populated black nation on earth and having the largest economy in Africa, Nigeria struggles to distribute just between 3,500mw and 4,500mw daily. One major issue blamed for the illiquidity in the system is the inability of customers to pay cost-reflective tariffs.

In monetary terms, NERC stated that both the billing and collection reduced at almost the same rate when compared with 2022/Q1, with billing reducing

by N30.02 billion (10.15 per cent) and collections reducing by N21.8 billion (10.41 per cent).

The commission emphasised the imperative for Discos to employ technologies NER operational procedures to increase both billing and collection performances, in order to forestall long term financial challenges.

These, it stated, could include holistic energy accounting procedures, customer and infrastructure metering, among

others.

For Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Collection (ATC&C) losses for the period, the commission put it at 44.60 per cent, comprising technical and commercial loss (21.83 per cent) and collection loss (29.13 per cent).

“All Discos did not meet their allowed ATC&C loss targets as specified in the Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO). This means that all Discos did not meet their loss reduction targets, and were therefore unable to earn the revenue requirement upon which their approved tariffs for the period were set.

“Persistent inability in meeting loss reduction targets could prevent Discos from meeting their upstream market obligations and adversely affect their long-term financial positions,” NERC warned.

On market remittance, the commission stressed that the combined invoices from the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) and Market Operator (MO) to Discos in 2022/Q2 was N185.01 billion split as generation costs: N149.89 billion and transmission and administrative services N35.12 billion.

Added to that, in 2022/Q2, special customers, Transcorp SBEE and Mainstream NIGELEC, NERC said, received invoices of $2.42

million and $5.56 million from MO and remitted $2.42 million (100 per cent) and $5.55 million (98 per cent) respectively, the report stated.

NERC noted that during the same period, Ajaokuta Steel Company was invoiced N264.76 million and N66.71 million by NBET and MO, but made no remittance while Paras-SBEE and OdukpaniCEET also received invoices of $2.39 million and $2.03 million respectively from MO during the period but no payment was made.

The report added that the general increase in collection efficiency in 2022/Q2 could be attributed to the increased metering and a decline in the total billings by 10.15 per cent occasioned by the decreased energy delivered to Discos (13.10 per cent) in 2022/Q2.

Given that two-thirds of energy delivered to Discos in 2022/Q2 went to residential customers most of whom are not metered and whose monthly energy budget is fixed, it stated that delivery of more energy does not always translate to collecting more from them.

“The increase was largely driven

by Benin, Jos, and Enugu DisCos who recorded significant increase in collection efficiency by 7.76, 6.90 and 4.80 pp respectively.

“Abuja, Eko, Ibadan, Ikeja, Kaduna, Kano and Port Harcourt Discos also recorded increase in collection efficiency by 2.36, 1.60, 3.58, 2.04, 2.73, 2.56 and 1.71 pp respectively. Only Yola DisCo recorded a decline in collection efficiency (8.43 pp) between 2022/ Q1 and 2022/Q2,” the report added.

It stressed that the current demand structure is dominated by households that are mostly unmetered and whose demands are inelastic due to affordability concerns.

“Thus, beyond a certain threshold, increased supply may result in decreased collection efficiency.

“A direct correlation between improved energy supply, customer satisfaction and collection efficiency will be experienced when commercial and industrial customers represent a more significant share of the demand.

“To sustain improvements in collection efficiency, the commission will continue to actively track each Disco’s progress under the various metering interventions.

Furthermore, the commission is also closely monitoring the delivery of energy to customers under the SBT regime especially to the industrial customer clusters,” it added.

ACF Urges Wike to Resolve Difference with Atiku Says politicians in south should be wary of fake persons parading as northern leaders Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt Leader of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) in the South, Alhaji Musa Saidu, has appealed to Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and his other aggrieved governors to resolve their differences with the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, ahead of the presidential election.

Saidu said though Wike and his other G-5 members have every right to be aggrieved with the actions of any of his party leaders, he appealed to them to be open to reconciliation, saying the governor should not be seen or counted

among those that pulled down a party he had spent so much energy, resources to build.

“Governor Nyesom Wike has a right to feel aggrieved and I commend him for making his feelings known not like some politicians that will pretend to be with you but they are not with you.

“Wike is a very strong willed person. I want the Wike issue to be settled peacefully. I also appeal to Wike to settle with his brother Alhaji Atiku. Forgiveness is one of the beauties of life . We thank Wike for the roads he has done for us,” he said.

The Arewa leader also advised politicians to be wary of some

persons masquerading as representatives of northerners in the southern part of the country, coming to pledge northern support to them, describing them as fraudsters.

He said he was aware of a recent group that allegedly paid visit to Chief Abiye Sekibo, a chieftain of the PDP in Rivers State, saying they were not representatives of the northern community in the state.

“The northern community in Rivers State has a well-known leadership structure so we advise politicians to be wary of those who come to visit them in the name of the leadership of the northern community when they are not.

“Those who met with Chief

Abiye Sekibo are not representative of northern community in the state. You will observe that they hid their names in several media reports. Chief Sekibo didn’t receive northerners in Rivers state, those that visited him do not represent us.

“There is a man going round politicians in different names that is spoiling our name. At one point he will call himself this and at another point he will call himself another name. Politicians should be wary of him. He does not represent us.”

Commenting on Atiku, Saidu: “In 2019, I mobilised for Atiku. At my convenience I will say if I am with him. I don’t need prompting from anyone.”

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PRESIDENTIAL ENDORSEMENT...

L-R: Wife of the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Abia State and Nigeria’s Ambassador to United States of America, Dr. Uzoma Emenike, President Muhammadu Buhari; and APC SUNDAY AGHAEZE governorship candidate, Chief Ikechi Emeni, when the president formally endorsed Emenike for the 2023 election at the Presidential Villa in Abuja…yesterday

Your Allegations against Me Unfortunate, Monarch Replies Kogi Government Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja The Ohinoyi of Ebirraland, Dr. Ado Ibrahim, has said the allegations made against him during the recent state visit of President Muhammadu Buhari by the Kogi State Government were unfortunate and unfounded.

The monarch said this in his response dated January 6, 2023, to a query given to him by the Kogi State Government through the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

The monarch was queried for being absent on the occasion of President Buhari’s recent visit to the state.

The royal father stated that there was no iota of truth in the allegations levelled against him, stressing that there was no official letter informing him about the visit of the president on December 29, to inaugurate the projects executed by Governor Yahaya Bello.

He said the Commissioner, Mr. Salami Ozigi Deedat, had visited him on December 28, 2022, at about 9.30pm, informing him that the president would visit Okene

the following day to inaugurate some projects.

He added that Deedat instructed him to stay back in his, “palace while the president will be coming to pay a courtesy visit upon his arrival.”

“On 29th of December at about 8.15am, I received an unofficial copy of the visit programme of Mr. President and I noted that Mr. President was meant to Commission the Ohinoyi’s palace at 10.10am.

“This observation implied that Mr. President was to Commission another palace other than my current palace that I have been occupying since I was coronated in 1997. It is worthy of note that as the paramount ruler of Ebirra land, I have not been officially informed of the existence of any palace.”

The monarch stated that shortly after he had put things in order in his palace to receive Buhari, he heard a bomb explosion at the rear entrance of his palace, close to the new mosque across the street around 9am.

The monarch explained further that, “while I was in

Family, Staff Mourn Akindayomi The family of Mr. Charles Akindayomi, management and staff of the Children's Developmental Centre (CDC) yesterday announced the passing of their Founder, CEO and Service Director, Dr. Olayinka Labake Akindayomi (nee Afolabi).

According to a note made available to THISDAY, she died on January 6, 2023, at the age of 66.

They noted that Akindayomi was an amazon in the disability community that made significant impact with her work.

“She was a trailblazer and an amazon in the disability community who did remarkable work, particularly in the intellectual and developmental disability space for over 30

years. Indeed, this special community has lost a warrior.

She will be sorely missed. Funeral arrangements to be announced by the family,” they added.

Akindayomi

the palace ensuring that the casualties of the unfortunate incident was being attended to, I was informed that Mr. President had concluded his programme and departed to Lokoja.”

Also, the monarch said shortly after he discovered that the main wall of the entrance to his palace was breached, all entrances to the palace were barricaded to make access to and fro impossible.

“I have been kept in the dark from the reception arrangements and necessary entertainment to welcome Mr. President on his

second visit to Okene, extolling the pleasure of my people to receive him.

“I am not and have no intention to exhibit deliberate attitude and actions regarded as bringing Kogi state and Ebirraland in particular to grave disrepute, and regarded therefore as quite unbecoming of a revered Royal Father of my status,” he said in the statement.

In addition, the monarch said all allegations mentioned in the query were “very unfortunate” and “unfair to my ripe experience and age, coupled with my royal dignity,”

in the country and international community.

He added, “It is worth mentioning to enforce gratitude to the Governor Yahaya Bello who I have not seen for sometimes now to have informed Mr. President I was unavoidably absent due to ill-health at his grand reception.

“While on the other hand, a person unknown to me represented me and read out a welcome speech to Mr. President on my behalf which was not sanctioned by me.”

The monarch said since the explosion occurred on 29th

December, the query was the first communication from any official of the state government to him.

He added that there was no letter or statement to commiserate or inquire about the unfortunate bomb blast that led to the disruption of the president’s programme, loss of lives of Ebirra people and massive damage to his palace and rancour within his domain.

He therefore said despite the unfortunate incident, he would continue to reign over the good people of Ebirra land with good conscience and convictions.

Net-Zero Buildings: Global CEOs Pledge 50% Cut in Real Estate Emissions by 2030 Leading Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) have pledged today to reduce their real estate emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 and reach net-zero carbon not later than 2050.

With buildings contributing 38 per cent of all energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, leaders across all industries have a critical role to play in lowering their global real estate emissions.

“While real estate represents nearly 40% of all energy-related GHG emissions, the sector is frequently an afterthought when it comes to an organization’s decarbonisation and sustainability strategies,” Head of Financial and Monetary Systems, World Economic Forum, Matthew Blake, was quoted to have said in a statement yesterday.

“Leaders across all industries have a responsibility to take action on their real estate GHG emissions to ensure progress in the fight against climate change,” he added It revealed companies that pledged to halve their buildingsrelated emissions by 2030 and reach net-zero building emissions

by 2050 to include: Avison Young, Edge, GPFI Group, Ivanhoé Cambridge, JLL, Majid Al Futtaim Properties, Schneider Electric and Signify.

These firms would meet these targets by implementing the Forum’s Green Buildings Principles.

“Released last year, the Green Building Principles: The Action Plan for Net-Zero Carbon Buildings provides a clear sequence of steps to deliver net-zero carbon real estate portfolios: Calculate a robust carbon footprint of your portfolio in the most recent representative year to inform targets; set a target year for achieving net-zero carbon, by 2050 at the latest, and an interim target for reducing at least 50 per cent of these emissions by 2030.

“Measure and record embodied carbon of new developments and major refurbishments; maximise emissions reductions for all new developments and major refurbishments in the pipeline to ensure delivery of net-zero carbon (operational

and embodied) by selected final target year, and drive energy optimisation across both existing assets and new developments.”

Some others include to maximise supply of on-site renewable energy, ensure 100 per cent off-site energy was procured from renewable-backed sources, where available; engage with stakeholders with whom you have influence in your value chain to reduce scope three emissions and compensate for any residual emissions by purchasing high-quality carbon offsets.

Developed in collaboration with JLL, the World Green Building Council and the Forum’s Real Estate community, the Green Building Principles could be formally adopted by firms and include an Action Plan detailing implementation.

The Action Plan provides globally applicable guidance on best practices to implement the principles for every stakeholder, from owners to occupiers to investors. Signatories will report progress annually as part of their public sustainability reporting

and participate in a Practitioners Group to identify solutions around implementation.

Signatories shared why they have pledged the Principles: “More sustainable real estate is essential,” said Coen van Oostrom, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Edge.

“The Principles offer a clear roadmap to help all building stakeholders tackle their emissions and deliver better buildings. The world deserves better buildings and it is entirely possible to significantly reduce the impact of both existing and new buildings.”

“It’s imperative that we address real estate related emissions,”, Global Chief Executive Officer and President, JLL, Christian Ulbrich said.

“Getting started is often the hardest part and the Principles offer a simple set of steps to do so. We believe it is easier to get to net zero in the built environment than for many companies to get to net zero in their core businesses and the business case is there to support action.”

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PROMOTING CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY...

L-R: The Olu of Ilaro and Paramount Ruler of Yewa land, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle; Managing Director, ASR Africa, Mr. Udoh Ubon; and Director, Corporate Communications, BUA Group, Mr. O'tega Ogra, during the presentation of ASR Africa and BUA Foundation N1billion grant letter to the monarch in Ogun State…yesterday

INEC Extends Deadline for Collection of PVCs Till January 29 Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja Following the pressure mounted by a cross-section of Nigerians and groups, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday extended the deadline for registered voters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) until Sunday, January 29, 2023.

Recall that INEC had earlier fixed the deadline for the collection for Sunday, January 22, 2023.

The commission also vowed to punish any staff found to have extorted or discriminated against any registered voter in the issuance of the PVCs. The National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education Committee at the commission, Mr. Festus Okoye, disclosed this in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja.

He said the decision was a

fallout of Thursday’s regular meeting wherein the commission deliberated on a number of issues, including the ongoing collection of PVCs nationwide.

“The commission is encouraged by the turnout of registered voters and the surge in the number of collected PVCs across the country. In some of the states, as many as 100,000 PVCs were collected in the last five days since the devolution to Ward level started on Saturday, 6th January 2023.

“The commission is determined to ensure that registered voters have ample opportunity to collect their PVCs ahead of the forthcoming election. For this reason, the timeframe for collection of PVCs is extended by eight days. Instead of ending on Sunday, 22nd January 2023, the collection of PVCs will continue until Sunday, 29th January 2023.

At the moment, the period of

collection is 9.00am – 3.00pm daily (including Saturdays and Sundays).

“As a result of this extension, there is a consequential adjustment of the collection by location as follows: “Collection at Registration Area (Ward) level is extended by one week from Monday 16th – Sunday 22nd January 2023.

“Collection at local government level will resume on Monday 23rd – Sunday 29th January 2023,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Okoye said the commission is investigating allegations of extortion by officials at some of the collection centres and inducement by some unscrupulous voters to circumvent processes in order to obtain their PVCs. “Those found culpable will be face disciplinary action and/or prosecution”, he

declared.

Similarly, the commission, he said, is disturbed by allegations of discriminatory issuance of PVCs in some locations.

“This is against the law.

All bona fide registrants are entitled to their PVCs and to use them to vote on election day in any part of the country where they are registered.

“Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) have been directed to ensure that no such practices occur nationwide and take immediate disciplinary action against violators”, Okoye added.

He explained that INEC has printed over 13.86 million new PVCs, but advised field officials to immediately notify their respective RECs should it emerge that some cards could not be located.

“For the record, the commission has printed 13,868,441 PVCs for all new

Okupe Released by DSS, Says He Was Erroneously Arrested Chinedu Eze The immediate-past DirectorGeneral of the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign Council, Dr. Doyin Okupe, yesterday stated that his re-arrest by the Department of State Services (DSS) on the request of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), was erroneous and should not have happened.

Okupe who was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport yesterday morning, said his passport had long been withheld by the Federal High Court Abuja even before finding him guilty of violating sections of the Money Laundering Act that attracted two and a half years imprisonment.

The former Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan added that the officers of the EFCC

in Lagos and Abuja have since apologised for the error they made in his arrest.

Narrating the ordeal on his Twitter handle, Okupe wrote, “I was arrested and detained at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos this morning, January 12, on my way to the UK for medicals, years after my passport was withheld by the FHC, Abuja.

“I just left the EFCC office where the senior and younger officers in Lagos and Abuja apologised to me for the error.”

Querying the action, he asked if it was an occupational hazard.

Operatives of the DSS had arrested Okupe at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, on his way to London, the United Kingdom.

DSS spokesman, Dr. Peter Afunanya, who confirmed the arrest, had said Okupe’s interception was at the instance of the EFCC and he was handed over to the agency.

He had stated earlier: “Doyin

Okupe was intercepted by the DSS at Terminal 1 of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos this morning at the instance of the EFCC. “He has long been handed over to the EFCC which requested for the action. Okupe was billed to fly to London via Virgin Atlantic.”

It later turned out that it was based on an EFCC watch-list request issued over six years ago.

But the anti-graft agency said it released Okupe soon after because the watch-list request had expired.

EFCC Head, Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, said the commission issued the watch-list request on July 18, 2016, over six years before Okupe’s recent conviction on money laundering charges by the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Uwujaren, in a statement titled ‘Interception of Doyin Okupe,’ explained: “The DSS, today, January 12, informed the commission of the interception of Dr. Doyin Okupe, former

presidential adviser, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

“The service acted on a watch-list request issued on July 18, 2016, over six years before his recent conviction on money laundering charges by the Federal High Court, Abuja.

“The commission was in the process of formally lifting the watch-list before his interception and will expedite action in this regard.”

One of Okupe’s lawyers, Tolu Babaleye, had posted on Facebook that the DSS operatives demanded to see the court processes of the fine he paid on his money laundering case.

“When will this harassment stop? Who is after Dr. Okupe?

As of today, the man has no case to answer, I hereby demand that the DSS should release my client immediately as this is a violation of his freedom of movement, right to liberty and dignity of human person. This is unfair as the man’s health is fast failing,” he wrote.

valid registrants as well as applicants for transfer or replacement of cards.

“Nevertheless, issuing officers should compile any complaints about non-availability of cards and forward them to their immediate supervisors for the attention of Resident Electoral

Commissioners (RECs) who shall compile and forward them for necessary action.

“The commission once again appreciates the patience and perseverance of citizens as we continue to fine-tune our process to make the collection of PVCs easier,” he stated.

ASR Africa, BUA Foundation Approve N1.5bn Grant for Projects in Ogun Communities The Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa), the brainchild of industrialist, philanthropist and founder of the BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu and the BUA Foundation have awarded development grants worth N1.5 billion to Yewa Land in Ogun State comprising Ilaro, Igbogila, Ibeshe, Egua, and Igonade communities for key community, social, and infrastructural development projects.

This was announced at the grant presentation and mutual accountability framework signing ceremonies held yesterday, in Ilaro, Ibese, and Igbogila.

The grants, according to a statement, would be channeled towards interventions in the areas of health, education, or social development initiatives that are identified for implementation.

Presenting the grants award letter to Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, the Olu of Ilaro and Paramount Ruler of Yewaland in Ogun State, Managing Director, ASR Africa, Ubon Udoh, assured of more partnership with the people of Yewaland and reiterated that the vision of the founder of ASR Africa and Chairman of BUA, was to provide concrete solutions for sustainable development in Nigeria, and Africa.

According to Ubon, “What ASR Africa and BUA Foundation are doing here today, is planting a seed of sustainable problem-solving across Africa in line with the vision of Abdul Samad Rabiu, our founder - and Chairman of BUA. “The first grant of N1 billion goes to all communities in Yewaland for developmental purposes to uplift the quality of life of the Yewa people, while ASR Africa and BUA Foundation are also giving

additional specific grants of N250 million each to Igbogila and Ibese Communities for already identified infrastructure projects to enhance community development through their traditional institutions.

“We have done our basic needs assessment in collaboration with the communities on their needs, and we are pleased to say we look forward to the commencement of the identified projects and a more robust partnership with Yewaland, as we have done in other parts of the country.”

In his response, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, the Olu of Ilaro and Paramount Ruler of Yewaland commended Abdul Samad Rabiu for his philanthropic gestures across the country and noted that indeed he is a true Nigerian.

The monarch added that with the grants, Yewaland and Yewa people will witness rapid social and infrastructural development.

“We are one of the largest sub-ethnic groups in Yoruba Land and these grants will go a long way in bringing sustainable development in line with the United Nations SDGs, to our people,” he added.

The Paramount Ruler of Ibese community, HRM Oba Rotimi Mulero, The Oboro of Ibese, also thanked the donors for their timely intervention in developing Ibese community.

“May the Almighty bless Abdul Samad Rabiu, ASR Africa, and BUA Foundation for partnering with us to fast-track development in our community because we are still largely behind on the development curve. This partnership with ASR Africa and BUA Foundation will go a long way in ensuring even greater development for our people.”

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POLITICS

Acting Group Politics Editor DEJI ELUMOYE Email: deji.elumoye@thisdaylive.com 08033025611 SMS ONLY

Seriake-Dickson: Trajectory of a Transparency Advocate in Governance Lawrence Olaoye writes about the pedigree of former Governor of Bayelsa state, Senator SeriakeDickson, which recently earned him a Transparency in Leadership Award

I

t has been generally acknowledged that corruption is the bane of development in Nigeria. Successive administrations, especially at the federal level, has made efforts at taming the demon, but like an octopus, it has continuously to manifest in several ways.

Agencies such as the ICPC, EFCC, BPP, CCB and many others with affiliated mandate to check corruption were created at the central level but not much has been done to deal with the challenge at the sub-national.

One leader that has been able to understudy the challenge with a view to institutionalizing transparence at the state level is the former governor of Bayelsa state and current Senator representing Bayelsawest Senatorial district at the 9th Assembly, Henry Seriake-Dickson The former police officer turned lawyer and politician has consistently been one of the various anti-corruption crusader in the country.

On becoming the Governor of Bayelsa state in 2012, he realized the need to deal with corruption and had the opportunity of officially institutionalizing anti-corruption measures to deal with the malaise.

He ensured that the two other arms of government, Legislature and Judiciary, were severred from the apron string of the Executive by ensuring their independence.

The autonomy granted the Legislature and Judiciary was to enable the two arms of government carry out their duties without interference and promote checks and balances with separation of powers.

With this, the heads of the other arms of government in the state would not need to come cap in hand to the executive to get their dues.

To this extent, in order to ensure ease of governance and optimum transparency, the Henry Seriake-Dickson ‘Restoration Government’ signed the Financial Autonomy Bill and the Legislative Funds Management (Amendment) Bill 2019.

Many states have been bogged down with the challenge of inflated contracts and delivery of sub standard projects by their contractors. This challenge has consistently made states, including Bayelsa, to get less value for their money.

To address this and arrest the corruption in award and delivery of public contracts, the Restoration Team under SeriakeDickson’s leadership created a Directorate for Project Monitoring and Evaluation Board charged with the responsibility of ensuring delivery of quality projects in the water logged state.

Today, edifices and signature projects conceived and delivered by the former governor, including the airport, have been attested to be of international quality and standard.

Seriake-Dickson became the governor of Bayelsa state at a time corruption in the civil service was working on four. He wasted no time by immediately embarking on Civil Service Reforms by setting up a verification committee which unearthed a widespread payroll fraud in the service.

The former governor incurred the wrath of the corrupt cabal in the state when he ordered that those indicted in the employment and salary scams be probed in order to instill sanity in the civil service. Loopholes were blocked and money recovered from the exercise were further invested in developmental projects and services in the state.

To set a new template in governance, Seriake-Dickson, on assumption of office in 2012 ensured the passage of the Transparency Law which enabled him to convene monthly Town Hall meeting where Bayelsans were briefed on how the statutory funds of the state were accounted for.

At the meeting, Bayelsans had the oppor-

tunity of listening to the state’s statement of accounts with details on how their resources were being disbursed. They equally had the opportunity to ask questions and demand clarifications from the governor.

The Transparency Law also ensured that all the the handling of the State and Local Governments Joint Accounts were transpar-

ently applied.

Unlike some other states where the state governor misapply local government fund, Seriake-Dickson’s Restoration Government ensured that the eight chairmen got their statutory allocations for the development of their local governments.

Aside this, the Seiake-Dickson’s govern-

ment also set aside 15 percent of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state for distribution to the local governments to augment the development of the grassroots.

It is gladdening to note that SeriakeDickson’s successor, Governor Douye Diri, also a member of the Restoration Team, has continued the Transparency culture he inherited.

Diri’s resolve to continue in the transparency trajectory has further established the fact that the culture of good governance, initiated by the Restoration Team Leader, has come to stay in Bayelsa Seriake-Dickson, who is evidently not given to ostentatious lifestyle, is down to earth, unassuming, friendly and always at home with the high and low in the society.

His humility and affable mien belies his acceptance even beyond the glamour of the Creek Haven.

It is on this note that the Centre for Credible Leadership and Citizen Awareness, an amalgam of 90 Civil Society Organisations (NGOs) gave him the Transparency in Leadership Award.

Recall also that the management of African Independent Television (AIT) had in 2018 bestowed similar Transparency Award on him while still in office as Bayelsa governor.

These awards only confirmed SeriakeDickson’s selflessness in service delivery and his thirst for the development of not only Bayelsa state, but Nigeria at large.

The people of Bayelsa West Senatorial Constituency would do well to return this nationalist to the Red Chamber for him to continue his crusade against corruption at the national level beyond 2023.

-Olaoye writes from Abuja

Odebiyi Revives School Sports in Ogun West Olubunmi Omoogun writes about the steps being taken by Senator Tolu Odebiyi to develop school sports in his senatorial district, Ogun West

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hile Nigerians were nursing the pains of not watching the National soccer team, the Super Eagles at this year’s 2022 World Cup, the first ever winter edition of the competition hosted by the oil rich gulf country, Qatar, the Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District, Tolu Odebiyi has looked inward to develop our sports from the grassroots to ensure that Nigeria does not miss out in the next world cup to be held across three host countries America, Canada and Mexico in 2026.

As part of his determination and undying passion to dutifully deliver the dividends of democracy in several areas and on multiple fronts, the Senator who is already looking ahead, has facilitated the construction and equipping of mini sports centre to help improve grassroots sports development in his community and by extension Ogun State and Nigeria.

The mini sports centre, situated in Yewa (Egbado) College, Ilaro, Ogun State will serve as a centre for promoting sporting and recreational activities among the Constituents, is a state of the art sport complex, among other facilities, has a standard football field, basketball court, etc.

This is another confirmation of the tremendous contributions of the Senator to the all-round development of Yewa (Egbado) College facilities and Infrastructure, being the Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District.

This effort has also solved the huge challenge of degradation in facilities and

infrastructure at the school.

Odebiyi noted that he will continue to help young people develop their talents and improve recreational activities all across his Senatorial District.

While urging all sports stakeholders and governments at sub-national level to come up with similar model in the drive towards returning Nigeria to its glory days in sports, Odebiyi believes that if the mini sports centre is properly utilised it will produce more strong, fast, skillful, disciplined and tactically sound home honed footballers

and athletes such as Super Eagles former captains, Nduka Ugbade, Segun Odegbami, Henry Nwosu, late Stephen Keshi and the exceptionally gifted Ronke Alabi. A student of Yewa (Egbado) College, Ilaro, who made a historic feat of winning a Gold medal in 3000meters at the World Secondary School Games in Paris, France in May 2022.

Alabi smashed the national record after posting an amazing time of 9mins 36secs beating the standing Nigeria National record of 9.41mins 28secs set since 1986.

The Ogun West Senator who is driven by the notion that Nigerian sports have always been anchored to the schools, appeals to all to channel their resources to helping our schools as the schools hold the key to Nigeria’s sport development.

As an erudite federal lawmaker, who wants the best for his people, feels that public schools should have functional facilities to enable students participate actively in sports.

He noted that with adequate sports facilities and infrastructure the students are bound to enjoy the best and most complete education possible.

Yewa (Egbado) College, Ilaro will also be looking to expand its stock of homegrown talents through these expanded school facilities provided by Odebiyi, will help the school discover even more young footballers and athletes like Ronke Alabi to feed our National teams with the raw materials from the grassroots.

-Omoogun writes from Abuja

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PERSPECTIVE Pele: Genius ‘Who Built The World Cup’ Banji Ojewale

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hen boxer Muhammed Ali passed on in 2016, G e o r g e Foreman, one of the sport’s fiercest demolition experts, was approached by CBS This Morning crew in the United States of America to speak on his old ring foe.

