FRIDAY 24TH JANUARY 2020

FG Suspends Salaries of Tertiary Institutions’ Workers Not on IPPIS Ejiofor Alike The federal government has suspended the release of the funds for the payment of salaries of workers of tertiary institutions who have not enrolled on the Integrated Personnel and

Payroll Information System (IPPIS) as their salaries will be paid on the IPPIS platform with effect from January.

In a letter by the Director of IPPIS at the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), Mr. Olusegun Olufehinti,

the OAGF requested the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, to order the stoppage of release of funds for January salaries of the federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

THISDAY yesterday

obtained a copy of the letter dated January 21, 2020.

The letter with reference number: OAGF/ IPPIS/19/11/54 and entitled: “Request for Stoppage of Release of Funds for January Salaries to Federal Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of

Education,” was addressed to the minister.

“I am directed to inform you that the preparation of January 2020 salary payroll and warrants of the federal tertiary institutions are ongoing and will be ready for submission on or before

January 29, 2020. This is to give effect to the directive of the federal government that all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) drawing personal cost for the Consolidated Revenue Fund Continued on page 20

States Bow to Pressure, Reduce RoW Charges for Telcos... Page 8 Friday 24 January, 2020 Vol 25. No 9055. Price: N250

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Govs Support FG’s Measures on Coronavirus Chuks Okocha in Abuja, Chinedu Eze and Martins Ifijeh in Lagos

EMPOWERMENT FOR WOMEN...

L-R: An unnamed beneficiary; Speaker Katsina State House of Assembly, Hon. Saidu Zango; Chairman, Aliko Dangote Foundation, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; and Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, during the inauguration of the N10 Billion Micro Grant Scheme for 34,000 Women by the foundation in Katsina…yesterday

State governors have resolved to work with the Federal Ministry of Health and other related agencies to intensify efforts to prevent the outbreak of Coronavirus in the country and also control Lassa fever epidemic.

The Lagos State Government has also asked residents not to panic as no case of the virus has been reported in the state or in any other part of Nigeria.

Nigeria Governors’ Forum Continued on page 10

Finally, FG, South-west Govs Reach Compromise on Amotekun To agree on legal framework for regional security network Iyobosa Uwugiaren, Omololu Ogunmade, Alex Enumah in Abuja and Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan The federal government and governors from the South-west yesterday found a political solution to the growing rift over the regional security outfit, Amotekun.

They both agreed to develop a legal framework

for the outfit, whose launch has pitted the people of the region against the federal government, especially in the wake of the declaration by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), that it is illegal.

They also agreed that the regional security network Continued on page 10

President Muhammadu Buhari (left), and Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, during the UK-AFRICA Investment Summit 2020 in London…recently

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

FG to Borrow N2tn from N10tn Pension Fund Says N1.7tn pumped into power sector without commensurate result

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja The National Economic Council (NEC) yesterday in Abuja announced the resolve of the federal government to borrow N2 trillion from the current N10 trillion pension funds to finance the development of infrastructure.

It also pronounced a national emergency on the power sector, noting that the federal government had pumped N1.7 trillion into the sector in the last three years with little or nothing to show for it.

Briefing newsmen at the end of the NEC meeting in Abuja, presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, said the decision to pull N2 trillion out of the pension funds was reached by a NEC committee that he is chairing.

El-Rufai said the committee presented an interim report on its assignment to the council and the decision to borrow N2 trillion from the pension fund was consistent with the Pension Reform Act 2004, which empowers the government to borrow 20 per cent of the fund to address national issues.

According to him, various countries of the world such as Chile and South Africa funded their infrastructure growth by borrowing money from workers' pension funds.

He explained that with paltry N200 billion allocation for road construction and maintenance in the 2019 budget and N169 billion in 2020 budget, the country will never be able to address its

road infrastructure deficit.

According to him, highway infrastructure deficit can only be effectively addressed by long term funds such as pension funds.

He said with the pension funds owned mainly by youths in their 30s who still have several years ahead of retirement, utilising the funds for infrastructure would not generate any problem.

He said: "In 2019 budget, N200 billion was budgeted for construction and maintenance of federal highways. In 2020, the budget is N169 billion. If we continue this way, we will never be able to fund highway infrastructure. We need to unlock funds to construct and maintain highways.

"We will never be able to construct and maintain highways with N200 billion every year. Highway infrastructure and maintenance can only be done with long term funds."

El-Rufai who said the committee had identified three areas where the pension funds would be invested, listed the areas as rail, road and power, adding that the borrowing would be done through bonds with private companies investing in road and rail infrastructure and paying within a period of 20 years.

He also said another committee on power, also chaired by him, presented an interim report to the council on the status of owners of electricity distribution companies (Discos).

According to him, from presentations by stakeholders

to the committee, they agreed that a national emergency was required in the power sector, which is facing structural problems.

He stated that in the last three years, the federal government had invested N1.7 trillion in the power sector, despite privatisation, adding that spending such a huge sum despite privatisation meant that the exercise had no meaningful effect.

The governor said to address the endemic crises plaguing the power sector, the committee threw open consultations on how to fix

the power sector challenges by inviting memoranda from the general public.

In his own briefing, the Governor of Ondo State, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), said the council was briefed on emerging health matters in the country by the Minister of Health, Dr. Osage Ehanire.

According to him, the minister said Nigeria had been free from polio for some time and if the trend is sustained till June, the country will be officially declared polio free by then.

He also said the minister spoke on the outbreak of

Coronavirus in Wuhan, China, which had reportedly claimed 17 lives and infected over 600 people.

The governor quoted the minister as saying that efforts would be concentrated on the prevention of the virus by engaging in screening at various entry points into Nigeria.

He also said the minister warned against the use of paracetamol and aspirin to cook meat, describing it as deadly because it can affect the kidneys of people consuming such meat.

Also briefing, the Minister

of State for Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mr. Clement Agba, gave balances in various accounts of the federation as at January 21, 2020.

According to him, while the balance in the Excess Crude Account is N321.3 million, the Natural Resource Account has N96.991 billion while the balance in the Stabilisation Account is N31.840 billion.

Agba also said the deductions of budget support facility from allocations to state governments within five months amounted to N29 billion.

MEDIA GURUS AND ANTI-GRAFT CZAR...

L-R: Chairman, Vanguard Media, Mr. Sam Amuka-Pemu; Chairman, Democrat Newspaper, Malam lsa Funtua; and former chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, at THISDAY’s Silver Jubilee and awards night in Lagos‌recently

TI’s Latest Rating of Nigeria without Basis, Says FG PDP mocks presidency Ejiofor Alike in Lagos, Chuks Okocha, Kingsley Nwezeh and Kasim Sumaina in Abuja The federal government has rejected Nigeria’s rating as the fourth most corrupt country in West Africa based on the 2019 corruption perception index compiled by the Transparency International (TI).

In the latest rating, in which Nigeria ranked 146 out of 180 countries, TI, again, scored the President Muhammadu Buhari administration low despite its avowed commitment to fight corruption.

Nigeria scored 26 out of 100 points in the Corruption Perception Index CPI, 2019.

Of the 19 countries in the West African sub-region, Nigeria was ranked the fourth most corrupt country after Equatorial Guinea, GuineaBissau and Cameroon.

The ranking earned the Buhari administration mockery from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which said the damning report on Nigeria had further validated its position that corruption had worsened under Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The CPI 2019 released globally by TI yesterday, revealed that Nigeria further slipped down by one point compared to last year’s rating.

The newly-released index published in Nigeria exclusively by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), TI Chapter in Nigeria, showed that Nigeria scored 26 out of 100 points, falling back by one point compared to last year.

In global comparison, Nigeria ranks this year 146 out of 180 countries, two places down compared to 2018 results. “As the lowest-scoring region on the CPI, with an average of 32, Sub-Saharan Africa’s performance paints a bleak picture of inaction against corruption. With a score of 66, the Seychelles earns the highest mark in the region, followed by Botswana (61), Cape Verde (58), Rwanda (53) and Mauritius (52). At the bottom of the index are Somalia (9), South Sudan (12), Sudan (16) and Equatorial Guinea (16). “Significant improvers since 2012, Cote d’Ivoire (35) and Senegal (45), still have much work to do. The political will demonstrated by the leaders of both countries, which saw a number of key legal, policy and institutional reforms implemented in their early days in office, has been on a backslide since 2016,� the report stated. “Our analysis also suggests that reducing big money

in politics and promoting inclusive political decisionmaking are essential to curb corruption. “From fraud that occurs at the highest levels of government to petty bribery that blocks access to basic public services like healthcare and education, citizens are fed up with corrupt leaders and institutions,� the report read in part.

Sub-Saharan Africa region was classified as the lowestperforming region while Western Europe was the highest-scoring region.

TI’s Chair, Ms. Delia Ferreira Rubio, asked the government to urgently address what she described as the corrupting role of big money in political party financing and the undue influence it exerts on political systems.

The Executive Director of CISLAC/TI Country Representative, Mr. Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, said the CPI aggregated data from different sources that provided perceptions by business community and country experts of the level of corruption in the public sector.

He noted that while the index does not reveal real incidences of corruption, it is a reliable indication of the

perception of the Nigeria public and the international community about the state of corruption in the country.

He added that the index is 100 per cent impartial, objective and globally well respected.

According to him, despite the proclaimed war on corruption, Nigeria is perceived by Nigerians and the international community as still corrupt, adding that the negative result from this war provokes tough questions.

He said: "Out of 180 countries surveyed, Nigeria scored better than only 28.

In the last four-and-a-half years, Nigeria has failed to score higher than 28 per cent.

"Nigeria scored 28 out of 100 in 2016 and 2017 but fell in 2018 to 27 and fell further to 26 in 2019.�

Rafsanjani stated that although the federal government had claimed to be winning the war against corruption it was doubtful if such a statement was backed by evidence.

He, however, said government must make sure that its recommendations were followed, noting that civil society and well-meaning Nigerians can suggest, but the government has to lead the fight.

FG Disagrees But in a swift response, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), said there was no evidence to back the TI report.

Speaking yesterday on LunchTime Politics, a programme on Channels TV, Malami added that TI’s report was far from the reality. “In terms of the fight against corruption, we have been doing more; we have done more and we will continue to do more out of inherent conviction and desire on our part to fight against corruption devoid of any extraneous considerations relating to the rating by Transparency International. “Our resolve to fight corruption is inherent and indeed devoid of any extraneous considerations.

We will continue to do more and we will double efforts,� he added.

According to him, there is nothing that has not been done as a nation in the fight against corruption. “In terms of legislation, we have done more; in terms of enforcement we have done more; in terms of recovery of looted assets, we have

done more; and in terms of political goodwill, we have demonstrated extraordinary political goodwill,� Malami said.

Malami added that the empirical evidence does not support Transparency International’s report.

He challenged TI to provide indices and statistics from which the organisation adjudged that Nigeria is not doing enough in its fight against corruption, adding that for a conclusion to be legitimate, there has to be specific facts and figures to establish a position.

EFCC: TI’s Rating Baseless, Illogical The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), also condemned the CPI rating, describing it as appalling.

It said TI used bogus and ambiguous criteria to arrive at what it described as a jaundiced and illogical rating.

Spokesman of the agency, Mr. Tony Orilade, said in a statement yesterday that the rating did not reflect the evident strides and achievements so far accomplished by the anti-graft agency in the fight against corruption, particularly Continued on page 20

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States Bow to Pressure, Reduce RoW Charges for Telcos Companies now to pay N145 per linear metre Emma Okonji The governors of the 36 states of the federation have unanimously agreed to reverse the Right of Way (RoW) charges for telecoms facilities from the planned N6, 000 to N145 per linear metre.

The governors, who have been under intense pressure from the federal government and telecommunication companies, agreed to harmonise their charges with that of the federal government after a meeting on Wednesday night in Abuja with the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami.

The meeting was part of efforts to address the lingering issue of RoW charges in a bid to deepen broadband penetration in the country and promote a digital economy.

THISDAY had exclusively reported that agencies and ministries of no fewer than 14 states had increased RoW charges from the initial fee of between N300 to N500

per linear metre to between N3,000 and N6,000 per linear metre.

The RoW charge on federal roads is N145 per linear metre.

Some of the agencies and ministries include the Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA), State Information Technology Agency (SITA) of Ondo, Cross River State Infrastructure Safety and Regulatory Agency (CRISRA), Kogi State Environmental Protection Board and Kano State Urban Planning and Development Authority.

Others are: Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KSIRS), Kaduna State Urban Planning and Development Authority (KASUPDA), Osun State Ministry of Environment and Sanitation, Anambra State Internal Revenue Services, Enugu State Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources, Adamawa State Ministry of Environment, Imo State Environmental Transformation Commission

US Stops Issuance of Visa for Childbirth

Ejiofor Alike

The United States yesterday said it would no longer issue visas to foreigners who want to give birth in the country.

According to a statement released by the office of the press secretary, the rule will be effective from Friday (today).

The White House press secretary, Ms Stephanie Grisham, said the rule change is necessary to enhance public safety and the integrity of the immigration system. “Beginning January 24, 2020, the State Department will no longer issue temporary visitor (B-1/B-2) visas to aliens seeking to enter the United States for “birth tourism� – the practice of travelling to the United States to secure automatic and permanent American citizenship for their children by giving birth on American soil,� the statement read. “The birth tourism industry

threatens to overburden valuable hospital resources and is rifled with criminal activity, as reflected in federal prosecutions. “Closing this glaring immigration loophole will combat these endemic abuses and ultimately protect the United States from the national security risks created by this practice. “It will also defend American taxpayers from having their hard-earned dollars siphoned away to finance the direct and downstream costs associated with birth tourism. “The integrity of American citizenship must be protected.�

It had earlier been reported that President Donald Trump was planning to expand the countries on the list of the travel ban.

Wall Street Journal reported that Nigeria might be on the list but it has not been confirmed.

(Imo ENTRACO), Kebbi State Ministry of Environment and Solid Minerals and Gombe State Internal Revenue Board.

Some of the states have reportedly refused to collect the old rates for RoW and were no longer issuing RoW licences to telcos.

But the federal government condemned the hike, describing the action of the states as a disregard to the RoW Charge Agreement reached by the National Economic Council (NEC).

However, Wednesday’s meeting, where the issue was resolved, was attended by state governors, under the auspices of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), chaired by Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

Others in attendance were the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta; the Director-General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Kashifu Inuwa, and the Chairperson of the Presidential Committee on National Broadband Plan (2020-2025), Mrs. Funke Opeke.

The resolution followed a presentation made by the minister during the meeting, where he discussed the many benefits of broadband penetration, if telecoms operators were allowed to lay their broadband fibre optic cables in different states.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, and signed by the Technical Assistant on Information Technology to the minister, Dr. Femi Adeluyi, the minister noted that one of the key benefits is the rapid growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of any country that increases its broadband penetration.

He added: “He urged the state governors to adopt the 2013 resolutions reached by the National Economic Council (NEC), which agreed on a maximum RoW charge of N145.00 per linear meter of fibre. “In response, the governors acknowledged the benefits of broadband penetration and the Chairman of the Governors’ Forum, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, stated that the minister should

consider the matter resolved.

There will no longer be any need to appeal to the governors on the issue of RoW. “In addition to the discussion on the RoW, the minister also discussed the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), which was unveiled

by President Muhammadu Buhari on November 28, 2019. Pantami urged the state governors to key into the policy and strategy. He also informed them of the plan of the federal government to help the states with a Digital Economy Strategy, through Policy, Digital Skills and other areas of intervention.�

Commending the governors’ forum and its chairman for backing down, the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) Chairman, Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, also hailed the minister for taking the initiative to meet with the governors on matters bordering on national economic development.

He said ALTON had in the wake of the planned increase in RoW charges across the country, had written the minister to seek his intervention

to save the telecoms sector. “By initiating the meeting with members of the Governor’s Forum, the minister has demonstrated good leadership position for taking ownership of the challenges of the telecoms industry, and we commend him for that,�

Adebayo he stated.

He was hopeful that the decision reached on RoW would be unified among the 36 state governors and advised them to look more at the social and economic benefits of ubiquitous broadband penetration, than their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from RoW charges.

He, however, said RoW charge was one of the multiple charges encountered by telecoms operators that were being imposed by state governments.

He condemned the use of local state taskforce in shutting down telecoms sites without recourse to the national implications of their actions, and advised state governors to allow telecoms operators to expand telecoms networks in their states without harassment.

IN SEARCH OF FOREIGN INVESTORS...

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed (left), and other African ministers at the 11th Tourism Investment and Business Forum for Africa (Investour) in Madrid, Spain‌yesterday

Analysts Rule Out Interest Rate Cut as MPC Meets Obinna Chima Financial market analysts have ruled out the possibility of a cut in interest rate by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) whose Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) commences its 271st meeting today in Abuja.

The CBN had postponed the first meeting for the year, which was earlier scheduled for last Monday and Tuesday, to today and tomorrow.

At the last meeting held last November, the committee had left all the monetary policy tools unchanged. For instance, it left the benchmark Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) unchanged at 13.5 per cent and held other parameters constant.

It also retained the asymmetric corridor at +200/-500 basis points around the MPR. The Cash Reserve Requirements (CRR) and

Liquidity Ratio remained at 22.5 per cent and 30 per cent respectively.

But commenting on their expectations from the two-day meeting, analysts at Nova Merchant Bank Limited anticipated that at the end of the meeting, the committee will keep all the monetary policy tools unchanged. “With foreign investors still active at open market operations (OMO) auctions, expected inflationary pressure largely driven by supply side factors and positive impacts of the loan-to-deposit ratio (LDR) limit on private sector credits (at least for now), we believe the odds largely favour a hold of monetary policy parameters, especially the MPR at the end of the MPC meeting on Friday. “However, recent events have suggested the CBN concerns for elevated liquidity in the system. Our channel

checks revealed the apex bank has been adopting unusual CRR for banks with higher than usual bids at OMO and forex auctions. “Accordingly, we do not rule out institutionalisation of a higher CRR sometime in the year to combat rising system liquidity. We also expect continued differentiated CRR depending on banks’ loan to deposit ratio compared to the regulatory limit of 65 per cent,� the analysts stated.

On his part, the Group Executive Director at Cordros Capital Limited, Mr. Femi Ademola, predicted that the MPC will leave rates unchanged. “The CBN has been has been able to hold rates down.

So, it is looking like they will keep the MPR stable. The only challenge will be exchange rate issue, which I think for now is not out of their (CBN’s) hands

yet. So, the way it is now, it appears they are going to keep it unchanged,� he said.