Knocked out by Ali in their unforgettable Rumble in the Jungle duel in Kinshasa, Zaïre, in 1974, Foreman said what the sport had experienced of Ali defied all known approbatory allusions. It wasn’t enough to describe the man born as Cassius Marcellus Clay as the “best fighter”, he said. According to Foreman, “…To say he (Ali) was the greatest boxer is a put-down…

He was bigger than boxing. He was bigger than anything…I got into the ring with him…He didn’t have the best power…the best anything…But his presence…His greatest power was his presence…Nothing like him…”

Since the death in December of another sports colossus, Pele of Brazil, the world is experiencing the same dilemma: a dearth of expressions to convey Pele into history. Is it adequate to see him as a legend?

These days even flash-in-the-plan celebrities get the tag. How about merely dubbing him the greatest in the field? Do our media personnel not slap the adjective on sports and music and theatre people, who don’t last beyond a season, those who disappear from the annals after one or two laurels?

Now, here come the words, icon and titan. Man has made a sandcastle of these, too. Every Tom, Dick and Harry run into them; and they are presumed safe therein until history rumbles in with its hard punches.

These words are too commonly used today to colour an uncommon Pele.

But though these epithets aren’t semantically unfit for the greatness of Pele, we must, nevertheless, qualify them, upgrade them, dress them in robes that would drop the chaff so the wheat can stand out. For, as we say it colloquially, there are men and there are men.

So, how do we shroud Pele, the Brazilian footballer named at birth Edson Arantes do Nascimento?

How would history rate him? What superlative metrics, regardless of our

Pele

subjective opinions, will history apply to settle him? History is said to be impartial; it processes our present and posts it back at the departure of man. It uses as raw resources what we pump or write into her. The enduring record you’ll finally have is your true past, no makeup.

The Australian writer, Steve Douglas, also trod that route in his 1976 book, Kings of Sport. He paraded 20 spectacular sporting ‘kings’ in history, Pele, Ali, Rocky Marciano, Jesse Owens, Vladimir Kuts, etc., among them. Presenting the extraordinary exploits of Pele that earned him three World Cup triumphs in four appearances, a feat unprecedented and yet to be equaled more than five decades after, Douglas said

“As I scored that goal I thought of all the poor children on earth, of those who have nothing, of the blind and the deaf whom I want to help during Christmas.”

baffled medical experts had to subject the footballer to thorough checks for an accurate assessment of his prowess. He wrote, ”…Psychiatrists attached to the Brazilian international team…said he (Pele) was of above-average intelligence…

Top Brazilian medical experts examined Pele’s magnificent body and came to this conclusion: ’Whatever this man might have decided to do in the field of physical endeavour, he would have been a genius.’”

The Brazilian truly posted preternatural performance. At only 29, Pele had scored his 1000th goal, breaking all known goal-scoring records. Of that goal on November 19, 1969 at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he said, ”As I scored that goal I thought of all the poor children on earth, of those who have nothing, of the blind and the deaf whom I want to help during Christmas.”

The Brazilian Post Office issued a stamp showing Pele netting the historic barrierbreaking goal. He was also presented with a gold football weighing four pounds. Later he

unveiled a plaque commemorating the 1000th goal. More accolades came in 1970 as Pele got Brazil’s first goal in the country’s victory over Italy in the final. It was also Brazil’s hundredth in World Cup matches, leading to Brazil’s third victory in the global quadrennial soccer fiesta. Pele was crowned King of Football, 12 years after he had burst onto the world scene as Brazil’s teenage World Cup hero in Sweden in 1958.

Back home, Pele became better known than the President, “More in demand than the most highly paid film stars.”

He enjoyed the same reverence on the field. Once, Pele succumbed to his base instincts when he was fouled and he retaliated. The referee sent him off. But, see what followed: the disciplinary board overturned the case against the player and, instead, suspended the referee for 30 days! Pele disciplined for wrongdoing? Impossible!

But Pele was human. There were failed marriages. There were children from mistresses. There were reckless investments. There was a time he hobnobbed with Brazil’s ruthless military rulers, when he should have spoken against them as his teeming admirers, most of the poor of the land.

This deprived of Brazil and the Church benefited a lot from the enormous income soccer fame gave Pele. For him, God brought him the wealth through kicking the round leather so he could be of help to the helpless, a passion he picked and nurtured from his days at Santos, the famous club he played for 18 years.

That’s where the real story began.

He conquered the world right there at Santos, never leaving Brazil for European teams for recognition.

He proved that the denigrated Third World could produce leading lights for the world to celebrate, without leaning on Western props.

Pele was not just another player, says Tim Vickery, South American Football Correspondent for BBC Sport. His verdict: Pele was far ahead of his time, “a global icon before football was globalised…he built the World Cup.” That takes us back to Foreman on Ali: some figures step into the scene and the scene wears a new enduring look that transports it into history.

• Ojewale is a writer in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria.

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2023

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BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET

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Group Business Editor Eromosele Abiodun Email oriarehu.eromosele@thisdaylive.com

08056356325

J A N U A R Y

S & P INDEX

1 2 , 2 0 2 3

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EXCHANGE RATE

OPR

11.25%

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N416.86/ 1 US DOLLAR*

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*AS AT LAST FRIDAY

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Nigerian Airlines to Receive 40 Brand New Aircraft in 36 Months

Chinedu Eze If everything goes according to plan, Nigerian carriers are expected to receive 40 brand new aircraft in the next 36 months, starting from early this year, THISDAY checks has revealed.

Nigerian airlines have recorded steady progress in aircraft acquisition since Arik Air broke a 20-year old jinx by acquiring brand new aircraft in 2007.

THISDAY can report that Air Peace is expected to receive 10 Embraer E195-E2 aircraft this year, followed by Ibom Air, which is expected to receive 10 brand new aircraft from Airbus, starting from

this year.

It was learnt that Overland Airways also made firm order for 7 Embraer 175 aircraft.

Air Peace had made order for 10 Boeing B737 Max in 2018 and reconfirmed the order in 2021.

Sources told THISDAY that the aircrafts will arrive the country within the 36 months period.

Air Peace official told THISDAY that the company would focus on receiving the 10 brand new Embraer aircraft this year and would then look forward to receiving the Boeing 737 MAX, which would come in MAX 8 and 10 variants.

Informed source from the company told THISDAY that the

MAX 10 equipment are primed for the Lagos-London route whenever the airline receives approval to operate the route.

The Group Manager, Marketing and Communication, Ibom Air, Annie Essienette, told THISDAY that the Akwa Ibom State owned airline ordered for 10 Airbus aircraft, which was expected to begin to arrive early this year but due to the delay in manufacturing the aircraft, it is expected to begin to arrive later this year.

“We are sure of one this year, two next year but we will have all delivered between this year and 2025. We have staggered delivery of the aircraft. We are also expecting

variant in the aircraft types that will be delivered to us,” she said.

The airline, he added, will have a big boost in its fleet when it receives all the aircraft, “It will make us the second biggest operator in the country.” Currently the airline operates five Bombardier CRJ-900 and two Airbus A220 aircraft.

THISDAY learnt that the acquisition of these aircraft will cost the airlines humongous amount of money and the facility is being provided by largely local banks.

It was learnt that when the delivery is completed it would up the rating of Nigeria’s aviation industry in the global air transport market.

Overland Airways is also expecting the delivery of its aircraft to start from the first quarter of this year, if there are no last minute changes.

Looking at the benefits of brand new aircraft to the airline, key member of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and the CEO of Top Brass Aviation Limited, Captain Roland Iyayi, told THISDAY that brand new aircraft would be economical to the airline because in the first five years of its operation there won’t be schedule maintenance but routine maintenance, except there is incident, which would call for schedule maintenance.

He said new aircraft increase

customer confidence because to a large extent passengers believe that new aircraft would be safer but it is merely psychological because any aircraft deemed airworthy by regulatory authority is safe. But because of the belief of passengers, the new aircraft will attract more passengers, which means the new equipment would be recording high load factor and reduced cost of maintenance will make the aircraft profitable to the airline.

“Essentially, brand new aircraft saves money for the airline. Between four to five years, the airline will engage in routine maintenance. There Continued on page 22

Customs Facilitates $68.5m Export at Apapa Port, Generates N1.02trn Revenue Eromosele Abiodun The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa command, yesterday, said it facilitated $68.5 million export and generated N1.02 trillion from cargoes imported into the country via Apapa port from January to December 2022.

Speaking at a press conference to review the activities of the Command in 2022, the Customs

Area Controller (CAC), of the Command, Comptroller Yusuf Malanta, said non-oil exports facilitated through the Command was 6.4million metric tonnes worth $68.5million Free Onboard (FOB), value.

According to the Customs’ boss, the 2022 revenue figure was 16.07% higher than N870.38billion collected in 2021.

According to him, “On export

trade, in line with the federal government’s diversification of the economy in non-oil export, the command recorded a total of $68.5 million Free onboard value with a naira equivalent of N28.2 billion of non- oil commodities with a total tonnage of 6.4 million Metric tonnes exported through Apapa port.

“Items exported through Apapa Port last year 2022 were steel bars,

agricultural produce such hibiscus, sesame seeds, cocoa, cashew nuts, ginger, soya beans, and mineral products.”

He added that collaboration with other agencies of government has greatly enhanced productivity of the command, stating, “record shows that practical involvement of agencies, inter agency collaboration, networking, incidence profiling, information gathering/processing

and experience shared has resulted to a lot of interception of life threating import of dangerous drugs and various prohibited items.”

Malanta noted that the year under review was characterised with several challenges in the economic and trade supply chain.

He expressed delight that the command was able to make some laudable achievement using

technology-driven initiatives to maximise revenue collection, enforcement of anti-smuggling operations, export promotion and synergy with our noble stakeholders in the industry.

He said a total number of 157 containers with a duty paid value (DPV) of N14.4 billion were seized, as against 102 containers Continued on page 22

M A R K E T D ATA A S AT T H U R S D AY, J A N U A R Y 1 2 , 2 0 2 3 BONDS DESCRIPTION Price ^14.20 14MAR-2024 ^13.53 23MAR-2025 ^12.50 22JAN-2026 ^16.2884 17MAR-2027 ^13.98 23FEB-2028

10.362, 00 10.459, 00 10.287, 00 11.168, 00 10.386, 00

Yield 10.82 11.11 11.35 12.60 12.92

Change Updated Time (%) January -0.01 6, 2023 January -0.71 6, 2023 January 0.00 6, 2023 January 0.00 6, 2023 January 0.00 6, 2023

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CPS

Change Updated Time (%) January 6, -0.01 2023 January 6, 0.00 2023 January 6, -1.71 2023 January 6, 0.00 2023 January 6, 0.00 2023

MATURITY FDHP CP III 17-MAR-23 VHPL CP III 1-APR-23 MREP CP VI 11-APR-23

Change Updated Time (%) January 6, 9.26 9.43 0.00 2023 January 6, 14.15 14.64 0.00 2023 January 6, 10.52 10.81 -0.01 2023

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CONTRACT TENOR Contract (MONTH) NGUS JAN 25 1 2023 NGUS FEB 22 2 2023 NGUS MAR 29 3 2023 NGUS APR 26 4 2023 NGUS MAY 31 5 2023

Current Rate Updated Time ($/₦) January 6, 469.87 2023 January 6, 472.05 2023 January 6, 474.23 2023 January 6, 476.42 2023 January 6, 478.60 2023

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

AIR WATCH

Ethiopian Airlines’ Flights to China May Return to Pre-Covid Levels

Chinedu Eze

Ethiopian Airlines, the leading airline in Africa, has announced that the frequency of its flights to Chinese cities will increase as of February 6, 2023 ultimately returning to the pre-COVID19 levels on March 1, 2023 following the lifting of restrictions by the government of China. As of February 6, 2023, Ethiopian Airlines will operate daily flights to Guangzhou while increasing its weekly flights to Beijing and Shanghai to four each and maintains the trice weekly operation to Chengdu.

Starting from March 1, 2023,

the flights will surge back to the pre-COVID19 levels with daily flights to Beijing and Shanghai as well as ten and four weekly flights to Guangzhou and Chengdu respectively. Accordingly, Ethiopian will operate a total of 28 weekly passenger flights to China when the services are fully restored.

Regarding the increase of flight frequencies, Ethiopian Group CEO Mesfin Tasew said, “We are glad that we are ramping up the frequencies of our flights to Chinese cities thanks to the easing of flight restrictions by the Government of China. China is one of the largest markets for Ethiopian

Airlines outside Africa, and the increase in flight frequencies will help revive the trade, investment, cultural and bilateral cooperation between Africa and China in the post-Covid era. Thanks to our large network across Africa, the increase in the number of flights to Chinese cities will bring Africa and China closer. We are keen to further expand our service to China going forward.”

In addition to its passenger flights to Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu, Ethiopian is also operating freighter flights to Guangzhou, Shanghai, Zhengzhou, Changsha and Wuhan.

A I R WATCH

Of Government’s Interest and National Carrier

Air Cargo Demand Softened in November, Says IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released data for November 2022 global air cargo markets showing that demand softened as economic headwinds persist.

Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs), fell 13.7 per cent compared to November 2021 (-14.2 per cent for international operations).

Capacity (measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers, ACTK) was 1.9 per cent below November 2021. This was the second yearon-year contraction following the first last month (in October) since April 2022. International cargo capacity decreased 0.1% compared

to November 2021.

Compared to pre-COVID-19 levels (November 2019), there was a smaller contraction in overall demand (-10.1 per cent), while capacity was down 8.8 per cent.

The US dollar has appreciated sharply, adding cost pressure as many costs are denominated in US dollars. This includes jet fuel, which is already at elevated levels.

The Consumer Price Index for G7 countries decreased from 7.8 per cent in October to 7.4 per cent in November, the largest month-on-month decline in 2022.

Inflation in producer (input) prices reduced to 12.7% in November, its lowest level so far in 2022.

IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh, said: “Air cargo performance softened in November, the traditional peak season. Resilience in the face of economic uncertainties is demonstrated with demand being relatively stable on a month-to-month basis. But market signals are mixed.

November presented several indicators with upside potential: oil prices stabilized, inflation slowed and there was a slight expansion in goods traded globally. But shrinking export orders globally and China’s rising COVID cases are cause for careful monitoring.”

NACAN Boss Seeks Implementation of ATS-MHS at Airports The President, National Air traffic Communicators’ Association of Nigeria (NACAN), Rabiu Mohammed Sani, has urged the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to as a matter of urgency, implement the Air Traffic Services (ATS) Message Handling System (AMHS) at all airports across the country.

This is just as he has commended the strides of the Managing Director, Mr. Matthew Lawrence Pwajok, saying he has changed the face of NAMA in the last one year.

While stressing the need for the provision of modern communication equipment for communicators, Sami noted that some countries were migrating from AMHS to System Wide Information Management (SWIM), a new communication

system while Nigeria has yet to implement the AMHS. The AMHS is the system that is used to exchange Air Traffic Service (ATS) messages between users over the Aeronautical Telecommunication Network (ATN).

Speaking during an interview, he noted that AMHS machines have been installed in Kano and Lagos, and that configuration was on-going but are yet to start functioning, calling for strong efforts to train more personnel this year to avoid the problem the unit passed through concerning trainings last year.

The NACAN Boss disclosed further that two sets of AMHS participants were still on ground awaiting training after getting their travel documents ready since April

2022 without approval from the ministry.

According to him, AO 30, AO 31, AO 41, AMS 06 courses were supposed to commence in 2022 but did not, due to some issues raised by the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria.

Sani remarked that if there were no adequate personnel to man the systems in the agency, they would be left redundant, impacting negatively on the department and the agency.

Speaking on the planned national carrier and the controversies it has generated, he said NACAN was in full support as it will go a long way in checkmating tickets pricing, flight cancellation and general improvement of air transportation in Nigeria.

CeBIH Moves to Combat Fraud in Electronic Payment Emma Okonji The Committee of e-Business Industry Heads (CeBIH) has stated its readiness to collaborate with Private and Public Sector Agencies to tackle electronic payment fraud in Nigeria.

The Chairman of CeBIH, Celestina Appeal, who stated this at a recent conference of the CeBIH, which held in Lagos, said the fight against electronic payment fraud, remained the responsibility of all.

According to her, the promotion of a unified front in combating fraud through an active collaboration between providers of financial services, the Law Enforcement Agencies, the Judiciary, and Regulators, has become imperative in restoring the confidence of consumers in the Nigerian

payment system.

She added that CeBIH would remain committed in leading the engagements and interactions with the identified partners to harness capabilities across the ecosystem in order to rid the Nigerian payment system of the menace of fraud.

Other speakers at the conference agreed that the growing concern about the increasing trend of Electronic/ Digital Financial Services fraud and the attendant leakage of monetary value in Nigeria’s Payment Value Chain, require the need for collaboration for an effective fight against electronic fraud in line with the theme of the Conference – ‘Leveraging Ecosystem Synergy to Combat Fraud’.

The conference was attended by representatives of Banks, the Central Bank of Nigeria,

Payment Switching and Processing Companies, Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Microfinance Banks, Merchant Banks, Payment Service Banks, Payment Terminal Service Providers (PTSPs), Fintechs, Industry Associations., Consulting Firms, among others.

The Committee of e-Business Industry Heads comprises of heads of electronic and digital banking in Nigeria with its primary objective of promoting digital financial services in line with global best practices and the implementation of right policies, standards, technologies, and public awareness programs.

The members of the committee are responsible for the implementation of strategies that drive electronic and mobile payments across the various banks in Nigeria.

Chinedu Eze What many African governments have found difficult doing is operating successful and profitable business.

In Nigeria, the Nigeria National Shipping Line, Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL), NITEL and other businesses that were once successful eventually collapsed due to interference and corruption. Shortly before mobile phone network came to Nigeria, many technical officials of NITEL were induced with bribes before they would agree to repair landlines in people’s homes.

NAL was constricted with heavy debt burden before the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo regime liquidated it in 2003. Today Kenya Airways and South Africa Airways are suffering from protracted illness that has defied all medication.

That may explain why the President of Kenya, William Ruto decided to take a radical step by selling government shares in the airline.

The latest information on Kenya Airways is that its shares have been suspended from trading for an additional year from January 5, according to a statement from the Nairobi Stock Exchange.

The airline was first taken off the stock exchange in 2020 following the government’s plans to take full ownership of the carrier as the Covid-19 pandemic decimated the global aviation industry. But the shares would stay off the market pending a restructuring which the government now hopes would lead to a sale to private investors.

“The extension of suspension seeks to enable the company [to] complete its operational and corporate restructure process,” the Nairobi Securities Exchange said in a statement recently.

According to reports by Leo Komminoth in the African Business, the government started a restructuring process to get the carrier out of its dire financial straits ahead of a potential sale of the airline. In 2022, 16 routes were cut and aircraft lease deals had been renegotiated.

The airline, led by CEO Allan Kilavuka, plans to cut its fleet from 32 planes to 27 and further optimise its network to cut 12 loss-making routes.

Reports indicate that since taking office in September 2022, President William Ruto has dropped plans to increase the government’s 48.9 per cent stake in the company, 7.8 per cent of which is owned by Air France-KLM, and the rest by private owners and banks.

In December, Ruto said the government was ready to sell its entire stake in the airline, as it was no longer willing to support the company. Kenya’s National Treasury said it would spend $283 million to support Kenya Airways in the financial year 2022/23, causing a significant strain on the state budget.

The Director of Research, Zenith Travels and the publicity secretary of Aviation Round Table (ART), Olu Ohunayo, told THISDAY that Kenya Airways has just shown that government participation in business is no business. Here is an airline that is wholly owned by the government, they went into partial privatisation, it failed. They got a core investor; they had issues because of too much interference. They also tried to merge the airline with the Kenya Airport Authority using the asset of the airport authority and the unions resisted it.

“Now the new President has come out publicly to say that he has no business with the airline, he is ready to let go and also, he is

not just interested in having the Kenyan flag on an aircraft. That what he wants is that he wants an airline that will be of good business.

And I think I support him. Some have criticized why the President is interfering. But I think it is important because government has always interfered in the progress of that airline. For them to have come and re-nationalise, you need to assure the new set of investors that you will not step in at all. It is not enough for just coming out to say it; you also need to ensure that a bill is passed to support that position. I think that is what will save Kenya Airways now, for them to get the necessary strategic investor that will come in and take some of the shares of that airline,” Ohunayo said.

He noted that Kenya Airways has a strong competitor in Ethiopian Airlines, which is just some meters away.

“So they need a strong strategic investor outside Africa to be able to compete in that hub, that East African hub with Ethiopian Airlines and that is the situation they found themselves now,” he also said.

On the planned Nigeria Air, Ohunayo urged that the establishment of the airline has to be transparent and follow due process so that it would have long lifespan when established.

“Well, I think getting certification for the new airline is not a problem; you can easily get certification for Nigerian Air carriers.

What has been difficult is having commercial linkages, partnership that would be respected and acknowledged by other competitors in the industry and by the international community.

And in doing this, the easiest way, the easiest route to such deals is having a foreign core investor. And that played out with Virgin Nigeria.

If you noticed up to this moment none of the airlines have been able to match the number of commercial agreements they had within the two to three years they operated in Nigeria.

So I think it is that area that makes people push for core investor. “Also, the core investor also gives access to spares, helps with credit facility, and also gets good ratings and credit based on their experience, base on their own credit facility which helps reduces cost. It is on that basis that they push for a technical core investor who can support and also help us to market what we cannot access. Preferably we should look for an investor outside Africa and probably reduce the percentage to about 30 per cent. Well they can start with 40 per cent but we must have it at the back of our mind that, that percentage should be trimmed down to have more Nigerians and more Nigerian operators,” Ohunayo said.

It is important to involve the Nigerian operators into the business and also build a second or third airline. It is not just to recommend that these airlines are operators, we need to give them that flag carrier status and support them on the international routes rather than abandon them. And again, for the airlines too, they also need to look at the ownership.

They need to spread ownership so that people will have that feeling that this is a national airline and also entitled to the national common wealth, Ohunayo advised.

He restated the fact that technical partnership would help to facilitate increased commercial agreement, adding that commercial agreement increases the bottom line, contributes to the bottom line of revenue, and increases the airline’s output and outlet.

21

FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

PERSPECTIVE

Challenges Confronting Ports Economic Regulation Francis Ugwoke

A

s the ports economic regulator, the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) remains an umpire of the ports system. Its major task is ensuring fairness in charges as well as efficiency in service provision.

Observers believe that this is not an easy task considering the operating environment. Yet, expectations are high that the regulator brings its force to bear on this and also ensures good equipment profile that will improve on efficiency in cargo handling operations.

The biggest problem in the nation’s ports is the overwhelming power of service providers in which case they are able to influence decisions and actions against them by agencies of government. This explains the illegal charges that have over the years lingered in the ports with all the efforts to check the service providers.

The NSC is most times hindered by lack of strong provisions of the law to tackle these service providers. Industry stakeholders believe that what is needed is more powers for the port economic regulator to penalize service providers that breach the regulations. Perhaps it was in realizing this that the Council is calling for a review of its enabling Act by the National Assembly (NASS). Executive Secretary of the NSC, Hon. Emmanuel Jime while recently pointing out these constraints against his agency also identified the issue of inadequate funding to carry out some statutory obligations. With new role under the Port Standing Task Team (PSTT) to check corruption and ensure efficiency, the NSC according to Jime does not have enough funding capacity to carry out some of these critical national assignments. Stakeholders agree that this cannot be far from the truth as the National Port Process Manual (NPPM) carries with it a lot of logistics obligations to implement.

Jime said the two percent being received from the seven per cent Port Development Levy is not enough. To industry stakeholders, the complaint by the NSC in terms of poor funding and lack of adequate power of enforcement is true and should be addressed by the National Assembly. This should also receive the attention of the Transport Minister, Eng. Muazu Sambo, whose political will is needed for the Bill to sail through in the Presidency.

The NSC has a case at hand on shipping charges. Both NSC and shipping service providers have remained in court for over seven years.

The case has progressively been in favour of the Council in both the High Court and Appeal Court. The matter is currently in the Supreme Court. But there are underground moves to settle out of court. This is being handled by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation. The judgment in the High Court was that the service providers should pay hundreds of billions of Naira to the shippers. This is being challenged by the shipping service providers. It was gathered that what is being negotiated is how much each of the service providers should pay based on what the Court had ordered in its judgement.

Also of serious concern to the NSC as the ports economic regulator is the status of the National Transport Commission (NTC) Bill which was initially denied assent by President Muhammadu Buhari. Expectations are that Sambo pursues this matter to a logical conclusion for the Bill to be passed and given assent before Buhari leaves office. The NTC is coming with a lot of benefits that will lead to transformation in the transport sector. If given assent by this administration, it will also be a credit to Sambo as part of his achievements.

Sources close to the National Assembly said the NSC CEO has been making frantic moves to ensure that the NTC Bill is passed before May 29 considering its importance to national transport development. It would be recalled that the former Minister of State for Transport, Senator Gbemisola Saraki, had earlier given strong indication that all hope is not lost on the passage of the NTC into law. Saraki had told newsmen in June that the Transport Ministry was working towards the passage of the Bill into law. She disclosed that the President could not give assent to the bill earlier due to technical issues that are being addressed.

But she described the technical issues as minor which have been taken care of, dismissing earlier speculations that the bill was dead and buried.

According to her, the bill will be passed in the next few months.

She had said, ” Perhaps you don’t know that my humble self worked on that bill at the National Assembly, it was not signed but it has made its way back to the National Assembly to be tidied up and it will be done within the next few months.

Jime “Every sector has to have it’s policy given direction, to define where the industry is headed and I think National Transport Commission is a given.”

Industry stakeholders are of the view that the present Minister should step up his efforts in the National Assembly and the Presidency to ensure that the Bill is passed. This has remained the prayer of not just Jime who inherited the Bill from the former Executive Secretary, Dr. Hassan Bello, but also the entire staff of the NSC, and indeed industry stakeholders. An industry analyst, Mr Martins Uba Nwamadi believes that the passage of NTC remains imperative because of the immense benefits to the industry.

According to Nwamadi, “it will provide mechanism for monitoring, compliance of government agencies and transport operators in the regulated transport industry with relevant legislation and advise government on matters relating to economic regulation.

“Other objectives are that it should also project the rights and interest of service operators and users while creating an enabling environment for private sector participation in the provision of services in the transport sector.

“Furthermore, it should also facilitate effective competition, promote competitive market, conduct and ensure that the misuse of monopoly or non transitory market power is prevented in the provision of transport services, amongst others.”

Besides, industry stakeholders believe that with the current scenario in which the NSC is suffering lack of adequate power of enforcement, NTC will come to fill the gap. Although the NSC has entered into Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) on the issue of certain enforcement, this may not be enough as its independence is weakened by the arrangement.

Few weeks ago, the Shippers Association Lagos State cried out over increasing costs of doing business at Nigerian ports as a result of illegalities being perpetrated by shipping service providers. The President, Evangelist Leo Ogamba, said shippers were being compelled to pay for the inefficiencies and inadequacies of shipping service providers. Worried about this development, he made an appeal to the NSC to, “lobby for establishment of a maritime Court where cases of under-hand practices by providers of services will be prosecuted without delay.” In other words, the absence of NTC is impacting negatively on the industry, and it does not matter the arrangement between the NSC and FCCPC. Earlier, another industry operator and National President of National Council of Managing Directors of Customs Agents (NCMDCA), Mr Lucky Amiwero, had noted the difficulty in controlling service providers because of their connection with those in government.

Most of the service providers have former Heads of State or retired generals as Board Chairmen. These people can stop any penalty against them just by placing a phone call.

This is where a regulator vested with strong powers like NTC comes in. The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) in the communications industry has been able to check the service providers in that sector because of strong constitutional provisions backing its actions. A source said this is what the NSC whose Executive Secretary, Jime, a lawyer, seeks. Apart from the NSC, industry stakeholders urge the Transport Minister, Sambo, and members of relevant Maritime Committees of the National Assembly to go extra-mile to ensure the passage of the NTC bill before May 29, 2023. t 6HXPLF JT UIF 1VCMJTIFS 4IJQQJOH %BZ 0OMJOF .BHB[JOF

22

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2023

BUSINESSWORLD

AVIATION

Stakeholders List Factors that Will Spur Aviation Sector in 2023 Aviation industry stakeholders have made projections on what to expect in the industry in 2023, they also made recommendations on how to improve the sector, writes Chinedu Eze

I

n many ways, Nigeria aviation industry recorded remarkable progress in 2022.

Nigeria was one of the first countries to overcome the effect of Coronavirus pandemic in the world and improved its passenger traffic to pre-2019 levels. The industry recorded milestones, including the installation of airfield lighting in one of the busiest runways in the country, the R18L, known as domestic runway at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos after almost 14 years of operation.

Despite low capacity at the major part of 2022 and the high cost of aviation fuel, passenger traffic was able to build up that by the time the final passenger traffic is published, it is believed that it would not be less than 14 million both domestic and international.

The new Civil Aviation Act 2022, will give five years validity of Air Operators Certificate (AOC) while the non-schedule carriers, would have three years validity. Currently AOC for schedule operators is renewed every two years. NCAA said it is working on the review of the current validity. This is perceived by industry insiders as great achievement in 2022.

In addition to this is the fact that no airline went under in 2022; rather, more airlines joined the market and Air Peace, Nigeria’s biggest carrier, started flight operations to China and extended operations to regional destinations.

OPPORTUNITIES The Managing Director of Flight and Logistics Solutions Limited, Amos Akpan, identified what he referred to as low hanging fruits that would spur the sector in 2023.

One of these low hanging fruits is that airline operators will accept each other’s ticket.

“They should get a platform that pays each airline for tickets utilized on their flights. This is critical for optimal capacity utilization of aircraft. It will also make for better utilization of feeder flights from secondary airports into the airports that process both domestic and international flights,” he said.

Akpan recommended that the NNPC Limited should dedicate one refinery in Nigeria for refining kerosene and Jet-A1 fuel. This, he said, would reduce the costs associated with importation of aviation fuel. He noted that reduced cost of fuel would bring down the cost of producing/providing a seat on Nigeria’s domestic flights.

“Consequently a seat per one hour flight will be less costly than it is now,” he further said.

To ensure longevity and profitability of Nigerian airlines, Akpan said an institution should be created to provide credit facility to the airlines at single digit, long term interest rates, noting that Nigerian carriers cannot be competitive with other airlines in the world when it pays outrageous interest rate of about 26 per cent; when its competitors pay about three per cent for similar facility.

“No matter the name given, an institution should be created that enables investors in aviation to get facilities at single digit interest rates and a repayment period that inputs sufficient timeframe to develop a service and attract the market. This is the foundation to sustained operations and survival. The caveat in this concept is that NCAA (the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority) must ensure adequate compliance with corporate management practices to avoid malpractices. We need our airlines and aviation allied companies to position for global competition.

Financial capacity and corporate governance are the keys,” he said.

administration to continue to provide infrastructure, like the installation of airfield lighting at MMIA domestic runway, which is a safety critical facility with economic implications because landing on the runway in the night would save airlines fuel burnt while taxing from the international runway to the domestic terminals.

“This government has only four more months.

After the election the government will continue with routine activities, nothing fundamental. Those things like concession cannot be continued with because the coming government would come with its own ideas. But this government can continue providing infrastructure at the airports. This is what it can do. It cannot do anything on policy because a new government is coming in,” Tumba said.

MAINTENANCE According to him, 2023 will be year of consolidation in the area of local aircraft maintenance because it has become inevitable, considering the huge expense airlines pay to carry out checks of their aircraft overseas. He noted that raising such money would be a huge challenge to the airlines, as the Naira continues to diminish in value compared to the dollar.

“7star, Aero, and Ibom MROs should step up capacity to accommodate aircraft utilized

by Nigerian operators for maintenance. This would reduce the man-hour cost associated with maintenance. These three facilities must seek to understand the maintenance needs of Nigerian operators. These three MROs should partner with NCAT (the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology, Zaria) to bridge the gap between training and field experience for aircraft technicians and engineers. This is how Egypt, South Africa, and Ethiopia meet the maintenance needs of their operators,” Akpan said. He added that the Buhari administration should be concerned with setting appropriate framework to build a Nigeria Air (national carrier) within the remaining four months of his administration.

Akpan argued that Nigeria needs a national carrier that could utilize most of the nation’s existing Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA).

“A Nigeria Air that most domestic and regional operators will feed with traffic.

This government must consciously develop one hub airport in Nigeria in the fashion of Oliver Tambo, Heathrow, Dubai, and Doha. Currently, none of our airports has infrastructures and facilities that qualify as hub, except for mere strategic location,” the industry stakeholder said.

TRAINING In the area of training, Akpan said there must be conscious efforts to harmonise aviation training curriculum in Nigeria, especially that of NCAT in order to produce manpower for the operators and the agencies; so NCAT would become the workforce supplier of the industry, while more courses would be incorporated so that Nigerians would not be travelling overseas for training in some aviation skills.

“There must be conscious efforts to harmonize the training curriculum of NCAT to the needs of the Nigerian operators to enable the products of NCAT become the workforce in our aviation industry. This should be seamless transition from class to manpower. For example, B737&A320 certified technicians should be NCAT’s focus for maintenance training at this phase of our growth,” he said.

Akpan also suggested that there was need to harmonize cargo airports with the needs of air cargo exporters, remarking that the potential in cargo export is underdeveloped.

“We need to design the structures to build this sector of aviation upon. What we have now as cargo terminal in Murtala Mohammed International Airport is a mini-oshodi park. This new design must be clear so that investors can read, can interpret and operate with,” he said.

Akpan projected that the import of air cargo would grow in 2023 because “we are still import dependent. Exports will grow minimally because of awareness campaign for small entrepreneurs to produce to international market standard; example are dress makers, and chocolate makers.”

He said more airlines would come on stream because the developed routes within Nigeria and West Africa still need capacity, intoning that forex to procure spare parts, and the high cost of funds, as working capital would remain a problem to operators.

“Security will still limit aircraft utilization to a maximum availability of 16 hours a day out of the 24 hours. You cannot plan to depart Lagos by 11pm to Port Harcourt, or Owerri, or Kaduna by air, primarily because of security and infrastructure limitations,” he added.

NEW GOVERNMENT Industry media consultant and the CEO of SY&T Communications, Mr. Simon Tumba, told THISDAY that there would be nothing much to look out for in 2023 because it is the year a new administration would be ushered both at the federal and the states level, adding that the new government which will take charge, will introduce policies that may differ from its predecessor in the first seven months. He however advised the incumbent

FLIGHT OPERATIONS The Director of Research, Zenith Travels and the publicity secretary of Aviation Round Table (ART), Olu Ohunayo, said between now and after the election in February, there would be movements in charter services, observing that non-schedule operators would make so much money; just like last year when the primaries were conducted by the political parties.

Looking at the prospects for the year, I think we are going to experience between now and after the election, a lot of movements in terms of charter flights. The non-schedule operators will make so much money as they made from the middle of last year when the primaries were about to hold, up on till now. And also part of the schedule operators will make money from politicians, from the meetings and INEC in moving materials and also from some group of travellers who have chosen to come together and use a charter flight than wait for schedule operators, as we have seen with some religious bodies, so I expect that the movement with pre-elections will bring activities into the non-schedule sector, and some schedule operators will benefit from such movement,” Ohunayo said.

APPREHENSION However, Ohunayo expressed fear that the in-coming government might not be inclined to keep some foreign investment facilitated by the current administration. He however said when it happens, it might become injurious to foreign direct investment and might also tarnish the image of the country.

So the action that the in-coming government would take would determine what will happen in the aviation industry after the Buhari administration.

“After the elections, this is where the problem might come, considering that we have this penchant of not holding on to agreements or binding agreement to the next government. We might see that some foreign investors may not want to push ahead with their investment plan or agreements involving them giving out aircraft (leasing). What the next government does will determine what foreign investors would do.

Maybe, some who are already investing may hold back to see the disposition of the next government before they would go along with the investment,” Ohunayo said.

The story continues online on www.thisdaylive.com

NIGERIAN AIRLINES TO RECEIVE 40 BRAND NEW AIRCRAFT IN 36 MONTHS will be unscheduled maintenance but schedule maintenance during the period will be minor. Chances will be that the airline will start getting more patronage. So load factor will be high. Reduced maintenance cost will make the airline profitable in the long run,” he said.

Iyayi also said new aircraft would reduce capital flight because

it will not be flown overseas for checks; as new aircraft it will be subjected to minor in-country maintenance.

Travel expert and organiser of Akwaaba African Travel Market, Ambassador Ikechi Ukoh, told THISDAY that the airlines should be commended for acquiring brand new aircraft but noted that the

facilities at the airports in Nigeria currently cannot enhance the benefits of the new equipment.

He noted that airport facilities couldn’t effectively serve existing aircraft, adding that bringing additional aircraft will make airport services cumbersome.

He advocated for the upgrade of airport facilities in order to dovetail

with the new aircraft that would be coming and more aircraft that would come and join the market.

His observation also confirms the feedbacks from passengers during the Yuletide who complained of shambolic services at the airports during the high season when airports could not effectively facilitate passenger and cargo

movement at many airports in the country.

“40 Brand new aircraft coming in the next 36 months will exacerbate the problems at the airports. There will be enough passengers that will fill the planes, but everybody has problem loading passengers into the planes. Facilities currently at the airports cannot

carry that number of aircraft; so bringing new aircraft will compound the problems on ground.

There will be chaos at most of the airports, especially at the Lagos and Abuja airports. The new aircraft will be fuel efficient so they will save fuel on long distance flights and maintenance will be low and cheaper,” Ukoh said.

them on the need to comply with extant trade guidelines for faster and cheaper clearance of cargo and to avoid losing their investment and possible prosecution, he said.”

“On this note, I want to specifically commend our compliant traders who do sincere

declarations, pay accurate duty and obey extant import and export guidelines without violating the prohibition lists, Apapa Command will continue to create a conducive working environment for you and to protect your investment, “he added.

CUSTOMS FACILITATES $68.5M EXPORT AT APAPA PORT, GENERATES N1.02TRN REVENUE with DPV of N31.8 billion seized in the year 2021 Items seized by the command, he revealed, include; codeine syrup, foreign parboiled rice, vegetable oil, processed/unprocessed wood, used clothing’s, etc, “and 60 suspects were arrested in connection with

some of the seizures.”

The comptroller however, applauded compliant importers, urging them to pay accurate duty as well as obey import guidelines.

“I want to specifically commend our compliant traders who do sincere declarations, pay accurate

duty and obey extant import and export guidelines without violating the prohibition lists, Apapa Command will continue to create a conducive working environment for you and to protect your investment.

“The command has promoted

a culture of regular stakeholder engagement with bonded terminal operators, importers, exporters, freight forwarders, licensed customs agents, shipping companies, and others. The need for compliance has always been the thrust of our meetings. We continue to sensitize

23

FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2023 • T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager.

Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 11Jan-2023, unless otherwise stated.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 190.11 191.26 0.54% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 10.49% Nigeria International Debt Fund 324.46 324.46 17.96% Afrinvest Dollar Fund 107.19 108.34 2.26% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.43% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.77 3.83 11.05% ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@anchoriaam.com Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 9.98% Anchoria Equity Fund 149.13 150.80 2.89% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.24 1.24 0.84% info@anchoriaam.com ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 22.35 23.02 10.17% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Ethical Fund 45.70 47.08 17.31% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.13 1.13 4.20% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.11 1.11 9.82% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.58% ARM Short Term Bond Fund 1.04 1.04 0.00% AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com; Tel 08069294653 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 98.58 98.58 3.66% AVA GAM Fixed Income Naira Fund 1,130.47 1,130.47 0.36% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) N/A N/A N/A CAPITALTRUST INVESTMENTS AND ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED halalfif@capitaltrustnigeria.com Web: www.capitaltrustnigeria.com; Tel: 08061458806 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Capitaltrust Halal Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A CARDINALSTONE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfunds@cardinalstone.com Web: www.cardinalstoneassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 (1) 710 0433 4 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CardinalStone Fixed Income Alpha Fund 1.05 1.05 0.25% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 13.63% Paramount Equity Fund 18.53 18.87 1.36% Women's Investment Fund 148.69 150.49 1.78% CHD Nigeria Bond Fund 108.75 108.75 12.11% CHD Nigeria Dollar Income Fund 1.05 1.05 9.08% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Cordros Milestone Fund N/A N/A N/A Cordros Dollar Fund ($) N/A N/A N/A CORONATION ASSETS MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com, Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A N/A N/A N/A EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B N/A N/A N/A EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A EMERGING AFRICA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@emergingafricafroup.com Web:www.emergingafricagroup.com/emerging-africa-asset-management-limited/, Tel: 08039492594 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Emerging Africa Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Emerging Africa Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A Emerging Africa Balanced Diversity Fund N/A N/A N/A Emerging Africa Eurobond Fund N/A N/A N/A FBNQUEST ASSETS MANAGEMENT LIMITED invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Bond Fund 1474.02 1474.02 12.12% FBN Balanced Fund 201.45 202.82 0.88% FBN Halal Fund 123.34 123.34 12.52% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 13.61% FBN Dollar Fund 120.44 120.44 6.68% FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund 168.27 170.73 1.61% FBN Specialized Dollar Fund 104.20 104.20 9.40% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy USD Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn

Coral Balanced Fund Coral Income Fund Coral Money Market Fund

4,261.35 3,721.72 100.00

4,291.65 3,721.72 100.00

42.12% 8.59% 14.03%

FSDH Dollar Fund 1.13 1.13 5.82% GUARANTY TRUST FUND MANAGERS LIMITED enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Vantage Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) N/A N/A N/A Vantage Equity Income Fund (VEIF) - June Year End N/A N/A N/A Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End N/A N/A N/A LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund N/A N/A N/A Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: www.meristemwealth.com/funds/; Tel: +2348028496012 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 12.56 12.60 1.89% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 11.53% NORRENBERGER INVESTMENT AND CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LIMITED enquiries@norrenberger.com Web: www.norrenberger.com, Tel: +234 (0) 908 781 2026 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Norrenberger Islamic Fund (NIF) 103.25 103.25 9.26% Norrenberger Money Market Fund (NMMF) 100.00 100.00 11.92% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.61 1.65 2.55% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.47 11.64 3.25% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 11.05% PACAM Equity Fund 1.47 1.49 3.36% PACAM EuroBond Fund 124.11 126.83 8.85% SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 127.07 129.33 0.05% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 11.05% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 3,697.11 3,726.59 9.06% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 245.43 245.43 4.19% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.44 1.46 15.08% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 333.09 333.09 6.37% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 262.92 266.12 12.57% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 13.25% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 12,392.67 12,527.95 13.44% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.37 1.37 5.84% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 121.23 121.23 3.70% Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Short-Term Fixed Income Fund 115.34 115.34 8.42% Stanbic IBTC Absolute Fund 4,582.25 4,582.25 7.71% Stanbic IBTC Aggressive Fund 3,275.05 3,315.97 17.80% Stanbic IBTC Conservative Fund 4,273.12 4,288.04 12.23% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 01-6317876 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Equity Fund 0.97 0.99 1.49% United Capital Balanced Fund 1.39 1.42 1.74% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.17 1.18 0.65% United Capital Sukuk Fund 1.11 1.11 9.51% United Capital Fixed Income Fund 1.96 1.96 7.76% United Capital Eurobond Fund 125.57 125.57 5.63% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 15.58% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Balanced Strategy Fund 14.01 14.14 6.22% Zenith ESG Impact Fund 16.03 16.18 9.62% Zenith Income Fund 23.60 23.60 7.50% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 11.00% VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD funds@vetiva.com Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund 4.29 4.39 7.00% Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund 6.23 6.33 6.49% Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund 18.89 19.09 6.81% Vetiva Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 11.21% Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund 24.53 24.73 22.63% Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund 144.12 146.12 -8.60% REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

122.19 52.92 101.31 9.91

7.68% 3.98% -13.22%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

14.31 135.27 105.75 17.40 16.40

14.41 137.60 107.58 17.50 16.50

2.30% 5.99% 5.77% 1.45% 3.23%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.59

0.00%

Fund Name

SFS REIT Union Homes REIT Nigeria Real Estate Investment Trust UPDC REIT EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund SIAML Pension ETF 40 Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund MERGROWTH ETF MERVALUE ETF

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

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

24 T H I S D AY FRIDAY JANUARY 13, 2023 TR

UT H

& RE A S O

Friday January 13, 2023 Vol 27. No 10138

N

opinion@thisdaylive.com

www.thisdaylive.com

NIGERIA DECIDES: THE HYPOCRITE’S GUIDE TO CHOOSING A CANDIDATE Is change possible in the next elections? JOSHUA J. OMOJUWA reflects

See page 25 NIGERIA’S PRESIDENTIAL CHARGE VICTOR C. ARIOLE contends that the directive will make little or no impact

See page 25

EDITORIAL

THE CONTROVERSIAL NITDA BILL 2022

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26

1

The media needs to be less exuberant in casting sensational headlines, writes BOLAJI ADEBIYI

MEDIA-INDUCED ANXIETY OVER 2023 POLLS Media reports on the possibility of postponing or cancelling the 2023 general election earlier in the week agitated many quarters. Abdullahi Zuru, chairman of the Board of Electoral Institute, a parastatal of the Independent National Electoral Commission, was reported to have quoted his boss, Mahmood Yakubu, the chair of INEC, to have suggested that rising insecurity across the country, if unchecked, might truncate the polls.

“If the insecurity is not monitored and dealt with decisively, it could ultimately culminate in the cancellation and/or SRVWSRQHPHQW RI HOHFWLRQV LQ VX΀FLHQW constituencies to hinder the declaration of elections results and precipitate a constitutional crisis. This must not be allowed to happen and shall not be allowed to happen,” Yakubu had stated in an address to the validation of election security training resources in Abuja on Monday.

Looking closely at the quote that most of the mainstream media used as the peg RI WKHLU KHDGOLQHV LW VKRXOG QRW EH GL΀FXOW to conclude that the editors were unduly alarmist in their treatment of the report.

The electoral agency’s boss had said nothing new other than reiterate the need for the security agencies to double their HͿRUWV DW VHFXULQJ WKH XSFRPLQJ HOHFWLRQ The reports no doubt highlight the need for the media to be more alive to its responsibility to strive at accurate reporting of events leading to the polls and leave the interpretation of the facts to the reading public. A more deliberate and sober interpretation of Yakubu’s statement would have led to no other conclusion than that he expressed concerns about the rising insecurity in the polity but made it clear that the elections would hold as scheduled.

It is important though that in a rare swiftness, Lai Mohammed, the minister of Information and Culture, assuaged many anxious nerves when on Tuesday he made it clear that the federal government was not contemplating the shifting of the polls NLFNLQJ RͿ RQ )HEUXDU\ ´7KH SRVLWLRQ of the federal government remains that 2023 elections will be held as planned,” he said, pointing out, “Nothing has happened to change that position. We are aware that INEC is working with the security agencies to ensure that the elections are successfully held across the country.”

On Wednesday Yakubu, whose address was the source of the anxiety, was on hand WR UHD΀UP WKH VDQFWLW\ RI WKH HOHFWLRQV “The commission is not contemplating any adjustment to the election timetable, let alone the postponement of the general elections,” he said at the presentation of the

register of voters to the 18 political parties vying for positions in the forthcoming polls.

The fact of the matter is that editors need to familiarise themselves with the relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution as altered, the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC regulations and guidelines. If they had done that, they would have been less exuberant in the casting of the headlines that created anxiety over the sanctity of the elections.

The only condition for the postponement of the general elections is if the country is DW ZDU 7KLV LV VWDWHG LQ 6HFWLRQ RI the constitution. Other than that, INEC could only countermand an election based on certain conditions provided in the Electoral Act, including violence and overvoting. But for that to happen the HOHFWLRQ PXVW KDYH EHHQ KHOG ÀUVW Whilst there is a general sense of insecurity across the country, it ought to have been clear to the editors that the challenge is not as widespread and of such magnitude to warrant the postponement of the polls. The INEC boss made this clear when he referred to the principle of substantiality, explaining that should insecurity become pervasive in substantial constituencies it would DͿHFW WKH GHFODUDWLRQ RI UHVXOWV 1RZ HYHQ in the North-west, the North-east and the South-east where insecurity is more pronounced, how many states of those regions are enveloped by violent crises as to substantially lead to the cancellation of WKH JHQHUDO HOHFWLRQV LQ WKH DͿHFWHG VWDWHV talk less of the entire country?

Besides, viewed against the level of preparations by INEC, would it have been logical to deduce contemplation of elections postponement or cancellation by the electoral body? Certainly no! On 26 )HEUXDU\ WKH HOHFWRUDO DJHQF\ UROOHG

out 14 steps it would take to consummate the elections. As of Tuesday when these headlines hit the news waves, INEC had implemented 10 steps and was to unveil the 11th, presentation of the register of voters, on Wednesday. So, there has been a diligent prosecution of its strategic programmes.

However, INEC’s concerns about the insecurity situation on the ground SDUWLFXODUO\ DV LW DͿHFWV LWV RSHUDWLRQV DQG VWDͿ DUH UHDO DQG ZHUH ZRUWK SRLQWLQJ DWWHQWLRQ WR )RU LQVWDQFH VLQFH WKH JHQHUDO HOHFWLRQV LQ WKH DJHQF\ KDV VXͿHUHG DWWDFNV RQ LWV R΀FHV ZLWK WKH 6RXWK east alone recording 13 incidences. Even WKRXJK WKLV PLJKW ORRN LQVLJQLÀFDQW considering the vast network of over 774 R΀FHV LW QHYHUWKHOHVV QHHGV WR EH DVVXUHG RI WKH VDIHW\ RI LWV VWDͿ DQG HTXLSPHQW But that is precisely why a security mechanism, Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, which created a platform for the INEC and security agencies to interact and strategize on how to secure the elections, was put in place.

The other security issue that is less talked about though is the vitriolic language of WKH OHDGLQJ FDQGLGDWHV DQG WKHLU R΀FLDO VSRNHVSHUVRQV ZKR UDWKHU WKDQ FRQÀQH themselves to debating the substantive issues of the comatose economy, the drift towards strife, endemic insecurity and corruption, have focused more on personalities and vulgar abuse, which the law actually frowns at. Certainly, the media needs to call attention to this EHFDXVH RI LWV SRWHQWLDO WR LQÁDPH SDVVLRQ and incite violent reactions in the polity.

Adebiyi, the managing editor of THISDAY Newspapers, writes from bolaji.adebiyi@ thisdaylive.com

T H I S D AY

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FRIDAY JANUARY 13, 2023

Is change possible in the next elections?

JOSHUA J. OMOJUWA reflects

NIGERIA DECIDES: THE HYPOCRITE’S GUIDE TO CHOOSING A CANDIDATE It is an election quite alright, but don’t of presidential candidates, to themselves. you always wonder why others choose Samsu’s only exception to this expectation GLͿHUHQWO\ IURP \RX" $QG ZKHQ WKH\ GR are those who support the same candidate ever wondered the options available to you as his. Those are patriotic Nigerians who to convince them to see things the way you know what is best for Nigeria. In fact, GR" <RX JHQXLQHO\ FDUH DERXW WKH FRXQWU\ when it comes to these ones, Samsu is not you want corruption to end, you believe even conscious that they are not in Nigeria. change is possible, but only if the rest of His consciousness on whether a diasporan the country votes your candidate. Let’s say Nigerian should care about the elections is only aroused when such a Nigerian has a you are Samsu, or maybe not.

Samsu enjoys seeing his candidate shine. choice other than the one Samsu’s wisdom He is most excited by the photos from and love for Nigeria expects him to choose. campaign rallies where the crowd appears Samsu is dedicated to democracy and to be unprecedented, even though the democratic values. He intends to stop sending money home to his people if they don’t align with his choice of candidates.

He does not understand how they don’t get how democracy works. He was excited to hear his fellow supporters are pursuing the same mission with their dependents. He had a good laugh when he heard that some family members threatened to beat others who dared to say they were not supporting his candidate. How can you say you love this country and still manage to choose a GLͿHUHQW FDQGLGDWH IURP WKH ULJKW RQH" photos have been well managed to avoid Shocking and unacceptable! People need an aerial shot – aerial shots are for when to learn how democracy works. your crowd takes up the entirety of the The elections are here soon enough. stadium. He puts the size of the crowd to Samsu has done a lot of great work on the popularity and integrity of his choice social media. He has helped to trend of candidate. Samsu is very quick to share several hashtags promoting his candidate, these photos with friends, family members joined a few trends to challenge the and on social media. What’s better than other candidates. He does a great job of SKRWR HYLGHQFH WR UHÁHFW KRZ LPPHQVHO\ mobilising members of his political divide SRSXODU KLV FDQGLGDWH LV" :KHQ KLV IULHQG to respond to the various online polls on shows him photos from other candidates’ the elections. Samsu does not believe in FDPSDLJQ UHÁHFWLQJ FURZGV LQ ÀOOHG convincing or begging anyone to vote for stadiums, he has a logical explanation. his candidate. As far as he is concerned, These sorts of crowd are because there are anyone who does not vote his candidate no jobs, so people that ought to be at work will only have themselves to blame after are out on campaign grounds. According the election, when the consequences of to Samsu, it must also be because the their choice come to bite. Others believe crowds were paid to appear at these rallies. that you step out to canvass for votes, +LV ÀQDO DUJXPHQW LV WKDW WKRVH SHRSOH DUH nudging and even begging at times to illiterates, they do not know what they get as many votes as possible to your want for their country. A massive campaign candidate, Samsu believes in magic, albeit crowd is great, but only when that crowd unconsciously. Some of his friends believe is out in support of your candidate. If an he is deluded, but Samsu thinks they are even larger crowd turns out for another the ones refusing to see things clearly. In his candidate, you dare not put that down to thoughts, ‘how can a country be so poorly governed, yet people need to be begged to mobilisation and structure.

Samsu happens to share the same YRWH WKH ULJKW SHUVRQ" +RZ FDQ WKH\ QRW ethnic group with his chosen candidate. YRWH ZLVHO\"· In fairness to him, this was not considered Samsu has been taken aback by the when he made his choice. All he considered paucity of celebrity endorsements for his was charisma, competence, character candidate. He had believed that by this and capacity. He has not always been a point in the campaign, they would be fan of the candidate of course. When the queuing to endorse his candidate. He is FDQGLGDWH KHOG D SUHYLRXV R΀FH 6DPVX shocked but unbothered that only a few criticised them for their shoddy projects of them have done so. He hasn’t held back and even ranked them below their peers. insults against the ones that endorsed the But that was during their candidate’s time other candidates. Why don’t celebrities LQ R΀FH 7KH WLPHV DUH GLͿHUHQW DV WKHUH LV NQRZ KRZ WR PDNH WKH ULJKW GHFLVLRQV" +H an election to be won. Now, he considers loves the patriots from other ethnic groups anyone who supports anyone from their who have endorsed his candidate. He is ethnic group for the presidency a bigot. shocked to see his kinsmen endorse other As far as Samsu is concerned, to support candidates. Samsu knows the people will anyone from your ethnic group for the vote a candidate who hasn’t been part of SUHVLGHQWLDO R΀FH PDNHV \RX D ELJRW the rot and has never had a chance to make This concern does not apply to Samsu, change happen at the top. They will vote because he made his choice based on the the anti-establishment candidate. They will candidate’s history of exemplary service vote a young candidate who has always fought for the people. Samsu knows what and competence.

How can you live abroad and still have we don’t know.