Also, the Head of Research, Agusto & Co, Mr. Jimi Ogbobine, predicted that the benchmark interest rate would be maintained. “This is the first meeting for the decade. Even though the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has said they intend to increase tariff, which is likely going to contribute to inflationary pressure, we must remember that the focus of the central bank is to drive economic growth through credit growth and we can see what has happened in the lending market,� Ogbobine added.

However, the Nova Merchant Bank analysts, in a separate report on the economic outlook for 2020, anticipated that the Nigerian economy would grow by 2.4

per cent this year.

The report stated that central to its forecast was a possible breach of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) production cap (with estimated crude oil production of 2.05mbps, including condensates) and receding herdsmen and farmers conflict amidst ongoing government intervention in crop production. This, it expected, would support growth in the agriculture sector. “For the services sector, we believe ICT will continue to provide the necessary support for growth, with investment in fintech and customer acquisition in same expected to support much stronger growth in the sector in 2020. “We believe there is a strong risk of further hemorrhaging in the gross external reserves, possibly to as low as $33.1

billion at the end of December 2020 (excluding possible foreign borrowings). Our expectation is based on our modelled oil and non-oil inflow, which suggests that the apex bank will run on lower flows over 2020, with average monthly inflow of $3.9 billion (2019 average: $4.6 billion). However, despite our expectation of cumulative lower CBN intervention over 2020 (with monthly average of $4.3 billion), the lower inflow informed monthly average reserve drawdown of $371 million (2019 average: $424 million) over 2020. “Notwithstanding our fundamental based purchasing power parity suggesting 12 per cent overvaluation of the naira, we expect the CBN to keep the naira-dollar rate stable over 2020 between the range of N363-368/$,� the report added.

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RŶ Ģŭ ƒĢŶĞ ėũÖŶĢŶŽùā Ŷŋ Fŋù ĕŋũ Ö ķŋłė ķĢĕā ƒāķķ ķĢƑāù̇ ŶĞÖŶ ŶĞā ĕÖĿĢķƘ ŋĕ m ̍ 'z ! zd ¦z 1 m dRbṘ ÖłłŋŽłóā ŶĞā ťÖŭŭĢłė ŋł ŋĕ ŶĞāĢũ ĿŋŶĞāũ̇ ėũÖłùĿŋŶĞāũ Öłù ÖŽłŶ̍

¦Ğā ĕŽłāũÖķ ŭāũƑĢóā ƒĢķķ ŶÖĴā ťķÖóā ÖŶ Ŷ̍ mÖũƘ̑ŭ ­łĢŶāù ĕũĢóÖł māŶĞŋùĢŭŶ !ĞŽũóĞ !ÖŶĞāùũÖķ̇ Rùŋĕā ŽÖũŶāũŭ̇ ùŋ̟zùŋ Ģł zėŽł ŶÖŶā̇ ŋł ÖŶŽũùÖƘ ŶĞā ˑ˔ŶĞ ŋĕ `ÖłŽÖũƘ ˑˏˑˏ ÖŶ ːː̆ˏˏ ÖĿ̍ RłŶāũĿāłŶ ƒĢķķ ĕŋķķŋƒ ĢĿĿāùĢÖŶāķƘ ÖĕŶāũƒÖũùŭ ÖŶ Ğāũ ĞŋĿā ̟ ĿĢŶƘ ÁĢķķÖ ̟ ŋťťŋŭĢŶā RťŋĴĢÖ d̍1̍ ũĢĿÖũƘ óĞŋŋķ̇ ķÖėÖ Ģł RťŋĴĢÖ̇ zėŽł ŶÖŶā̍ 'āŶÖĢķŭ ŋĕ ŋŶĞāũ ĿāĿŋũĢÖķ ÖóŶĢƑĢŶĢāŭ Ŷŋ ŶÖĴā ťķÖóā Ģł dÖėŋŭ ƒĢķķ ðā ÖłłŋŽłóāù ðƘ ŶĞā ĕÖĿĢķƘ̍

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F p'!NRd' 1p 'ũ̍ mŽƘĢƒÖ ƘŋùāıĢ āƘĢ ͽ ¦ŋðĢ ƘŋùāıĢ zƘĢłùÖĿŋķÖ ƘŋùāıĢ 'ÖĿĢķŋķÖ ƘŋùāıĢ pÖðĢķÖ mÖķĢĴĢ RŨŽŋ pÖùĢÖ ĿðÖĞ ÖĿĢũ mÖķĢĴĢ 1łŋ ĿðÖĞ ¦ŋðĢ ĿðÖĞ ÈÖŭĿĢł mÖķĢĴĢ ¦āĿĢùĢũā łĢĿÖŭĞÖŽł ¦ĢĿĢķāĞĢł łĢĿÖŭĞÖŽł

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PAGE TEN FINALLY, FG, SOUTH-WEST GOVS REACH COMPROMISE ON AMOTEKUN would have to be aligned with the federal government’s community policing policy.

Malami had insisted earlier yesterday that any security arrangement not supported by law remained illegal.

But speakers of Houses of Assembly in the geo-political zone rallied behind the Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN), code named Amotekun, pledging to give it legislative approval.

Rising from a two-hour meeting, presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the State House, Abuja, Chairman of the South-west Governors' Forum and Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), said they had a fruitful discussion and agreed on the way forward.

According to him, nobody ever attempted to stop Amotekun and described it as a form of community policing.

He dismissed insinuations that discussions were not held with the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, before the launch.

Akeredolu said he had earlier stated that political solution would eventually be found to the controversy generated by the advent of Amotekun, adding that what happened yesterday was a fulfillment of the declaration.

"Well, we had a very fruitful discussion. Governors of Southwest as you know, we were all there. The meeting was presided over by the vice president.

The Attorney-General of the Federation was there as well as the Inspector General of Police.

"So, we have rubbed minds (sic) and all of us have agreed on the way forward. The most important one is that we are going to have a legal framework to back this Amotekun. And this legal framework is going to

be one which we is going to look at and will be sure to go without any hindrance," he said.

Asked if the agreement meant that Amotekun would not function for now, Akeredolu said: "No. What I believe is our resolution is that Amotekun is there. You know the federal government is starting community policing. In essence really, it is about community. So, we are going to work together to see the community policing and Amotekun work."

On whether lack of consultations fuelled the controversy, which trailed the launch of Amotekun, he said: "No. No. No. There were consultations. Don't say there were no consultations. There were consultations because we held discussions with the IG then and what has developed is what has led to this; not that there were no consultations.

"We just felt that with all this noise outside, it is better for us to sit down. Remember that immediately the noise started, I said that we are going to explore political solution and all of us are here. My colleague, the deputy governor of Oyo, who is of the PDP, all of us are here. So, we have looked at this solution to it now; both political and legal solutions to it and all of us will do it."

He disagreed with the perception that the federal government wanted to stop Amotekun.

"No, the government is not trying to stop it. The AttorneyGeneral has spoken on that.

I’m sure you have all read the statement that he was misinterpreted. So, it’s so clear. There was no time that government wanted to stop Amotekun and the AGF having spoken, it’s all about us. So, there is no problem," he said.

The launch of Amotekun had

generated controversy across the country following reports that the AGF had declared the outfit illegal.

The declaration provoked anger in the people of the South-west, who staged peaceful protests across the zone in support of Amotekun on Tuesday, reiterating that there is no going back on the security network.

Osinbajo was believed to have been assigned by the federal government to reach an accord with the governors on the way forward for the network.

Yesterday's meeting was attended by three South-west governors and three deputy governors.

Present at the meeting were Governors Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo) and Gboyega Oyetola (Osun) while their counterparts in Lagos, Oyo and Ogun were represented by their deputies.

A statement issued last night

by Osinbajo's spokesman, Mr. Laolu Akande, said his principal met with the South-west governors, the AGF and the IG, at the instance of the governors whom he said had requested to see President Muhammadu Buhari over the controversy surrounding Amotekun.

Akande said following the president's non-availability, he asked his deputy to preside over the meeting.

He said: "The meeting was very fruitful and unanimous resolutions were made on the way forward. Having regard to the need for all hands to be on deck in addressing the security concerns across the country, it was agreed that the structure of Amotekun should also align with the community policing strategy of the federal government.

"It was also agreed that

necessary legal instruments will be put in place by each of the states to give legal backing to the initiative and address all issues concerning the regulation of the security structure."

Malami Insists Amotekun Not Backed by Law However, Malami had insisted earlier in the day that any security arrangement not supported by law was illegal.

In a statement by the Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations Office of the AttorneyGeneral and Minister of Justice, Dr. Umar Gwandu, the minister reaffirmed this declaration, amidst reports that he had backed down on his position on Amotekun.

The minister, who was quoted as making his rebuttal during the Radio Nigeria programme “Nationwide Politics,� said the federal Government had already issued its stance through a statement rooted in the law and the constitution.

According to Malami, the regional security architectural arrangement by states is not tolerated by the Constitution of the Federation hence cannot be rooted in the constitution or in any of the extant law. “The planning, execution, consummation of whatever security arrangement must be naturally grounded in law, rooted in the constitution and tolerated by the law,� he added.

On the issue of state governments making efforts towards legislation that would back the operation of Amotekun, the Attorney-General said that the federal government’s stance was anchored on the legality and constitutionality elements that should be factored into the planning, conceptualisation, consummation and execution

of the operation. “If you are talking of regional arrangement, for example, at what point did the state assemblies come together as a region for the purpose of coming up with a statue or a law that can operate within the context of the constitution, taking into consideration that the federating arrangement does not allow or tolerate a regional state house of assembly arrangement,� he said.

The Attorney-General said the federal government does not oppose a working arrangement with the institution established by the constitution for the provision of security and in this case with particular reference to the police.

He explained: “You cannot independently, unilaterally operate the provision of the constitution without recourse to the constitutional authority that is the bottom line. “Working together, helping the federal government in the provision of security is indeed a welcome development but it has to be rooted in the law and within the context of working arrangement with institutions constitutionally established and not a unilateral exclusive arrangement by a regional body. “In the circumstances of Amotekun, it is the idea of unilateral control that it is the problem without recourse to the institutional and constitutional arrangement that is put in place by our constitution.�

In a separate statement he issued earlier yesterday, the minister said the new position of a human rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), had vindicated the federal government on the contentious issue of Amotekun.

Falana had said the federal government was wrong in declaring the outfit illegal but

Malami argued that Falana in a new report was said to have advised the six governors of the South-west to create a legal backing for the activities of Amotekun.

South-west Speakers Back Amotekun Meanwhile, the speakers of Houses of Assembly in the geo-political zone yesterday declared their support for Amotekun.

The Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, made the disclosure at a meeting of Conference of Speakers of South-west States Legislatures in Ibadan.

Present at the meeting were Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, who is also the Chairman, Conference of Speakers, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa; Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon. Funminiyi Afuye; Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Timothy Owoeye; Ondo State House of Assembly Speaker, Hon. Bamidele Oleyeloogun; and Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, Hon. Olakunle Oluomo.

Others present at the meeting were representatives of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission, members from the state Houses of Assembly in the region, security advisers from the region and other concerned stakeholders.

Ogundoyin, in his welcome address, decried the statement credited to Malami that the security outfit was illegal, stating that the new security outfit was launched in a bid to complement the efforts of the police and other security agencies.

GOVS SUPPORT FG’S MEASURES ON CORONAVIRUS (NGF) Chairman and Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, told reporters at the end of the forum’s meeting on Wednesday night in Abuja that they had received updates on Lassa fever epidemic and the Coronavirus, killing people in China, which is spreading to other parts of the world.

Coronavirus, which broke out in the China city of Wuhan, has spread to many nations in the Asia, and there is a global alert to prevent the spread further.

So far, the virus has killed 17 persons in China.

Earlier on Wednesday, the federal government, through the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), issued a red flag to Nigerians on the spread of the virus to other parts of the world.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) also called on Nigerians and others travelling through the country to comply with measures issued by concerned bodies to ensure that the virus did not spread to Nigeria.

Fayemi said: “The Forum received an update from the NGF Secretariat on Health priorities for year 2020, including the implementation of the Seattle Commitment signed by the Forum at a two-day High Level Roundtable on Primary Health Care and Human Capital Development convened in November 2019

by Aliko Dangote and the Bill and Melinda Gates. On the Lassa fever, we recorded cases in one or two states, Ondo in the South-west and Kano in the North. “I believe all our states are

taking precautionary measures to address this in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). “We are working to ensure that this does not spread any further than they have at the moment.�

According to him, the forum is to carry out immediate action on the implementation of the Seattle Declaration, including the constitution of a multisectoral Primary Health Care Under One Roof (PHCUOR) implementation committee.

The NGF chairman stated that governors also agreed to review the primary healthcare performance in State Executive Council meetings quarterly, review of states’ performance on the Abuja Commitment and organisation of advocacy meetings with traditional and religious leaders.

He added that governors would also work with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) to address housing deficit as well as with the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) to address youth unemployment in the country. “Following a presentation on the Citizens’ Home Ownership programme by the Managing Director of the FMBN, Mr. Ahmed Dangiwa, members pledged to engage with the bank to address housing deficit in the country. “Finally, the Forum received presentation from the BoA Executive Director (Wholesale Banking), Mr. Olabode Abikoye, on a sub-national engagement model for youth employment in agriculture.

“Governors agreed to meet with relevant parties to discuss modalities for implementing the model,� he said.

According to him, governors are already paying back the budget support facilities the federal government gave them in honour of their obligations, while they also came up with recommendations on modalities for the repayment of special funds generally. “On budget support facilities specifically, states are already honouring their obligations.

They are already paying back what is owed to the federal government. “The question of the amount is something that we will continue to review. It is our view that we should be paying a lot less than what we are paying but that is something that has not been addressed yet. “But that has not stopped us from honouring the obligation to the federal government that lend the resources to us at the time that they did,� he said.

No Case of Coronavirus in Nigeria, Says Lagos Govt Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has allayed fears of an outbreak of Coronavirus in the state or in any other part of Nigeria.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Akin Abayomi, said yesterday in Lagos that the state government was ramping up its levels of preparedness and collaborating with the Federal Ports Authority on screening

and surveillance to prevent the spread of the virus to the state.

Abayomi explained that the Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) was a new strain that had not been previously identified in humans, adding that Coronavirus was primarily infections of animals that could be transmitted to humans. “The Lagos State biosecurity team in collaboration with Lagos University Teaching Hospital is currently working on building urgent capacity to identify the virus in our biosecurity facility and isolation wards located at the Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba in the event of any suspected case arriving in Lagos State. “We are in touch with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Abuja to align our strategies. Importantly, we are also collaborating with the Federal Ports Authority at air, land and sea border posts to elevate screening and surveillance of incoming travelers,� he said.

He urged citizens to adopt and practice high standard of personal and environmental hygiene, including regular hand washing, covering of mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, avoiding close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing and practice good biosecurity precautions with domestic and wild animals as measures against the transmission of any kind contagious infection, nCoV inclusive.

The commissioner also urged citizens travelling from South

East Asia or any country where the infection has been reported or who have had contact with travellers from that region and are feeling ill to go to the nearest health facility for immediate assessment and treatment or call 08023169485, 08033565529 or 08052817243 for assistance.

In a related development, the Chinese government has cut off the city of Wuhan, Huanggang and Ezhou from the rest of the world, putting 20 million residents of the provinces on partial lockdown and travel ban, following the death of 17 persons infected by the recent Coronavirus outbreak in the country.

THISDAY gathered that the lockdown in the cities, which is part of measures to contain the spread of the outbreak, was announced by the Chinese taskforce set up to deal with the crisis in the country.

It said all highways, flights, cafes, public transport systems, and public spaces had been shown down, a move it called a "necessary act to stop the spread of the epidemic."

FAAN IntensiďŹ es Screening of Passengers The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has also intensified the screening of passengers at the airports with temperature monitoring of all arriving passengers, and enhanced visual observation for obvious signs of communicable disease.

THISDAY gathered that

any passenger with certain symptoms is referred for secondary screening.

The symptoms include fever - temperature above or equal to 38 degrees Celsius; jaundice; skin rash; persistent diarrhea; persistent cough or difficulty in breathing; complains of headache; neck stiffness; decreased consciousness; lethargy; unexplained bleeding and persistent vomiting.

THISDAY gathered that if there is obvious public health threat, the passenger is transferred to a designated hospital for further evaluation.

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T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ Í°Í˛Ëœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

COMMENT

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

MEASURE EU CLOUT WHERE IT COUNTS Africa is all about the future, not the past, writes Shada Islam

I

t’s been a sobering start for ‘Geopolitical Europe’. America’s killing of Qassem Suleimani, Iran’s top military commander, spurred frenetic EU activity. Phone calls, meetings, statements, tweets and intra-European turf wars came fast and furious as Europeans grappled with their first geopolitical test of the year – and came out looking weak and frazzled.

Is anyone surprised? The EU’s clout in the volatile Middle East is limited. Valiant efforts made to preserve the Iranian nuclear deal are just that: valiant. The agreement didn’t really have a chance once the US turned its back on it. Libya is equally complicated. Despite geographical proximity, Europe’s role there remains peripheral.

Judging Europe on the basis of its frenzied but lacklustre performance last week is unfair. Realistically, Europe’s geopolitical ambitions should be limited to regions – and measured in regions – where it is (still) a significant player. And that means in the Western Balkans, to some extent in Asia - and in Africa.

Yes, Africa. Despite the reality of Russia, China, Japan, Turkey and others vying for power and influence across the continent, Europe is still a heavyweight in most parts of Africa. Keeping it that way won’t be easy. But it can be done. Here are some suggestions.

First, Europe must craft an authentic, fresh narrative on Africa. Inconvenient truths have to be faced head on. Mindsets, language, automatic reflexes and references need a fundamental reset.

With his decision to rename the CFA (it’s now called the Eco) and cut some of the West African currency’s financial links with Paris – and his apology for the “grave mistake of colonialism�, French President Emmanuel Macron is trying just such a narrative reboot.

So is the new EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Old instincts die hard, however. Despite good advice to the contrary, the Commission chief keeps talking about crafting a “partnership of equals� with Africa.

Europeans, with their colonial history and traditionally self-righteous view of Africa as a junior partner, understand her important message. Many in Africa, however, find the statement patronising.

An entire Western industry has been built up around Africa’s problems and hoped-for remedies. But it really is time to move beyond group think and simplistic, single, one-dimensional narratives.

Stop the labelling of Africans as victims waiting for ‘white saviours’ or ‘Asian saviours’ for rescue. Stop viewing the continent as a burden or threat and a source of migrants. Russia, China and Japan have long recognised Africa as a place of transformation and opportunities to be seized now.