WKH JXWV WR VKDUH \RXU WKRXJKWV RQ 1LJHULD" Omojuwa Samsu believes Nigerians in diaspora is chief strategist Alpha Reach, and author, should keep their opinions on Nigeria, Digital Wealth Book especially opinions concerning their choice

VICTOR C. ARIOLE contends that the directive will make little or no impact

NIGERIA’S PRESIDENTIAL CHARGE Living, naturally, is never easy…for both predators and preys…and confessing that life is too much for you or that you do not understand it. Is an attempt to killing yourself (Albert Camus in James Wood, 2000) ‘L’Etat c’est moi’ is an expression from Louis XIV, the sun king; that is, I am the State.

As a King he needed not to live naturally to sustain that kind of lifestyle in which he sees himself as the sun that shines or dims on any of his subjects or the space he rules or intends to occupy and rule. Nigeria was like that with successive military rules from chaotic General Aguiyi-Ironsi through milder General Yakubu Gowon to harsher Generals – Murtala Mohammed, Olusegun Obasanjo, Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim

Babangida – and the harshest of all General Sanni Abacha, and his interim General Abdusalami Abubakar. However in civil dispensation, democratic rule, Nigerians still chose both OBJ and PMB to rule them again and it is as if the rule of L’Etat c’est moi is excusable and the Presidential Charge of PMB that wants Nigeria to be among the leading countries come 2100 is a vision in mockery from someone who had expressed that the task is telling on his health and that he wants to quickly end it and retire far away from Aso Rock. Still, according to him, ‘2023 would, indeed, be a time when we would work to solidify on delivering key strategic priorities’. One had wondered why someone who had ruled Nigeria in both military and civilian dispensations would see his moment of evaluation of his (military and civilian) tenures’ end as a moment to propose a vision for Nigeria when the SEA – Security, Economic and Anti-Corruption – strategy that informed his supposed civilian rule in 2015 shows that he did not really apply himself to salvaging Nigeria; unless he intends to tell Nigerians that life is too much for him and that he apologises for ever creating the impression that he understands their problem.

It is a lesson to be learnt by any incoming president as 2023 elections set in. Nigeria is a country among the 195 countries of United Nations if Taiwan and Western Sahara craving IRU DGPLVVLRQ DUH WR EH DGGHG 2QO\ ÀYH RI WKHVH FRXQWULHV FRXOG DVVHUW ÀUPO\ DV OHDGHUV of the world and they occupy permanent seats in the UN Security Council. They are USA, Russia, China, France and Great Britain aka UK. To really aim at being one of them, 1LJHULD FDQQRW DͿRUG HOHFWLQJ OHDGHUV ZKR GR QRW FRQQHFW HͿHFWLYHO\ LQ WKHLU EUDLQ SURFHVV that is leaders whose neuronal disposition is questionable. Check out the leaders who KDYH OHG WKHVH ÀYH FRXQWULHV DQG NQRZ WKDW

strength of character and willingness to die for those countries and never expressing despondency in the face of challenges. They all have scripts relevant to the expectations of their people and they acted to realise the scripts, and it was not a natural way they intended to live hence they acknowledged the hardship that goes with leadership as against the assumption of L’Etat c,est moi.

They all stated their visions from the beginning and not at the end.

For example, Great Britain had had a Margaret Thatcher in sustainability of what Conservative Party stands for and she posited a hypothetical vision as thus: ‘there is no such thing as a society. There are individual men and women and their families and no government can do anything except through them and they PXVW ÀUVW HPSRZHU WKHPVHOYHV EHIRUH thinking of a larger society’. It could be right or wrong to approach governance that way in other places but it has worked well for Great Britain that leads in a United Kingdom of four countries and extended hold on associated countries like Australia, Canada and some dependent FRXQWULHV LQ WKH 3DFLÀF DQG &DULEEHDQ The same goes for USA where both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party – GOP - Grand Old Party – had been in the saddle. Quite clearly two parties that make sure right leaders are screened to lead rightly. Even China and Russia that thrive on One-Party system had made great personalities the focus of their governance. France has been the only country among them with great tolerance for multiple ideologies though ever haunted by the great personality of General Charles de Gaulle whose style of governance remain greatly cherished and becomes the determinant for choosing whoever leads. Indeed vision that is endearing to the people remains what it takes to make a people stand taller among other peoples of this world and to reach a state where a country could be seen as part of the leadership of the world.

PMB should tell Nigerians what his SEA means and how it could be sustained devoid of nepotism and cronyism. He has ruled as a King Louis with fears and sectionalism making both the legislator and judiciary uneventful. The Presidential Charge of 2023 could have been achievable if level playing ground was in place for Nigerians to exert their patriotic zeal in pouring out their work habits seen everywhere in the world as per diaspora remittance as they work so hard to remit to Nigeria what the total budget so far presented by PMB government never got nearer to; and what is worse, a government that never VHHV DQ\ UHDVRQ WR UHVSHFW ÀVFDO ODZ RU even rule of law. The legislature must sit and ratify an ‘overdraft’ of over N2 trillion never tabled in the beginning for its consideration like tabling 2100 vision at the end of tenure. That is what I call marabout economy; the leader wakes up and listen to paid marabouts and whatever they advise becomes the norm. l’Etat c’est moi.

Ariole is a Professor of French and Francophone Studies, University of Lagos.

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FRIDAY JANUARY 13, 2023

EDITORIAL

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

THE CONTROVERSIAL NITDA BILL 2022 The bill should be examined with circumspection

I

Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN), the Central f there was any development at the National Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Competition Assembly that caught the attention of Nigerians at and Consumer Protection Council (FCCPC). This the twilight of 2022, it was the lingering brouhaha will result not only in multiple regulations but also surrounding the proposed National Information 7+( regulatory overlap and confusion as well as usurpation 1,7 Technology Development Agency (Repeal and '$ % ,// of the powers of existing agencies.

Re-enactment) Bill 2022. The controversial bill Described as duplicitous, outrageous, and a grotesque seeks to repeal the NITDA Act No. 28 2007 to enact mirror image of the Nigerian Communications a new law that provides for the administration, Act 2003, the dominant position among critical implementation, regulation of information technology stakeholders is that if passed into law, the bill will systems and practices as well as the digital economy increase the cost of telecoms services at a time when in Nigeria and for related matters for the agency.

Nigerian are already groaning under excruciating From the drafting, through exposure to stakeholders LQÁDWLRQ WKDW LV RYHU SHU FHQW 7KHUH LV DOVR WKH for critique and transition to the National Assembly, potential danger to stymie the bill was continuously the growth of the telecom rejected by critical industry and reverse its stakeholders in the digital outstanding contribution economy ecosystem and With the litany of criticisms that have trailed the bill, it would to the country’s Gross other Nigerians. But that Domestic Product (GDP). does not seem to deter the be important for our lawmakers to have further introspection in Besides, provisions of promoters. the bill will discourage The nature of how the determining whether this is what Nigeria needs at this period prospective investors bill was represented to required to help improve the National Assembly digital infrastructure, and the speed with which T H I S D AY thereby rendering as a ruse the vision of the LW FXULRXVO\ VDLOHG WKURXJK WKH ÀUVW DQG VHFRQG UHDGLQJ EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council of the two legislative chambers indicated that the DEPUTY EDITORS WALE OLALEYE, OBINNA CHIMA (PEBEC) to catalyse ease of doing business in Nigeria. lawmakers did not have enough time to study the MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO It is noteworthy that the president recently FRQWHQW DQG LWV SRWHQWLDO IDU UHDFKLQJ HͿHFWV RQ WKH DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR ISRAEL IWEGBU VXVSHQGHG WKH LPSRVLWLRQ RI D ÀYH SHU FHQW CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI national economy. As if that was not enough cause for Excise Duty on telecoms companies based on the EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN concern, the National Assembly Joint Committee on MANAGING EDITOR BOLAJI ADEBIYI consideration that it would lead to increased cost ICT and Cyber Security decided to give only 24 hours’ THE OMBUDSMAN KAYODE KOMOLAFE of services for Nigerians. Therefore, an attempt to notice for the mandatory public hearing. Although the pass the controversial bill into law, without critically plan was later put on hold because the joint committee considering its implications, especially its regulatory couldn’t even form a quorum, stakeholders are worried overlap, multiple regulations, and taxation tendency T H I S D AY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D that the last may not have been heard about the issue. and the potential cost of services for Nigerians, would EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA Those who were desperate enough to plot a quick GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, be considered insensitive. passage of this controversial bill have apparently not ISRAEL IWEGBU, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU, EMMANUEL EFENI Overall, there is clear evidence that the speed given up. They need to be reminded that law should DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS SHAKA MOMODU, PETER IWEGBU, ZLWK ZKLFK WKH ELOO SDVVHG ÀUVW DQG VHFRQG UHDGLQJV be made for the public good and not to feed the ego of ANTHONY OGEDENGBE and then proceeded to the failed clandestinely some individuals.

DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI convened public hearing is suspicious. With the Concerns about the bill include conferring on SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH litany of criticisms that have trailed the bill, it would ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR PATRICK EIMIUHI NITDA a mega regulator status where it arrogates to be important for our lawmakers to have further itself existing powers of such agencies as the Nigerian CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO introspection in determining whether this is what Communications Commission (NCC), the Standard TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com Nigeria needs at this period.

Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Computer Professional

Letters to the Editor Letters in response to specific publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-300 words) and straight to the point. Interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. We also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (750- 1000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive. com along with photograph, email address and phone numbers of the writer.

LETTERS LIVING IN AN ENVIRONMENT OF FEAR It is doubtful that there is any country on earth serious about its development that does not work assiduously to ensure the safety of lives and property of its citizens. This is always to demonstrate that the welfare of the citizens is of utmost importance.

When the citizens of a country are content and safe in the knowledge that the state is always looking out for their good, life becomes a lot easier. But not, and perhaps never, in an atmosphere of fear and insecurity. Never in an environment where life is cheap and practically worthless.

Unfortunately, the Nigerian experience in the last decade has been one of riotous uncertainty and fragility. This experience is as disturbing as it has been lived under a vicious kind of insecurity that has been almost impossible to manage.

With the explosion of terrorism has come the twin evils of insurgency and banditry that have threatened to rip out the heart of the country. While the shocks have rippled across the entire country, the attacks have especially resonated in rural areas.

When heavily armed and ruthless criminals have marched across rural communities, it has been with an almost un-

imaginable blood lust. Nigeria may still be dubious with statistics, yet, there is everything to agree with in the data that say 133 million Nigerians are poor. Usually, poverty extracts a crushing cost. Rural communities which have long made peace with poverty have been crushed for such a long time.

Countless people have been eviscerated, their means of livelihood obliterated by the chilling ruthlessness of criminals.

Yet, the country has trudged on. People have kept going even when it is more than obvious that there is no end in sight.

2QO\ UHFHQWO\ FULPLQDOV DUPHG ZLWK $. ULÁHV VWRUPHG D train station at Igueben in Edo State and kidnapped dozens of passengers. According to reports, the gunmen who shot sporadically into the air injured some passengers who were waiting to board the train to Warri in Delta State. If a counWU\ \HW WR UHFRYHU IURP WKH ZRXQGV LQÁLFWHG E\ D VLPLODU DWtack last year needed any reminder, this was it. On March 28, 2022, daredevil criminals had attacked a passenger train travelling from Abuja to Kaduna State. The attack led to the death of about nine passengers with dozens other abducted.

Some of the victims went on to spend six months in horri-

fying captivity as Nigerians were forced to learn just how much threat insecurity poses. In a country where many no longer know what it is like to feel safe, the latest attacks are a brutal reminder of how much work remains to be done.

In Nigeria today, people stay in their homes and are abducted. They go to their farms and are abducted. When they KLW WKH URDG RQ QHFHVVDU\ MRXUQH\V WKH\ DUH QRW VDIH 'LͿHUent forms of terrorism have been baring their fangs in Nigeria for a while now and they are not all faceless.

The suspicion is strong that those who do these things are not unknown to the authorities in Nigeria. The seeming reluctance to apprehend, interrogate, prosecute and incarcerate them speaks volumes. Critical elections are upon Nigeria. There are fears that insecurity may compromise the elections.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed its morbid fears. Fear will remain for a long WLPH DQG ZRXOG FRQWLQXH WR GHÀQH WKH 1LJHULDQ H[SHULHQFH if nothing is urgently done to check the menace.

Kene Obiezu, @kenobiezu

This

Weekend

FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2023

TR

UTH

& R E ASO

N

WEEKLY MAGAZINE

NEWS Indian Chief, Sanjay Jain, Commends Nigerians for Being Accommodating See page 30

ETRENDS How MultiChoice Continues Supporting Big Brother Naija Housemates Years After Making Them Stars See page 31

ART WEEKEND In the Spirit of Christmas, Imansuangbon Felicitates with IDPs Orphanages in Edo, See page 32

Group Features Editor: CHIEMELIE EZEOBI chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com

07010510430

Temple’s Shining Creative Stars

28

ͯͱ˜ ͰͮͰͱ ˾ T H I S D AY

COVER

Temple’s Shining Creative Stars The Temple Company was birthed with an unwavering commitment to creating the landscape and infrastructure for African talents to succeed in the entertainment industry and enable them maximise their creative potential. From actors to social media influencers, content creators, television and event hosts, comedian, magician, drummer, directors and producers, Uzoma Mba curates the achievements of these Temple shining creative stars while providing a snapshot of exciting projects to expect from them this 2023

T

he human capital contribution of the Nigerian creative industry continues to show growth indices that makes it an invaluable contributor to national economic growth.

As predicted by economic experts, the Nigerian creative industry did not fail to make a big impact in 2022 with a promise to improve further this New Year. The footprints of their impact continue to be felt in different subsets including film, music, comedy, dance, modeling, theatre, fashion etc.

This success story has not been an exception for talents signed to The Temple Company, a leading 360 creative powerhouse specialised in talent management, content production and experiential events.

From featuring in blockbusters to landing mouth-watering endorsement deals, their successes have been clearly visible, positioning them as one of the shining lights of the creative sector.

Established in 2016 by Creative Industry maven and visionary, Idris Olorunnimbe, The Temple Company was birthed with a crystal-clear mission; ‘An unwavering commitment to creating the landscape and infrastructure for African talents to succeed in the entertainment industry and enable them maximise their creative potential’.

At the heart of The Temple Company is talent. Some of the talents include Bisola Aiyeola, Mimi Onalaja, Kunle Remi, Biodun Stephen, Lasisi Elenu, Oli Ekun (Agba), Lilo Aderogba, Joseph Benjamin, Stella Damasus, Francis Sule, Wale Rubber, Debby Felix, Bisola Bata, Precious Ekong, DJ Keywe and Theresa Edem.

BISOLA AIYEOLA: ACTRESS, TV HOST, MUSICIAN, ENTREPRENEUR

Fondly called Queen B, Bisola Aiyeola has carved a reputation as a prolific Nigerian actress, television host, musician, reality TV star, entrepreneur, content creator and film producer.

She had a brilliant 2022 bagging AMVCA multiple nominations as Best Actress in A Comedy (Dwindle), Best Actress in A Drama (This Lady Called Life 2), Best Supporting Actress (Sugar Rush) and Best Dressed Actress.

Her success spree translated into more acting gigs including a sequel to the box-office hit, Sugar Rush lensed in South Africa.

As an icing on the cake, Bisola bagged a mouth-watering gig as the first black female talent to host Family Feud game show in the history of the international franchise.

In addition to this was her record of several brand engagements campaigns, as well as the launch of her ‘Bisola supports you’ initiative which aims to help SME owners leverage her social media platforms for exposure and visibility.

Bisola recently teased fans with an upcoming web series to premiere next year, I am Number

One, created and produced by TMPL Motion Pictures.

You might have seen her all over your billboards recently, as she is currently a leading lady in the Show Max Original, “Flawsome”.

Bisola is always one to watch out for, and we can’t wait to unveil what she’s doing next.

MIMI ONALAJA: BRAND AND FASHION INFLUENCER

first grabbed public attention in 2010 after emerging as the Gulder Ultimate Search winner. “Patience and endurance have been the moniker of my journey,” says Kunle Remi.

The result of his hard work is very evident.

The New York Film Academy alumni possesses an impressive oeuvre of credits spanning the runway, event stage, movie and TV production sets. Kunle Remi is easily one of the most bankable talents in Nigeria’s creative industry.

Movie fans saw a generous dose of his distinct talent as Saro, the famous character they love to hate in Netflix’s globally acclaimed movie, Anikulapo. His Oscarworthy interpretation of the lead character makes Saro one of the most unforgettable Nollywood roles of the year 2022.

Aside from his strides on screen, Kunle’s diversity flourished in 2022 as an event host landing several high-profile gigs including WIMBIZ 2022 among others.

BIODUN STEPHEN: FILM DIRECTOR, CONTENT CREATOR, SCREENWRITER, PRODUCER influencer, actor, entrepreneur, and magnificent event host, Mimi Onalaja has had a swell year hosting some top events both virtually and in person.

Nigerian students will not forget in hurry her brilliance as co-host of the Nigerian Universities Games (NUGA) which was witnessed by a crowd of over 5,000 youths.

Mimi also gave a solid account of herself as host at Conversations with the Governor held in honour of Governor Babatunde Sanwo-Olu and GABFEST, a yearly event dedicated to mark the birthday of Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN and Gidi Creative Masterclass series amongst others.

In her first Africa Magic feature film, Fair Hearing which aired on December 31st, Mimi Onalaja’s skills as an actor shone. Incidentally, Fair Hearing features other Temple Company co-stars such as Francis Sule, Oli Ekun, and Debby Felix.

Since her early days as a regular face on Moments with Mo, Mimi Onalaja has risen to the top of the list of Nigeria’s most sought-after hosts to look out for in 2023. She just concluded a shoot on a game show to be premiered in February 2023. Also look out for the next collection from the Mimi Onalaja Collective coming soon Onalaja Collective coming soon.

KUNLE REMI: ACTOR, FILM DIRECTOR, SPEAKER, HOST

DEBBY FELIX: ACTRESS, PRODUCER, ENTREPRENEUR, HUMANITARIAN

Label Biodun Stephen as one of the most prolific filmmakers in Nollywood and you won’t be wrong. She is a multi-talented and award-winning film director, content creator, screenwriter and producer.

Armed with the ability to make even the simplest stories feel poignant, she has directed movies such as TMPL Motion Pictures film, Introducing the Kujus which earned her AMVCA award for Best Writer in a Movie/ TV series. Other projects include Breaded life, A Simple Lie and many more. In 2022 alone, she premiered numerous movies under her belt including, Sista, A Simple Lie, Strangers, to mention but a few.

Expanding her frontiers, some of Biodun Stephen’s masterpieces were added on global streaming services with her Breaded Life now on Netflix’s menu of Nollywood movies.

Similarly, Introducing the Kujus is now on Amazon Prime with both dominating the top 10 trends and earning rave reviews. She has a series of projects lined up for 2023..

JOSEPH BENJAMIN: ACTOR, TV PRESENTER, SINGER

Whether he is filming on a movie set or he is recording a skit, the world is Oyekunle Opeyemi Oluwaremi’s stage. The talented thespian is a multi-award winning Nigerian actor, film director, model, speaker, television/ event host and entrepreneur.

Kunle Remi for short, as he is known

of acclaimed filmmaker, Mo Abudu and I co-starred with the talented South African actress, Pearl Thusi.”

To further reintegrate back to Nollywood and reconnect with his fans as well as other stakeholders, the star actor embarked on an extensive media tour and appearances around Lagos facilitated by his management, The Temple Company.

An award-winning actor, director, television presenter, model, singer, voice-over artist, and TV & event host, Joseph has appeared in a number of blockbuster films and series such as Mr. and Mrs, Desperate Housewives Africa, Tinsel, Atlanta including Greenleaf, his first Hollywood project

After his hiatus from Nollywood in 2016 to chart a new direction in the United States, Joseph Benjamin is back. He lensed a short film last year in Lagos, the first of many to come since he relocated abroad.

Quite excited about his return, he recalled, “August 2022 was a special time for me as it saw me go back to my Nollywood roots having sharpened my acting skills and ready to be assimilated back into the Nigerian movie industry. I was cast in a soon to be released short film which highlights the struggles of Mental health. It is the directorial debut

Elawure Deborah Eloghosa, popularly known as Debby Felix is a young, talented Nollywood actress, movie producer, entrepreneur and humanitarian.

Known for her excellent interpretation in movies, she has featured in several Nigerian movies such as “Another Time” and “Back Line” and was awarded the “Next Rated Actress of the Year” at the Africa Choice Awards in 2020.

Debby is an upcoming screen siren and certainly a face you will continue to see, as her energy and unrelenting charisma shines through the screen and in every character she plays. Last year, she starred in films such as Saving Grace (alongside Etim Effiong), Now The Four of Us, Stood Up and Fair Hearing produced by TMPL Motion Pictures, the production subsidiary of The Temple Company. Debby is certainly one to watch in 2023!

LASISI ELENU: COMEDIAN, ACTOR, HOST, INFLUENCER, CONTENT CREATOR Nosa Afolabi, better known by his stage name Lasisi Elenu, is a comedian, social media influencer, content creator, actor, event host, and all-around entertainer in Nigeria. Widely known for his comic character, Lasisi has been nominated for several awards, including best online comedy act in Nigeria’s Entertainment award, and was listed as one

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY JANUARY 13, 2023

29

COVER to look out for this New Year..

ABIOLA SEGUN WILLIAMS: ACTRESS, PRESENTER, SCREENWRITER

of Nigeria’s top 20 under-30 superstars.

This year he added, ‘Comedy Influencer of the year’ at the Pulse Influencer Awards to his long list of accolades. He also cinched the coveted Trendupp awards 2022, for his comedy skits.

A well-deserved recognition as there are only a select few who can combine humour and wit, while clearly conveying brand-messaging like Lasisi does. An influencer of influencers!

BISOLA BATA: DRUMMER, SINGER, SONGWRITER

WALE RUBBER: DANCER, CHOREOGRAPHER, TV HOST

OLI EKUN (ÀGBÀ) : ACTOR, INFLUENCER, CONTENT CREATOR

Precious Ekong, also known as Precious the Magician, is a Magician and Mentalist.

Precious the Magician has the ability to enter his audience’s minds, make objects float in the air, turn paper into money, and much more.

He has toured the country sharing his magic and received thunderous ovations at several performances, one of which was the UNILAG NUGA Games earlier this year.

Magicians in this part of the world are few and far between, and yet Precious has managed to carve a niche for himself in this sector. This year, he made history by curating and hosting a first-of-its-kind mentalist magic show, The Inception, earning him positive reception.

“It was so special because it was not only an exclusive mentalism show (the first of its kind in the country),” he recalls and added, “but also because I had my parents for the first time in the audience watching me perform live. The inception was literally a dream come true and I am super excited about the amount of impact the show has had already in the magic community and how it has inspired other magicians to host their own shows.”

In 2023, backed by Temple Company, Precious hopes to build on his success by taking The Inception to a bigger stage and re-establish the art of magic in the nation.n.

THERESA EDEM: ACTRESS, SCREENWRITER Olubiyi Oluwatobi, better known by his personas ‘Àgbà’ and ‘Oli Ekun’, is a multi-talented actor, brand ambassador, influencer and content creator. He has been featured in award-winning films such as Introducing the Kujus and Fair Hearing.

He is slated to return to Finding The Kujus this 2023, from the stables of The Temple Company’s subsidiary, TMPL Motion Pictures. Àgbà is able to embody commanding characters with his nuance, as is evident in his rich palette of hilarious skits. 2022 saw this rising TV personality taking on new roles, such as in Accelerate TV’s, Clinically Speaking. He is definitely a talent with immense potential

With Lilo, there are no half-measures. One thing’s for sure, everything Lilo does, she does big, and this is the motivation she is bringing into 2023..

STELLA DAMASUS: ACTRESS, SINGER, PUBLISHER

Abiola Segun-Williams is an outstanding Nigerian actress, presenter and screenwriter.

She has appeared in several Nigerian films like Tinsel, Forgetting June, Diary of a Crazy Nigerian Woman, Baby Shower, and several stage plays across the nation.

Abiola is a natural orator, and approaches every role she plays with panache, class and ease. She is defiant and passionate about using her voice to give life to social issues.

She loves telling stories, and she does so adeptly..

PRECIOUS THE MAGICIAN: MENTALIST

Bisola Omoge Bata is Nigeria’s first female “Bata” drummer, a sensational cultural performer, singer and songwriter.

This young, dynamic, endearing, and multitalented African performer has been featured in many outstanding shows nationally and internationally. Bisola is fervently committed to advancing African culture, in particular Yoruba culture, through her vibrant music.

She had the rare privilege of performing at the globally-acclaimed Nigerian music fest, Felabration 2022 edition, at the New Afrika shrine. In December, she also shared the stage with Made Kuti at Christmas with Made Kuti and The Movement.

“It’s extremely special because it made the world see me as a brand and my craft as a part of Afrobeat. Bata drum is taking me places,” she enthused about her Felabration experience.

Bisola Bata is a queen in her own right, and shows just how originality can open doors. Fans would definitely be dancing to the tune of her drums in the New Year!

Theresa Edem is a charismatic and talented Nigerian actress, screenwriter and director.

She has featured in several films, such as Trepidation, Forbidden, Ayamma, The Olive, Country Hard and the 100m+ grossing blockbuster film, My Village People, for which she was nominated as a Best Actress in a Movie/Drama by The Densa Awards.

In 2022, she worked on her directorial debut for the film ‘Killed’, a huge stride for the Talented Theresa. She looks forward to becoming a published author of children’s story books in the near future. The New Year has lot of goodies for Theresa Edem and her fans can look forward to it.

Akinwale Sodade, popularly known as Wale Rubber, is a talented dancer, choreographer, TV host, dance instructor and an all-round entertainer.

He has over 15 years of industry experience and has worked as a judge for the popular Malta Guiness Street Dance Africa Championships, Dance Director for the Dance with Peter Reality Show, Dance Instructor for the Society for the Performing Arts in Nigeria (SPAN) and Chief Dance Instructor for Spirit of David Gospel Dance Club (SOD), amongst others.

Wale is a veteran in the dance industry, and has plans to produce and collaborate on dance-infused entertaining contents for TV and film. Watch this space (or should we say, dance floor!)

FRANCIS SULE: VOICE/ SCREEN ACTOR, BROADCASTER, CONTENT CREATOR

One of the most recent additions to the league of Temple Talents is Nollywood’s timeless sweetheart, Stella Damasus. Stella is a multi-award-winning Nollywood veteran and legend, singer, publisher, dancer, radio and TV host, acting coach, vocal coach, event host, writer, educator, producer, and businesswoman. A woman of seemingly infinite talents!

She has been in the Entertainment industry for over two decades, and is considered one of Africa’s foremost actresses. She has starred in numerous classics, including 1995’s Rattlesnake, Bad Boys, Passion, Dangerous Twins and Gone.

In 2022, Stella associate-produced and starred in Akwuna, which was officially selected to be premiered at the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival and the Silicon Valley African Film Festival. If you had any doubt that ‘she still got it’, let this dispel your doubts: For her stellar performance in this film, she also bagged three acting nominations.

Stella has many projects in the works, and this New Year will be one of even greater acting pursuits. Here’s one Nollywood royalty that never wanes!

BOLANLE NINALOWO AKA M.A.K.A: ACTOR, BRAND INFLUENCER, CONTENT CREATOR Francis Sule, is an award winning voice/ screen actor, a broadcaster, and content creator. A talented creative, he is also a self-taught fashion illustrator and visual artist.

With the kind of voice that was literally made for the airwaves, Francis has a knack for igniting conversations. He was nominated for the OAP of the year at the 2022 Beatz Awards.

Francis ended 2022 with his role in the thriller-drama, Fair hearing, which he aired on December 31st followed by a repeat on January 1st. This has set the tone for what 2022 ended with a bang, with M.A.K.A would be a great year for the all-round the Great joining us at The Temple talented creativee.

Company. Bolanle Ninalowo is an award-winning Nollywood Actor and Film LILO ADEROGBA: ACTRESS, producer.

DIETITIAN, INFLUENCER He has starred in various blockbuster movies, Boluwatife Aderogba, also known as including Husbands of Lagos, Picture Perfect, Lilo, is a Nigerian actress, entrepreneur, Breaded Life, Ratnik, Tiwas’ Baggage, and his dietitian, brand influencer, and reality most recent feature on Netflix’s first-ever Nigerian television personality. She is the owner of young adult TV series in 2022, Far from Home. the successful healthy food and drink bar, A master in his craft, Bolanle is known to play Cafe 23 and a fashion collection, Lilo’s characters that are larger than life, and he always Closet. delivers. He has an uncanny way of elevating The Big Brother Naija star collaborated his characters and turning them into individual with diverse brands, and worked on personal brands that attracts their own fandom. The year projects, including an upcoming fashion-centric 2023 will surely bring more opportunities for web series, in the pipeline.

‘Oga Rambo’.

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NEWS

Indian Chief, Sanjay Jain, Commends Nigerians for Being Accommodating Stories by Mary Nnah President of the Indian Cultural Association, Chief Sanjay Jain has commended Nigerians for being accommodating to the Indian Community in Nigeria therebyenablingtheIndiancommunityinNigeriaaswellasother communities to cohabit with Nigerianspeacefully,addingthat both Nigerians and the Indian as well as other communities in Nigeria, had a good run in the year 2022.

Explaining the reason for this, he said, “The biggest reason behind that was that we got a big relief from COVID -19 and that made everyone’s life much easier than what it was during the period of a pandemic.

“The negative impacts of the pandemic on daily life and business became far less, giving scope to people to go about their normallifeanddowhateverthey wanted to do. International travels became as usual and all these gave a big relief to the internationalcommunityaswell as the Nigerian populace.”

Henotedfurtherthatthethinkingstylegotchangedintheminds of everyone during COVID-19,

Indian Chief, Sanjay Jain

adding that he strongly feels that as the world is coming out from the fear of Covid -19, people will starttravelingintheusualmanner and the numbers may increase.

The Indian Cultural Association president who admitted that the Indians had made Nigeria a home, noted, “This is a big

compliment to Indians as well as the Nigerians as to why the Indians find Nigeria as a home”, he noted, adding, “Compliment to Indians – because they leave their own country and come here to work, contributing towards the economic development of

the host country and in the process earn their livelihood.

“Compliments to the Nigerian populace – because they have welcomed us with open arms, they have shown warmth in interacting with us and that has encouraged us to come and stay here. That has made us feel like a home away from home. This needs a lot of accolades for our Nigerian brethren.”

Jain who is also the Chairman of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), Nigeria Chapter, connects with a lot of social organisations in Nigeria and does lots of charitable and social activities through these organisations, added that India, as well as Nigeria, both, are the developing nations.b“They both are developing at a fast pace. There may be little difference in scale but that is because India got independence 13 years before Nigeria. More so, everycountryhasadifferentfooting based on their geographical location,thehabitsofitspopulace, the kind of food they consume, naturalresources,andsoon,India is doing well in its segment so is Nigeria”, he noted.

Lagos Industrialist Richard Agbapuru Gives out Daughter in Marriage

FOUNDATION LAUNCHES FOOD BANK, SKILL ACQUISITION CENTRE IN NASARAWA To achieve no poverty and zero hunger in Nigeria, Inspire World International Foundation has launched what it terms, “The Zero Project’, which aims to address the issues of poverty and hunger in Nigeria.

Sharingtheproject’svision,whichaimstoaddresstheUnitedNations Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 2, the Foundation’s Co-Founder, Chris Chukwunyere, said, “We are glad to be addressing poverty and hunger issues in Nigeria. We are implementing this project using four strategic approaches.”

Hewentfurthertolisttheseapproaches,whichinclude,SoupKitchen, Food Bank, Farming, and Economic Empowerment Programmes.

He explained that the Soup Kitchen provides nutritious meals for individuals and their families to walk in and eat for free, adding, “Our soup kitchen is like a restaurant where anyone can walk in and eat at least one healthy meal a day.”

Herevealedfurtherthatpartofthefoundation’scommunityoutreaches will also involve going to primary schools to provide nutrient-rich meals to pupils, adding that this outreach is particularly important for children’s growth, brain development, and concentration in the classroom, which aids effective learning.

The Food Bank, Chukwunyere said, is set up to store raw, canned, or packed foods where individuals and their families can come to pick up food items to cook at home.

“We set up this food bank in response to our resolve to improve food security and address under-nutrition in Nigeria”, he added.

He said further that farming, one of the Foundation’s sustainability approaches, is to ensure food is available all year round for its target population.

“We plant and harvest food crops to be used at the soup kitchens and stored at our food bank. This approach will also involve empowering farmers in rural communities with funding, healthy seeds, and agricultural and business expertise to help build their capacity to feed their families and profit from farming”, he added.

The fourth approach, Economic Empowerment Programme, primarily focuses on addressing poverty, believing that addressing poverty is a more permanent way of solving hunger issues in Nigeria.

“When households are empowered with the proper knowledge, skills, and resources to set up earn for themselves, they will have the capacity to deal with hunger permanently. These skill acquisition programmes will empower people with the ability to be employable or set up businesses, he added.

NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION WOMEN’S FORUM HOLDS INAUGURATION CEREMONY FOR NEW EXCO The Nigerian Bar Association Women Forum (NBAWF) has announced the inauguration and handing over ceremony of its executive committee with a ceremony scheduled to hold on January 16th, 2023 at the Westwood Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos during which the new executive committee members will be taking over the mantle of leadership from the erstwhile executives.

Chinyere Okorocha, Partner and Head of the Health and Pharmaceuticals sector of the firm and the incoming Chairperson of the Forum will take over the mantle of leadership from Professor Oluyemisi Bamgbose, SAN. Other incoming members of the executive committee are; Ifueko Alufohai as Vice Chairperson; Irene Pniobong Pepple as Secretary, Mercy Ijato-Agada as Treasurer; Theodora Kio-Lawson, as the Publicity Secretary.

The NBA Women Forum is an arm of the Nigerian Bar Association committed to empowering, inspiring and guiding female legal professionals in Nigeria.

Since its inauguration in 2019, the NBAWF has served as a platform for advocacy for female lawyers and is doing a lot in ensuring gender equality as it affects the promotion and appointment of female lawyers to well-deserved positions.

The forum has also been at the forefront of empowering female lawyers in Nigeria through mentoring and exposure to national and international workshops, thereby encouraging female lawyers to have a global outlook, perspective and reach.

INDUSTRY LEADERS CONVERGE ON FOOD, PACKAGING EXHIBITION

The couple with Chief & Mrs. Richard Agbapuru

Precious Ugwuzor It was all joy recently for the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of RichyGold Group of Companies, High Chief Richard Agbapuru, when his beloved daughter, Nkiruka Yvonne Agbapuru; a foreign trained pharmacist was joined in wedlock to Francis Ikenna Aliakor in Lagos.

The solemnisation which took place at the Catholic Church of the Visitation in FESTAC town was witnessed by family members, friends, business associates and other well wishers from different walks of life.

In his sermon, the officiating priest Rev. Fr. John Oke used the opportunity to remind all married men and women in Nigeria that every marriage has its own peculiar challenges. According to him, marriage should therefore not be seen as a temporary institution

that has expiry date.

He said, “marriage does not have expiry date. It is not for children but for mature people.

With maturity, couples should be able to tolerate one another.

Marriage is not a bed of roses as it comes with its challenges.”

Reverend Oke went ahead to charge Christians especially married ones to show good example to the younger generation by always doing the right.

He expressed dismay that in contemporary times, many Christians relish in ungodly things and have come to see issues concerning God as being secondary in their lives.

He urged couples to allow Christ to be the centre of their marriage, explaining that with Christ, they would always overcome their challenges.

The solemnisation of the marriage was climaxed with a big party that took place in the massive hall of ICAN

event center located in Lake View Estate, Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos.

At the colourful reception, over 1000 guests from different walks of life were in attendance and were well entertained. They included businessmen, captains of industries, traditional title holders, academics, social club members, friends of groom and bride’s families, well wishers and other dignitaries.

The event which was anchored by a popular Lagos-based Master of Ceremony simply known as MC Kwekwe was made more lively with some comic relief that continuously stoked laughter from the audience.

There was no dull moment as there was enough to eat and drink, even as the Disc Jockey known as DJ Steve selectively played trending musical tracks that literally electrified the ambience.

It was a joyous day for the

bride’s family in particular as High Chief Agbapuru spent time moving from table to table with a view to ensuring that guests were well entertained by the various caterers engaged to provide different cuisines.

Members of his Ugomba Social Club were large in attendance and were up and doing in showing love to Agbapuru who was their pioneer President. They love him and practically showed it with their attendance and gyration on the floor each time the RichyGold boss was up to dance.

Speaking to newsmen on the sideline of the event at ICAN centre, the bride said she was very happy to have been joined in marriage with Francis Ikenna Aliakor; a businessman dealing in automobile, whom she described as “a very wonderful person.”

The pharmacist was full of appreciation to the teaming guests who graced the occasion in spite of other engagements.

Flagship trade fair consortium, Interpack Alliance, offered tailor-made solutions for international markets at this year’s Food Africa and pacprocess MEA exhibition.

The event attracted high international attendees, strong growth rates, and avid interest from stakeholders in the food and packaging industries. It was held at the Egypt International Exhibition Center in Cairo from December 5TH to 7TH with over 25,800 visitors from over 60 countries in attendance.

Pacprocess has been a part of the Interpack Alliance since 2021 and is organized by Messe Düsseldorf in collaboration with its partners IFP Egypt and Konzept.

For years, it has held the top spot in the African food packaging sector, and now further strengthens its position as the agro-allied packaging event of first choice in the region via its coalition with Food Africa. Pacprocess MEA 2022 was headlined by discussions around processing and packaging being the ideal complement to Food Africa for the food industry. It provided a good overview of local, regional, and international suppliers of packaging machinery and consumables. The event continues to expand its prominence throughout the continent, there were 738 exhibitors from 32 countries and 14 national participations this year, resulting in a 60% rise in attendees and a 70% increase in exhibitors compared to the previous year. Commenting at the exhibition, Thomas Dohse, Director of Interpack Portfolios Processing & Packaging, said, “The impressive development of the event, as well as the mood and conversations on-site, illustrates once again that Africa and the Middle East are attractive destinations for many companies.

“Those not joining the fray leave many opportunities untapped.

The integration of Food Africa into our portfolio sends out a signal.

With this move, we offer a unique platform for accessing Africa’s mega market for food.”

“We have been operating in the Egyptian market since 2012,” stated Panagiotis Konstantarakos, Head of Exports Europe, THRACE PLASTICS PACK Co. S.A., who also spoke at the exhibition. “Our first trade fair participation since the Covid crisis was at pacprocess MEA.

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E-TRENDS E-Trends Catch Up with…

MUSIC SHOWBIZ

…Your weekly entertainment delight

NOLLYWOOD

How MultiChoice Continues Supporting Big Brother Naija Housemates Years After Making Them Stars Through the Exclusive Big Brother Naija Club, MutiChoice has continuously supported Big Brother Naija reality television show housemates even after making them most sought after stars, Precious Ugwuzor reports

Jammal Ibrahim

JAMMAL IBRAHIM ON PLAYING SP DANLADI DIKKO IN SHOWMAX’S ‘CRIME AND JUSTICE LAGOS’ ByVanessaObioha What is it about your character that intrigued you the most?

Itishiscalmnessinthestone.Wheneveranything is going crazy, he is still. And it is in that stillness that he picks up the unusual, and from this unusual stuff, he finds the truth. So it is his calm in chaos that I love and think is very intriguing. I think that if people could actually get that kind of attitude in themselves, I think that life will be easier for all of us, especially in Lagos. If people can chill for a bit and listen to the silence, they will find a world of reason.

Did you find yourself judging your character at times?

Oh, yeah, there are some decisions that Danladi made and I’m like ‘kai’, ‘why?’. I think in episodes five and six, there were some decisions he made that I was not really happy with but that’s me. Danladi made those decisions on his own.And I wondered why he made them. You know something really bad is going to happen because of the decisions he took. I can see it but Danladi can’t. And I can’t tell him sadly so he has to go through his journey and figure it out. . Overall, I like most of the decisions he makes because it ends up kind of positive half of the time.

Are there emotional or mental depths you reached to portray your character aptly?

Yes, I’m going to give reps to my directors. Mak ‘Kusare is in the States and Onyinye Egenti is in London but they brought some different parts of them into this production that was amazing and pushed us beyond our expectations. I remember episode five which is one of the craziest and most emotional episodes for Danladi, Onyi pushed me to a very dark place which was kind of difficult to get out of that day. I think it took the whole day to the next day before I could actually feel myself. I’m very much grateful for that because I remember her words, she said, ‘Jammal, I really need this. I know I’m going to be selfish for this to work but that place, I would need you to go there. I know I’m beingselfishrightnow.Weneedthisonscreen.’And it’s funny, I think even now that I’m remembering the moment, it was intense. It was quite intense.

Have you always been a fan of police procedural drama?

I have, for ages. I love action. I love mystery. I love detectives. I like that thing when you just don’t see it, it is not all up in your face. It takes a process to find out what happened, oh, how did this happen? Who killed who? Yeah, I’ve always been a fan.

As an actor, what are those things that you look at to show your improvement given how good acting can be intangible?

I used to cringe when I saw myself on camera.

I’ll probably watch it once and that’s it. ‘Crime and JusticeLagos’ isoneoftheshowsthatIhavewatched like 15 times, maybe 20 times now.And it’s not even beenaboutthewholeshowbecauseobviously,Iwas therewhenitwasmade.It’saboutmyperformance.

I just criticize myself every time I watch. It’s like, oh, maybe I should have said this way. Or maybe if I moved my hand this angle, or maybe if I have done this… so it’s like every time I watch, I take notes to make sure that I do better on the next one. And I’ve noticed it has helped because from my first film to this one is like a trajectory that’s going upwards.

And I’m grateful and happy about it.Also, I do a lot of research. I read books and watch a lot ofYouTube videos. I register for masterclasses which are very important for me because knowledge is power. So I just try and get as much stuff on my head because it helps me grow. You can never stop learning.And every new project I get is a new learning curve for me because it’s different from the way I tried to learn about the characters, the people in the story, my emotions and the scenes. So it’s all added to a catalogue of whatever it is that I have in my brain.

N

ot many things referred to as ‘the giftthatkeepsgiving’liveuptothe promisethetitleentails.However, Big Brother Naija has managed to be that and more in many ways.

Not just to the viewers, businesses, media houses, or craftsmen that enjoy benefits from the show, but also to the housemates and alumni.

Many will agree that the biggest winners of the show are the housemates. Whether or not they walk away from their season with the grand prize, the show still finds a way to change their lives. What they do with the gift Big Brother presents them is a different topic entirely. Yet, they enjoy more from MultiChoice than just the two to three months of free publicity they get by being on BBNaija. They get more than the prizes they gather in the house, the fame, or even the endorsements that often follow the most popular housemates. They get support.

Most Big Brother Naija housemates will tell you that they get not just fiscal benefits from the show, but family, and a community that looks out for and takes care of them. MultiChoice Nigeria doesn’t just churn out stars every year, they work to keep them as celebrities. It is often a thing of pride to see them thrive.

But the sceptics may wonder what MultiChoice has done for these housemates besides giving them fame and perhaps stripping them of their privacy. How have they really continued to support housemates post-BBNaija?

It may be too obvious to start with Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, a former BBNaija star and the six-time host of the show. It may even be too simple to shine the light on Bisola Aiyeola. Many may easily say she did the work by making it top 2, without considering that she now hosts one of Africa Magic’s original shows, ‘Shoot Your Shot’.

Still, MultiChoice helped to sustain the momentum for its season four and five winners by giving Mercy and Laycon their own reality shows.

Laycon also signed an endorsement deal with DStv and GOtv, alongside Nengi and Dorathy.

Other stars like Maria, Sir Dee, Vandora, Diane Russet, and Joe Abdallah, have also benefited from this support the media company is determined to give former housemates.

Maria Chike Benjamin, a ‘Shine Ya Eye’ housemate, is one of the many housemates who have enjoyed being part of the exclusive BBNaija group. She has appeared in commercials for DStv and played the older ‘Noelle’ in Africa Magic’s recently concluded telenovela, Dilemma. Sir Dee was also on the show that followed the influential Waziri Family, playing an older ‘Tahir Waziri’.

BBNaija Superstars Diane Russet, who is currently producing for MultiChoice Nigeria and moving her Ricordi show to Africa Magic, lauded the company for the opportunities it gave her. She said, “MultiChoice gave me the opportunity to even be seen. It has put me on a platform that has helped me in ways I cannot even put into words. They keep impacting everyone’s life. I’m happy that I get to benefit again.”

Then again, there are those firmly planted behind the scenes, like season four housemate Joe Abdallah, who returned to the BBNaija house as a task producer and the designer of the BBNaija season 5 and 6 space. Or maybe we should shine the light on Vandora, who hosted ‘Our Perfect Wedding’ on Africa Magic Showcase in 2019.

Wherever the light goes, there you’ll find a housemate MultiChoice has continued to support, either publicly or not. Tobi Bakre has hosted several events for the company and appeared on Africa Magic’s original Hustle. Pere Egbi and Venita Akpofure both appeared in ‘Unmarried’ and even became lovers on the show. Frodd also appeared in another Africa Magic series, My Flatmates, the same way that JayPaul did in Tinsel.

Even the most recent set of housemates

BB Titans: The Giants are Coming This Weekend Stories byVanessa Obioha The latest iteration of the Big Brother franchise in Africa, BB Titans will be having a big launch on Sunday, January 15.

BB Titans is a combination of both Mzansi and Naija housemates living together in the Big Brother House in South Africa for 12 weeks.

It will be hosted by Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and Lawrence Maleka.

Known for its intense drama and personality clashes, BB Titans is expected to be explosive given the cultural differences between the two countries. Will it finally end the perceived supremacy battle between the two countries?

Culturally, Nigeria and SouthAfrica are dominant in music with Afrobeats and Amapiano sounds traversing beyond the continent. The show’s success will therefore lie in its ability to merge these cultural peculiarities into a dynamic showcase of Africa’s teeming talents.

The CEO of MultiChoice Nigeria John Ugbe puts it succinctly: “We can only imagine that there will be an explosion of entertainment and intense drama, unlike anything viewers have ever seen before. Imagine Afrobeats and Amapiano, the food, and everything else we’ll see in this edition. It promises an abundance of Nigerian and South African swag, banter, romance, and everything else. We believe this will be the most exciting Big Brother the planet has ever seen, and we are excited for the show to begin.”

As a first of its kind and with a cash prize of $100,000 in the offing, fans of Big Brother

Ebuka and Lawrence to host BB Titans

shows are already pitching their tents on social media. On Twitter, the competition has begun with tweepsfromeachcountryaskingfanstoensurethat the winner emerges from their preferred country.

One of the things viewers often look forward to is the Big Brother House which usually gets a facelift for each season. Of course, the diverse characters that will keep fans entertained for the duration of the show are another magnetic pull.

Big Brother has a distinctive eye in selecting the individuals who participate in the reality TV show. From doctors to engineers to strippers to rappers, these talents bring a colourful flavour to the screen.

One wonders what the talents will bring to the show when they walk into the Big Brother House on Sunday by 7pm.

have begun to enjoy benefits of being part of the MultiChoice ecosystem. In October, Doyin and Adekunle both got to host their first events, courtesy of MultiChoice. Chizzy and Phyna are going on an all-expense-paid trip to Qatar, Modella is billed to appear in a Showmax original and Chizzy featured as a lead in the recent GOtv television commercial for the ongoing world cup.

It’s possible to go on and list each housemate who has continued to benefit from the organization post-show like Elozonam on the Showmax vodcast, but that would take more time than anyone needs to give. As Dr Tejumola succinctly put it while talking about Diane’s Ricordi move to the big screen, “we are very proud of what they are doing, and we will continue to support them.”

MultiChoice is committed to supporting and helping its BBNaija alumni thrive and succeed.

With the burden the show’s resultant fame often puts on the housemates to be ‘more’ than others, this support is one they all need. Despite different housemates needing the backing of the broadcasting company to varying degrees, MultiChoice Nigeria has proven they would always help where they can. That is a decision and promise that is worthy of praise and celebration.

THE VOICE NIGERIA S4: COACH NIYOLA GETS LUCKY More and more gifted talents are springing up on The Voice Nigeria S4, and coach Niyola seems to be the lucky one. On the third episode of the singing competition which had more R&B talents, the coach was the preferred choice of the episode’s most talented performers, Gideon and Mike Frost.

At the beginning of the episode, Niyola seemed unlucky with her pitches as talents chose her colleagues over her. Bryan, who was the first talent to get four turns, surprisingly chose Naeto C despite Niyola’s attempt to get him on her team. When Timi, a chef and musician from Bayelsa got three turns (Praiz, Niyola and Naeto C), she picked Praiz despite Niyola’s passionate pitch.

Despite being the first to turn for the 25-year-old entertainer Savvi from Cross River who sang ‘I Swear’ by the American male R&Bgroup All-4-One, she was again dropped for Naeto C. However, the tides began to turn for Niyola when Gideon stepped on the stage. Arguably the star of that episode with his delicate and tantalising rendition of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Kiss Me’, Gideon had all coaches turn but chose to go with the first person to turn which turned out to be Niyola.

Bringing the episode to an end was the 28-year-old Mike Frost, singing ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ by Bill Withers. He surprisingly chose Niyola over Naeto C and Praiz.

The episode saw nine talents scale through with Naeto C taking the highest number of talents: Bryan, Adanna and Savvi.

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ART WEEKEND

…For pure art enthusiasts

At Jelosimi Art Centre, Artist TellsTales of Nature Khalid Balogun’s debut solo exhibition is beyond a mere reflection of nature’s beauty and serenity but a nexus to his roots, says YinkaOlatunbosun

Book cover

UMUKORO’S ‘DISTORTION’ AS A NATION’S DIAGNOSIS Yinka Olatunbosun

One of the pieces in the Nature’s Aesthetics series

K

halid Balogun, a floral landscape artist and poet whose style goes in line with his mantra ‘creating sceneries with voices’ has made his way to the art scene with his first solo show. Hosted by Jelosimi Art Centre, Lagos, the show titled “Nature’s Muse’’ had its opening on December 17 with a warm reception by the Lagos audience. Largely influenced by his childhood encounter with nature, the 20year old is a self-trained artist. He unearthed his path to self-discovery at a recent encounter with him on January 2.

“I have always loved drawing since I was in primary school,’’ he began. “I was born in Delta stateand raised there till I was eight years old. I moved to Lagos after that.”

The memory of lagoon in mind was as active as the water tides so he captures elements of nature such as sun, waterfalls, trees, rocks and more in his works.

Aproduct of Crescent Schools, Lagos, Balogun had his first group exhibition in 2019 at the University of Lagos. With an understanding of the value of tutelage, he enrolled for a workshop

at the National Gallery of Art also watched some YouTube videos.

“Myartcomesfromadeepevergreenpoint within me that tends to express nature in her most natural state. With the help of the hue of green and its analogous neighbours on my colour palette, I start a process which I call “Creating Scenery with Voices.’’ I am constantly visiting lakes as the core elements of my style can be found there, thereby replenishing my inspiration. I delved into nature painting because I love calmness and serenity.

But sometimes, my art can be a form of protest and a tool for social change. I put my anger in the works,’’ he explained.

Through the nine-piece series titled ‘Tales of the Sun,’ Balogun explores the important of the sunlight in the ecosystem.

“I used this series to pour out the whole idea of photosynthesis. You can see that throughout the series, the yellow colour is used. I call the sun the mother of nature because that is where the natural process starts.”

Another frequent image in some of his charcoal works is that of a fisherman.

Balogun would later reveal that his grandparents are from Epe, a Lagos community known for fishing. Through the ‘Apeja Series’ he recounts the story of his grandfather’s fishing exploits, showing different times of the day.

Curated by Matthew Oyedele, the show allows Balogun to peel the layers of his creativity. For instance, the series tagged ‘Nature’s Aesthetics’ is inspired by one of his poems that pays home to mother nature and romanticizes with the visual interplay of water on rocks.

“At the opening, we had a sound installation of the waterfall because the essence was for us to create a calm and relaxing atmosphere with the works. When you spend some time with nature, you will feel energized. That’s what we tried to recreate nature at the space.

The vision we had was to allow him to tell a story that is unique to him; a story that he can own. That is originality,’’ the curator revealed.

Abu is only human. Sometimes, a confused one. Still, his characterisation in the mental health fiction, ‘Distortion’ by EjiroUmukoro is intriguing andcompelling.Thelayersoftruthrevealedthrough the various characters in the book makes the work morethanjustaliteraryeffortbutanation’sdiagnosis.

The story revolves around a community chemist Abu defined by a cursed lineage, torn between the desire of the flesh and his obligation as a Christian.

A tale of self-destruction, ‘Distortion’ explores sexualityalongthelinesofsocietalills,badgovernance, cultural ethos and human rights. Based on real life incidents encountered in her investigative series into domestic violence, Broken Boys and Broken Girls Trapped Under Covid-19.

Woven on the fabric of perennial challenges in Nigeria, the characters are largely relatable as the plotitselfispulsatingwithactionandsuspense.With detailed storytelling, issues such as cultism, outcast, motherhood, bribery and corruption, fake drugs, childlabour,rape,childtraffickingandhumanritual were broached. It digs into the underbelly of the Nigerian community, rooting out the rot through dialogues and imageries. Distortion is a story best imagined than experienced.

In his review of the book, Michael Nelson, the Founder and CEO, The CoBuilders, wrote: “Distortions aptly captures the chaotic life of those in our societies, whose appetite for gain is fueled by immorality, their unfortunate victims and their heroic antagonists.’’

As the nation approaches the general polls, the book is a necessary read as it tugs at the collective conscience of the citizens and our roles in nation building. Umokoro is a multi-award-winning broadcaster, social entrepreneur and winner of the British Council International Communications Entrepreneur (IYXE) Award.

How ‘Feast of Words’ Tackles Nationhood, Uplifts Young Poets Yinka Olatunbosun Flashback to December, Ikorodu played host to a community of young poets during the Festival of Words with the theme‘Words for A Nation at Crossroads.’First held in 2015 at the University of Ibadan, the 2022 edition which was held at Eriata Heights Event Place, Ikorodu, Lagos in an atmosphere of comradeship. Comprising of discussions, award presentations, night of traditional performances, wining and dining, it kicked off with a welcome address by veteran poet, arts administrator and President of the Poets in Nigeria Initiative (PIN), Sir EriataOribhabor who commended the organisers for impacting positively on the young generation of Nigerian writers.

A panel discussion segment on “Art for Art’s sake vs Arts for Social Good” was moderated by KoladeOlanrewaju Freedom. On the panel were poetactivistAJ Dagga Tolar, KukoghoIruesiri Samson, and renowned author and social campaigner, AwodiyaFunke who argued that art must first be art before anything else.

Young performers aged 10 and under from AdekunleOguntoyinbo Shola’s House of PhebeArts enthralled the audience with their exhilarating dance and

A line-up of winners at the Feast of Words event

oratory prowess. Other notable poetry, dance and musical performances were delivered by Paul Abiola Oku-ola, The 78th Psalmist, Yusuf AlabiBalogun aka Aremo Gemini, Victory GburukeNgei, DamilolaMakinde (The Musical Being) and many others.

Awardees of WRR literary prizes include On-the-Spot Literary Contests won by IyanuSholaja with a N10,000

cash prize; the Albert Jungers Poetry Prize (AJPP) won by Olajuwon Joseph Olumide with a N25,000 cash prize; and the EriataOribhabor Poetry Prize (EOPP) won by OluwafisayoAkinfolami (1st place winner), NwuguruChidiebere Sullivan (2nd place winner), andAbdulrahimHussani (3rd place winner) who shared the total sum of N100,000 cash prize.