The tech revolution is one example of how Africa is generating new market opportunities, improving labour productivity and enhancing its comparative advantage in global production networks. African tech start-ups are not waiting for any inspiration or help from outside. They already have the ideas and the knowledge; what they need is easier access to funding and less

THE TECH REVOLUTION IS ONE EXAMPLE OF HOW AFRICA IS GENERATING NEW MARKET OPPORTUNITIES, IMPROVING LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY AND ENHANCING ITS COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE IN GLOBAL PRODUCTION NETWORKS

meddling by governments.

Still, there is reason to hope. Von der Leyen’s first official trip as European Commission President was to Addis Ababa, headquarters of the African Union. The European Commission department working on Africa is now in charge of ‘international partnerships’, not ‘development cooperation’.

Second, the EU will have to become more cooperative in developing its Africa policies. Within the EU, the focus must be on a ‘whole-of-Commission approach’ to deal with different facets of EU-Africa relations. Stronger coordination with the External Action Service and cooperation rather than competition among EU member states – and post-Brexit Britain – must be ensured.

This is essential given the flurry of Africa-related activities taking place in the coming months. The European and African Commissions will meet in Addis on 28 February. There will be an EU-Africa foreign ministers meeting. The French government and the Germans, who take over the EU presidency in July, will have their own multiple summits with African leaders. And in October the EU-Africa summit in Brussels will bring all 27 EU states and 54 African countries together for a mega fest.

Variety is good but only if there are common themes and priorities, including questions linked to the climate crisis, Agenda 2030, digital opportunities, new start-ups and initiatives to silence the guns. Importantly, these are also areas where EU-African interests are aligned.

And then there is a need to clarify how the post-Cotonou EU relationship with African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and the Europe-Africa partnership will function side by side and the latter’s links with the European Neighbourhood Policy.

Third, Europe should get excited about what excites Africa.

This includes the ambitious plan to create the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) where the EU help can help tackle Africa’s connectivity challenges and regulatory weaknesses.

Fourth, the EU must move beyond traditional interaction with the AU and African governments to a wider conversation with local and regional authorities, business leaders, civil society, female groups, young professionals and students.

Almost 60% of Africa’s youth population is under the age of 25, making Africa the world’s youngest continent – with some of the world’s oldest leaders.

Finally, Europe cannot afford to be complacent. Africa is all about the future, not the past. It is brimming with confidence, ideas and money as domestic and foreign investors fill African capitals in a bid to cash in on ‘Rising Africa’.

It’s simple: Europe will have to revise its views of the continent. Today, despite prevailing European perceptions, not many young Africans look to Europe for inspiration or funding.

African pupils study in Russia, China and Japan. They flock to China to meet and learn from tech entrepreneurs. They are wooed by Indian and Korean investors.

Africa’s leaders may lay out the red carpet for visiting European dignitaries. But the EU’s real geopolitical challenge in Africa is to convince young Africans that Europe still matters.

Islam is Director of Europe and Geopolitics at Friends of Europe, a Brussels-based think tank

BUKAR USMAN AT 77 Bande Matthew Odu pays tribute to Usman, an author, philanthropist and retired permanent secretary

I

t is extremely difficult for me to embark on this project – writing on the man Dr. Bukar Usman, an enigma and a colossus after many prolific writers have also copiously written about him. It is even more difficult for me to write on this personality who is a writer himself.

The septuagenarian demonstrates an insatiable drive for pedagogy. His hunger for knowledge is unquenchable, it is to him like the ocean water, the more one drinks of it the thirstier one becomes. He has not had a hiatus since he commenced writing.

His passion drives his voraciousness. His ink has continued to flow and his ideas, though simple and limpid have remained logical and as clear as a bell. His ideas have become like wine that gets better with age.

Dr. Usman is not a flash in the pan. The je ne sais quoi of his writing is what leaves many in perpetual awe and amazement. The energy level and the dedication he puts into his works are inexplicably surprising. Did the civil service rob humanity of one of its finest teachers? What seems like a loss to the ivory tower is the gain of the civil service. The event of recent times has however shown that he has successfully given in equal measures to both his first calling, the civil service and his new found love of erudition.

Did I complain about the civil service? No, I did not. And I dare not because the civil service provided the platform, the training and the

wisdom that Dr. Usman brings into his writings.

I think the foundation for the literary journey was well laid from the civil service. The writings of Von Stein in the 1800s corroborate the work of the civil servants â€œâ€Ś.they write, write, and write in silence in their offices behind closed doors‌.â€?

At retirement, Dr. Usman said he has left the stage for younger people, even when he retired without reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60. He was certain, he was not going to take up a paid employment and he has not. Contentment, you would say. He was emphatic that anything that would take him out of his house by 9 am he was not ready to do. He is assertive and has a strong character. He is very meticulous in making his decisions; that is why he does not renege on them because they were not taken impulsively. A headstrong and courageous man, he is.

Dr. Usman is a true believer in NOBLESSE OBLIGE- the idea that people of high social class should behave kindly to people of lower social class. He is a soft-hearted man who finds it hard to deny any boon, whether it is for friends or strangers. A man of peace who strives constantly to achieve peace, the reason he found new halcyon in both writing and philanthropy.

Again, Dr. Usman has gumption, a sort of compos mentis. Little wonder that no sooner had he retired than he realized that his pension was grossly inadequate to continue with philanthropy.

He established the Dr. Bukar Usman Foundation: a

vehicle that has enhanced and improved his reach, touching lives in all facets of human endeavours and redistributing wealth. In this era where the extended family system is being eroded, Dr. Usman daily accepts to be a father to the down trodden by attending to the army of favour seekers who come to him for assistance. Dr. Usman also maintains a perfect relationship with people of his social standing, the crème de la crème of the society. Records are that he maintains a perfect affinity with his school days friends till date.

Usman has remained in tune with the people, though cosmopolitan and sophisticated in every sense. Both privacy and retirement have not kept him away from the eyes of the media! He has remained the media’s delight, to say the least. I am aware he declines invitations to be interviewed. He has maintained one of the cardinal principles of the civil service- to be seen and not heard; though some say he is hardly seen. He is simply an astute former public servant, an administrator per excellence; an author, folklorist and philanthropist; a man of wit and wisdom, tacit in speech and highly productive in writing. In all this, Dr. Usman has remained largely humble.

What more can I say, than to pray that the ink continues to flow as well as the milk of human kindness. An enigma you are Sir! You are gentle, humble, knowledgeable, acerbic and devoid of rancor. May God’s unending and abundant blessings, love, peace, guidance, protection and

provision be within and around you. May you have many more healthy years and happy returns.

Wait a minute! Have I been caught in the same web of lengthy descriptive essays by most writers on this personality? I now understand. The temptation to write on him is simply irresistible.

My original intension was to use some adjectives and adverbs that I think, head or tail, would provide a fair description of the personality of Dr. Bukar Usman.

Permit me therefore, to itemize some of those adjectives and adverbs to blend and mix the write up having initially digressed inadvertently: A historian, a folklorist, a revivalist, a scholar, a researcher, a conciliator, a lecturer, a discussant, a scribe, a writer, a communicator, a quintessential administrator, a philosopher, a leader, a philanthropist, a bridge builder, an author, an emeritus permanent secretary, and much more.

As much as it is difficult writing on you, it is even more difficult repaying you for your kind magnanimity. This subtle effort to describe you is an attempt to preserve for posterity your contributions to leave the world better than you met it.

Take this as my modest birthday gift to you at 77, since I cannot requite your generosity to me in particular and to humanity in general. I know you wouldn’t have collected, if we had, because yours is with no strings attached.

Odu (jnr), a former banker and currently a publicist, wrote from Abuja

15

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2020

EDITORIAL THE RETURN OF LASSA FEVER The authorities could do more to contain this public health challenge

O

n Tuesday, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo made a special broadcast to the people of the state on the current outbreak of Lassa fever infection. It was an act of leadership for which he should be commended. Sadly, in many states of the federation, and Abuja, the authorities are silent about this current outbreak that has killed dozens of our people. “This outbreak has been occurring fairly regularly over many decades, unfortunately in the past few years it has increased in magnitude. Sadly, within the few weeks of this year, several scores have been affected and some had died from the disease,” said Akeredolu, adding that the recurrence is because “some of our citizens still indulge in habits that continue to encourage this disease to spread.”

While Ondo, where no fewer than 16 people had so far been killed, are still counting their losses, the Kano State Director THE ONSET OF THE of Public Health and DISEASE IS USUALLY Disease Control, Dr Imam Bello, also anGRADUAL, STARTING nounced on Tuesday WITH FEVER, GENERAL that the disease WEAKNESS, HEADACHE, had killed two SORE THROAT, MUSCLE medical doctors and PAIN, CHEST PAIN, a pregnant patient NAUSEA, VOMITING, in the state. Against COUGH, AND BLEEDING the background of FROM MOUTH OR NOSE repeated commitments by various stakeholders to prevent a recurrence of this disease, what the current outbreak has shown clearly is that if indeed there have been any preventive strategies, they were not implemented. We therefore believe that the authorities need to do more if we are ever to rid the nation of the disease that claims the lives of dozens of our citizens on an annual basis.

Lassa fever is an acute febrile illness which is caused by a virus with an incubation period of between six to

21 days. The onset of the disease is usually gradual, starting with fever, general weakness, headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, cough, and bleeding from mouth or nose. But there are recommended preventive measures such as avoiding contact with rats (dead or alive), keeping the house and surrounding clean always, clearing all bushes around the house to avoid breeding sites for rats as well as putting refuse into covered dustbins and disposing appropriately.

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

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

owever, because the symptoms of Lassa fever are so varied and non-specific, clinical diagnosis is often difficult, especially early in the course of the disease. For that reason, steps should be taken by the federal government to direct all health facilities in the country to emphasise routine infection prevention and control measures. Healthcare workers should also be advised to always be careful to avoid contact with blood and body fluids in the process of caring for sick persons.

Experts have advised that people should ensure their food (cooked or uncooked) is properly covered while regular hand-washing should be adhered to always. The bush around the home should also be cleared regularly while windows and doors of the house should be closed especially when it is night time.

The general public should also be adequately enlightened on the dangers posed by rats in their homes.

This should be the responsibility of both the Federal Ministry of Environment and that of Information that can deploy the National Orientation Agency (NOA) for a public awareness campaign on the issue.

While we believe that with effective coordination, the disease can be contained quickly before it becomes another national epidemic with dire implications, the real challenge is to work towards its total eradication from our country. Besides, we hope the authorities will take both preventive and long-term measures this time around so that we do not continue to lose our health professionals who treat those infected with the virus.

TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

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

FIIRO: ICPC’S UNENDING INVESTIGATIONS

N

o one desires a disgraceful exit from a public office. Not with the obloquy and loneliness that accompany a fall from grace to grass, or the perks and privileges that are attached to such office.

In Nigeria certificate scandals have swept a number of public office holders away from their coveted offices, shattering what is left of their reputation after getting them tarred with the brush of infamy.

Remember Salisu Buhari - Nigeria’s former Speaker of the House of Representatives who claimed he graduated from the University of Toronto in Canada? Buhari had later confessed that he forged his credentials. He was impeached. What about Christian Abah, another member of the House of Representatives who got dismissed from office for submitting a forged certificate of academic qualification to INEC? Enter Kemi Adeosun, Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance who was caught in the web of certificate scandal but bowed to pressure to resign after unceasing public outcry. Sadly, another is currently brewing in Nigeria’s foremost academic and research institute.

Indeed, if there is anything that has brought gargantuan damage to the image of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi since its creation in 1956, it is the current travails of its acting Director-General, Chima Igwe.

Prior to his appointment in May 2019, his doctorate, which he purportedly backed from Universite D’Abomey Calavi, Republic of Benin, had sparked controversy owing to his failure to produce his certificate when the governing board of the institute demanded it, being the most senior officer to succeed outgone DG, Prof Gloria Elemo.

It is apposite to state that the governing board had in a leaked memo to the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, advised against

the appointment of Chima Igwe for failing to produce the PhD certificate he purportedly bagged more than 17 years ago and the fact that the matter had been under investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The leaked memo by the FIIRO governing board to the minister read in part: “The extant rules as specified in circular Ref No. SGF 50/S.11/C.2/268 stipulated that pending the appointment of a substantive Director General, the outcome Chief Executive must hand over to the most senior officer of the establishment as long as the officer does not have disciplinary matter.

However, the most senior director, Dr C.C. Igwe has issues with his PhD certificate which he is yet to submit 17 years after submitting a letter of attestation....”

Going by the scheme of service of the institute that detailed the methods of promotion, a PhD certificate is required to get promoted to the offices of Chief Research Officer, Assistant Director and Director respectively. It therefore beggars belief that the current acting Director-General could be promoted three times without a certificate.

Curiously, the ICPC gave Igwe a clean bill of health after its long-awaited report that lasted for almost six months, stating that he has a PhD certificate only to backtrack after it was assailed with a barrage of complaints.

Not many have recovered from the shock triggered by the reason advanced by the commission to defend its shoddy investigation. The commission had explained that it relied on information from sister agencies to clear Igwe.

Interestingly, while the ICPC is still struggling with a thorough investigation on the matter, The PUNCH, after its visit to the university in question in Benin Republic had revealed that though Igwe registered for doctoral studies in the school, he did not complete his studies.

Ladesope Ladelokun, ladesopeladelokun@gmail.com

BEING BORING CAN BE A GOOD THING

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mazon boss and Washington Post owner, Jeff Bezos has had his phone hacked and lots of material taken using a virus. This event is a bit more unusual when the suggestion that it was a Saudi Arabian prince is considered. However the situation gains some credibility when the Washington Post’s ongoing campaign concerning Jamal Khashoggi’s murder is included in the discussion.

The overall concern that if his phone can be hacked, what about the rest of us that do not have access to a whole IT department to protect us? I also get a lot of emails from Princes too, but mine seem to be only from Nigeria and I don’t respond to their invites or offers.

To date, my phone hasn’t been hacked although that may be because I am just a normal, boring citizen and please don’t think of that as a challenge!

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia

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FRIDAY JANUARY 24, 2020 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY JANUARY 24, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY JANUARY 24, 2020

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POLITICS

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

Shape of Things to Come in Akwa Ibom PDP Enobong Isemin writes that Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State may have started early to prepare grounds for his successor

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ike many other second-term governors, Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State is thinking hard about his succession game plan.

The People Democratic Party’s (PDP) congress, coming up in March and April, will afford him the opportunity to fill up the party with his trusted acolytes. These are the people who will help him execute his strategies. The governor has tipped Udo Ekpenyong, the Commissioner for Local Government & Chieftaincy Affairs as the next party chairman and Iniobong Ememobong as the Secretary. Can you guess what these two gentlemen have in common which delights the governor a lot?

Soon after congress, the governor will recompose his cabinet, again filling it up with his own trusted men. Among them is Udom Inoyo, the governor’s preferred choice as his successor, who may be appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG). On this position, the Mobil top executive will return to government, having started his career as a civil servant over 35 years ago. He had risen to the position of director, heading the Lagos Liaison Office of Akwa Ibom State by the time he joined the oil company in I989.

Udom Emmanuel himself was brought in as SSG late July 20I3 - one year to being presented as the PDP governorship candidate.

Many pundits have noted that the governor will have a big fight on his hands trying to push out other aspirants like Hon. Onofiok Luke, the immediate past Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly and Senator Bassey Albert Akpan (OBA). They recall the monumental opposition mounted by John Udoedehe in 20II and Umana Okon Umana in 20I5.

In fact, some persons are already saying ‘Udom is not Akpabio,’ an allusion to the latter’s uncompromising determination to instal the former as governor. So far, the incumbent seems to have learned fast.

His huge cash reserves and propensity to buy his way through all obstacles have paved the way for his political successes.

Many have underrated him to their peril.

Emmanuel is moving assuredly and methodically, having learned well at the foot of his master, Godswill Akapbio.

He’s however trying to avoid a few mistakes which created problems for his predecessor. For example; Udom Emmanuel has started work early on his succession politics by identifying his choice promptly; and unlike Akpabio, the governor does not intend to prevaricate about his intentions. Akpabio’s changing preferences discredited his agenda and allowed for a coalition of critics and opposition against him.

Again, Emmanuel has quickly commenced mobilization of support for Inoyo from some critical sections of the state, notably the influential Christian community. A strong evangelical himself, the governor has vowed that he will not hand over to those he calls ‘cultists’. His reasons are etched in his memory. Early in his administration, a cult war erupted in the three local government areas of Ika, Etim Ekpo and Ukanafun. It festered for over two years, taking lives, damaging homes and property. Schools, businesses and markets were shut. The government made a new law banning these groups and spent huge sums of money to fight and induce them into embracing peace.

Clearly, the governor has seen the devastating effects of cultism in the state.

He believes that electing one of them a governor will be calamitous. By tagging some potential candidates as cultist, a tar that rankles an average voter, the gov-

ernor is essentially continuing his fight against these demons; and so far, leading members of the evangelical community, notably Archbishop Cletus Bassey, who actually supports any governor in office,

have openly announced their support for the governor.

Why does the governor prefer Inoyo?

First, Inoyo played a central role in the emergence of Emmanuel as governor. So,

one good turn deserves another. Beyond that, it is part of Inoyo’s responsibilities in Mobil to sustain a mutually beneficial relationship between his employer and the government and people of the state.

So it should be expected that he will have more than a passing interest in the politics of Akwa Ibom State. Is it therefore a surprise that he joined the PDP as far back as 2000?

Second, the two Udoms have known each other for a very long time, but more important, Inoyo comes highly recommended. Inoyo shares the governor’s mindset on how government should work (money should not be shared to politicians in the name of “empowerment, patronage or giving,” but be used to develop the state). Both men have had solid senior leadership background in the private sector, the one in banking and the other in the oil industry. In addition, many Akwa Ibom people believe that Inoyo knows how best to attract talents to work in, and add value to government business. Inoyo’s long exposure to international best practice will be of a great advantage to Akwa Ibom State which is earnestly yearning for good governance.

But how will the hardcore PDP politicians like OBA, Idongesit Nkanga, Onofiok Luke, Paul Ekpo, Efiong Bob, Senator Anietie Okon, etc respond to the governor’s moves?