As a wrap to the 2022 edition of the Ni-

gerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP), the largest prize of its kind in Nigeria, PIN held the Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP) Awards 2022 to honour the winners of the Prize. NSPP moderator, Kolade Freedom, delivered a presentation on the administration of the Prize from the opening of submissions on January 15 to the conclusion of judging in December.

NnamdiAzikiwe University (UNIZIK),Awka’sChinualumoguGod sentOfodile, the University of Ibadan’s MahbubatKanyinsolaSalahudeen and the University of Calabar’s Joshua OkonEffiong won a total of N475,000 in total as Winner, 1st Runner-Up and Second Runner-Up respectively. Winners of the shared N75,000 consolation prize were YounglanTalyoung of the University of Jos (UNIJOS),AyoadeOlamide of OlabisiOnabanjo University (OOU) Ago-Iwoye, and Olowonjoyin Muhammed Sanni of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN).

Among the performers at the African Night were the internationally renowned Yorùbá poet, storyteller and troubadour Aremo Gemini, Sir Eriata aka Merchant of Poetry, and LuqmanOnike aka Òlukùm Speaking on the event, the CEO, Feast of Words Samson Kukogho

revealed that his literary development organisation, Words Rhymes & Rhythm (WRR) Ltd will continue to support young Nigerian creatives through literary development interventions since 2012 He said: “Our mostly youth-targeted initiatives include the Brigitte Poirson Poetry Contest, the Green Author Prize, the Albert Jungers Poetry Prize, the WRR Chapbook Series, the EriataOribhabor Poetry Prize, and the annual Feast of Words literary festival.

Like most of our initiatives, we started Feast of Words (FOW) to close a gap.

I observed at the time that most of the literary festivals did not consider the need to include emerging creatives in planning their programmes. They have high registration fees and only feature notable names in their programmes.

As such, many young and talented individuals miss out because they are largely unknown in the industry and cannot afford to pay high festival registration fees.

“FOW has no registration fees, provides food and free books and allows anyone talented to perform.

Over the years, it has become a much-anticipated opportunity for young writers from all over Nigeria to interact and network face-to-face.”

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T H I S D AY ˾ DAY, JANUARY 13, 2023

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BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Ibrahim: Investments & Securities Bill Aims to Inspire Confidence in Capital Market Kayode Tokede The provisions of the Investments & Securities Bill (ISB) recently passed by the House of Representatives is expected to inspire confidence of both local and foreign investors as they can be assured that the regulators have been sufficiently empowered to deal with malpractices that undermine confidence in the market.

This was stated by the Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Capital Markets and Institutions Hon. Babangida Ibrahim during an interview in Abuja.

Ibrahim stated that foreign investors and market participants will also be attracted to the Nigerian market because they will have comfort in the fact that the Bill seeks to mirror standard investor-protective provisions and practices in advanced jurisdictions, which the foreign participants are already familiar with.

On the reason for the new Bill, the Lawmaker stated that the current enabling law for the Nigerian capital market, the Investments and Securities Act, No. 29 of 2007 (“ISA”) was signed into law by late President Umar Musa Yar’adua

in June 2007 (15 and half years ago) before the global financial crisis of 2008/2009.

Global financial regulators he said, have made major changes in their regulatory instruments following the crisis to address some of the obvious gaps that contributed to the global economic disruption of the time, adding that such global shifts and other current trends in capital markets regulation have made it imperative to make major improvements to the Act to align our market with international standards.

According to Ibrahim, the Bill seeks to repeal the ISA and introduced new provisions that empowers the SEC to collaborate with other regulatory bodies in the financial sector to manage and mitigate systemic risks as it confers new investigative and enforcement powers on the apex regulator, SEC, to effectively regulate the Nigerian capital market.

It introduces the framework for regulation of new products including financial and commodities derivatives and financial market infrastructures, which are expected to lead to increased activities, and thus, deepen the Nigerian capital market.

“The Bill introduces stiffer sanctions in the form of in-

creased fines and jail terms, which are commensurate with the severity of offences, and also serve as deterrence to potential future offenders.

For instance, a jail term of not less than 10 years has been provided to address the menace of Ponzi schemes and illegal investment schemes that have caused heartache for thousands of Nigerians who have been victims of such scams.

Other offences such as market manipulation, insider trading, false statements in prospectuses etc. are also subject to severe punishment.

“The Bill will ensure the diversification of the Nigerian economy away from a mono product oil economy through the strengthening of the Nigerian commodities ecosystem with the trading of warehouse receipts and commodities contracts on the Commodities Exchanges.

“The Bill also contains legal framework for registration and regulation of new types of critical market infrastructures such as central counterparties, which will be responsible for managing the risks emanating from transactions in derivatives and other financial instruments, thereby ensuring the safety and integrity of our markets and boosting investors’ confidence” he stated.

Transcorp Bags Multiple Awards Transnational Corporation Plc, Nigeria’s largest listed conglomerate with investments in the Power, Hospitality, and Energy sectors has emerged winner of the Sectorial Leadership Award – Conglomerates and the Highest Dividend Cover Award at the Pearl Awards, which took place in Lagos.

Transcorp was awarded in recognition of outstanding operational and stock market performance in 2021, and the awards mark another milestone for the Company. President/ Group Chief Executive Officer, Transcorp Group, Owen Omogiafo, accepted the awards

on behalf of the Company.

Commenting on the awards, Omogiafo said, “This recognition is a testament to our commitment to excellence, and an acknowledgment of the outstanding work being done by the entire Transcorp team.

We are honored to have won in the categories in which we were nominated at the Pearl Awards and are focused on continuing to deliver great results across all our businesses. I am also delighted that our hospitality subsidiary, Transcorp Hotels Plc was also awarded the Sectorial Leadership Award – Services (Hotels/Lodging) for redefining hospitality and

continuing to deliver exceptional service to guests” The Group’s continued success and growth span almost two decades and can be attributed to its core values and strong corporate governance, demonstrated by its robust Board of Directors, chaired

by Tony O. Elumelu, CFR. Also present on stage during the award presentation were Mrs. Foluke Abdulrazaq, Vice Chairman/Independent Director, Transcorp Group, Toyin Sanni, Non-Executive Director, Transcorp Group, and Peter Ikenga, MD/CEO, Transcorp Energy Limited.

“Despite Challenges, Employees Must Adopt Technology to Survive” Ibrahim Shuaibu ÓØ ËØÙ The Chairman, NIGCOMSAT limited Yusuf Zubair Kazaure has charged employees in both private and public organizations to shun challenges associated with the digital age and adopt the tenancies of technological advancements in moving their organizations forward.

He made the call at the 3rd International Conference and Doctoral Colloquium organized by the Faculty of Management Sciences of the Bayero University Kano, which was held on Tuesday at the Dangote Business School in Kano.

Themed: “Sustainable transformation of public and corporate management in the digital age: perspectives, challenges and prospects, he said, “The conference essentially has to do with the rapid change we are experiencing currently within the public and private sector where managing

organizations are concerned.

“As you are fully aware, so much has changed in the last couple of years. The rate of change is also poised to even start increasing at a much more rapid pace than it was previously. Employees need to adopt technology despite the challenges it is coming with.

“The primary thing is the introduction of technology into all facets of our lives, however, it comes with its own changes.

The flipside is you have more cyber-attacks and people taking advantage of technology negatively and so.

“The essence of conferences like this is to look at all these opportunities and challenges and harness the opportunities and find a way out to mitigate the challenges so that we can be more reliant about these transformations taking place.

“The truth is so many things will change, jobs will become more transformed overtime.

What is going to happen is that the initial shock of this technology is that people will be displaced by jobs. They will learn more information technology skills and move on with new opportunities to reinvent.”

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor, Bayero University Kano, Professor Sagir Abbas who was represented by the Provost, College of Natural and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Professor Tijjani Hassan Darma commended the organizers for identifying the theme of the conference with the current reality as digital transformation is now crucial to achieving development in both public and private organizations.

Also speaking, the Chief Host and Dean Faculty of Management Sciences, Professor Tahir Kabir Tahir Hamid said the conference has brought together academics and practitioners in the field of management sciences, digital technology and beyond.

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

AUGUST 2022 Money Supply (M3)

49,356,443.6

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

50,601.36

Money Supply (M2)

49,305,842.3

-- Quasi Money

27,869,678.3

-- Narrow Money (M1)

21,436,164

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,680,236.81

---- Demand Deposits

18,755,927.2

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

5,074,909.92

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

27,869,678.3

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

61,195,142.4

---- Credit to Government (Net)

21,001,401.5

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

0.00

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

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

40,193,740.9

--Other Assets Net

6,785,979.22

Reserve Money (Base Money

14,040,351.9

--Currency in Circulation

3,210,664.98

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

10,829,686.9 390,557.8

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

July 2022

Inter-Bank Call Rate

13.00

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

2.76

Savings Deposit Rate

1.42

1 Month Deposit Rate

3.64

3 Months Deposit Rate

4.96

6 Months Deposit Rate

5.87

12 Months Deposit Rate

5.76

Prime Lending rate

12.10

Maximum Lending Rate

27.61

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT 24 OCTOBER, 2022

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $92.17 a barrel on Monday, compared with $92.09 the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

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

39

T H I S D AY ˾ DAY, ͯͱ˜ ͰͮͰͱ

Investors’ Interest in MTN Lift Market Cap by N174bn Kayode Tokede The stock market of the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) yesterday continued its rally for the second consecutive trading as market capitalisation advanced by N174 billion on investors buying interest in MTN Nigeria Communications (MTNN) and 34 others.

With the gains in telco heavyweight, MTN Nigeria Communication (2.33per cent)

as well as Tier-1 banking names, Zenith Bank (2.87per cent), Guaranty Trust Holding Company (2.08per cent) and FBN Holdings Plc (2.22per cent), the overall market capitalisation value gained N174 billion to close at N28.350 trillion from N28.176 trillion it opened for trading.

Consequently, the NGX All Share Index (ASI) rose by 318.98basis points or 0.62 per cent to close at 52,048.85

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

DEALS

F O R MARKET PRICE

points from 51,729.87 basis points it opened for trading.

Investor sentiment, as measured by market breadth improved as 35 stocks advanced, while nine declined.

Ellah Lakes and Lasaco Assurance recorded the highest price gain of 10 per cent each to close at N3.96 and N1.10 respectively, while International Breweries followed with a gain 8.60 per cent to close at N5.05, per share.

S E C U R I T I E S QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

Dangote Sugar Refinery went up by 7.19 per cent to close at N17.15, while SUNU Assurance appreciated by 6.90 per cent to close at 31 kobo, per share.

On the other hand, Abbey Mortgage Bank led the losers’ chart by 10 per cent to close at N1.53, per share. Chellarams followed with a decline of 9.76 per cent to close at N1.48, while FTN Cocoa processors declined by 3.57 per cent to close at 27

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

kobo, per share.

Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) depreciated by 3.55 per cent to close at N6.80, while Royal Exchange declined by 2.00 per cent to close at 98 kobo, per share.

However, the total volume of trades decreased by 24.9 per cent to 211.743 million units, valued at N7.725 billion, and exchanged in 3,462 deals.

Transactions in the shares of AXA Mansard Insurance

AS O F

topped the activity chart with 26.252 million shares valued at N52.511 million. Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) followed with 19.808 million shares worth N476.889 million, while Chams traded 17.906 million shares valued at N4.447 million.

Royal Exchange traded 14.207 million shares valued at N13.379 million, while FBN Holdings (FBNH) transacted 11.824 million shares worth N131.375 million.

1 2 / 0 1 / 2 3 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

40

FRIDAY, JANUARY 13 2023• T H I S D AY

NEWS

WELCOME TO NIGERIA...

President Muhammadu Buhari (right), receiving a letter of credence from the Ambassador of Switzerland to Nigeria, Mr. Nicolas Lang, at the State House in Abuja…yesterday

Fashola: Why I Will Vote, Campaign for Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu Maintains APC presidential canditate’s age not a factor Says relationship with Lagos governor could be better Defends APC’s same faith ticket Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja In a major break from his apparent reticence since the campaigns began, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, yesterday vowed to vote and vigorously campaign for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, in next month’s presidential election.

Fashola, a former Chief of Staff to Tinubu before he (Fashola) became governor of the state and later a two-term minister, also defended the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the party, stressing that the best way to end all the arguments was for APC to defeat every other ticket during the poll.

The minister further defended the rumoured frailty of his former principal, maintaining that even at their youngest and best, Tinubu’s opponents in the coming elections were still far less effective and possess less capacity than him.

Aside Tinubu, other major contenders for Nigeria’s top seat during the election are Abubakar Atiku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP). He’s largely seen as too feeble to govern the country in these very challenging times.

Speaking during an interview on TVC, one of Nigeria’s private television stations, Fashola who was asked whether Tinubu was fit and proper to rule Nigeria, posited that it would be to the peril of the opposition to underestimate the intelligence and capacity of the APC national leader.

“Without a doubt in my mind.

I've worked with him. And I was his chief of staff for four and a half years. So, I worked with him on a minimum basis of over 14 hours a day. So, I saw him at close quarters.

“You underestimate his resilience and intelligence at your own peril.

And one needs to read the tribute I wrote when he turned 60. So yes, but he’s a much older man. And one side of the question is okay, he’s older. The other side is what is on offer on the other side?” Fashola queried.

Still in defence of Tinubu, Fashola said the APC presidential candidate raised the first state bond for infrastructure and development in the country as governor in spite of a federal PDP opposition, which many states are now modelling.

In addition, he explained that Tinubu’s Internally Generated

Revenue (IGR) initiative has become a model today for many states of the federation.

He further stated that the office of the public defender was created during Tinubu’s time as the governor of Lagos, with over 10 states now following suit, while the Lagos signage and advertising body is now being emulated by several states. According to him, about 16 states have already passed their own version of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA).

“All of his policies have gained resonance nationwide, even by his most virulent critics. And he says now I want to do this on a national scale. And you are asking me whether he should run?

“I will vote for him. And I'm campaigning for him. And let the opponents come and show us what they have done. Because we are now saying from local to national, what have you done?

“So, it's not about how old the man is. Even his older version is better than any of the younger versions as I speak today, because I've seen all of them at work, and I've taken time to objectively analyse what they have done,” he opined.

Fashola also mocked one of the candidates whom he said always talks about how he would privatise Nigeria’s assets, pointing out that the only company privatised, which is NITEL, is now defunct.

He argued that the privatisation programme started under Ibrahim Babangida, stressing that NITEL that was privatised is now dead and urged Nigerians to notice the fine distinction between privatisation of public assets and sale of licenses to the private sector.

“So you will hear that one of the candidates says, oh, yes, I want to privatise. Privatisation of what? 1986, that was when the law was passed.

And then you say you privatise and that's why we have a telephone line.

What was privatised? It was NITEL. I don't know how many Nigerians are still using it. The lines we use today are licenses that were sold.

“And there's a very fine distinction between privatising an asset or selling a license on a law that you did not enact,” he maintained.

On Sanwo-Olu, he said he would equally vote and campaign for him because he was better than his opponents in Lagos, singling him out particularly for praise for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Again, it is always what is on

the other side? And this morning, I would vote for him without a doubt.

I'm going to campaign for him. I'm coming back home to campaign because I love this period. Because I can go to the electorate with our results. That's the kind of politics that I love.

“Just imagine if those first incident cases had disappeared into Nigeria,” he stated, adding that although Sanwo-Olu has completed the rail system, build houses , only the living could enjoy those facilities.”

However, he admitted that his relationship with the governor could be improved upon, but said he won’t be writing public letters to Sanwo-Olu since he has other

channels of reaching him.

“He calls me egbon (elder brother) because we have a good relationship.

We still spoke, I think on the third day of the year, so we are in regular contact.

“So just want to say that, of course, there's always room for improvement. But I won't discuss room for improvement by writing letters to him. I have a direct channel,” he said.

On whether he would like to serve in the next government, Fashola said although he’s always available to serve the country, for him, it has been 24 long years in public service, noting that he needed some rest.

“I became chief of staff at 39,

became governor at 44 And I've run that race for 24 years and I sincerely need a break. That said, whatever is left of my life is to continue to serve and it will be in different positions under consultation.

Maybe not necessarily a nine to five job anymore. I need to catch my breath,” he added.

On those who deploy religion in politics, he said: “I think the best way to dissuade it (people who see religion as a factor in politics) is to defeat those who reach out to those arguments. I remember when we wanted to raise Sukuk funding and people whether in ignorance or mischief, or a combination of both, said we were going to use

it to Islamise Nigeria.

“It’s a very base argument and it doesn't address the fundamentals of what we need to do. So when you get to hospital, do you ask for Christian blood when you are dying?

Or do you ask for a Muslim surgeon when you need emergency care?

Or when the pangs of childbirth holds you, do you say it must be somebody of your own faith who must be your midwife?

“And as you said, these things have no resonance in my own home.

My father was Muslim, my mother is Anglican. I grew up in the Anglican Church before I just said as an adult, I'm going to worship how my father worships,” he stressed.

OBI: WE WILL DESTROY STRUCTURE OF CRIMINALITY, BUILD NEW NIGERIA He further stated that his administration would recruit people across all levels of security agencies to ensure the adequate protection of lives and property and also ensure that the officers are happy with their jobs by providing insurance cover for them.

"We will prioritise our education system and ensure that ASUU will not go on strike. The job ahead requires both physical and mental energy and we are prepared for it but you must go and collect your PVCs," he stressed.

Obi declared that he would end industrial action in Nigerian universities and other tertiary institutions, a situation he claimed had crippled university education in the country.

The former governor of Anambra State pledged that once he becomes the president, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike would be a thing of the past, because “we will not have one day of ASUU strike.”

Lamenting the frequent industrial action being witnessed in the Nigerian universities, Obi said in his days at UNN as a student, lecturers never went on strike.

He pointed out that there was nothing big about funding the universities.

“There is nothing big about funding the universities. Funding a university is the collaboration of everybody. Education is not an expense but an investment. We’ll make sure that nothing stops education,” he said.

To encourage university education, Obi said students could be given loans to study and repay the loans

after graduation.

He said there was nowhere in the world where university teachers were being toyed with, adding that they should be motivated to work to improve their industry.

On security, Obi said for there to be effective security, a security outfit should be set up in every community.

He, however, said insecurity was not peculiar to Nigeria because some nations of the world like Mexico and Brazil were once imbued in situations akin to what was being witnessed in Nigeria today.

He, however, pointed out that good governance, provision of jobs to the youths and industrialisation would check insecurity in Nigeria.

On how best to save Nigeria from the present economic quagmire, he said the Bank of Industry, Bank of Agriculture, and other development finance institutions should not be managed by governments, but by individuals and corporate organisations.

On his part, the Director of UNN Business School, Prof. Josephat Onwumere, said they organised the interactive session so that the presidential candidates could tell Nigerians how they would turn round the economy.

Onwumere said it was important that Nigeria produce men with competence that could move the country forward, adding that other presidential candidates would be invited by the Business School to showcase their manifesto to the world.

In his address, Enugu State Chairman of the party, Casmir Agbo, said Obi's candidacy represents a

new voice and hope for the country which is at crossroads following years of bad leadership.

On his part, chieftain of the party, Chief Victor Umeh, thanked the LP for giving Obi the ticket to run for Presidency, noting that all hope would have been lost again as Obi remains the best in the field.

Meanwhile, also speaking in Owerri, yesterday, Obi promised Nigerians that his government would offer a new brand of transformative and purposeful leadership with the overall goal of streamlining governance, making it more responsive, efficient and cost effective if elected president on February 25.

Presenting a keynote address titled, “A New Nigeria of Our Dream,” during the 2023 annual global summit organised by the Mbaise Policy Roundtable, Inc. (MPR), held at Mbaise, Obi who was a guest speaker underscored the fact that Nigeria was at the brink of collapsing due to bad leadership, administrative ineptitude and massive corruption over a few decades. He however gave hope to Nigerians by offering to introduce leadership imbued with competence, capacity, credibility and commitment.

According to him, the Obi-Datti administration would ensure good governance, rule of law, security of lives and properties, as well as ensure that, “we have these assets in place and stress asset optimisation by striking a strategic balance that allow us to promote and protect national interest, while meeting our ECOWAS obligations.”

Obi who was represented at the annual intellectual event by Imo State

Coordinator of ‘Big Tent’, Dr. Fabian Ihekwueme, was optimistic to rebuild Nigeria’s military power, promote economic growth, and enhance its technological prowess with a view to improving Nigeria’s diplomatic influence in sub-regional, regional and global affairs.

He said restoring leadership would require that, “we reassert proactively, Nigeria’s leadership role in African affairs through constructive engagement, peacekeeping duties, and using existing sub-regional and regional as well as bilateral platforms for dialogue on current and emerging challenges.”

In his remarks, another keynote speaker, Prof. Pat Utomi highlighted the determinants of economic growth of a country which centres on public expenditure, capital formation, private or public investment, employment rates, exchange rates, etc.

Utomi whose theme dwelt on, “A New Nigeria is Possible” also pointed out some non-economic determinants that help to advance progress in a given state, such as capital accumulation, technological progress, government efficiency, institutions, among others.

Chairman and Moderator of Mbaise Policy Roundtable, Inc, Prof. Eddie Oparaoji introducing the 2023 annual summit theme as “Education and Agriculture as Building Block for Youth Leadership and Entrepreneurship” noted that over the years, MPR and key speakers had discussed and interrogated the subject of agriculture and discovered that feeding a nation remains the key to development.

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NEWS

A REJUVENATED BENDEL INSURANCE...

L-R: Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Joe Acha; Executive Director, Sterling Bank, Mr. Tunde Adeola; Edo State Deputy Governor, Hon. Philip Shaibu; and Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Osarodion Ogie, during the unveiling of new jerseys for Bendel Insurance Football Club, at the Government House in Benin City…yesterday

Lai Mohammed: Those Criticising Buhari are Ignorant of His Achievements Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has lashed out at critics who claimed the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has failed in the area of economic development, such statements are borne out of ignorance.

He explained this while giving his opening remarks at the ongoing 18th edition of the PMB scorecard series.

“Critics of the administration are wont to say that while it has done well in the area of infrastructure, it has not fared well in the area of the economy.

With due respect, statements like this are borne out of ignorance.

“Let me say that the Buhari administration is ready to deliver another dividend of democracy to Nigerians. As you are aware, the much-ballyhooed Second Niger Bridge has been completed

Apapa Customs Breaks Revenue Record, Rakes in N1.02tn Eromosele Abiodun The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Command, yesterday said it generated N1.02 trillion in 2022.

The Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Malanta Yusuf, disclosed this at a media conference in Lagos.

Yusuf, said the amount was unprecedented in the history of revenue generation by the command and that the value recorded in 2022, was 16.07 per cent higher than the N870.38 million collected in 2021.

He said the feat was achieved despite setback in the clearance value chain such as fluctuation in the exchange rate of the naira to the dollar.

“This feat was made possible because of the resilience of our officers and men in blocking revenue leakages and ensuring that all unpaid declarations and unitilised Pre-Arrival Assessment Report had been traced and accounted to the federal government coffers,” he said.

As regards anti-smuggling, he said 157 containers with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N14.4 billion were seized as against 102 containers with DPV of N31.8 billion seized in the year 2021.

“Our record shows that fake and prohibited drugs without necessary National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) certification and Tramadol topped the list of seizures made last year.

“Other items seized include codeine syrup, foreign parboiled rice, vegetable oil, processed/ unprocessed wood, used clothings and others,” he added.

The Apapa customs boss noted that 60 suspects were arrested in connection with some of the seizures and were at various stages of investigation and prosecution by other agencies of government.

He reiterated that the command would remain a no-go area for any form of illegalities and warned perpetrators that the command was resolute and would expose their activities and bring them to book.

Yusuf said in line with the drive to diversify the economy, the command recorded a total of $68.5 million Free on Board (FOB) value.

He said a total of 6.4 million metric tonnes were exported through Apapa in the year under review.

He listed the items to include steel bars; agricultural produce such as hibiscus, sesame seeds, cocoa, cashew nuts, ginger, soya beans and mineral products.

He pointed out that collaboration with other agencies of government had greatly enhanced the productivity of the service and pledged to continue to build on the synergy to ensure that recalcitrant criminals were dealt with decisively.

He added that the command had promoted a culture of regular stakeholders’ engagement and would continue to sensitive them on the need to comply with extant trade guidelines for faster and cheaper cargo clearance.

“I want to commend our compliant traders who do sincere declaration, pay accurate duty and obey extant import and export guidelines without violating the prohibition lists,” he said.

and will soon be commissioned.

“Well, I am happy to announce today that another highly-valuable bridge and road are ready for commissioning in the next few weeks.

“I am talking here of the 2.055km Loko-Oweto Bridge over River Benue and the 74-kilometre Nasarawa-Loko Road linking Nasarawa and Benue States. The road and the bridge are a game changer and economy-booster for the two states in particular and the nation in general,” he said.

The minister added: “As you are aware, critics of the administration are wont to say that while it has done well in the area of infrastructure, it has not fared well in the area of the economy. With due respect, statements like this are borne

out of ignorance.

“This is because infrastructure is a key driver of economic development, meaning that when you are building modern infrastructure as this administration is doing, you are actually putting in place the building blocks of economic and social development.

“When you are constructing roads and bridges, you create jobs as you will employ workers, you trigger economic activities as you will buy sand, granite, cement and other construction materials, you create a mini-economy around the construction site as food sellers and others converge there to cater to the needs of the workers.

“Let me illustrate this further with the Nasarawa-Loko Road

and the Loko-Oweto Bridge.

These infrastructures alone have cut the journey from the Eastern part of the country to Abuja by three hours! Travellers coming from Enugu to Abuja today, who have no business in Lafia, can come straight to Abuja via Keffi, thereby saving three hours as a result of the completion of this bridge and its access road.

“Also, the 74-kilometre road linking Loko to Keffi used to take about 3 hours because it was an earth road. Today, however, with the completion of the road, the same journey takes only 30 minutes. With the saying that time is money, you can then imagine the economic implication of the time saved.

Secondly, the road and the bridge projects came with the

electrification of the communities around there. The provision of electricity means more economic activities for the people and, of course, more jobs”.

“Thirdly, the communities traversed by these facilities, which are agrarian and fishing communities, have received economic boost and reduction in waste as they can more easily evacuate their products and also preserve them.

“And lastly, the communities, now provided with better access through the road and the bridge, are witnessing an increase in mining activities, farming, fishing, trading, etc.

The Nasarawa-Loko Road and the Loko-Oweto Bridge are clear testimonies to the role of infrastructure in economic and social development.”

APC Jittery over INEC’s Insistence to Deploy BVAS for Election, PDP Alleges Omo-Julius Onabu in Asaba The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of being jittery over the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deploy Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), saying that the device would expose the party to ridicule following their abysmal performance since 2015.

Speaking during a live television programme yesterday, the spokesperson of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, said the APC fought very hard to ensure that the law backing deployment of technology in electoral process was not passed in the National Assembly.

According to him, “the PDP is very much disposed to the use of BVAS and can never be part of those planning to bring down the INEC Chairman, Prof.

Mahmood Yakubu because we believe that he is doing his best to improve on our electoral process”.

"The APC candidate and their members were not comfortable with the use of BVAS and you will recall when the National Assembly was debating on the Electronic Transfer of Result, the Deputy President of the Senate who is governorship candidate of the APC in Delta State, Ovie Omo-Agege and many others vehemently opposed that particular innovation and that is to tell you that the APC are not too comfortable with the BVAS. "BVAS is going to be a game changer and as a party we are very confident that we will win through normal voting and we are hopeful that the votes of Nigerians will count.

"The INEC Chairman and his team have done so well, they may have their pitfalls as human beings but one can rate them far above average on the reforms they have brought to bear on our electoral system.

"And to a large extent I want to believe that they have been quite neutral in the electoral process we are having at the moment," he said.

Ahead of the election, he said he expected that, “the security agencies will beef up security around these institutions and police all the length and breadth of this country for the purpose of getting Nigerians to have the confidence to turn out on election day and for INEC to also have the confidence to deploy both sensitive and non-sensitive materials on election day. So it’s not out of place that INEC raised the alarm."