-Isemin writes from Uyo

Lagos Roads Infrastructure and the T.H.E.M.S Agenda Segun Ogundeji and Rasak Musbau highlight the increasing speed of work on road infrastructure across Lagos

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overnment’s investment in the transport infrastructure is a big factor in people’s quality of life. It is the backbone and chief driver of socio-economic development, which every country strives to achieve. Roads and bridges, in particular, change the face of landscapes; increase connectivity, bring societies closer to the outside world, and attract investment from far and wide.

Rightly, one of the cardinal programmes of the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration is the provision of worldclass infrastructural facilities to support the growing population of Lagos State and serve as the development driver of a vision of being Africa’s model smart city, a global economic and financial hub which is a fundamental ingredient for economic growth and development.

The commitment to infrastructural renewal, expansion, upgrading and regeneration is borne out of the fact that it is a prerequisite to efficient and integrated transportation, health, waste management and education system. Hence, the strategic role of the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure to the overall performance and delivery of the major pillars of the development agenda of this administration tagged: THEMES. Thus, it really goes beyond routine that the first assignment of the Governor to the State’s Special Adviser on Works and Infrastructure upon her assumption of duty was to conduct an assessment tour of some critical roads across the State. The Special Adviser, Engr. Aramide Adeyoye saw first-hand the trauma the people suffer on some of the roads and reported her findings to Governor Sanwo-Olu who felt the pains of the people and directed that palliative measures should be carried out to alleviate the sufferings of the people immediately.

Many people who mostly don’t understand what is involved in road rehabilitation wanted all the roads in the state to be fixed instantly. There was dissonance of noise and cynicism from different parts of the state and on the mass media. The social media was abuzz, but the narrative is changing very fast now that evidence of the government resolve to tame the monster of bad roads is becoming manifest.

Not that the governor did not prepare or understand what was to be done from the outset. Far from it, but the main objective of the government is simply to apply the right treatment at the right time to achieve the desired level of service.

Lagos residents now attest to increase in the speed of work on road infrastructure across different local government areas of the state which is in line with the promise to commence extensive road rehabilitation and construction once the heaviness of the rain subsides.

The ongoing massive programme of road repairs, which the state has tagged ‘Zero Tolerance for Potholes Initiative’ amply attest to the determined drive of the administration to make road infrastructure a vehicle of its greater Lagos journey.

A drive through the streets of Lagos will also reveal that roads had been rehabilitated or ongoing in so many locations such as Mobolaji Bank Anthony; Sheraton section (Ikeja Bound), Ogudu road, Herbert Macaulay Road, Ogunnusi road, Apapa road, LASU-Iba road, Iju Road, Ajah Badore road, Ridwan Onifade/Ademoye street, Arida Bus Stop before Ikotun Oduduwa road, and TOS Benson (Ebute Roundabout inward garage). Others Cele-Ijesha link bridge (Okota road), Ijesha Lawanson junction

by Otun Oba bus stop and Ishaga road by LUTH, Ondo Street Ebute Metta. Rehabilitation work has also been done at Agbado

road (Lagos-Ogun Boundary to Ayinla Bus Stop), Ifako Ijaiye.

As part of the Roads Repair Programme, there is a Junction Improvement Scheme to resolve bottlenecks at critical junctions. 60 of such junctions have been identified, and in the first phase, upgrades have begun on four of them.

Guided by the aphorism that says good roads make crucial contribution to economic development and growth, the government has recently completed and commissioned a whopping 31 roads in Ojokoro Local Council Development Area, marking a watershed in Mr. SanwoOlu administration’s stride to bring the dividend of democracy to the good people of Lagos and most especially the dwellers of Ojokoro LCDA, who are the direct beneficiaries of the 20.216km network of roads project.

The Pen Cinema flyover is another massive infrastructural project the government is very keen at completing very soon. As at Friday, January 3, 2020 when the governor went on an inspection of the LagosBadagry Expressway and Pen Cinema Flyover, the Agboju to Trade Fair section of the former had been completed while there is an assurance that Pen Cinema Bridge will be delivered in six months.

The state is also doing rehabilitation/ upgrading of the six-kilometre phase 1 of the 11-kilometre long Ijede Road and upgrading of Oniru network of roads under a Public Infrastructure Improvement Partnership (PIIP) arrangement.

Segun Ogundeji & Rasak Musbau are staff of the Lagos State Ministry of Works & Infrastructure, Alausa, Ikeja NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY JANUARY 24, 2020

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PERSPECTIVE

Appraising the Lagos Children’s Protection System Kehinde Akinfenwa draws attention to the efforts of the Lagos State Government to ensure the welfare of children through the right strategies and policies

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he overall strategy must spell out a paradigm shift in the way government and civil societies approach the right to protection of children. By having sustainable safeguarding policies and procedure towards preventing more and more children falling out of safety nets, the society will breathe a sigh of relieve.

The phenomenon of child abuse has become one of the most widely discussed social tragedies of our time. While it is a perturbing reality that children in every country, culture and society face various forms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence, they are oftentimes abandoned to their fate, constantly yearning for the warmth of parental care and societal sympathy.

In an increasingly chaotic world, children living in communities impacted by conflict, natural disasters and global pandemics are often at increased risk of this societal debility, having their ability to thrive as an adult member of society impaired. And the former Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan expressed it this way; “millions of children continue to endure the dreadful indignities of poverty; hundreds of thousands suffer the effects of conflict and economic chaos; tens of thousands are maimed in wars; many are orphaned or killed by HIV/AIDS. Despite this uncertainty that is beclouding the future, a few individuals and organisations are continuously striving to address this social malady. Agencies of United Nations such as United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organisation (WHO) and many others are making decisive efforts to stem the tide.

Likewise, in Nigeria, prominent individuals and organization are trying to change the narrative.

Referencing the global strategy for child protection programming 2015-2020, government holds a central pillar among the four groups of actors that are fundamental for systems approach in this daunting mission of guarding the right and privileges of children, others are communities, families and the children themselves. Government has the primary responsibility for appropriate legislation and the delivery of a wide range of services to ensure children are protected.

Correspondingly, the Lagos State Government through its developmental programmes and policies for youth and children is immensely contributing to the national and international efforts to fulfill children’s rights to protection from abuse, violence and exploitation. More importantly, however, the promulgation of the Child Rights Law (2015) as amended was very significant in the affairs of child administration in the State.

An integral provision of the Child Right Law of Lagos State is the establishment of reformatory and training centre for children, now referred to as correctional center. The creation of this structure is sorely to re-socialize, correct and improve the wellbeing of children who have been victims of abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence in the society.

Lagos Correctional Centers Since the issue of a corrective home for delinquent children was conceived during the colonial era and actualized in Lagos with the establishment of the Remand Home in 1942 on Lagos Island, several correctional centers have sprung up across the country within the last two decades with the purpose of reforming, rehabilitating and reintegrating delinquent juveniles.

In Lagos presently, the state government operates two categories of correctional centre; the Correctional Centre for Boys and Girls and the Special Correctional

discriminatory services as juveniles also have access to counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers who help them overcome psychological distress.

Aside engaging in recreational activities to rebuild and enhance their skills and abilities, children also participate in other peculiar social activities.

Centre for Boys and Girls. These centers which are located at strategic areas in the state have over the years become a haven for children in desperate need of appropriate shelter, food, medical attention, basic hygiene and other social services.

Remarkably, the correctional homes

are structured to provide comprehensive services with schools and vocational centers where children go through normal academic session, vocational training, as well as social counseling. All these institutions with committed and competent workforce offer child-friendly, non-

Mbaka as End Time Gambling Opportunist Ben Ogu Mbaka admonishes controversial Catholic Priest, Ejike Mbaka, and accuses him of serving partisan political interests

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ince 2015, Rev. Fr. Mbaka has found intimacy with political harlotry but in a very treacherous and malicious manner unbecoming of a priest.

As a fellow Catholic priest, I am embarrassed by Fr. Mbaka’s materialistic and opportunistic gambling in the name of prophecy, and the condoning silence kept over his merchandise by those who should stop him, especially his superior and boss, Bishop Onaga, who, for very strange reason, seems to look away.

Unlike the Catholic Church that usually cautions her ministers when they err and derail, Fr. Mbaka operates like the independent and autonomous pastors of the new generation churches who freely act uncontrolled and unchallenged.

Many suspiciously argue and believe that he is paying his episcopal due to gag and make those who should caution him to look away from his abuse and excesses.

Otherwise, no one would have ordinarily created the disgraceful public scene he did with Peter Obi prior to the 2018 elections and remain intact with his priestly faculty.

This is a burden of question on the episcopal integrity.

As a priest and citizen, Fr. Mbaka deserves the right, and in fact, the responsibility and duty in conscience, to speak on the politics of the state, especially, in solidarity with the oppressed masses and how they will be liberated from the clutches of the ruling oppressive aristocrats. What is worrisome is that, in his gambling prediction, Fr. Mbaka patronizes the negative and failure and those that oppress the common man.

In his prophecy, he is rather confident in the function and triumph of corruption in Nigeria, and always calculates carefully where the pendulum of the power of political manipulation and corruption would have victory and pitches his prediction there. If it coincidentally works, then, he becomes an acknowledged true and genuine prophet. This is common with most Nigerian pastors.

Accordingly, in the case of his present ranting against Ihedioha and Imo state, it is easy to read his malicious mind in the logic of that calculation. He simply

believed that, since President Buhari is APC, and the entire tool of the Supreme Court is at his command, and since Hope Uzodimma is APC, it was likely that, in the Nigerian characteristic, the Supreme Court and the President certainly and corruptly tipped in favour of Hope and APC. Why did he not predict in favour of AA that came second in the election and is the imagined stronger contender than APC, or in favour of APGA that is futile contender, but both of who are not APC and ruling party?

It is easy to know that Fr Mbaka always predicts and forecasts on three factors, namely, the advantage of our presumed conventional corruption, the advantage of incumbency and thirdly, his bias against those that refuse to yield to his netting money trap. For instance, in 2015, he merely cashed on the conspiracy and overwhelming disenchantment against GoodLuck Jonathan and incited the populace against him to legitimize his prediction. Yet, he failed in his prediction to prove that the alternative to Jonathan would be better and the panacea for Nigeria.

In fact, his “prophecy” resulted in a doom incomparable to Jonathan’s era and made it a reminiscing nolstagia. Again, in 2019 election, he simply calculated and imagined that either for the advantage of the power of incumbency or use of the Supreme Court, APC and Buhari will certainly have their way, even without winning the election. And again, by not yielding to his intimidation to satisfy his thirst for money, Peter Obi’s wise retreat to fill his pocket, added to the factor of his selfish prediction. He then cashed on these factors to predict that PDP will lose the election. But then, it is still questionable if APC won the 2019 election, except for the intimidation and the gratuitous declaration of their supreme court as his gambling hoped for and clicked.

-Fr. Ogu, a Catholic Priest wrote from Ahiara Diocese NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

Admission Admission into the centre is through care order issued by the courts, mostly from the 11 Family Courts in Lagos State which is guaranteed under the Child Rights Law. Since only court can legalize the admittance of a child into the home, a delinquent child or one guilty of committing a grievous crime is referred to the Special Correctional Centre for adequate psychological therapy and protection while social investigation is conducted for an effective treatment plan.

Majority of the children in these homes particularly the correctional centers are however rescued from streets across Lagos by agencies of government after being abandoned or left destitute by their parents or supposed guardians. Officials at the centre carry out home tracing of the wards’ parents or families to inform them of their child’s presence in the correctional home and if the need to release any child to the parent or family member arises, the court will give its mandate with stringent conditions taking into consideration the safety and care of such child.

Additionally, as part of the reintegration process, children who have completed the Junior Secondary School education at the center are offered admission into Schools anywhere in the State to complete their secondary education; this offers them a sense of belongings and improves their self-esteem.

The nature of Lagos being a cosmopolitan city where people from all walks of life enjoy the same socio-economic opportunities is typified in these centres as children from different parts of the country and beyond who were rescued from the street as destitute occupies a sizable percentage in these homes. While the state government through the Ministry of Youth and Social Development facilitates permanent placement for children who cannot return home, children from neighboring countries like; Niger Republic, Republic of Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cameroun and others are also present, receiving the same quality services.

A Robust Integration Considering the sensitivity and complexity involved in the running of correctional centres, the state government through the Ministry of Youth and Social Development has developed a robust integration plan with both local and international development partners to improve the overall quality of the centers while helping the children to achieve their potential and contribute positively to national growth and development.

Thus, the fact remains that, through concerted effort and sincere gesture, every child can accomplish his or her vision. All they need is the support to develop in an environment where they feel secure and safe. It is significant that early prevention strategies, interventions and programme to ensure children’s welfare, health and well-being are guaranteed is critical.

The overall strategy must spell out a paradigm shift in the way government and civil societies approach the right to protection of children. By having sustainable safeguarding policies and procedure towards preventing more and more children falling out of safety nets, the society will breathe a sigh of relieve.

-Akinfenwa is of the Lagos State Ministry of Information & Strategy

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NEWS

Sylva: Why Nigeria Can’t Join Climate Change Advocacy Now Onyema seeks deep participation in capital market Peter Uzoho Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has stated that Nigeria cannot join the race for climate change yet because it has to transit to gas and has not attained it base load yet.

He spoke against the rising global concerns about the dangers of climate change largely caused by activities of oil exploration and the use of fossil fuel, leading to the call for the world to shift towards renewable energy to save the environment.

Sylva spoke yesterday on the sidelines of the 50th World Economic forum holding in Davos, Switzerland.

The minister, who spoke exclusively to Arise TV, the sister broadcast arm of THISDAY, said the protracted Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) would be passed this year.

He added that the Nigerian delegation expected a lot from the summit and that it had put its perspective on the table for the world to begin to consider them.

Sylva said: “We have put our perspective on the table, and I think the world will begin to consider our perspective. One of those areas, if you ask me, is climate change. The world has been talking about climate change and movement to renewable; we cannot join that race as yet, because we have not attained our base load. “We need to at least transit to gas before we can join the race to renewable and we are putting that on the table for the world to understand and to know that they cannot expect us to join the race to renewable as yet.�

While exonerating oil producing nations of alleged insensitivity to the call for action to save the environment, Sylva said: “It is not as if oil producers are not listening at all; what we are saying is that gas should be used as a transition from fuel.

The argument is not really about renewable; it is about carbon emission. “Of course, gas produces lower carbon emission. So,

we should try to transit to gas before we join the race to renewable. The West has gotten there but we have not quite gotten there yet. If they are spending a trillion for example in Europe to subsidise renewable, then we wonder why that kind of money is not being spent in places where the emissions are produced.�

On whether OPEC was likely to extend the additional production cuts for the first quarter of 2020, he said: “Well, it is very likely. It is still premature for me to discuss that because we will go to Vienna in March and then we will take the decision. But we believe that the OPEC+ will hold, and if it holds, then the policies will also hold. And right now we don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t sustain the cuts.�

The minister also reassured the oil and gas sector that the PIB would be passed by the middle of this year, adding that it is unfortunate that the bill has been delayed for a long time.

“I can tell you authoritatively that we have come to the end of the waiting. We believe that by the middle of this year, the PIB will be passed. You know the government today shares a good relationship with the legislature; we are working together; we are on the same page and there is consensus that this bill needs to be passed now,� he stated.

On calls for the removal of subsidy on petrol, especially the advice from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he said: “The IMF has never always been right.

We know that they have said that before; they took us to the part of Structural Adjustment Programme and you can see where we are now.�

According to him, now is not the best time to remove fuel subsidy because of the burden it would have on the common man, but the government is planning towards that. “We are trying to see how we can introduce a transitional fuel. I mean, we want to move

a lot of vehicles on Nigerian roads to gas so that after a while, people will not really bother so much about PMS, and then we can take out subsidy on PMS,� Sylva said.

Also, on whether the NNPC will be privatised to make it more profitable and more efficient, he said: “In the PIB law, NNPC will be incorporated and the JVs will also be incorporated so that they can go out there and get funds through their activities.

It is not necessarily going to be privatised in a way people are looking at it, but it is going to be incorporated.�

Also, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema, stressed the need for more financial literacy drive to improve participation of citizens in the nation’s financial/capital market sector.

Onyema told Arise Television on the sidelines of the WEF in Davos: “The first thing to note is that where we are in our development stage as a country, we are classified as a frontier market.

That means that there is still a lot of opportunity to grow into an emerging market, and then to grow into an advanced market. So, the Nigerian Stock Exchange is very reflective of the current state of the country in terms of where we are from a developmental perspective. “Another important thing to note is the level of financial literacy. You can’t have financial literacy without having literacy to start with. So, we must do better job as a nation to drive improvement in literacy and in financial literacy. If you look at the banking industry, the number of individual accounts that people have is about 35 million. “You can’t even access the capital market without an account. We have done a lot of things to improve the experience when you engage the market, be it from an issuance perspective to a trading perspective where we have introduced to some of the best technology platforms across the world.�

TI’S LATEST RATING OF NIGERIA WITHOUT BASIS, SAYS FG under Buhari.

It stated: “The claim and inference by TI that Nigeria ranks the fourth most corrupt country in West Africa is totally unacceptable, as it is evidently not supported by any empirical data, especially when placed side-by-side with the remarkable achievements of the Commission in the past years. “Moreover, it is quite ironic that the report by TI posits that the index does not show real incidences of corruption, yet it claims that the report is a reliable indication of the perception of the Nigerian public and the international community about the state of corruption in the country. “Suffice to state that in 2019 – the year under review

by TI– was particularly a remarkable one for the EFCC as the Commission secured unprecedented record of 1,268 convictions, including that of a former state governor and a serving senator, who was convicted for defrauding his state to the tune of N7.65billion.

It was a landmark in the fight against corruption never achieved across the West African region, indeed, Africa at large. This is among several high profile cases, which were successfully prosecuted during the year with many of them currently serving various jail terms.� “All these achievements are not hidden. It is unfortunate that the body has never acknowledged the achievements of the EFCC. It is obvious that the body has its own hidden agenda,� EFCC added.

The agency insisted that it would not be “distracted by a body that has been consistent in its biased rating of Nigeria, and will continue in its mandate

of fighting corruption.�

PDP Mocks Presidency over Corruption Rating Meanwhile, the PDP said the damning 2019 corruption index report on Nigeria by TI further validated its position that corruption had worsened under Buhari and APC. In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, the main opposition party described as a national embarrassment that under an administration by the same leader, who wears the medal as “African Union (AU) Anti-Corruption Champion,� and whose government boasts zero tolerance for corruption, the nation now ranks as fourth most corrupt country in West African and one of the leading most corrupt countries of the world.

The TI report, PDP said, showed that the country dropping to a malodorous 26, from the already disapproving 27 points it maintained since 2017, had further exposed the Buhari administration and the APC as merely posturing as saints and hounding innocent Nigerians with fake anticorruption war, while engaging in an unprecedented looting of national resources.

"It indeed speaks volume that the Buhari administration and the APC that came into power in 2015 on an anti-corruption mantra, has ended up becoming the most corrupt in the history of our dear nation.

"The fact that the APC and its government, with their numerous megaphones, have remained silent over the report is also very revealing,� the party added.

COMPROMISE MEETING...

L-R: Osun State Governor, Alhaji Adegbyega Oyetola; Oyo State Deputy Governor, Mr. Rauf Olaniyan; Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami; Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, and Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), after a closed door meeting among the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Justice Minister and the South-west governors over Amotekun at the Presidential Villa, Abuja... yesterday godwin omoigu

FG SUSPENDS SALARIES OF TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS’ WORKERS NOT ON IPPIS (CRF) should be enrolled on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).

"In order to actualise this directive, you are please requested not to release funds for payments of the tertiary institutions as their salaries will henceforth be paid on the IPPIS Platform with effect from January 2020,� part of the letter read.

Efforts by THISDAY to reach Olufehinti for his comment on this latest directive proved abortive as he did not respond to phone calls.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has consistently kicked against

enrollment in IPPIS, saying the central payroll system violates university autonomy.

But at a recent meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, the president had urged the university lecturers to enroll in the scheme and support his efforts to fight corruption.

The federal government also stated at the meeting that up to 70 per cent of university lecturers had enrolled in the system, an indication of its acceptance by the majority of the teachers.

A government team, which had the Minister of Education, Mr. Adamu Adamu; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs.

Zainab Ahmed; Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige; and the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, participated at the meeting.

But in their response on the outcome of the meeting, ASUU had said Buhari did not put a closure to the ongoing discussion on the union’s preference for the University Transparency and Accountability System (UTAS), it conceived, against the government-backed IPPIS. National President of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, had said in a statement that Buhari did not also direct that the salaries of ASUU members be stopped for failure to enroll

in IPPIS. Ogunyemi had added that Buhari agreed with ASUU that the university education holds the key to the future of the country, adding that the president noted with interest that the Minister of Education had a lot of work to do and handed over the union’s position paper to the minister.

Ogunyemi denied reports that the meeting was all about IPPIS, adding that the meeting was conceived on the broad context of education and national development with the Triple Helix principles as established in China, Singapore, Malaysia and other emerging economic powers.

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BUSINESSWORLD

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

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Quick Takes Paga Acquires US Software Company

Mobilemoneyoperator,Paga,hasannounceditsacquisitionofApposit, atechnologycompanybasedinAddisAbaba. Paga’sglobalvisionhas ledthecompanytopinpointEthiopiaasoneoftheviablecountrieswith similarcashandpaymentproblemsidentifiedinNigeriaandintroduce itsservicestothemarket.ThecompanysaidacquiringAppositprovides it with an instant go-to-market strategy to launch the Paga service in Ethiopia,underthevastexperienceandleadershipofAdamAbate,Apposit co-founder and CEO, who will now become the CEO of Paga Ethiopia.

The company will now also own Apposit’s other in-house technology products,TerraandTangio.

Terraisadigitalagriculturalplatformthatprovidesproductsandtools tocollect,manageandanalysedatainagriculturalvaluechains.TheTerra platform harnesses the power of data to improve decision-making in agriculture.Tangioisasalesforceautomationplatformformanufacturers and distributors of FMCG products. It provides companies the tools andintelligencetoplanandexecutetheirroutetomarketstrategies. “TheacquisitionofAppositbyPagaisaverynaturalprogressioninthe closerelationshipwehaveenjoyedwithPagaoverthelast10years.We are excited to join forces with Paga at a time where Ethiopia embarks inearnestonitsdigitaltransformation. “Asonecompanywewillsolvetheuseofcashandbringaccesstofinance tomillionsofpeopleinEthiopiaandbeyond.Ourcompaniesarestrongly alignedintermsofvalues,culture,andpurpose,andleveragingPaga’svast experienceandrobustpaymentsplatformwillpositionusforsuccess,� notedAdamAbate,Apposit’sCEO. “WealsolookforwardtostrengtheningPaga’sproductteamandcontinuing tobuildtechnologythatwillbeusedglobally,�headded.

GLAD TO MEET YOU

Managing Director, Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala-Usman (left), presenting a plaque to the Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Noimot Oyedele-Salako, during her courtesy visit to the NPA headquarters in Lagos‌recently

‘Why Nigerian Airports Are Unviable’ Chinedu Eze The Chief Operating Officer of Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi, has said the reason why Nigerian airports are not generating enough funds that can be used for their maintenance is because they are not commercially viable.

Sanusi, who spoke to THISDAY, in an exclusive interview, said political, rather than economic consideration, was the major reason why some airports in Nigeria are built.

However, he noted the importance of having many airports in the country because of its size.

This, he said, would facilitate quicker connection between one part of the country to another.

But, he insisted that in building

AVIATION such airports, their commercial viability should be a critical factor in considering where such airports should be located.

The Aero CEO also talked about creating business centres at airports by establishing non-aeronautical enterprises to attract both users and non-users to seek and pay for services at the airports.

Sanusi, also emphasised that the landing aids and other critical facilities installed at an airport should be determined by its utility, noting that a runway where airplanes do not land in the night does not need night landing facilities. “Every airport is supposed to

be built based on commercial viability. Every landing instrument or lightening system in the airport must be based on commercial viability. If commercial airplanes don’t land at night in the airports, why will you go and invest between $2 million or $3 million there, which you will not use? So everything has to be commercially driven. “We have about 26 airports in the country. Do we need these instruments in all the airports?

No. This is because some of them are not commercially viable.

Do we need to have the entire lighting systems for the airport?

No because some of them are not going to be used for night operations but the ones that need to have lighting, then the lights must work and it must be 24

hours. The airport traffic system must sustain the lightening systems,� Sanusi said.

He said every airport should be judged by the volume of traffic it receives, saying that an international airport, which records high volume of traffic, especially in the night must have critical night landing facilities, which must be utilised in economically reasonable way so that it would not be a waste of resources.

Sanusi, said the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, remains the busiest airport in Nigeria and ought to have all the necessary facilities for safe flight operations all the time.

Continued on page 22

NIMASA’s Floating Dockyard Accumulates $10.44m Demurrage in One Year Eromosele Abiodun Following the insecurity in the Niger Delta region, the floating dockyard acquired by the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in 2018, is currently gulping $30, 000 per day, which translates to $10.440 million (N3.758 billion) a year in demurrage charges, the agency has said.

The modular floating dockyard, which arrived the country about two years ago, was expected to save the federal government $100 million annually and $1 billion in ten years via a direct saving from the dry docking of vessels operating in Nigeria, which is mostly done

MARITIME outside the country.

However, the floating dockyard designed to berth in Okerenkoko Delta State, the permanent site of the Nigerian Maritime University, has been lying idle at the Naval Dockyard in Victoria Island Lagos.

Providing more details at a press briefing organised by the agency in Lagos, the Executive Director Operations of NIMASA, Rotimi Fashakin, explained that the insecurity in the Niger Delta region made it difficult for NIMASA to berth the dock at Okerenkoko as originally conceptualised.

Fashakin, confirmed that

the multi-billion-naira facility is currently lying fallow at the Naval dockyard pending when the agency would get a permanent location to operate it.

He said: “Initially when the floating dock was acquired, the design was for it to berth in Delta State. But even at that time, there were a lot of reports advising to the contrary, there were lots of surveys advising to the contrary, these reports are still there till date. “When we got here, we were forced to review all these reports and take a decision that we think would serve all interest in the shipping community. The floating dock was not conceptualized by the Dakuku Peterside administra-

tion, we only inherited it just like the Buhari administration inherits projects and goes ahead to actualise it� “Indeed, the floating dock was supposed to go to Okerenkoko in Delta State, but the conditions that exist now, for the dock to get to Okerenkoko now is almost impossible. A dock is supposed to serve the shipping community as a commercial facility, but which company or vessel would be bold enough to travel to Delta State because of the insecurity?�

He added: “When the dock landed in Nigeria, there were various state governments that requested for it, all these are on Continued on page 22

‘S’ African Airways Should Be Saved’

Heavily-indebtedSouthAfricanAirways(SAA)shouldberetainedasa nationalairlinebutneedssubstantialrestructuring,atopofficialinthe governingAfricanNationalCongress(ANC)partysaidonWednesday.

SAAisrunningoutofcashafterthegovernmentfailedtoprovide2billion rand ($138 million) of emergency funding it promised when the airline enteredaformofbankruptcyprotectionlastmonth,Reutersdisclosed.

GovernmentofficialssaidtheystillwanttogiveSAAthepromisedfunds, butFinanceMinisterTitoMboweni,isinsistingthetransferbedoneina waythatavoidsincreasingthecountry’sbudgetdeficit.

Time is running out for potential options that include the sale of state assets. “SAAshouldberetainedasanationalairline,whichwillrequiresubstantial restructuring.TheCabinetshouldtaketheoperationaldecisionsneeded toachievethis,�ANCSecretaryGeneralAceMagashuletoldreporters.

Magashule, one of the ANC’s top six officials, was among those who attended a four-day meeting of ANC leaders to debate the economy andstrugglingstatefirmsthatendedonMonday.

SAA is among several South African state entities, including power companyEskom,thataremiredinfinancialcrisisafternearlyadecade ofmismanagement.

State companies’ financial problems are seen as one of the biggest threats to Africa’s most industrialised economy and have helped to pushthecountry’screditratingtothebrinkofjunkstatus.

Airbus to Increase Production Capability

Following its strategy to increase industrial capacity and flexibility, AirbushasdecidedtocreatenewA321productioncapabilitiesatitssite inToulouse.Thecompanysaidbymid-2022thecurrentA380Lagardère facility inToulouse would accommodate a digitally- enabled A321 line as a step to modernise the A320 production system inToulouse.The newfacilitieswouldprovidemoreflexibilityforA321production,while keepingtheoverallsingleaisleindustrialcapacityinToulouseflat. “WeareenjoyinganunprecedentedhighdemandforourwinningA320neo FamilyandespeciallyitsA321LongRange(LR)andXtraLongRange(XLR) derivatives,â€?saidMichaelSchoellhorn,AirbusChiefOperatingOfficer. “Inordertooptimisetheindustrialflow,wehavedecidedtoincreaseour globalA321productioncapacityandflexibilityaswellastoestablisha nextgenerationFinalAssemblyLineinToulouse.â€?

Currently, the only European Final Assembly Line to assemble A321s isatAirbus’Hamburgsite.Inaddition,theA321isalsobeingassembled anddeliveredfromMobile,Alabama,USA. Toulousewasselectedforseveralreasonssuchas:overallcompetitiveness, time to market, investment cost, available floor space and resources.

ThedecisionhasbeencommunicatedtoAirbus’socialpartners.

“We are in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health to prevent coronavirus from entering Nigeria.

We have adequate facilities to prevent it�

Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN),

Captain Rabiu Yadudu

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BUSINESSWORLD ‘WHY NIGERIAN AIRPORTS ARE UNVIABLE’ Recently the one of the two runways was installed with Category 3 Instrument Landing System (ILS), which enables aircraft to land and take off during low visibility, but was not in use because it was not calibrated, forcing some airlines to refuse to land at the airport and diverted their flights to neigbouring countries. “You can’t have an international airport with one of the runways not having landing lights. You can’t have two runways and you have an international airport where you have said it is 24hours operations without lightening systems. If in a year you are going to have one week or month where you will need CAT III, then you will go back and look at your traffic and see how many flights in that one whole month are coming and how many flights will be affected if they don’t have that CAT III system. “If the economics suggests that you need to make the investment, then you make the investment. If your airport does not have weather that requires CAT III, then you don’t need the CAT III. If it is for two days in a whole year that you have weather phenomena, you probably will not need that because it doesn’t show the commercial sense,� he said.

NIMASA’S FLOATING DOCKYARD ACCUMULATES $10.44M DEMURRAGE IN ONE YEAR record. When it came in, we thought of many ideas, first is to get an operator to operate it, but this is a government asset and not something you can just give to an operator, NIMASA is a regulator and not an operator, so giving the dock to an operator also needs to go through the bureaucracy of government. “The other thing was getting a place to berth it, if you know the complexity of a floating dock, the draft that you need to keep it and operate it is 12 meters. The contractor was spending over $30,000 keeping the dock afloat for many months and we had to pay many months demurrage on that. Eventually, we reached a situation where we had an agreement with the Naval Holdings Limited, a sub-sect of the Nigerian Navy to keep the dock.�

Group Lauds Buhari on Obiora’s Nomination as CBN Deputy Governor The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has described the nomination of Dr. Kingsley Obiora as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as a strategic step in fast-tracking economic recovery and development.

The NYCN in a statement signed by its President, Mr. Solomon Adodo, also lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for nominating the youthful economist of global repute.

According to the statement the nominee is to join forces with the central bank leadership in its effort to putting Nigeria on a sound economic pedestal.

Buhari had last week forwarded the name of Obiora to the Senate as a nominee for the Deputy Governor’s slot in the CBN, to replace Dr. Joseph Nnanna, who retires on February 2, 2020.

Obiora, 43, if confirmed, will become the youngest person to head the Economic Policy Directorate of the CBN. The News Agency of Nigeria quoted the statement to have said: “The Nigerian Youth are exceptionally proud of this particular appointment. “It is to us a testimony that President Muhammadu Buhari has trust and confidence in the ability of young persons to contribute to economic and other spheres of our national development. “Obiora is an experienced expert who has worked with

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Ogene

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Senior Correspondent

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

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

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leading financial institutions worldwide and his appointment will definitely add value to CBN operations. “The fact that he acquired his education from primary to PhD at home excites us more as it gives credence to our educational system and will thus rejuvenate the confidence of young people studying in Nigeria.�

According to the statement, Obiora’s appointment will avail the economic team of the government additional resources to make good policies.

It called on the National Assembly to expedite action in confirming his nomination. “Dr. Kingsley Obiora was educated here in Nigeria before he went abroad to acquire experience and he has been

around Nigeria since then, long enough to be familiar with our economic situation. “As Alternate Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington DC, we are confident that he will bring the experiences he acquired over the years to bear in his new assignment at the apex Bank.

“The nominee combines brilliant academic achievement with world-class experience at the IMF, making his choice as CBN Deputy Governor commendable. “More so, he is not just an academic theorist; he is hands on and from a world class financial institution,’’ the statement quoted Adodo as saying.

WOOING FOREIGN INVESTORS

Goverrnor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun (right), in a handshake with the Director, Agriculture and Dairy, United Green in the UK, Rod Bassett, during a meeting in London...recently

SPDC Operations Threatened as Crisis Hits Delta Host Community Sylvester Idowu in Warri The operations of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) is now under threat following a crisis that engulfed Sokebolou Community Trust in Ogulagha kingdom in Burutu Local Government area of Delta State.

Sokebolou Community Trust is a sub-unit of the Ogulagha Kingdom Cluster Development Board (OKCDB) under the Global Memorandum of Understanding, (GMoU) operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company, (SPDC) and communities in Ogulagha Kingdom.

The crisis according to THISDAY investigations, arose over alleged mismanagement of the purpose for which the GMoU was entered into with SPDC by Sokebolou Trust put in place for its implementation.

A member of the Sekobolou Community Trust, Mr. Freedom Adowei Binaebi, in reaction to the development, resigned his membership of the committee.

Adowei’s resignation was disclosed through a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Community Trust dated 16th January 2020, a copy of which was made available to THISDAY.

Binaebi, who has been a member of the Sokebolou Community Trust since the inception of the current board, said he resigned for reasons very personal to him in the letter.

The letter reads ‘’I, Mr. Freedom Adowei Binebai who has been a member of the Sekebolou Community Trust from the inception of the current board wish to officially write and inform you of my intention. “With reference to the above subject matter, I wish to resign my membership of the Sekobolou Community Trust of Ogulagha kingdom

upon receipt of this letter for reasons best known to me and�, it stated.

But speaking with THISDAY, Adowei alleged that his reasons for resignation, though personal, was based on his conviction that the GMoU was a scam to members of the Development Board.

According to him, as members of the Sokebolou Community Trust, it ought to be their responsibility to sample the opinions of members of Sokebolou community to know projects that were needed to be executed in the community noting that, as a member of such vital Trust, he has been

unaware of all the dealings with regards to the implementation of the GMoU. Adowei noted that based on his insistence that due process should be followed, some members of the Community Trust were surreptitiously moving to undo him, stressing that, “there are lots of issues surrounding award of scholarships with the host of other issues as member of the community Trust.�

The Community Liaison Officer of SPDC, who said he was not authorised to speak on the issue, however confided in THISDAY that the crisis was becoming a threat to the operations of the company.

Edo Partners Oxfam, Siemens, Others on Youth Empowerment Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

Group Business Editor

NEWS

The Edo State Skills Development Agency also known as EdoJobs in collaboration with Oxfam, Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Siemens, Market Development in Niger Delta (MADE) and Coven Labs has trained and empowered 29,269 youths across the 18 Local Government Areas of Edo State.

The Managing Director of EdoJobs, Mrs. Ukinebo Dare, who disclosed this in a chat with journalists, noted that the agency was looking to surpass Governor Godwin Obaseki’s promise to create 200,000 jobs at the end of his first term in office.

The youths were trained on various skills including solar

system design and installation, digital skills and marketing, web design and graphics, GSM and laptop repair, automobile engineering, POP tiling and paint production, Fashion and beauty, food production and sales, among others.

Some of the startups at the Edo Innovation Hub and the Edo Production Center also got seed support to the tune of N50 million from the different partners.

Other partnering organisations included Slot Foundation, Micliz Paint Industry Ltd, the Deutsche Gesellschaft fĂźr Internationale Zusammenarbei (GIZ) and the Genius Hub Global, among others.

The participants were also provided with stipends, starter packs and business support

packages, while several others were matched to employers for internship and employment after the training programmes.

According to Dare, while 161 youths were trained in the Edo Production Centre, 1376 were trained by Edo Food and Agriculture Cluster (EdoFAC) and 27,732 at the Edo Innovation Hub. She noted that the agency would intensify partnerships with more multinational companies for bespoke trainings in technology, innovation and solution-focused empowerment programmes in 2020. “EdoJobs is focused on impacting lives through various entrepreneurial programmes geared towards business inclined empowerment for Edo State residents.