On why President Muhammadu Buhari was allegedly not disposed to campaigning for APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, Aniagwu who is also Commissioner for information in Delta, said the president had no confidence in the ability of Tinubu to turn things around for the country.

"What Buhari saw during the primaries of the APC, the governors failed to see it and it was quite clear the president wasn't comfortable handing over to Tinubu given his level of integrity.

"Buhari may not have done

so well for the nation given where we are now, but there are certain things you can't take away from him.

"He is a man reputed not to be a thief and he is a man reputed to be a great patriot but for the fact that his administration did not perform up to expectations is largely because of his ability which he has also acknowledged that he did his best which obviously was not good enough.

"So when you saw him in Adamawa asking the electorate to vote candidates with integrity and he failed to mention the name of the party’ presidential candidate, it clearly shows that the man does not wish that Tinubu wins the Presidency.

"Buhari is not campaigning for Tinubu because he knows that he doesn't have what it takes to turn things around for this country," he added.

Aniagwu further said that Atiku Abubakar's visit to London was in line with the party’s quest to build a global economy that will have the buy-in of the international community.

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RELIGIOUS RITES...

L-R: Grand Chief Imam of the two Holy Mosques, Dr. Abdurrahman Sudais; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Pilgrims’ Affairs, Hon. Abubakar Nalaraba; and NASFAT Chief Missioner, Imam AbdulAzeez Onike, at the Hajj and Umrah Exhibition in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia…recently

Youth Group in North-east Threatens to Dump APC over Shettima’s Attitude Your grievances will be addressed, says Keyamo Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja Members of the North-east All Progressives Congress (APC) Youths Stakeholders Forum have announced the withdrawal of their support for the vice presidential candidate of the party, Senator Kashim Shettima, less than two months to the February 25 election.

The Chairman of the Forum, Hon. Shaibu Tilde, while addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja, said the fortunes of the party in the region was on the verge of collapse due to the leadership style of Shettima.

But in a swift reaction to the threat, the spokesman for Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, disclosed such misunderstanding is bound to happen in the build-up to a major election.

The forum said it had watched with tears as its supporters continued to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

It said: "We the Youths in the North-east have lost our Zonal Treasurer from his (Shettima) home

state of Borno, Hon. Yusuf Shariff Banki, due to his failure to support youth in the region to launch massive mobilisation.

"It is worth noting that Sheriff led over five hundred thousand youth to the PDP. As if that wasn't enough, our Zonal Organising Secretary, Hon. Murtala Gamji of Taraba, led over two hundred youth to the NNPP, and our Zonal Women Leader, Hon. Amina Manga of Bauchi, led one million women to the PDP. "Unfortunately, the trend in the North-east zone is worsening by the day, with Kashim seemingly turned a blind eye to these heinous developments in our party in the region."

The forum said why it was saddened to be in the news for what others would interpret as a negative reason at this time, but added that it was obligated by the love for APC to make this timely intervention before the party's fortunes in the region sinks.

It added: "We do not need to emphasise that this is an injury time for the game because the general election are less than two months

Obasanjo: Why I Won’t Campaign for Obi James Sowole in Abeokuta Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has explained why he won’t join the campaign train of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi. Obasanjo, in his New Year message to Nigerians, entitled: “My appeal to all Nigerians particularly young Nigerians,” pledged his support for Obi. The former president, who spoke yesterday, at a virtual engagement organised by Africa Leadership Group with theme: ‘Leadership and nation-building,’ stated that he had no regrets about leading Nigeria.

He outlined that character, attributes, attitude, skills, and

most importantly, fear of God are needed for leadership.

He said: “Nigeria is where we are because of leadership.

“We must decisively look for men and women who have the character, attributes, skill and attitude that we need for leadership, that will deliver in this country.”

Speaking on why he won’t join Obi’s campaign train, Obasanjo noted that he has done his best by writing his endorsement plainly.

Obasanjo said: “I am not in campaign train. I’ve used benefit of my experience and I’ve put plainly.

“I do not belong to any political party. I will not join any campaign train. I’ve said what is best for the country.”

away, leaving no room for error, but instead attention must be focused on tightening all loose ends, which is not the case with our party in the northeast."

The forum decried that of the eight million votes from the youths that it had already mobilised for the presidential candidate of the party, Bola Tinubu, Shettima had already plundered over three million through his actions with the wave of defections from the party.

It stated: "In light of this, we urge our party's vice presidential candidate, Hon. Kashim Shettima, to immediately reverse his steps and correct his errors for the sake of the party, the region, and the teaming youth."

"As a result, the North-east APC Youth Forum wishes to withdraw its unequivocal support for Shettima. Our actions should not be misinterpreted, but rather judged by our affection for our dear party."

But reacting to the threat, the spokesman for TinubuShettima Presidential Campaign Council, Keyamo, disclosed such misunderstanding is bound to happen in the build-up to a major election.

Keyamo noted the grievances of members, who had dumped the party in the North-east would be addressed.

He, however, cautioned that it would also be wrong for the support group to attempt to resort to subtle

blackmail to have their way.

Keyamo said: “It is election season. Everybody is important.

No doubt about that. We can assure them that whatever grievances they have will be addressed.

“However, there is a need to point out corrections on some things they said. There are so many support groups working for the party in the North-east and we will try to give all equal attention. While I agree that we need everybody, we don’t see recognise some people as greater than others. Everybody is important.”

He added: “If some groups think they are the most important or deserve to be pampered more than others, we will not accept it.

That would be subtle blackmail.

The vice presidential candidate is the one who wants to treat all of them as equal as possible. He is obviously not going to pamper some over others. All groups are important.

“Again, the numbers quoted in their statement are over-exaggerated in order to draw attention. They don’t control those figures and no such numbers have left the party.

“Firstly, going by the APC register, how many registered members do we have in the North East as a party? So that means they are taking everybody at the party away, isn’t it?

“Nevertheless, we need the group and we are going to talk to them. But they should not overrate themselves,” he warned.

Buhari Approves N24.4bn for Irrigation Scheme to Boost Agric, NASENI Boss Reveals Ugo Aliogo President Muhammadu Buhari has approved N24.4 billion for phase one of the nation’s Smart Irrigation Scheme.

The Executive Vice Chairman/ Chief Executive of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Prof.

Mohammad Sani Haruna, disclosed this yesterday at the foundation laying of the Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Development Institute (AMEDI) in Obudu, Cross River State.

According to him, as part of an all-year round bumper harvest plan, the federal government decided to establish six AMEDIs in each of the nation’s geopolitical zones.

He said the institutes (AMEDIs) would teach farmers not only mechanised farming, but also modern farming techniques.

He said Nigeria had been collaborating with Czech Republic and Jordan on modern agriculture and manpower training on

mechanised farming.

He said: “The administration of President Buhari had laid foundation of ensuring multi-crops season farming programme in Nigeria by approving N24.4 billion for the Phase One of Smart Irrigation Scheme.

“The proliferation of mechanised farming is needed to meet the targeted bumper harvest all-year round which inform the need for local production of tools and equipment and hence approval for the six institutes nationwide.

“One of the targets of implementing bilateral agreement between Nigeria and Czech Republic approved by President Buhari and managed by Presidential Implementation Committee hosted

by NASENI is to make agriculture attractive to the youths by deploying mechanisation and technology.

“NASENI experts trained recently in Czech Republic and others in Jordan in modern agriculture are among the best Nigeria has ever produced in Agricultural Technology

with capacity and know-how in the application of advances in Agricultural Technology especially green Agriculture.”

The NASENI boss said six agricultural institutes would be established in each of the nation’s geopolitical zones with those in Phase One sited in Lafia (Nasarawa State for the North-central); Mbutu –Mbaise (Imo State for the Southeast; and Obudu (Cross River State for the South-south).

He added: “Each of the six geo-political zones of Nigeria is allocated an AMEDI to meet the equipment need of the nation.

Three out of these six agricultural equipment based institutes are being developed in phase one.

“These are AMEDI-Lafia, Nasarawa State for North Central; AMEDI Mbutu Mbaise, Imo State for South East, and Obudu in Cross River State for South-South. Lafia and Mbutu are expected to be commissioned in March 2023.

“The institutes are mandated to invent and produce tools,

parts, systems and equipment and machinery for cultivation, plantation, weeding, harvesting, shelling, processing and preservation through backward integration and domestication of foreign technologies in Agriculture copied by well-trained staff of NASENI. “AMEDI Obudu is one of the two selected by Jordanian Partners of NASENI for the pilot of allinclusive modern agricultural food traceability project being implemented using IOT devices for global acceptability of Nigerian food and cash crops to enhance foreign exchange through export of agricultural products.

“The AMEDIs will teach farmers not only mechanised farming but modern farming techniques using technology for enhanced yields per hectare of farm land for bumper harvest and profitability.”

In his speech, Governor Ben Ayade commended the federal government for promoting the agricultural sector.

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PROJECT INAUGURATION...

L-R: Ogun State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Ade Akinsanya; Deputy Governor, Mrs. Noimot Salako-Oyedele; Chairman, Traditional Council, Ijebu East Local Government Area and the Alakija of Ikija, Oba Anthony Kayode; Governor Dapo Abiodun, Ajalorun of Ijebu-Ife, Oba Folorunso Oguntayo; Ogun State First Lady, Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun; and former state Deputy Governor, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga, at the campaign/inauguration of Esure road in Ijebu East Local Government Area of the state…yesterday

APC Well Known for Inept Governance, Says Okowa Sylvester Idowu in Warri Delta State Governor and vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is well known for inept governance and infrastructure deficit.

He said the federal government, in its lackluster administration, orchestrated collapse of its roads in the state through deliberate neglect and abandonment.

Okowa stated this yesterday in Sapele at the PDP's campaign in Sapele and Okpe Local Government Areas, noting that

the poor attention of the federal government to Delta State had continued in spite of the state having a son as Deputy President of the Senate.

According to him, all our roads - from Benin to Warri, Sapele to Agbor, everywhere, are all impassable yet we have a son as Deputy President of the Senate. He couldn't lobby the government to reconstruct roads in the state, yet he wants to be governor.

He, however, urged the people of the state not to despair, saying "with God's will and your support, I will become the next Vice-President of the country and we will attend to

all the roads for the benefit of our people."

On the governorship election in the state, Okowa commended the people for the massive turnout for the rallies and urged them to translate it to votes for all candidates of the party.

He said that God had approved Sheriff Oborevwori as his successor, pointing out that "God made it possible for him to be Speaker of the State House of Assembly and he has remained the longest serving speaker in the state.

"Obviously he has been in a school and God has made it possible for him to become our governorship candidate.

"On behalf of our great party faithful, I want to congratulate the people of Okpe on this great achievement because what God has done no man can change.

"We haven't come here to campaign because we have been equitable and just by supporting your son to become gubernatorial candidate of the party.

"Only four states score above one million votes and they are all from the North but we must join them by crossing the one million-votes mark.

"Sheriff is not greedy and he has good people management skills and he will not disappoint Deltans. He has promised to complete our ongoing projects

APC Plotting to Attack Osun Tribunal Sitting, PDP Alleges Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) of plotting to engage hoodlums to attack the venue of the State Elections Petitions Tribunal.

The state PDP Caretaker Committee Chairman, Dr. Adekunle Akindele, who made the accusation in a statement, said the recent alarm by the APC on plot to attack the State High Court, is merely a subterfuge to perfect its actual agenda.

He called on the Commissioner of Police to invite the acting

Chairman of APC and the media adviser for questioning, stressing that both may have insight into the alleged plot to disrupt the tribunal.

“Our attention has been drawn to a false alarm by the opposition All Progressives Congress about a purported plot to attack the State High Court by hoodlums.

We want to alert the public that APC has adopted a subterfuge of leveling allegations on a plot it has perfected.

“The members of the public will recall that few months ago, two APC members were arrested with loaded guns at the entrance of the State High Court while

the tribunal proceedings were ongoing. Only the prompt intervention of vigilant members of the public saved the situation on that day.

“When the APC now raises an alarm about a planned attack, we are apprehensive. We have the feeling that the APC has a sinister plot to launch an attack on the tribunal sitting. Aware of its very bad case at the Tribunal, the APC is scheming to create mayhem to disrupt the sitting.

“We consequently call on the Commissioner of Police to invite the acting Chairman of APC and the media adviser for questioning.

The duo probably have insight

into the alleged plot to disrupt the tribunal. Their testimonies will assist the Police in the maintenance of law and order.

“We also use this opportunity to reassure the public that the state government is on top of the situation. No opposition party will be allowed to turn Osun into a battleground. The sitting tomorrow will be peaceful and we are convinced that the tribunal will eventually validate and confirm the election of Senator Ademola Adeleke as the Governor of Osun State.

All efforts to reach the state APC officials for a reaction proved abortive.

and execute more projects for the benefit of the people."

The governor charged the people to continue to live in peace and remain united as "the more united we are the greater strength and voice that we will have in Nigeria."

The state Deputy Governor, Kingsley Otuaro, buttressed the importance of voting all party candidates and urged the people to campaign vigorously across the state.

The immediate past governor of the state, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, lamented that despite the abundance of gas and two power plants in the area the people were still grappling with inadequate power supply.

He, however, urged the people to vote all candidates of the PDP expressing optimism that Governor Okowa would work towards correcting the present narrative when he becomes the Vice-President of the country.

For the governorship candidate of the party, Chief Sheriff Oborevwori, flanked by his wife Tobore and Deputy Governorship candidate ,Chief Monday Onyeme, said it was a homecoming for him because Sapele and Okpe local government areas belong to one Kingdom, Okpe.

"So coming here to campaign is not necessary but we thank you for allowing their son to have the gubernatorial ticket and for the massive road infrastructure and entrepreneurship programmes

for our people.

"Some of the challenges being faced by the people are on the exclusive list and therefore urged the people to vote Atiku-Okowa ticket to ensure that Okowa addresses the issues affecting the people," Oborevwori said he had learnt to be very humble under Okowa assuring that he would deploy his MORE Agenda for the equitable development of the state.

State Chairman of the party, Chief Kingsley Esiso lauded Governor Okowa for the massive infrastructural development in the area.

He said that the coming election was a battle of "no retreat no surrender" adding that the APC had so damaged the economy that over 133 million Nigerians have been plunged into acute hunger and poverty.

He said the party was on a mission to rescue and reset Nigeria and called on the people to join hands with the party to sack APC from Aso Rock.

Director-General of the state PDP Campaign Council, Chief Funkekeme Solomon said the state was growing from strength to strength under the PDP and urged the people to vote massively for all candidates of the party.

He urged Deltans to put aside party differences and support the Delta interest by voting for the PDP to enable Governor Okowa become the first Vice-President from the state.

Kaduna Deputy Speaker, Another Member Dump APC for Labour Party John Shiklam in Kaduna The Deputy Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Isaac Auta Zankai, and the member representing Zaria state constituency, Suleiman Dabo, have defected from the All Progressives Congress to the Labour Party in the state.

The Deputy Speaker is representing the Kauru state constituency in the state assembly.

The National Secretary of the Labour Party and Chairman

of the governorship council, Umar Farouk Ibrahim, made the announcement while inaugurating the party’s 450-member Governorship Campaign Council and the unveiling of its manifesto in Kaduna yesterday.

Ibrahim boasted that half of the state House of Assembly members were “Obi-Datti” apostles, noting that the support received from the calibre of personalities in the state, was an indication that the party was on

the march to taking over political power both in the state and the national levels in the forthcoming general election.

He said: “Sincerely speaking, today is one of the happiest moments in my life. I have gone around to campaign for our presidential candidate, Peter Obi and I have received great receptions.

“I am particularly impressed by the calibres of personalities that grace this inauguration. In the entire northern states, we

don’t have any personality that dumps APC and join Labour Party except in Kaduna State with the Deputy Speaker and another member from Zaria state constituency.”

The LP scribe also urged members of the party in the state to close ranks and unite so as to coast to victory in the forthcoming elections.

He counselled Nigerian youths, who formed the bulk of the Labour Party not to relent until Obi-Datti formed the next

administration in the country as according to him, “power resides with the youths.”

Also speaking, the party’s governorship candidate in the state, Jonathan Asake, described the Labour Party Movement as “divine”, urging members of the campaign council to see their membership as a “call to service,” considering the current mood of the nation.

“This is a call to service because the mood in the nation is that the Labour Party must

take over the nation. The mood of the nation is nothing other than the readiness of the youths to take over Kaduna and Nigeria so that the country will be a production nation and not a consuming nation.

“This is a divine movement and God’s hand is in the movement. May peace comes to Nigeria so that we may not experience hunger, or kidnapping again,” Asake, who’s also a former member of the House of Representatives, added.

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BOOSTING AGRICULTURE…

Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State(left) Sen. Ben Ayade, and the Executive Vice Chairman/ Chief Executive of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Prof.

Mohammad Sani Haruna, at the foundation laying of the Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Development Institute (AMEDI) in Obudu, Cross River State… yesterday NASENI

Gunmen Attack, Kill Three Vigilance Operatives, Raze Buildings in Anambra

David-ChyddyElekeinAwka

Gunmen have attacked operatives of the Anambra Vigilance Services, killing three of them. The incident happened in Ihiala Local Government Area in Anambra State, yesterday morning, at about 2.00am.

The gunmen were said to have

attacked the operatives at the local government secretariat, while also beheading one of the slain operatives.

A source said the gunmen also used improvised explosive devise (IED) to burn down about five buildings in the area.

Police authorities inAnambra State confirmed the incident to journalists,

Security Officials for Election to Take Oath of Loyalty, Neutrality OlusegunSamuelinYenagoa The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it is now mandatory for security officials taking part in the conduct of an election to affirm or swear to an oath of loyalty and neutrality that they will not accept bribe or gratification.

Among others they will also affirmed to perform their functions and duties as well as discharge same in the interest of the Federal Republic of Nigeria without fear of favour.

According to the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Bayelsa State, Dr. Emmanuel Hart,

any officer who violates the provision as contained in section 26(1) of the electoral act, commits an offence of dereliction of duty and liable on conviction to a maximum fine of 500,000 or imprisonment of 12months or both see section 26 and section 120 of the electoral act, 2022.

Speaking at training workshop on the management of election security yesterday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, he said the effective discharge of the responsibility of the police and security agencies during the conduct of election will lead to a free fair and credible election thereby increasing voters confidence in the electoral process.

‘80% of Nigerian Women, Girl Child are Victims of Genital Cut’ Gbenga Sodeinde inAdoEkiti An expert has revealed that no fewer than 80 per cent of Nigerian girls and women are victims of female genital mutilation (FGM) in the country.

A health educator at the Ekiti South-west Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Mr. Seidu Kayode, gave the revelation in Ilawe-Ekiti, yesterday during a Stop Cut Project and community sensitisation workshop to ending

FGM in the council area.

The workshop organised

by HACEY Health Initiative in partnership with Access Bank, was funded by the United Nations Trust Fund and Spotlight Initiative for women and girl child in the area. The health educator, who lamented over the development, which he said had caused permanent and temporary harms to female folk, urged residents of the area to join forces with the government to end the menace.

SUNU Group Chairman, Dione, Dies at 81 SUNU Group Management has announced the demise of the Founder and President of SUNU Group, Mr. Pathé Dione.

He passed away yesterday January at the age of 81 years.

A statement by SUNU Group management noted that Dione was an investor and eminent actor in the financial services sector, who devoted his entire life to contributing to the development of Africa by Africans and for Africans.

According to the statement, “Mr. Pathé Dione was an eminent actor in the financial

services sector, who devoted his entire life to contributing to the development of Africa by Africans and for Africans.”

saying that its men were alerted, and that one of the gunmen was killed by police operatives when they were confronted.

Spokesperson for the Anambra State Police command, DSP Toochukwu Ikenga, who confirmed

the incident said: “Following the Police/Military operations ongoing in Ihaila and its neighboring town, operatives responded to a distress call at about 2:55 am.

“The attack was on Ihiala local government headquarters, and one

of the attacker was neutralised, and operatives recovered two locally made IED launcher, seven undetonated IED, 40 pieces of live cartridges, 15 live 7.62MM Ak47 ammunition, knives, charms, and other dangerous weapons.”

Ikenga said as at the time police operatives responded to the call, the attackers had already murdered, three vigilante operatives on duty and beheaded one, while setting five buildings ablaze with IED and petrol bombs.

Herdsmen Destroy 30 Hectares of Cassava Farm in Ondo Fidelis David in Akure

About 30 hectares of cassava farm worth N10 million, under the Ondo State Agribusiness Empowerment Centre has been destroyed by cows belonging to suspected herdsmen at Igbara-oke, headquarters of Ifedore Local

Government Area of Ondo State.

Lamenting over the destruction of his farm yesterday, the former Commissioner for Information and Coordinator of Atiku Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) in the state, Dr. Eddy Olafeso, said the hectares of farm was turned to a level ground.

Narrating his ordeal in the hands of the suspected nomadic herdsmen, the farm manager, Adeola Ariyo, explained that herdsmen uprooted the whole cassava for their cows to feed on.

According to him: “Workers on the farms concluded the weeding of the farm after

spending about N600,000 before going for Christmas break only to return to the farm to meet an empty farm. There were traces of the footprints of the cows and the herdsmen at the cassava farm, most of the cassava were uprooted and given to the cows to feed on them”.

NNPC Board Chair: Again, Hearing in Ararume’s N100bn Suit Stalled Alex EnumahinAbuja Hearing in a N100 billion suit instituted against President Muhammadu Buhari over alleged unlawful removal from board was for the second time stalled at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The plaintiff, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume had instituted a N100 billion suit against Buhari, over

his alleged unlawful removal as Non-Executive Chairman of the newly-incorporated Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.

Besides Buhari, the NNPCL and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) are second and third defendants respectively.

Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had

on December 15, 2022 fixed definite hearing for January 11, after ordering all parties to file and exchange necessary processes.

Recall that hearing in the matter could not go on during the December sitting of the court because parties were yet to be served with all necessary processes regarding the matter.

However, yesterday’s pro-ceeding

was stalled after it was discovered that the NNPC was yet to file its counter affidavit to the suit.

When the matter came up, NNPC’s lawyer, Mr. Etigwe Uwa, informed the court of a preliminary objection he filed against the suit and asked the court to proceed with its hearing as its determination may likely put an end to the substantive matter.

NSCDC Arrests 47-year-old for Rape, Robbery in Kwara A 47-year-old man, Mr. Ganiyu Yusuf, has been arrested by the Kwara state command of Nigeria Security and Defence Corps(NSDC) for allegedly raping a woman in the presence of her two years old baby after breaking into the house of the woman.

During the incident, according to THISDAY further

investigations, the suspect also took away two laptops and two android phones belonging to the victim.

Yusuf, a native of Abeokuta in Ogun state, it was gathered was said to have committed the offence last year at Oloje area of Ilorin and ran to Mokwa, Niger state for cover.

Sources close to the NSDC in

Ilorin yesterday said that, the suspect, after gaining access to the house at Oloje area in Ilorin, he was said to have overpowered the woman who was alone with her two-year-old baby in the house.

It was further learnt that, Yusuf was said to have raped the woman in the presence of her two years old daughter and

went away with two laptops and two android phones belonging to the victim.

Sources said that, since he fled the state to Niger state after the incident, men of the NSCDC has commenced their searchlight to arrest him and eventually tracked down at Mokwa, Niger state on the 5th of January, 2023.

PDP’s Bid to Stop APC from Fielding Emenike as Abia Guber Candidate Fails EmmanuelUgwu-Nwogoin Umuahia

TheAbia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday failed in its bid to stop the All Progressives Congress (APC) from fielding its governorship candidate, High Chief Ikechi Emenike in the 2023 general election.

Emenike and APC triumphed

over the PDP as the Court ofAppeal Owerri Division dismissed, in its entirety, the appeal filed by the Abia ruling party, challenging the validity of the APC governorship primary and the emergence of Emenike as flag bearer. The Abia PDP had meddled in the internal affairs of the main opposition APC seeking to nullify its governorship primary on the ground that due

process was not followed. The ruling party’s ultimate goal was to prevent the major opposition party from presenting a governorship candidate in the 2023 poll.

Abia PDP commenced its quest to knock out APC from the governorship race at the Federal High Court Umuahia where it filed suit No. FHC/UM/CS/158/2022, PDPVs INEC,APC, Ikechi Emenike.

The plaintiff even added Uche Ogah among the defendants following his claims that he won a purported governorship primary.

But the case was on November 15, 2022 adjourned sine die by Justice Evelyn Anyadike, taking judicial notice that an appeal challenging the validity of the APC primary was pending at the Court of Appeal Abuja.

Court Affirms Adelabu as Accord Party Guber Candidate in Oyo Kemi Olaitan inIbadan

Dione

A Federal High Court sitting in Akure, has struck out the suit challenging the eligibility of the Accord Governorship Candidate in Oyo state, Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, to contest the 2023 governorship election.

The suit with number FHC/

IB/CS/163/2022 was instituted

by Okikiolu Folorunsho Adebolu, and three others against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Accord and Chief Bayo Adelabu, on October 17, 2022.

The claimants sought to move the court to declare that the former Deputy Governor of Central

Bank of Nigeria (CBN), was not a member of Accord as at the time he was nominated as the gubernatorial candidate of the party.

However, Adelabu and Accord through their Counsels, Mr. Olamiji Martins and Mr. Adedayo Aborisade, had filed a preliminary objection, maintaining that the matter was statute barred

having being filed outside the 14 days purview provided by the 2022 Electoral Act. It was also contended that the plaintiffs lack the locus to sue as they were not gubernatorial aspirants under Accord but that the first plaintiff was an aspirant for the House of Assembly seat of Ibadan South East Constituency 2.

FRIDAY JANUARY 13, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWS XTRA

Malami Defends Presidential WORLD OF ISLAM Pardon of Dariye, Nyame The Human in the Quran (II)

Edited by: MJO Mustapha Email deji.mustapha@thisdaylive.com

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami has strongly defended the contentious Presidential pardon granted former Governor of Plateau State, Senator Joshua Dariye and a former Governor of Taraba State, Jolly Nyame, who were released in April last year, after serving imprisonment terms for corruption.

Speaking yesterday in Abuja, at the 18th edition of the PMB Administration Scorecard Series (2015-2023), Malami noted that in releasing the top political convicts, President Muhammadu Buhari was

merely exercising the statutory and constitutional powers vested in him as related to pardon of Nigerians who are serving custodial terms.

Nyame was serving a 12year jail sentence for diverting N1.64 billion during his tenure as governor while Dariye was serving 10- year imprisonment for N1.126 billion fraud.

While the pardon of political figures perceived as a reflection in the loophole in the legal system that favours the rich at the expense of the poor jailed for trivial offences, the Attorney General of the Fderation insisted that the President did not consider the volume of the money, or the quantum involved before granting state pardon.

Rather, he said Buhari was only acting within the concept and series of the law to the effect that the beneficiaries indeed were eligible for consideration.

Malami said the amount someone looted either in the range of N 1billion or N5,000 that was not in consideration, but the ingredients and element associated with the matter.

“There are no different set of laws but there could be variation in terms of volume of the certain matters involved and ingredients of the exercise of the situation.

“So, in essence there has been in place a legislation that tolerated and accommodated pardon. It is the discretion of the president to exercise pardon.

Wike Tasks Council Chairmen on Rural Devt

Blessing Ibunge inPort Harcourt

tenure of former governor Dr. Peter Odili, he executed road projects without asking for assistance from the governor.

The governor frown at the request of Mr. Benjamin Eke, Chairman of Ahoada East Local Government, asking that the State Government should construct the road in Ward 10 in his LGA. “I was council chairman.

People know in the State, I was

constructing roads. I had never one day called the governor to come and do so and so thing.

You have the temerity to stand before me to say , come and do road in Ward 10.

“Thank God you said I don’t temper with all local government money. I know how much you all get. Last two months, no local government got less than between N300 million and N400 million.