In line with the vision of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration, the agency is committed to improving the lives of Edo people. This we have been doing in the last three years. “We will be having a loaded 2020 as we plan to strengthen partnership with local and international partners to ensure that we surpass the governor’s target to create more than 200,000 jobs at the end of his first term in office.�

She said skill acquisition and entrepreneurship development programmes were opportunities for more youths to gain sellable skills that would make them stand out as entrepreneurs and employers of labour.

She added, “Entrepreneur-

ship development will further address the problem of poverty, hunger, unemployment, and ever-rising criminality among youths in Edo State. Some of the programmes we are working on also target migrant returnees. “The training programmes include theoretical and practical aspects aimed at equipping youths with the right skill set to earn a living from their choice of endeavours. “The EdoJobs has continued to lead extensive skills development programmes across the state in furtherance of the Governor Godwin Obaseki -led administration’s vision to tackle the high rate of unemployment in Edo State through trainings and empowerment programmes.�

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BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

IATA Commends Air Peace on Safety Standards

Stories by Chinedu Eze

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has commended Air Peace for its consistency in sustaining its safety status since it passed its Operational Safety Audit (IOAS) three years ago.

The Head of Account Management, West and Central Africa, IATA, Dr. Samson Fatokun, gave the commendation to the airline in Lagos, recently, for upholding high standards of safety in its flight operations.

Fatokun, who gave the commendation while presenting the third IATA Operational Safety Audit, IOSA, certificate to the Chairman of Air Peace, Mr Allen Onyema, congratulated the airline’s team for achieving

the feat.

He declared that many airlines had started the safety audit but were unable to complete it. “It gives me joy to present this certificate today because I know it’s the fruit of painstaking effort of your team�, Fatokun said.

He stated that scaling through the third safety audit process was a testament to Air Peace’s commitment to maintaining high safety standards in its operations.

Fatokun, also said safety was IATA’s number one priority, remarking that for any airline to pass the safety audit, its safety compliance must be hundred percent, and Air Peace has met this prerequisite. “Many airlines are not able to

achieve this because they don’t have the discipline and hard work which have consistently earned Air Peace this safety recognition. The certificate gives the airline a global recognition as a hundred percent safetycompliant airline�, Fatokun averred.

In his remarks, Onyema affirmed that the IOSA certificate is something to be proud of, adding that Air Peace is becoming the emerging force in Africa’s aviation landscape.

He expressed gratitude to the IATA team and commended the entire Air Peace team for a successful safety audit.

He also assured that the airline would always align with global best practices and safety standards.

As FAAN Counts Losses over New Terminal Location

FAAN, NCC Move against Copyright Piracy The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) have agreed to work together for the development and implementation of a national anti-piracy strategy to address the sale of pirated books, films, music and other copyright infringing materials in and around the nation’s local and international airports.

The agencies also agreed to work out the modalities for proactive enforcement, to ensure that the interest of right owners are adequately protected in line with the federal government policy of guaranteeing adequate return on investment and growing the creative sector.

The Managing Director of FAAN, Captain Rabiu Yadudu, and Director-General of NCC, Mr. John O. Asein, made this known recently in during a consultative meeting held in Lagos.

Yadudu, assured that FAAN would partner with NCC to ensure that its premises do not become a safe haven for copyright criminals.

He reiterated the commitment of FAAN to support NCC in its renewed fight against piracy in Nigeria. “We are committed as government agencies to protect public interest even in copyright

matters and we owe a duty to assist each other in executing our mandates. The legal and commercial teams of FAAN will be deployed to assist NCC to strengthen its enforcement actions at airports across the country,� he said.

While decrying the pervasive piracy in all copyright sectors, the FAAN boss urged right owners and other stakeholders in the industry to address the challenges in the distribution networks so as to make genuine copyright works more readily available in the market.

Earlier, Asein expressed concern over the high volume of pirated materials at the nation’s airports and the negative impact of this, not only on the fortunes of right owners but also on the nation’s image.

He stressed that the criminal activities of a small percentage of Nigerians were capable of distorting the country’s image as a land of talented, industrious and law-abiding people.

Asein, noted with regret that the activities of pirates have adversely affected the educational sector and threatened the book industry.

According to the Director General, some of the authors whose books were highly pirated included those of Nobel laure-

ate, Prof. Wole Soyinka; former Presidents, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as well as Olusegun Adeniyi.

Explaining the commitment of NCC to ridding Nigeria of reckless distribution of pirated materials, he said his agency in collaboration with relevant sister agencies, would intensify efforts at different production, distribution and sales points; border posts; air and sea ports; hotels, malls and other public places; and on the streets, as part of a comprehensive action plan against all forms of piracy and copyright abuses. “The Commission needs FAAN as well as other regulatory and enforcement agencies as key partners in its renewed drive to curb wanton copyright infringement in Nigeria. We are committed to full implementation of our mandate for sustainable growth of the creative industry.

With your support, copyright piracy will not thrive under our watch�, he said.

A copyright stakeholder, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, while commending the initiative, said: “I am in constant dialogue with the DG of NCC and willing to assist the on-going efforts to check piracy in the interest of the creative industry.�

SAHCO Wins Ethiopia Airline Handling Contract The Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) Plc has been selected to provide ground handling services to Ethiopian Airlines at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, Nigeria.

SAHCO said before now it had been responsible for Cargo and Warehousing Handling services to the Ethiopian Airlines, the procurement of State-of-the-art equipment fitted with the latest technology, well trained and customer friendly staff, seamless, safe and speedy service delivery has made them to choose SAHCO as their sole ground handling partner. “Like many other international airline partners, Ethiopian Airlines which is the biggest airline in Africa

will now enjoy full professional ground handling and other related aviation services that SAHCO has always been known to render to her clients, using modern and up to date technologies. “With this new contract, Skyway Aviation Handling Company PLC will be responsible for Passenger Handling Services, Ramp and Baggage Handling Services, Cargo and Warehousing services and all aviation related handling services for Ethiopian Airlines,� the company said.

SAHCO said with constant investment in modern aviation ground support equipment it now has a team of engineers that can build ground support equipment from locally sourced

materials which is the first of its kind in Nigeria.

The company said it also has a team that is versed in the best of Departure Control systems in the aviation industry, World Tracer and BRS; world class warehousing services; unrivaled customer friendly service delivery in a safe, speedy and efficient culture; SAHCO has been a recipient of many airline providers moving from other handling companies to SAHCO to enjoy the best of services that SAHCO is reputed for being topnotch for.

SAHCO, a Public Limited Liability company is the only aviation ground handling service provider that is present in all commercially operated airports in Nigeria.

Kwara Hajj

New Terminal, MMIA

Chinedu Eze Beside structural deficiencies of the new terminal at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, the location of the facility may cost the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) huge amount of money as compensation for the existing structures that must be demolished to expand and make the terminal functional.

The buildings and facilities expected that would be removed before the terminal could accommodate wide body aircraft including the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), head office, the private terminals for business jets, including Dominion, EAN Aviation (Evergreen), Pilots Crew building and Caverton Helicopters terminal.

The location of the facility was a second choice after the right place near the international runway 18R, where the terminal ought to have been built, was embroiled in legal tussle between Chief Harry Akande (who secured ownership of the land many years ago) and FAAN, which ceded the property to Akande, but still wanted to use it for the terminal.

Locating the new terminal at its current place has been fraught with many problems.

Many industry pundits said that it was a bad decision that was made.

A study on the infrastructural limitation of the terminal, funded by the then Ministry of Transportation, disclosed that there are many facilities that must be relocated before the terminal would become operational.

The report, which was carried out by Arcaid, Architects and Environmental Consultants on the four new international terminals located at the airports in Kano, Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt revealed that facilities built at the cost of $600 million lacked essential facilities.

In Lagos, for the terminal to become fully functional, the fire service building, the control tower must be relocated. The studies also revealed that essential facilities that were absent in the new terminals included landside link, which ought to link the new terminal to the old, drop off canopy, access roads, apron and taxiway, water treatment upgrade and power improvement equipment.

Industry sources blamed FAAN for not exhausting the possibilities of taking over

The new terminal is sitting on the cables that supply power to the airport and that was why there were many power cuts when it was under construction

the right location meant for the terminal in Lagos by negotiating with Chief Harry Akande, instead of going to court with him.

An operator of one of the major private facilities at the airport told THISDAY that if FAAN had insisted to take over the land on the grounds of public interest, it would have nullified any other claim over the land

by Akande.

Akande on the other hand, had told THISDAY that if FAAN had approached him and negotiated instead of being standoffish and grandstanding, he would have conceded the land. But the agency chose to go to court and lost the case to Akande.

The operator said FAAN ought to be visionary, noting that passenger traffic would continue to grow. So, he said the agency ought to provide facilities that would accommodate it, adding that the whole space from the new six-story car park to the Blue Lodge Hotel should be left for multi-story car pack that would be built in future. “If FAAN had insisted that it wanted that land on public interest it would have taken it over and this current problem wouldn’t have arisen. “Now, FAAN should know that passenger traffic is growing rapidly, so it should not concession the land between the current car park and the Blue Lodge Hotel because that is where more multi-story car parks should be built. All international airports have large parking facilities, Lagos airport won’t be different,� he said.

Lamenting the wrong decision to site the new terminal at its current location, a top official of FAAN told THISDAY, “If we really need the full service of that new terminal it means that the Dominion private jet terminal, the pilots rest room, the EAN, AIB and the Caverton facility will be removed so that the apron of the terminal will be extended to those areas. This will enable wide body aircraft to land at the terminal. That is, if we really want a good terminal. “There is no big aircraft that can go there without that expansion, no avio bridge is being installed and the link is being built between the old terminal and the new but the new will be grossly underutilised without that expansion. “The new terminal is sitting on the cables that supply power to the airport and that was why there were many power cuts when it was under construction. It was a mistake to have located the terminal there, but for its full utilisation, demolition of those other property is inevitable,� the FAAN official said.

The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, had condemned the location of the terminal, saying the planning of the project did not envisage that the building would lead to additional works, power and water supply, adding that it was also discovered that the building would block both the control and fire towers which would require relocation, so additional work was required to link it with the existing terminal as well as expanding the apron to accommodate bigger air planes.

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Support for Visa on Arrival Policy Aviation industry stakeholders posit that Nigeria will gain a lot more if it embraces the visa on arrival policy, writes Chinedu Eze writes

V

isa on arrival policy has supported economic activities in many countries in Africa. Because of its many gains in many areas, which include government revenue, tourism and increase in passenger traffic for local airlines; many stakeholders have called for the adoption of the policy.

They explained that visa on arrival, as practiced in some African countries, do not require prior notice like e-visa, where the applicant would make request online and pay, which they deemed cumbersome.

President Mohamadu Buhari, had announced Nigeria would offer visa on arrival for Africans. He had while holding a meeting in Egypt, December 11, 2019, assuring that the new policy would be implemented from January 2020.

But since then the Nigerian Immigration Service, THISDAY learnt, was yet to fully implement the policy.

The Mix Up On January 6, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) issued a public release, detailing what it described as visa on arrival on its website.

It had stated that, “This is to notify the General Public that Nigeria Immigration Service has rolled out a new Visa on Arrival Application Process for all Business Travelers and African Union (AU) countries, except for ECOWAS member countries.�

According to details on the NIS website, the visa on arrival is available to frequently traveled, high net worth investors with business interest in Nigeria; and citizens of African countries.

For African nationals to apply for a visa, they need to visit the NIS portal and follow the instructions after selecting the option, ‘Visa on Arrival’.

But experts have insisted that this is not visa on arrival but e-visa, where the applicant is expected to apply online before he would be worthy to meet the conditions prescribed by Immigration.

They said that you don’t need prior notice before you benefit from visa on arrival. In Ethiopia, Rwanda, Ghana, Mozambique, Seychelles, Kenya where visa on arrival is practiced, passengers arrive the airport with their passport and go to Immigration where they are documented and given visa.

The Chairman of Quits Aviation, a business jet terminal at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Sam Iwuakoju spoke to THISDAY on the benefits of visa on arrival and emphasised that there should be no more delay in adopting the policy, as Buhari had already given his blessing in what he described as the President’s visionary idea. “Visa on arrival is highly beneficial to our country and the economy. Other countries that are not up to Nigeria are doing visa on arrival.

These include countries like Ghana, which is our neighbour, Kenya, Uganda, Seychelles and Rwanda. Also Mozambique and Ethiopia are operating visa on arrival. For Nigeria to do visa on arrival properly, there should be no pre-arrival process from Abuja. That is not proper visa on arrival but e-visa. “Nigeria should adopt visa on arrival the way it is being done by other African countries.

The proper way refers to the system that looks at the security implication and x-rays applicants to ensure they are not security risk and that way is the adoption of finger print and biometric at the port of entry. By doing that you have data of everybody coming into Nigeria or leaving Nigeria.

This is what is practiced in those countries I just mentioned,� he said.

He explained that what Nigeria is doing now as visa on arrival is akin to what is obtainable in Dubai, where those who meant to travel apply online to obtain their visa, but the difference is that while the applicant can obtain his visa online, in the case of Dubai; in Nigeria, the dully filled visa application only is given validity with a visa on arrival.

Iwuajoku, described this as cumbersome process and said that the Nigerian online system is not yet well developed and that explained why many who tried to apply for it experience hiccups with network issues. “We said we are the giant of Africa. We cannot be the giant of Africa and close our door to people from other countries. We have the population; we have the market and our country is like the Hollywood of Africa. “We have the entertainment industry; Nollywood industry and others. So most people want to come to Nigeria. By doing that, we open our tourism industry as big business in Nigeria. You cannot make it difficult for people to come into our country, he said.

Iwuajoku, cited example with Ghana and observed that the country liberalised process with visa on arrival and raking in huge revenue for the government. “Look at Ghana, which is next door to us.

You come in from anywhere with your passport, you pay $100. They give you visa on arrival.

By paying that $100, government is instantly making money. “When the man steps out of the airport, he gets a taxi and pays the taxi. He checks into a hotel and pays for the accommodation, pays for the food. This is how the economy works.

Nigeria cannot work in isolation. People are laughing at us. We are behind. We must stop doing things in ancient way. We must start visa on arrival regime.

Security Challenge The Chairman of Quits Aviation noted that

the issue of security should not discourage the laudable policy, saying that with the capture of every applicant with biometrics and fingerprints, the Nigeria Immigration would keep the record of inbound and outbound foreigners that benefitted from the process. He also noted that people who travel through the airports with their passports and go for proper documentation rarely constitute security threats, but those who go through land borders, which is where government must monitor effectively. He added that countries with terror threats like Kenya has been implementing visa on arrival policy for years. “If they are talking about security, as long as they have biometrics and finger print, they can profile every applicant and ensure that there is no infringement in security. But that should not discourage us from embracing visa on arrival.

After all, there is insecurity in Kenya, where Al Shabab is holding sway. There are also security issues in Ethiopia where some tribes are warring against the state; yet, they opened the country for visa on arrival. “I wish to point out also that the system at the airports is not security porous. It is tight. So allowing people to enter Nigeria through the airports cannot endanger the country. Immigration and security operatives should border about those who cross to Nigeria through land or sea. “That is where we should put a serious check on security. We should not use the Dubai system, which has adopted e-visa as our own system.

We should adopt the system our African sisters have adopted, which is working effectively. “The economic dynamics of Dubai is different from the dynamics in Africa. We should emulate the other African countries doing it. We should look at the benefits,� Iwuajoku said.

Speaking in the same vein, Travel expert and organiser of Akwaaba African Travel Market, Ikechi Uko, said visa on arrival would provide the trajectory for tourism industry in Nigeria.

He said to overcome security fears, government should limit visa on arrival to the five international airports in the country. “To overcome security fears, government can insist that visa on arrival can only be obtained at the five international airports in the country.

So if anyone wants to benefit from the policy he will travel by air. “This will enable concerned security operatives and Immigration to comprehensively screen those that will benefit from the policy,� Uko said.

On the benefits of visa on arrival, the travel expert remarked that it would help tourism in Nigeria to grow. It will also help trade, but said that Nigeria should offer visa on arrival to Africans on the condition of reciprocity; that other African countries should also offer similar policy to Nigerians and if after 12 months of the implementation of the policy, any African

country that does not offer similar diplomatic gesture to Nigeria would be withdrawn from benefitting from the policy.

Economic Boost Speaking on the economic gains of visa on arrival, the Chairman of Quits Aviation recalled, “When we went to open Dangote’s cement factory in Ethiopia. We applied for visa at the Ethiopian embassy. At that time, they had not embraced visa on arrival policy, but six months later, the country adopted the visa on arrival regime. “Their visa on arrival is only $50. The President of Ethiopia told Mr. Dangote that when the country adopted the visa on arrival policy, its economy grew by 30 per cent. This is because with visa on arrival more people started coming to the country. “If Nigeria embraces visa on arrival policy, not only that it would boost Nigerian revenue, but you have to also know that in West Africa, Nigeria has the biggest airline industry. “Many people in West Africa would like to travel to Nigeria. Businessmen who hitherto travel to some other countries in the sub-region would come to Nigeria, taking advantage of the new visa regime as tourists,� he said.

Iwuajoku, said visa on arrival is a key way to develop tourism and provide market for service providers like the hospitality industry and other business. “This is how tourism is developed. We have lovely beaches yearning to be developed. If we don’t do visa on arrival because of security, it means that Boko Haram has defeated us. This is because the aim of the terrorists is to strangulate our economy. If we yield to them they will succeed. “I commend the federal government for taking that initiative. Nobody should try to discourage Mr. President. I voted for him because I believed in his development agenda and he has not disappointed. “I like his vision. People should not sabotage him. They should obey the President’s directive by issuing visa on arrival. The Ministry of Internal Affairs will see the benefits. The dollar income the Ministry will generate will be so huge that they won’t ask the government for money again,� he said.

Iwuajoku, suggested that what the government should do is to direct airlines operating into Nigeria to allow people to come into the country without visa because they will get their visa on arrival.

He said if fully embraced the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos would become a hub, as more Africans would come to Nigeria, as tourists and this would also give vent to the development of transit facilities by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

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BUSINESSWORLD

MARITIME

Fresh Move to Resolve Apapa TrafďŹ c Crisis Eromosele Abiodun writes on fresh move by the Nigerian Shippers Council to rally stakeholders on strategies to end the gridlock at the Apapa port access roads

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ith the Apapa traffic crisis approaching frightening dimension and fear of port congestion looming, the Executive Secretary/CEO of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Hassan Bello did the unusual by cutting short his annual leave to rally stakeholders to find urgent solution to the crisis. The recent intervention is not the first time he has taken such steps. To be clear, it is not the duty of the NSC to ensure ease of movement of cargo in and out of the port. The NSC is the nation’s port economic regulator.

In line with the federal government port reform agenda, the NSC was appointed the Port Economic Regulator in February 2014, to create effective regulatory regime at the Nigerian ports for the control of tariff, rates, charges and other economic services.

The functions of the NSC as port economic regulator are as follows: provide guidelines on tariff setting in order to guide against arbitrariness; monitor and enforce standards of service delivery to ensure availability, accessibility, affordability, stability, predictability and adequacy of services; encourage competition and guard against the abuse of monopoly and dominant market positions and perform mediatory role among stakeholders.

Others are: establish accessible and modern dispute resolution mechanism; regulate market entry and exit; promote efficiency in the provision of port services; minimise high cost of doing business and prevent its inflationary effect on the Nigerian economy; encourage private sector investment in the port sector and monitor and ensure compliance by all parties with the provisions of the Port Concession Agreements.

However, the NSC has taken the front seat in the effort to rid Apapa of traffic gridlock so as to avoid a total shutdown of activity at the port due to the high volumes of cargo coming into Nigeria as a result of the closure of land borders by the federal government.

Need for efďŹ ciency Speaking when he led officials of the NSC and Presidential Task Team on a visit to APM terminals in Lagos, Bello called on terminal operators to improve on efficiency by effectively deploying their equipment to salvage to the situation.

The NSC boss during the meeting with officials of APMT said: “We are apprehensive of the congestion on the road and at the sea and vessels taking much longer time to come in. Your efficiency has much to do with this, we also always concerned about your operation, we understand the challenges you face. We also want to sit down with you and see how we can come to a conclusion. “I am concerned with the cost to shippers, there have been some delays and the delays come with cost attachment especially with the ship coming late and demurrage and late evacuation of cargo where the shippers with the consignees through no course of theirs have been slammed with some demurrage and I think we have been on this issue for a very long time. We discussed with the Vice President about a month ago and we feel that shippers should not suffer or bear the cost of delays occasioned by terminals or other factors.�

He added: “We have said that this period of before the clock turns should be extended from three days to 10 days because in other countries it is seven days free period. This has been under consideration and we have discussed this with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPSA) and all the terminals. Now this is the biggest terminal for containers, you are doing quite a lot but we are disturbed first of all with the cost. People should not be slammed with cost for what they are not guilty of.

Your efficiency or otherwise has a lot to do

Bello

with what is happening, how you deploy your equipment has a lot to do with the traffic situation.�

Also speaking, Executive Vice Chairman of the Presidential Task Team, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, called on terminal operators to be mindful of demurrage charges. “We have always engaged APMT and the response has always been that that they are ready to take more trucks. Who is supposed to give them trucks? It is the NPA that is in charge of the call up and they will tell you that the ones that are inside are yet to be dealt with. So in order to make sure that the road is free we have stopped trucks from coming from Creek Road to access the port, retaining only one access to the port. But right now we have truck right from Area B on cue, if container carrying trucks cannot get in, the

I am concerned with the cost to shippers, there have been some delays and the delays come with cost attachment especially with the ship coming late and demurrage and late evacuation of cargo where the shippers with the consignees through no course of theirs have been slammed with some demurrage and I think we have been on this issue for a very long time

empty containers cannot take their place. “So the trucks that have been called by the NPA are still on the cue. But we get report from APMT that they deal with 500 to 700 trucks but our investigation revealed that they are taking trucks from barges and because they do so, there is no way trucks from the roads can enter because the barges have taken over the whole space. We are concerned that the figure does not tally with the efficiency we see on the road. We need to look at the issue of demurrage because it is what is making trucks to want to rush to drop containers.�

On his part, Stakeholder Manager, APM Terminals, Odibe Daniel commended the NSC and Presidential Task Team for their concern and taking steps to salvage the situation. “I must commend the shippers’ council and the Presidential Task Team for coming around to find out what the challenges are.

Like I have explained to them, we all need to collaborate. You need prior information before trucks can access the terminal. Better use of the call up system and the Lilly Pond Truck Transit Park will help us create the efficiency that is desired in the port. We are experiencing high volumes into the country and we have to work together to ensure that it is sustained and also make it easy for port users to access their cargo, “he said.

Stakeholders’ collaboration As a follow up to the visit to terminal operators and Lily Pond Truck Transit Park, the NSC last week organised a stakeholders’ meeting to find a lasting solution to the gridlock.

The event which was attended by terminal operators, shippers, importers, truck drivers, Police, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), shipping companies among others deliberated on the causes and solutions to the gridlock.

According to the stakeholders, corruption perpetuated by traffic control officers, and lack of consequences for traffic violators, shunting of queues, sharp practices by truck drivers, breakdown of the call up system and shutting down of the Lilypond Truck park.

The Lilypond park, according to stakeholders, has created a temporary relief to

road users but subsequent shutdown had led to return of truck drivers to the roads and bridges leading to the port.

Also, the stakeholders bemoaned the deliberate shutdown of the Lilypond Truck Terminal agreed that the truck park must be made to work.

Though, neither the stakeholders nor the NPA unravelled why Lily pond was shut, the participants mandated the PTT to go all out, in synergy with all relevant agencies, particularly the NPA, to restore the Lily Pond to its strategic relevance.

Speaking on shutdown of the park, Bello who was represented by Director, Inland Transportation, Akintunde Makinde, noted that Apapa gridlock was the concern of all stakeholders and buck passing was no longer in anyone’s interest. “It is a shame we are discussing about traffic on our port access roads. Lilypond Park must be put to use to help decongest these trucks on the access roads,� he said.

The executive secretary said further, that the council would liaise with the Lagos State Government, so as to provide a mobile court in a bid to ensure on the spot punish for corrupt personnel on the road.

He therefore stressed the need for compliance, urging truck owners to ensure that they have call-up letters before embarking on trips.

He advised terminal operators to be efficient and know the number of trucks to be attended to in a day.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of NPA, Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman, decried the number of armed men on the bridges passing trucks and warned against illegal collection of money.

Bala-Usman represented by the Port Manager, Lagos Port Complex (LPC), Mrs Olufunmilayo Olotu, urged truck drivers to ensure they rely on call-up system to help resolve the gridlock. “There is gridlock in Apapa because many illegalities happen on the roads. Security officials drive or escort trucks while some are collecting illegal toll. The introduction of the use of barges is a good thing. The APMT terminal should give a barge space.

They should also allow shipping companies to use their inbuilt crane to compliment theirs, ’’she said.

Nailing corruption On her part, National President, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Ms Saratu Aliyu said that corruption played major role in the Apapa gridlock.

Aliyu represented by a former Chairman, Nigerian Trawlers Owners Association (NITOA), Mrs. Margret Orakwusi, urged stakeholders to think more about the economy of the country.

Also, Opeifa said that Apapa gridlock was driven by corruption which must be tackled.

According to him, stakeholders in Apapa should desist from unhealthy rivalry and collaborate to tackle the gridlock. “Government is not looking for new ideas.

It has consulted with everyone and they know what is happening,� he said.

Opeifa said that the system and everyone involved in port business should do the needful to stop the gridlock, and stressed that those feeding corruption by paying “owo mugu’, a euphemism for subscribing to extortion should desist immediately.

He maintained that the issue of Lilypond should be solved because it was a critical part of tackling congestion.

Similarly, Mr. Olaleye Thompson who represented the truckers stressed the need for an effective badge system while Femi Olaore, who stood in for shipping companies, stressed the need for improved port access roads. Engr. Kuti, representing the Federal Ministry of Works highlighted the ongoing activities in Apapa metropolis and elsewhere.

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BUSINESSWORLD

ANALYSIS

Uniting against Poverty There is need for increased partnership between the public and private sectors to address the rising incidence of poverty in the country, writes Obinna Chima

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lobally, the gap between the haves and the have nots have continued to swell.

On daily basis, thousands of migrant from Africa, mostly Nigerians, attempt to enter into Europe and other continents in search of greener pastures, in order to get out of what they perceive as the excruciating poverty in the continent.

In the course of this, a lot of them migrate through dangerous route through to Europe through Libya, with thousands of them get sucked into a world of violent crime and slavery.

In fact, majority of the migrants involved are young men and women who flee economic realities that include poverty, inequality, and lack of opportunity.

Far from being a driver of economic growth, extreme inequality is a barrier to prosperity for most people.

In Africa and some other countries around the world, prosperity is not trickling down to ordinary people, but has remained at the top, where exceptional wealth is growing ever more rapidly.

There is a growing consensus in the continent that inequality is a crucial challenge and failure to act is both economically and socially damaging.

Inequality hinders growth, corrupts politics, stifles opportunity and fuels instability while deepening discrimination, especially against women.

This is even worst in Nigeria, which was had been adjudged as the world poverty capital after the overtook India having the highest proportion of poor people.

Ending Poverty, Improving Healthcare Therefore, in line with the United Nation’s agenda to end extreme poverty by year 2030 under the Sustainable Development Goals, Global Citizen, a global movement for citizen-led actions to eradicate poverty and improve human living conditions is working with the Nigerian private sector to harness resources to achieve the objective of ending poverty.

The Co-founder of Global Citizen, Mr. Michael Sheldrick, during a recent forum tagged: ‘Global Goal Live: Nigeria Policy Forum,’ in Lagos, noted that the movement has created millions of positive citizens’ actions across the world to hold leaders accountable in the fight against hunger and poverty.

The co-founder revealed that despite the enormous wealth in the world, poverty was increasing in certain regions of the world especially in Africa, where Nigeria as a country had been projected to host 25 per cent of the world extremely poor people in the next 15 years if urgent actions were not taken.

Active citizens in the private sector and the civil society according to Sheldrick, must partner with the government, which has greater responsibility, for the welfare of citizens.

Speaking on the launch of Global Citizen in South Africa in 2018, Sheldrick said the event galvanised 16 governments, eight international institutions and foundations, and 12 corporations to make financial and political commitments to work in collaborative manner to tackle poverty. “We saw engaged citizens take over 5.65 million actions globally which resulted in 60 commitments and announcements worth $7.2billion set to affect the lives of 121 million people around the world. In South Africa, more than 400,000 people have already joined the movement and across Africa. We are happy to be in Nigeria and ready to work with private sector philanthropy and government to achieve the SDGs and end poverty,� said the co-founder who is also the Chief Policy Officer of Global Citizen.

The Vice Chairman of Global Citizen Nigeria, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, who was a former Chief Executive of Access Bank, delivered the overview of the Global Citizen’s Nigeria Policy intervention on the healthcare delivery system.

Aig-Imoukhuede called the attention of the participants to the state of Primary Healthcare system in Nigeria with a verdict that out of the 30,000 Primary Healthcare Centres in the country, less that 3000 are functioning well.

He posited that universal healthcare cannot be achieved without a robust primary healthcare system as the bedrock. He also said the Nigerian

POLICY FORUM

L-R: Global Citizen Co-founder, Michael Sheldrick; Senior Special Adviser to the President on SDGs, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire; Global Citizen Nigeria Chairman, Babatunde Falawiyo; Senior Vice President, Events and Broadcasts, Lee Rolontz, and Global Citizen Nigeria Vice-Chairman, Aigboje AigImoukhuede, during the inaugural Global Goal Nigeria policy forum held in Lagos‌recently government at all levels cannot, on their own, meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals without the private sector’s involvement. ““It is impossible for the Nigerian government on its own to meet the SDGs. The private sector and the civil society must join the efforts.

Government in Nigeria only controls 10 per cent of the entire GDP while the private sector controls 90%. This shows the strength of the private sector in our country. The private sector must work with the government to deliver the SDGs,� he added.

At the policy forum, the former bank chief committed to personally build a world-class primary healthcare centre in each of the 774 local governments in Nigeria and called on other wealthy Nigerians to commit to different initiatives that will help the country to meet other objectives of the SDGs by 2030.

Furthermore, in Lagos, on September 26, 2020, the Global Citizen will stage a Global Goal Live Concert with world class musical artistes at the Tafawa Balewa Square, where over 40,000 Nigerians are expected to attend. Tickets to the concert according to Aig-Imoukhuede cannot be purchased and will not be free.

He said of the concert, “What it means is that to qualify for a ticket to the concert, Nigerians - old and young are expected to carry out some community and citizen-led actions towards eradicating poverty and achieving any of the Sustainable Development Goals. “Six months to September next year, that will be March 2020, Global Citizen will announce the mechanics for participation at the Concert and we will start full blast publicity and awareness.

It is all about raising over voices as citizens and calling on our governments to do more to end poverty,� he explained.

In his remarks at the forum which focused on healthcare delivery system in Nigeria as a core component of the UN SDGs, the Chairman Global Citizen Nigeria, Mr. Tunde Folawiyo, said the private sector and civil society could no longer stand aloof from addressing issues of poverty in Nigeria because failure to address extreme poverty in Nigeria will put everyone at risk. “Nigeria is already dubbed the poverty capital of the world. And in the next 15 years, a World Bank recent report said Nigeria will host 25% of the extremely poor population of the world.

That is a worrisome statistics we must begin to work to address as a people. We cannot just stand by and do nothing,� he added.

On her part, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, who attended the forum, used her panel discussion session to talk about the federal government’s efforts at eradicating poverty in the country, adding that a national framework in line with the Economic Recovery Growth Plan had been launched which is being mainstreamed into the sub-national governments for adoption.

“We are working with the state and local governments because that is where the people are. We are happy to collaborate and work with Global Citizen eradicate poverty in our country. I want to also commend Mr. Folawiyo and Aig-Imoukhuede for leading the private sector efforts. It is only when we the public and private sectors work together we can solve the problem of poverty of our people,� she said.

From the foregoing, while the efforts of the Global Citizen Nigeria is commendable, there is need for urgent human capital development in the country to address poverty in the country.

Governments at all levels must develop programmes to would lift a lot of the people out of poverty and this can be achieved by forging stronger partnership with the private sector.

THIS WEEKEND WEEKLY MAGAZINE

NEWS METRO THISLIFE ART WEEKEND ENTERTAINMENT Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com 08038901925

THISDAY@25: A Potpourri of Conversations, Awards and World Class Performances

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COVER THISDAY@25: A POTPOURRI OF CONVERSATIONS, AWARDS AND WORLD CLASS PERFORMANCES

CHIEMELIE EZEOBI and MARY NNAH Report that the 25th anniversary ofTHISDAY Newspaper was a potpourri of conversations, awards to deserving persons and institutions, as well as world class performances by Nigerian export Asa and Grammy award winner, John Legend. It was also a platform for the premier of Africa’s first global streaming service, Arise Play

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t was an evening of awards to deserving individuals and institutions, as well as world class performances tinged with short conversations, humour and camaderie at the 25th anniversary of the THISDAY Newspaper held at the Convention Centre of Eko Hotels in Victoria Island, Lagos.

The silver jubilee themed ‘A Gala Evening to Celebrate Africa’s Most Authoritative Media and Technology Group’, witnessed the presence of the creme de la creme of the society, governors both serving and former; captains of industries, technocrats and politicians.

Ambience Oozing class aesthetic wise, from the entrance of the hall, the stark beauty of the decoration was blinding. Black was the colour of the day and its classic lines were seen in every decoration and backdrop.

Lined up on the left were walls of glittery mirror that illuminated the red carpet.

While guests walked down to the red carpet, the wall on the right was however more of interest for THISDAY staff, former and present, all 1, 250 visionaries, who had their names written in white on black, as a salute for their doggedness over the years.

Drapped in their finest, the guests were first hosted to a cocktail in another area that was decorated yet again with black backdrops, which contrasted beautifully with the dim lights that flickered at intervals. On entering the hall, the guests were welcomed to the beautiful ambience of the set tables and the golden bubbles that was the backdrop of the huge stage.

At the dinner proper, drinks flowed, tasty palate with scintillating dessert were served as the audience were first welcomed by the hosts; Arise TV’s Charles Aniagolu and his two co-hosts, while the award was chaired by Zenith Bank Founder, Jim Ovia.

Arise Play Meanwhile, the anniversary also witnessed the World Premier of Africa’s First Global Streaming Service, Arise Play.

Billed to kick off on March 27, 2020, Arise Play is a beyond streaming platform that will shape the future, of which Leaders and Company, parent company of THISDAY Newspaper and Arise TV, are already championing. Thus the awards kicked off with the premiere of Arise Play as the compere named the Chief Technology Officer as Charlie Pipper and the the Content Creator, Biola Alabi and a host of others.

World Class Performances One of the highlights of the event was the world class performances by Nigerian export, Asa. During one of the musical interludes, Asa, took to the glittery stage to serenade the crowd with some songs from her latest album, The Beginning. She took the audience through a medley of another classic ‘Mr. Jailer’. Her next offering was ‘Bibanke’, a crowd favourite before she delved into her all time classic, ‘Fire on the Mountain’ and other songs from her first album ‘Beautiful Imperfection’. She would go on to sing another set.

Another highlight of the occasion was the presence of International Music star, John Legend, who thrilled the audience with hits upon hits. It was truly a world class performance.

The Midas Touch Behind the successes recorded by

to introduce some special guests like Noami Campbell, whom he said has pushed the African brand for 36 years.

In her brief speech, Campbell succinctly said; “You can’t be global if you miss out on Africa.�

Chairman,NdukaObaigbena

KUNLEOGUNFUYI

L-R: Adams Oshiomhole and Timi Alaibe

What People Said....

Awardees and guests at the THISDAY 25th anniversary were full of admiration and praise for the Editor-in-Chief and Chairman, THISDAY Media Group/Arise TV Networks, Prince Nduka Obaigbena for his foresight and unrelenting spirit in the last 25 years of paddling the ship of excellent journalism.

He did it with THISDAY and now, Arise TV, which has become at par with CNN but with an African focus. I commend Obaigbena, he is truly the Duke of Africa.

- Jim Ovia

L-R: Simon Kolawole, Waziri Adio and Laurence Ani

THISDAY Newspaper and Arise TV, lies the man with a Midas touch; the Editorin-Chief and Chairman, THISDAY Media Group/Arise TV Networks, Nduka Obaigbena, a Prince of Owa Kingdom.

During the event, he took to the podium to acknowledge his VIP guests, just as he lauded the company, his brainchild,

Awards As the evening progressed, the awards section kicked off with former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, who won Governor of the Decade (People’s Choice). On the other hand, former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, received the Editor’s Choice award for Governor of the Decade.

While the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, won the Banker of the Decade (People’s Choice); the Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank, Mr. Herbert Wigwe, won that of the Editor’s Choice.