Governor Nyesom Wike has urged Chairmen of the 23 local government councils in Rivers state to focus more on rural development and not to abandon their duties for the state governor.

The Rivers state governor said is unconscionable for any local government chairman not to construct roads in the rural areas, since the State government does not tamper with their funds from the federation account.

The governor stated this yesterday, at the flag-off of the construction of Odiemudie Road in Ahoada East Local Government Area.

Governor Wike described as absurd the demand by council chairmen for the State government intervention in roads that they can conveniently construct for their people.

He said as Obio-Akpor Local Government chairman during

Labour Leaders Dump LP, Obi, Endorse Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly known and addressed as AKINWUMI BUNMI VICTORIA now wish to be known and addressed as AKINWUNMI OLUWABUNMI VICTORIA. All former documents remain valid. The Fed Poly, Ede, Osun State, School Of Science, Imesi-ile, Osun State, WAEC, NECO and the general public should take note.

Segun James In a surprise action, the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Lagos State yesterday endorsed the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the State Governor, This is to inform the general public that my name was wrongly written as MBAIKPEGA TERHEMBA GODWIN, during my NIN Registration instead of TIMOTHY TERHEMBA GODWIN. I hereby wish to be known and addressed as TIMOTHY TERHEMBA GODWIN.All former documents remain valid. The general public, please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS EMECHEBE NTOCHUKWU CHINWE now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OKEZIE NTOCHUKWU CHINWE. All former documents remain valid. Eco bank and the general public should take note.

I formerly known and addressed as YUSSUF OLAITAN HASHIAT, now wish to be known and addressed as OMOLEWA OLAITAN HASHIAT. All former documents remain valid. The general public, please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as NIFEMI SHODIYA now wish to be known and address as SEKINAT ADEYEMI SANNI, and my DoB was wrongly written as 5th August1980, invested of 5th August 1990. All former documents remain valid the general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MISS JULIET NWAKA EHIWARIOR, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS JULIET NWAKA ISIWEKPENI. All former documents remain valid. The general public, please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as ABAYOMI KOLAWOLE OGUNSOLA, now wish to be known and addressed as ABAYOMI KOLAWOLE ABRAHAM. All former documents remain valid. Religious and the general public, please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as OKELOLA DORCAS OLUFUNKE, now wish to be known and addressed as RUFAI DORCAS OLUFUNKE. All former documents remain valid. The general public, please take note.

CORRECTION OF NAME This is to notify the general public that my names was wrongly written as NWABENU NGOZI DEBORAH on my Bank Account and BVN Details instead of NWABENU BLESSING NGOZI. Henceforth,I wish to be known and addressed as NWABENU BLESSING NGOZI. All documents remain valid.

The general public, Eco Banks and other institutions should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS HUMMUAMI YETUNDE OGUNSOLA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS TAMIRAH ANGEL OLUWATOMI ABRAHAM. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as OFOEGBU TOCHUKWU, now wish to be known and addressed as VICTOR PROMISE TOCHI. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME This is to certify that MISS NNABUIHE CHIDINMA FAVOUR and MRS EGEKEZE CHIDINMA FAVOUR are one and the same person, and now wish to be known and addressed as MRS IHEANYI CHIDINMA FAVOUR. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu for second term in office.

The endorsement, which is coming barely six weeks to the election, according to the leadership of both unions is the first time they would be openly throwing their support to candidates in any election.

At a rally held at the Police College, GRA, Lagos, hundreds of workers thronged the venue in support.

And in another event, Governor Sanwo-Olu received hundreds of political defectors from opposition parties during the APC Lagos West rally at Federal Government College Ijanikin.

The defectors are from Democratic People’s Party (DPP) led by Are Folorunsho Owolabi, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Muideen Akinsanya and Action Alliance led by Idowu Sesi Michael.

Addressing APC supporters at Ijanikin rally, elated SanwoOlu, thanked the residents for trooping out in large number to show solidarity for the ruling party candidates in the Badagry division.

Sanwo-Olu said: “We have done a lot for the people of Badagry and we are here to consolidate on our achievements.

I’m happy you are strongly standing with us in the last three and a half years.

“We have delivered on the rail and I’m assuring you for the second phase of the Blue Line which will be from Marina to Okokomaiko, we shall deliver it between two to three years.”

The governor expressed confidence that Badagry residents would deliver to APC in the forthcoming elections, noting “I know you will give the best votes to all our candidates.

“Don’t allow some people to deceive you, the people of Badagry are part of the government. We are together.

Go to the nooks and crannies of your neighborhood and canvass votes for APC. APC is the part to beat,” Sanwo-Olu stated.

By:Zaid Shakir/Renovatio/Islamicity (Continued from last week)

Spirit

While his uprightness may lead the human to exalt in what could be viewed as a unique virtue, aspects of his physical creation should also lead him to humble himself. For example, in the Quran, God reminds us, “Does not the human see that We made him from a drop of sperm? Then lo, he becomes a rebellious disputant who sets before Us parables and forgets his [lowly] origin” (Q36:77−78). We are reminded by some who comment on this verse that our beginning, in a sense, originates from the same channel that urine exits our bodies.

How could such a creature behave arrogantly?

The breathing of the spirit into the human makes him a composite creation, although not in an Aristotelean sense. (The difference between the Qur’anic view of a composite human and the Aristotelean hylomorphic view is that the latter views the soul as the form of the body.

This position is not found in the Qur’an.) Some reject this apparent dualism as an accretion rooted in other faith or intellectual traditions. For example, the late Muslim thinker Fazlur Rahman states: The Quran does not appear to endorse the kind of doctrine of a radical mind-body dualism found in Greek philosophy, Christianity, or Hinduism; indeed, there is hardly a passage in the Quran that says man is composed of two separates, let alone disparate substances, the body and the soul (even though later orthodox Islam, particularly after al-Ghazali and largely through his influence, came to accept it).

If Imam al-Ghazali does accept the idea of a composite human—body and soul —it is an idea that is deeply rooted in the Qur’an.

For example, as mentioned above, the Qur’an reminds us that the spirit is a distinct nonphysical creation breathed into the physical body (see Q32:9, 15:29, 38:72, 21:91). The spirit and the physical body of the human, this means, were two distinct entities when they were brought together. The Qur’an does not indicate that they lose their individual natures upon uniting.

Additionally, many hadiths clearly indicate that the spirit enjoys an existence that is distinct from the body, both before and after physical life. For example, “The spirits are varied troops.

Those who knew each other [precorporally] find familiarity, and those who were ignorant of each other find disharmony.” Many scholars use this narration as a proof that the spirits were created before the body. After the spirit enters the body, those who knew each other in the precorporeal realm experience familiarity upon meeting in this world, whereas those who were unknown to each other in that realm sense an estrangement upon meeting in the world.

As for the fate of the soul after death, we are told, among other things, that the spirits of martyrs live on in the bodies of green birds in Paradise. These and similar narrations make it clear that the spirit has an existence distinct from the body.

Once the human has been animated by the spirit, he can undertake his primary purpose: namely, to worship and to know his Lord. We read in the Qur’an, “I have not created the jinn and humankind except that they worship Me” (Q51:56). Many Muslim exegetes mention that this verse can also be interpreted to mean “that they know Me.” These two meanings are consistent with the nature of the human, as worship involves bodily actions associated with the physicality of the human, while true knowledge of God requires a metaphysical process.

Fitrah

A third aspect of the human in the Qur’an is his natural disposition, which is described by the Qur’anic term fitrah. Like the physical creation and the spirit, the fi rah proceeds directly from God. We read, “Orient your face towards the true religion, in accords with your natural disposition. [This is] the nature of God, upon which He has fashioned humanity. Let there be no alteration in the creation of God. That is the upright religion; however, most people realize it not” (Q30:30).

In this verse, God mentions that He has fashioned the human upon His nature. We can understand this as referring to, among other things: His wa d niyyah (oneness). This means that humans are fashioned to readily recognize that oneness, unless they have been removed

from their natural state. This understanding is supported by the verse, “I have not created the jinn and humankind except that they worship Me” (Q51:56), as well as the verse, “When your Lord brought the descendants of the Children of Adam from their loins, and caused them to bear witness against themselves, ‘Am I not your Lord?’ they said, ‘Certainly, we bear witness,’ lest they should say on the Day of Resurrection ‘We were heedless of this’” (Q7:172).

In this verse, God describes the descendants of Adam, peace be upon him, as extracted from his loins and then called to bear witness to the oneness of God. This pretemporal event imprinted upon human consciousness a natural disposition toward monotheism. Hence, “[this is] the nature of God, upon which He has fashioned humanity.”

The dross of the world, which envelops the heart in darkness, leads many humans to reject their very nature, turning them away from God. Revelation and prophetic teachings remove that darkness and allow humans to reaffirm the pretemporal covenant of monotheism, thereby returning to their natural state.

Light

Finally, the Qur’an informs us that the believers possess a “light.” We read: “On the Day you see the believing men and women with their light emanating before them and to their right. “Glad tidings are yours. [You will have] gardens with rivers flowing beneath to dwell therein forever. That, indeed, is the great triumph.” (Q57:12) Similarly, “On a day God will not disgrace the Prophet and those believing along with him, their light emanating before them and to their right. They plead, “Our Lord complete for us our light and forgive us. Surely, You have power over all things.” (Q66:8).

Likewise, “One for whom God does not make light, he has no light” (Q24:40).

The light referred to in these verses has variously been described as the “actualized knowledge of God,” Mafatih al-ghayb, “the light of insight,” Mafatih al-ghayb, “a light given by God to the believers after their resurrection,” Tafsir al-Qur’an al-azim, “the light of Divine Oneness,” Al-Qadi Thana’ Allah Uthman al-Mazhari, al-Tafsir al-Mazhari, “the light of obedience,” Al-Qadi Thana’ Allah Uthman alMazhari, al-Tafsir al-Mazhari, and “the light of guidance.”Jami al-bayan. The prophetic tradition, however, introduces narrations that allow us to view this light from another perspective and to understand its divine origin. One of the prayers made by the Prophet (pbuh) is the following: “O God, make light in my heart, light in my vision, light in my hearing, light to my right, light to my left, light before me, light behind me, make a light for me.” Bukhari, 6316. Another version adds, “and light in my hair, light in my skin, light in my flesh, light in my blood, and light in my bones.” Tirmidhi, 3419. This prayer was not just personal for him: it is instructional for us.

The Prophet (pbuh) prayed to God that he be made into a being of light, and he taught us to make that prayer. This could mean that he was praying that the light of his spirit be reflected in his physical nature. Our physical nature can indeed be infused, by the will of God, with light. When that occurs, like the angels, who are created from light. (Many authentic hadiths indicate that the angels were created from light. We read, for example, the saying of the Prophet (pbuh), “The angels were created from light; the jinn were created from a smokeless type of fire; and Adam was created according to what has been narrated to you,” Muslim, 2996.). We readily recognize the purpose of our creation and become monotheistic, obedient servants of the One. Thus, the Quran presents a view of the human as a physical creature, a spiritual creature, a creature naturally disposed to worship, and an enlightened creature. Our body, our spirit, our predisposition to worship God, and our light are gifts sent directly from God to serve as critical means toward our attaining human perfection. That perfection lies in cultivating those aspects of the spirit that transcend its animating qualities, actualizing our disposition to worship, and refining our light. When this happens, the human is a beautiful creature, and as such, a fitting object of divine love, for as our Prophet (pbuh) mentioned, “Verily, God is beautiful and loves beauty.” (Riyad as-Salihin 611)

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FRIDAY JANUARY 13, 2023 •T H I S D AY

T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R • DECEMBER 18, 2022 47

2FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2023 • T H I S D AY

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Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

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Tension as Holders Morocco Withdraw from CHAN in Algeria Morocco have withdrawn from the defence of their African Nations Championship (CHAN) crown this month after being refused a direct flight by host nation Algeria.

Diplomatic ties between the north African neighbours were severed by Algeria in 2021, and with that action, all direct flights between the two countries were suspended.

The Moroccan Football Federation (FMRF) said in December they would not attend unless they could fly directly from their capital, Rabat, aboard the country’s national airline, Royal Air Maroc (RAM).

The tournament, which the Atlas Lions won in 2018 and 2020, is scheduled to kick off today as Algeria host Libya.

The tournament is the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) international event for players who play domestically in the leagues on the continent.

Morocco were due to begin their hunt for a third consecutive crown on Sunday against Sudan, but

FMRF said in a statement: “(We) were informed on December 22

by CAF that an authorisation in principle had been obtained. The obtaining of the final authorization has unfortunately not been confirmed by CAF. “The FRMF has communicated the details of the flight plan and coordinates in order to obtain final authorization for the RAM flight from Rabat and continued the preparation of the trip and the participation in CHAN.” The BBC have asked CAF to confirm that sanctions are limited to a ban from CHAN 2024 - and therefore would not mean that the World Cup semi-finalists would face suspension from all CAF events, including the Africa Cup of Nations taking place in Ivory Coast next year.

Morocco played two friendlies against Ethiopia at their training camp in Salé this week ahead of the flight they expected to take directly to Constantine, where they were to be based for the tournament.

Ronaldo Missing, Messi, Mbappe, Others Listed for FIFA ‘Best Award’ Lionel Messi heads a 14-man shortlist for the Best FIFA Men’s player award after leading Argentina to World Cup glory last month.

However, Messi’s ‘eternal’ rival, Cristiano Ronaldo did not make the long list of nominees owing to poor show at the last World Cup in Qatar and the on-going season which has seen him cross over from Manchester United to Saudi Arabia for a mega pay day.

The list was announced yesterday, with voting opening straight away and running through until February 3 before the winner is announced at The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony.

Messi is the standout name, having scored seven goals in as many games in Qatar to finally win the World Cup. He was also given the Golden Ball after being deemed the best player at the tournament.

However, it is not a foregone conclusion that he will win this award, given that it takes into account performances between August 2021 and December 2022.

This 16-month period includes Messi’s first season at PSG, which was an underwhelming one, with the forward netting just six Ligue 1 goals.

Messi’s PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappe joins him on the shortlist after finishing the World Cup as the Golden Boot winner with eight goals to his name.

The Premier League is heavily represented, with City duo Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne named alongside Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.

Real Madrid also have three players in with a chance after winning last season’s Champions League. Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema is joined by Vinicius Jr

and Luka Modric on the list.

Messi and Mbappe are not the only PSG players, with Neymar and Achraf Hakimi being recognised as well.

Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski, who won the last FIFA Best men’s award, and Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane complete the list.

The 14-man shortlist will be whittled down to three early next month, with voting open until February 3.

14-MAN SHORTLIST: Lionel Messi (PSG) Kylian Mbappe (PSG Neymar (PSG) Achraf Hakimi (PSG) Luka Modric (Real Madrid) Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid) Kevin De Bruyne (Man City) Erling Haaland (Man City) Julian Alvarez (Man City) Jude Bellingham (B’Dortmund) Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich) Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

Victor Osimhen...Italian Serie A top scorer

ITALIAN SERIE A

Keep Eyes on Osimhen, Allegri Warns as Juve Visit Napoli Tonight Duro Ikhazuagbe with agency report

A

s Juventus visitEstadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples this evening in a top-of-the-table Italian Serie A clash, Manager of the Turin team, Massimiliano Allegri, has warned his wards to give special attention to Nigerian international, Victor Osimhen.

The Super Eagles forward is the top scorer in the Italian topflight on 10 goals closely followed by Bologna’s Marko Arnautovic, M’Bala Nzola of Spezia and Lautaro Martinez of Inter all tied on eight goals.

“We need to put in a technical performance, we play against the best team with the leading scorer (Osimhen) in the league, Its the table saying so. It will be a nice game, we must have enthusiasm,” began the Juventus Boss.

He stressed that the Juventus need to fix two or three things ahead of the game

tonight.

“We still haven’t prepared anything, we must fix two or three things. It will be a nice game Friday, a nice night of football in a sold-out stadium but it won’t be decisive for the season. It’s more important for them (Napoli) than for us,” Allegri told football Italia ahead of the important match.

Napoli are the favourite to win the title, they have 44 points and only lost a game first time this season at Inter. “They are technically strong and coached very well. Luciano (Spalletti) is the best when it comes to coaching and teaching and he is proving so at Napoli.

“I respect Spalletti so much, he is so funny that sometimes we clash as we did last season.

I am also a coach, but I do this job by chance, I should have something else. Luciano is so, so good, he’s the best when it comes to teaching football,” Allegri stressed with emphasis.

The game will be Juve’s last with Andrea Agnelli as

chairman. The club is under scrutiny from prosecutors and the country’s market watchdog for alleged false accounting, leading the club’s board to resign last month.

Juve have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and said they would defend their interests with all sporting and legal bodies.

The new board of directors and Chairman Gianluca Ferrero will take over next Wednesday. “There isn’t much to say about Agnelli. The results he has achieved in the last 12 years speak for themselves,” said Allegri. “I am grateful to him for allowing me to coach Juventus, stay close to me and work together for many years.”

Napoli Manager, Luciano Spalletti, on the other hand will be in more buoyant mood after the Naples-based club bounced back from their first league defeat of the season at Inter Milan by winning at Sampdoria on Sunday.

“It’s a very important game

(Juve) but not a decisive one,” he said. “We haven’t even finished the first half of the season yet.

We’re up against a big rival and we’ll see how it goes.”

Fourth-placed Inter host lowly Hellas Verona on Saturday, giving Romelu Lukaku, who has struggled for form since returning on loan from Chelsea, a chance to turn things around.

Defending champions AC Milan, who are third, cannot afford to slip up when they travel to mid-table Lecce on Saturday.

Stefano Pioli’s side have several key players out injured and suffered a home exit in the Coppa Italia on Wednesday with a 1-0 loss against 10-man Torino in the last 16. Ante Rebic, Divock Origi, Simon Kjaer and goalkeeper Mike Maignan are all sidelined.

Maurizio Sarri’s fifth-placed Lazio visit Sassuolo on Sunday hoping to end a streak of three Serie A games without a win, while Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma, who are seventh, host Fiorentina.

Okpekpe Race Organisers Happy to Set the Pace for Road Running Events in Nigeria Organisers of the historic Okpekpe International 10km Road Race have said that they are delighted seeing a number of road races in Nigeria getting World Athletics recognition.

As many 16 road races have been certified by World Athletics in Nigeria following its last update in December 2022.

“We are delighted to set the pace for road races in Nigeria and to become the first to have its course measured by a World Athletics certified measurer and the first to be granted a label status,” says Zack Amodu, the

Okpekpe race director.

World Athletics’ classification of road races began in 2008.

The classification means label road races are those World Athletics designates as one of the leading road races around the world.

Okpekpe International 10km Road Race started in 2013 and two years later was among the 88 in the world granted a bronze label status.

“We are happy to be the first road race in West Africa to be granted a label status in 2015. Our pioneering effort

has had a positive impact on road running in Nigeria with as many 16 having their race courses measured by certified course measurers,” added Amodu.

The Okpekpe race director stressed that the organisers of the race will continue to come up with ideas and innovations which other road races in Nigeria can learn and borrow from as they continue to ensure road running becomes a culture in Nigeria.

Amodu thanked the Edo State government who provided the

infrastructure that made the race possible as well as corporate citizens and individuals who have been supporting the race.

“The result of your support, both financially and otherwise is the positive development we are seeing in road running in Nigeria.

“With the support, we are building a culture of healthy living and fair competition. We are also helping to positively engage our youths who are now earning a living from their passion,”

Amodu also appreciates the athletes and technical officials who have made the race not only the first world-class road running event in West Africa but also the best in terms of its technical and administrative organisation.

“Without the athletes and officials, we will never have come this far. They are the reason the race has been such a huge success.”

The ninth edition of the gold label Okpekpe international 10km road race will hold in Okpekpe town in Edo State on May 27, 2023.

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MISSILE Labour Party to INEC “The number of uncollected PVCs remain the same because the process is very difficult. The queue is very much in every collection center but few people were able to collect it at the end of the day. They are frustrating the people. INEC should use any legal power to shift the closing date for collection...to make sure they didn’t disenfranchise people from voting” –Spokesman of LP Presidential Campaign Council, Dr. Yunusa Tanko,tasking INEC on the PVCs collection.

EBENEZERONYEAGWU GUEST COLUMNIST

E-commerce Logistics and Future of E-commerce Businesses

E

-commerce has emerged as a thriving industry following the acceleration of digital transformation as new digital platforms, and evolving consumer preferences have combined to make the internet the biggest marketplace. E-commerce now accounts for a significant component of the business of many of the world’s biggest tech companies, while firms like Amazon and Alibaba are now some of the most popular brands globally. According to a report by Shopify, the Canadian e-commerce company, the share of sales from online purchases is expected to reach 20.8 per cent in 2023 and 23 per cent in 2023, from 17.8 per cent two years ago.

While the success of e-commerce companies is a well-discussed phenomenon, not much is in the mainstream about the role that e-commerce logistics plays in the success story of e-commerce businesses. The average customer who purchases from an online store is likely to be very conversant with the digital platform on which the order is made. The buyer may also be familiar with the customer support platform for handling complaints and queries with their order. But the vast logistics operation involved in delivering the orders happens behind the scenes. Without it, no e-commerce giant will exist.

An analysis of e-commerce businesses and

Minister of Communications, Isa Pantami the e-commerce logistics industry highlights the unique interdependence between digital platforms and traditional services as digital transformation

continues to shape the creation of new business models. According to a report by Transport Intelligence, the global e-commerce logistics market grew by almost 20 per cent in 2021 and is forecast to reach almost $650 billion in value by 2025. E-commerce logistics operations comprise activities like warehousing, packing, shipping, and delivery, among others. They require significant investment from retailers, who often spend roughly 11 per cent of their turnover on logistics. Shopify notes that e-commerce companies are seeing fast and efficient logistics as a competitive advantage adding that some retailers even report huge risks to their business if their logistics process does not meet customer expectations.

Thus, getting a hang of e-commerce logistics is likely to be one of the most defining indicators for the success of e-commerce in the future as competition in the space intensifies, and customers continue to choose convenience and speed in their shopping experience. Already, many businesses are turning to technology to ensure that they stay ahead of the competition. Emerging technologies like machine learning, artificial intelligence, robotics, augmented reality, and the internet of things (IoT) are poised to transform the automation of e-commerce logistics processes. Earlier this year, Amazon launched a $1 billion venture investment

programme, Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund, that will back companies working on technology to increase e-commerce delivery speeds and improve the experience of workers in warehousing and logistics. While it may take some time for innovations to be integrated into everyday business operations, many retail giants consider that investing in e-commerce logistics technologies is the way to give themselves a fighting chance in the future.

Collaboration between e-commerce firms and third-party logistics providers is another trend that will shape the success of e-commerce logistics operations of merchants in the future.

The arrangement will allow big online retailers to store, label, and pack their products in specialised third-party distribution hubs strategically situated to ensure the regionalisation of inventory. This will save retailers the hassle of maintaining extensive and expensive logistics operations through fulfilment centres, allowing them to stay nimble and focus on other core e-commerce operations.

•Ebenezer Onyeagwu is the Group Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank Plc and Chairman of the Body of Banks’ CEOs in Nigeria.

This opinion was first published in the Zenith Economic Quarterly Vol. 18 No. 4 October 2022, in his column “CEO Insight”.

Let’s Bring Together Countries, Corporations to Grow and Identify Global Pathogens Lora du Moulin, Kevin Doxzen and Ahmed Ogwell Ouma When an infectious disease outbreak occurs, the pathogen behind it must be identified as soon as possible.

The Africa CDC - Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative was launched to mobilise resources, advance sequencing capabilities, train workforces and update policies on pathogen surveillance, but it can’t work in a vacuum.

Regional initiatives must learn from each other and grow towards a global pathogen surveillance network – a long-term vision united in preventing the next pandemic.

Responding to an infectious disease outbreak is a complex and hurried operation. Countries must have the right people with the right tools at the right locations. A critical early step in this highly coordinated process is understanding what pathogen (virus or bacteria) is at the root of the problem. This level of detailed insight can be gained through genome sequencing, a powerful way to track how viruses form new variants and a necessary tool for developing effective diagnostics and vaccines.

Yet, many countries are unable to sequence pathogens. As the US approaches its billionth COVID-19 sequencing test, some countries have performed only a handful. But, across Africa, countries that used to struggle with sequencing are now able to track viruses, a development that many hope will spread globally through public-private partnerships.

Africa Takes on a Bigger Roll in Pathogen Surveillance African countries have a long history of responding to disease outbreaks, including Ebola, Lassa Fever, Marburg, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic. To better anticipate and respond to disease threats, including epidemics, the African Union launched the Africa CDC in 2017. After assessing all 55 African member states and their capacity for sequencing, analysing and sharing

genomic data, the Africa CDC formed the Institute of Pathogen Genomics in November 2019, just before the first reported global case of COVID-19.

Over the next three years, Africa’s ability to detect, track and respond to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic dramatically improved. In October 2020, the Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Africa PGI) was launched to mobilise resources, advance sequencing capabilities, train workforces and update policies. In 2018/19, only seven countries had next-generation sequencing capacity within their public health laboratories (Figure 1). By 2022, that number grew to 31, while over 410 individuals were trained to perform viral sequencing, enabling the continent to produce and share nearly 140,000 total genomes.

Building Next-Generation Sequencing Capacity In Public Health Laboratories Across Africa But COVID-19 is not the end of the story.

Many pathogens have come before and many will spread after. The United Nations Environment Programme warns of the growing risk of zoonotic diseases, infections that spread between people and animals. This is due to increased urbanisation,

the rapid expansion of cities and industrialised agriculture. Building a continent-wide pathogen surveillance system that is versatile and adaptable is a vital part of managing these risks and a core part of the PGI vision.

This is why the Africa CDC asembled representatives from all 55 African countries and 31 companies and organizations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for a symposium entitled Beyond COVID-19: Pathogen Genomics and Bioinformatics for Health Security in Africa. In addition to support from World Economic Forum, this event was made possible by administrative and financial contributions from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Saving Lives and Livelihoods Program, the Mastercard Foundation, and the African Society for Laboratory Medicine. The eclectic group of attendees sought to carry momentum built during the COVID-19 pandemic into monitoring other health burdens, such as Malaria, emerging diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and others.

Industry Involvement Must Span Multiple Areas Realizing Africa CDC’s bold vision will not

To improve access, alongside developing innovative technologies fit for emerging markets, companies must work with entities, such as Africa CDC, to create new business models to bring down costs, collaborate regionally to match supply and demand and update policies to promote the cross-border exchange of materials and data

happen in isolation. In fact, the creation of PGI came out of partnerships with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, CDC, and notably Illumina and Oxford Nanopore, DNA sequencing companies.

This type of multi-sector collaboration with global funders and industry will be necessary to overcome the technical, logistical, political and economic hurdles common across low- and middle-income countries. Industry involvement must span several impact areas, from supply chain and logistics to data and bioinformatics.

To improve access, alongside developing innovative technologies fit for emerging markets, companies must work with entities, such as Africa CDC, to create new business models to bring down costs, collaborate regionally to match supply and demand and update policies to promote the cross-border exchange of materials and data.

Technologies enabling pathogen surveillance are at an inflexion point where companies and governments must come together around the common goal of sustainably integrating these tools into their national agendas.

While Africa remains a focus area for building out genome sequencing capacity, gaps exist across the globe. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is expanding Africa PGI’s model to Asia, where Dengue, Salmonella Typhi and V. cholerae are imposing significant health burdens. These regional initiatives must ultimately learn from each other and grow towards a global pathogen surveillance network – a long-term vision that will help authorities from country to international levels prevent the next pandemic. An African proverb uttered in the halls of the African Union captures the ethos of global partnerships and the spirit of collaboration: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

•Moulin is Lead, Global Health and Security, World Economic Forum, Doxzen is Hoffmann Fellow, Precision Medicine and Emerging Biotechnologies, World Economic Forum, and Dr. Ouma is Acting Director, Africa CDC This article is part of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023.

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