Emefiele’s award was received by Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability, CBN, Aisha Ahmad. Entrepreneur of the Decade was won by Alhaji Aliko Dangote (People’s Choice), while Mike Adenuga won that of the Editor’s Choice. Also, Dangote’s company won the Company of the Decade (People’s Choice) while NIGERIA LNG Limited was the Editor’s Choice.

Philanthropist of the Decade (People’s Choice) was won by Femi Otedola, who said he had to re-evaluate his life when he noticed he had clocked age 57. Meanwhile, Tony Elumelu Foundation was the Editor’s Choice.

Minister of the Decade (Editor’s Choice), went to Rotimi Amaechi and that of People’s Choice, Ngozi Okonji-Iweala.

Bank of the Decade was between Zenith Bank (People’s Choice) and Access Bank (Editor’s Choice).

Brand of the Decade was between Glo (People’s Choice) and GTB (Editor’s Choice), while Woman of the Decade (People’s Choice) was won by Amina Mohammed while Chimamanda Adichie won that of Editor’s Choice.

Institution of the Decade was won

by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) won People’s Choice and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) won that of the Editor’s Choice. Finally, the Person of the Decade (People’s Choice) was won by President Muhammadu Buhari and the (Editor’s Choice) was won by his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan.

Meanwhile, the CEO of the Decade (People’s Choice) was won by Aliko Dangote, while that of Editor’s Choice was won by Segun Agbaje of GTB.

for reshaping Africa in the past 25 years.

He also commended all 1,250 visionaries who helped in the dream of a world class media brand.

In between cracking the ribs of the audience by calling guests by their names to sit down, which elicited generous laughter, he would pause his speech intermittently

When Nduka Obaigbena started THISDAY Newspaper 25 years ago, he had enthusiasm, talent, vison and he was ready to work hard. And he is an example to all young people because then he was in his 30s. All young people need to have the drive to succeed in life. To all young

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THISDAY@25: A POTPOURRI OF CONVERSATIONS, AWARDS AND WORLD CLASS PERFORMANCES really a great pleasure to be here and also to thank all Nigerians for their support for finding me worthy of being the CEO of the Decade. We would continue to show you so many wonders going forward. I look forward to winning the next award in the next decade.

I wish to dedicate this award to Nigerians for making it possible. I think Nigerians really made it possible for us to achieve what we have so far achieved in the Dangote Group. I would like to also thank our directors who are here with me.

The management and staff of Dangote Group because it is not a one man effort, it is the collective effort of our staff and I am also dedicating this same award to them.

One thing I want to assure you all is that we would continue to invest in Nigeria.

- Aliko Dangote Let me start by first thanking THISDAY for this award and I have heard people call Nduka so many names today – The Duke, but I call him the greatest. And the reason I call him the greatest is because of his audacity, his outrageous interest for this great nation. So I call him the greatest.

For me today is a very humbling day. For those who know me very well, Alhaji Aliko Dangote is my mentor and to be receiving an award on the same stage today is very humbling actually.

My final word about individual awards is that I always find it a bit funny to take them and that this award really goes to the board, staff and management of the GT Bank. The reality is that you can never win an individual award if you do not run a great institution. So, for all those who have built this great institution, I thank you and I promise that the next decade would be a greater decade for us.

- Segun Agbaje

L-R: Segun Agbaje, Aliko Dangote, Jim Ovia and Nduka Obaigbena

L-R: Timi Aliabe,Tayo Ayeni And Emeka Emeka Onwuka

people, if you have a vison, if you are willing to work hard, you can make your dreams come through. Nduka congratulations. You set up a household name. You set up an institution with innovation that has raised the bar and raised the standard.

I congratulate all the 1000 staff who worked together with Nduka as a team to create the vision. I thank THISDAY for honouring excellence. –Emeka Anyaoku I hope this award would not generate other controversies... Former governor of Cross Rivers State, Donald Duke says he is not our ‘customer’‌. We do not want to keep having everybody as customer. We want to encourage all Nigerians to bring whatever they have back into the country and invest it, so other citizens in the country can benefit from it, especially the youths. The best economies are run by the private sector; the private sector rules the economy; so it is good for people to bring back whatever wealth they have gotten so that it can help the Nigeria society progress.

My boss, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, is here.

I remember when we started EFCC, we only had two offices, we had no chairs, we worked on bare floor and we were using our own vehicles for work until government started taking us serious. So, this is an institutional award, I must also dedicate it to those people who were in service and

had the leadership of the EFFC before I came, like Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and Ms. Waziri ‌We were all policemen who worked together before we came to EFFC. I am so surprised that THISDAY is giving EFCC an award as the Institution of the Decade because our relationship with THISDAY was not the best; we were not the best of friends really. So, I became very curios when I got the invitation and so I came to collect the award. And I have never stayed so long in any event like I did today, I was so curious whether it was real that I stayed more than two hours in a crowd like this for the very first time. So thank you very much! I want to sincerely thank everyone that is supporting all that we are doing. All we are trying to do is to correct the system and you have to help us.

So, once again, I want to thank the management of THISDAY for this and I want to really dedicate this award to no other person but President Muhammadu Buhari for his courage. He has overdosed of courage; for his tenacity, consistency and unflinching support that give me the guts to do what I am doing. I am telling that we are starting again. His support has encouraged me to apply the fight against corruption in a different way and you would see the massive result very soon.

In fact, we would increase the numbers of cells we have in this country very soon.

Help us to sanitise the society, so that you wold not keep being at the receiving end of

keep falling victims to Yahoo, yahoo boys.

- Ibrahim Magu Let me again join all those who have spoken to appreciate my very good friend Nduka Obaigbena. This is one Nigerian who makes friends across all the divides.

He has the Alikos as his friend and he has we, the workers, as his friends too. There are many areas in which The Duke has scored first. You helped change and drive the Nigeria media to continue to improve.

I remember everything used to be black and then one day; THISDAY came out with colour pictures when it wasn’t easy at all and then he had the back page. I think we speak the minds of most people when we say that Nduka is truly not just a visionary but he keeps driving changes and showing that anything and everything is possible. If you can dream it, you can do it. And I think you have also shown that notwithstanding the Nigerian environment, it is possible to grow businesses, think through new businesses and see them through as you are doing with ARISE TV. So, let me say I have this rare opportunity to join millions of admirers to say congratulations.

- Adams Oshiomhole To the Editor-in-Chief and Chairman, THISDAY Media Group/Arise TV Networks, Prince Nduka Obaigbena, board of directors, staff and management of THISDAY, I wish you the very best. It is

Roll Call Some of the dignitaries present were: Former Secretary General of Common Wealth of Nations, Emeka Anyaoku; Publisher of Vanguard Newspaper, Pa Sam Amuka; Publisher of The Guardian, Maiden Ibru; former Governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi; National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Adams Oshiomhole; former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Ayo Adebanjo; Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari and Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu.

Others were: former Chairman of Forte Oil, Femi Otedola; Chairman of Zenith Bank, Mr Jim Ovia; Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Ebenezer Onyiangwu; Managing Director of United Bank for Africa Plc, Mr Kennedy Uzoka; Managing Director of Eco Bank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), Patrick Akinwutan; Managing Director of the Nagerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala-Usman; Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside; Managing Director of THISDAY Newspaper, Mr Eniola Bello, as well as former editors of THISDAY. As the curtain dropped on the 25th anniversary of THISDAY Newspaper and the world premiere of Arise Play, virtually all agreed that it was indeed a world class affair that is always synonymous with THISDAY. As was succinctly stated by a guest at walkway of the hotel, no one does it better than Nduka Obaigbena. Indeed, no truer words have ever been spoken.

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MUSIC SHOWBIZ

‌Your weekly entertainment delight

NOLLYWOOD

A Musical Ecstasy with John Legend, Asa at THISDAY Awards

John Legend performs at THISDAY Awards

Asa performing at THISDAY Awards

Stories by Vanessa Obioha

T

here were speculations for days about the iconic American singer and songwriter John Legend’s visit to Nigeria. No one could really verify if the rumours were true or fact. Yet, those who had their ears firmly to the ground knew that his visit was for a special event even if they had scanty details about the event.

With all the secrecy surrounding his visit, it was not a surprise then that his arrival at the Eko Hotel Convention Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos where

the silver jubilee of THISDAY Newspapers took place, caused a frenzy.

A standing ovation greeted the Grammy-winning Legend as he waltzed into the elegant stage of the ceremony that was graced by wellheeled personalities from different sectors of the economy.

Legend opened his set with a snippet of his collaborative effort with the late rapper Nipsey Hussle and DJ Khaled, ‘Higher’. He announced to the delighted fans that he was excited to be back in the country before delving into another hit. Before he sang his popular 2012 hit ‘Tonight’, he also told the guests that he was going to give them the best night they ever had. And indeed he kept his word, serenading them with ballads that got

quite a few swooning to the melodious sounds. He followed it with ‘Love Me Now’ and took the crowd back to his first song that launched his musical career, ‘Used to Love You’. Taking things a notch higher, Legend threw an open invitation to the ladies to have a dance with him on stage. A female guest, Nicole was the lucky one to dance with the singer as he sang to her, even getting down on one knee. The romantic gesture elicited cheers from the excited audience.

Other ballads performed include ‘Save Room’, ‘A Good Night’, and ‘Ordinary People’. For the latter, he performed on the piano and engaged the audience in a sing along. To crown the night, he performed two all-time favourites ‘All Of Me’ and ‘Green

Light’. With the backdrop of silver lights, not a few brought out their phones to capture the magic of the iconic artiste. He got a loud applause for ‘All of Me’ before wrapping up with the pop hit ‘Green Light’.

The celebrated Nigerian-French artiste Asa also graced the stage of the glamorous event, performing some of her popular hits ‘Jailer’, ‘Bibanke’, ‘Fire on the Mountain’, and ‘The Beginning’ from her latest album ‘Lucid’. She closed her set with the emotional piece ‘Bamidele’ from her 2010 album ‘Beautiful Imperfection’.

The high-octane event doubled as an awards ceremony where exceptional individuals and brands were rewarded for their excellence in their various fields.

Will Burna Boy Break the Grammy Jinx?

Last year saw theThe‘Ye’star join Nigerian musicians like Babatunde Olatunji, King Sunny Ade, Femi Kuti, and Seun Kuti who have received a Grammy nomination in the Best World Music Album for his recent album ‘African Giant’.

The Best World Music Album category recognizes performers outside the United States who showcase non-European, indigenous inuences in their body of work.The award was ďŹ rst handed out in 1992 to Mickey Hart.

Burna Boy’s nomination may give credence to his self-acclaimed title ‘African Giant’ if he eventually wins the Grammy. In 2018, expectations were high when Seun, the son of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, fetched his ďŹ rst Grammy nomination that he may ďŹ nally bring the gold-plated gramophone trophy home. His nomination came on the heels of his older brother Femi who had been nominated four times in the category. It also marked the ďŹ rst time two brothers have been nominated in the same Grammy category.

For the 62nd edition of the annual award that is traditionally held in California, Burna is up against Turkish psychedelic folk band, Altin Gun for their 2019 effort, ‘Gece’. Teh

Burna Boy

2018 orchestra centric album, ‘What Heat’

by Bokante & Metropole Orkest also poses a ďŹ erce contender in the category.The Nigerian born star also shares the honor of nomination with composer and utist Nathalie Joachim on her collaborative album – ‘Fanm D’Ayiti’

– with the Spectral Quartet.

The only other African to grab a nomination and isn’t new to the category is Angelique Kidjo. Kidjo who received the award for the ďŹ rst time in 2015 for ‘Eve’ (not to be confused with the best contemporary world music

album) entered the race with ‘Celia’.

Brazilians have dominated the category since its inception with few African artistes like Kidjo and South African, Ladysmith Black Mambazo emerging winners.The ďŹ rst Nigerian to have shared in the honour in this category was the late veteran drummer and recording artist Babatunde Olatunji. He was part of Mickey Hart’s Planet Drum projects, including the album ‘Planet Drum’, which won the Grammy Award for BestWorld Music Album of 1991, the ďŹ rst year for which the award was given.

A Grammy win for Burna will cement his dominance in the music industry. Last year has seen him carting away major trophies including Best International Act awards at the BET Awards and Best African Act at the MTV EMA Awards. Will he ďŹ nally break the Grammy jinx and make Africa proud?

Though the Recording Academy is currently embroiled in a leadership tussle, it is expected that when the 62nd Grammy awards that will be hosted by singer Alicia Keys for the second time take place on Sunday, January 26, that Burna will be among the winners of the night.

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Why Reality TV is the New Mania

Stars of reality TV shows

Arguably, most popular realityTV shows in Nigeria spark discourse in the public space.

It’s either the moralists who ďŹ nd the concept morally distasteful, or the scholars who plumb the shows for educational values.

Nevertheless, research has constantly proved that irrespective of the moral or educational lens reality TV shows are viewed from, one thing is certain: it is a reection of the society. Young people have found the shows not only entertaining but also portraying different experiences that they might have gone through.

A good example of such reality shows is Big Brother Naija, MultiChoice Nigeria production that tests the social and psychological skills of participants. It was the ďŹ rst reality TV show to sweep the country away. The debut of Big Brother Naija in 2006 surprised everyone with how quickly viewers took to their favourite characters, and invested in them. Every year the show is held, it is greeted with fanfare all over the country.

Fans fawn over their favourites, even among family members. There are always those who will pitch their tents with the male contestants because of their handsome looks, while some will prefer a strong female character.The beauty of some of these reality shows is how relatable the contestants are. It is easy to identify a particular trait or experience of a participant in real-life situations. At the end of each season, it all climaxes into a national explosion with reverberations in every corner. Social media’s connection of fan communities has exaggerated the hysteria that it inspires and helps contestants to build enviable fanbase after the show, thus, offering them new ways to commodify and monetize that connection.

People love what they love, and while it is not understood in detail, much of it is pretty much science. The reality of reality TV is almost as old as TV itself. PBS aired what ultimately became the ďŹ rst reality TV show, ‘An American Family’, in 1973.

MTV found that the concept was successful and almost 20 years later, in 1992, created what many people consider to be the ďŹ rst modern reality show, ‘The Real World.’ No doubt, reality TV has become a large part of popular culture today and provides hours of entertainment to countless Nigerians.

Its primary allure is escapism—providing Nigerians an escape from their daily hustles.

Also, we are less connected than ever before, despite the universal access to social media.

A licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Jana Scrivani put it this way: “Every genre of television, but reality television in particular, gives us a false sense that we really know the people we see on the screen each week. This sense of having a personal relationship is amplified with the ‘reality’ label, even though we are well aware that the reality piece is often greatly exaggerated. Modern life has us pulled in many different directions, and

close ties between family and friends are at all-time lows. Over time, we come to see the folks portrayed on the screen as friends. We identify with their struggles and triumphs. It’s much less time consuming to take in a half an hour television show than to connect with a friend – we can squeeze reality TV in between work, the dishes, and putting the kids to bed.�

With the success of reality shows in Nigeria in the last decade, it is almost certain that the TV shows will be a stable in the TV landscape. No one understands the great value of entertainment and of course cultural values that reality TV shows have than MultiChoice Nigeria. The leading video entertainment company kicked off the new year with the introduction of four new shows: ‘Ultimate Love’, ‘Date My Family’, ‘Dr. Laser’, and ‘Confessions’.

These shows seek to explore various facets of the Nigerian reality, giving viewers more options for connection and entertainment.

While ‘Date My Family’, a reality dating show that follows the unique story of a suitor who goes to dinner with three different families of potential dates and eventually has to choose a date based on their experience with the date’s family members; ‘Dr. Laser’, a medical reality show about people undergoing plastic surgery in Nigeria; and ‘Confessions’, a reality show in which people confront their fears and secrets that have been eating them up, already launched this month, ‘Ultimate Love’ will start airing in February.

The reality TV show is centered around single male and female strangers living together in an isolated location with the hopes of finding life-long love. They are paired based on their mutual attraction to one another as they compete to emerge the ultimate couple of the competition. The winning couple is rewarded with a lavish traditional wedding ceremony, a fully furnished home amongst other prizes.

All these carefully curated shows are inspired by the reality of our lives. Nigerians love a good love story, especially the inclusive ones that involve familial acceptance. We’re socialized in a restrictive society that provides few spaces for frank conversations and vulnerability.

Vanity ďŹ nds itself at the centre of the Nigerian psyche, expressing itself in all the ways we modify our physical appearances to the best version of ourselves. The richest and most daring among us have enlisted medical help with that and living vicariously through these people will be a hit.

Going by the slew of reality shows already available on our screens, it is certain that the craze around reality shows will not fade anytime soon.

Maiden Edition of CAGE Awards Holds February 22 in Lagos The stage is getting set for the maiden edition of the CAGE Awards, a comprehensive celebration of individuals and brands that did astonishingly well by leveraging on the power of the internet to make life simpler and better.

The maiden edition is slated for February 22, 2020 at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Announcing in a statement the commencement of voting in the CAGE Awards, which comes in ďŹ ve key areas -Innovation, Information, Inspiration, Entertainment and Commerce - the Chief Administrator of the awards,Johnson Anorh, disclosed that the organisers had opened its website for voting to take off on Thursday, January 16 and close on the February 9, 2020.

According to him, GAGE Awards seeks to celebrate and spotlight the best individuals, brands or groups who have enriched lives in 2019 by leveraging on the power of digital.

Such individuals, brands and groups, he said, “are using the digital space to simplify our everyday lives.�

The awards, according to him, will recognise, celebrate, reward, and amplify the eventual winners’ outstanding activities and contributions to the digital ecosystem in 2019. “After a rigorous nomination stage which allowed nominations from the public, over 1500 entries were received on the

GAGE website for all 24 categories, which was streamlined to 19 categories�, he said.

Anorh further disclosed that a careful review was done by the GAGE Awards Independent Audit Johnson Anorh Committee and its Audit Partners, PricewaterhouseCoopers, the renowned global audit ďŹ rm. “Out of the 19 categories, there are ďŹ ve categories which will be solely determined by the audience, i.e. based on the highest number of votes received. Some categories received entries from other African countries; adding that there are some interesting nominees in some categories such as the Banking SPp if the Yea include (in no particular order) United Bank of Africa, Zenith Bank, Keystone Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank and Access Bank.â€?

Another interesting category, he said, is Best Data Service Provider, which, according to him, would be a ďŹ erce battle among the mobile giants; MTN, Airtel, Glo, Swift and 9mobile; while Breskout App of theYear has Opay, Gokada, Jumia Food, Piggyvest and Boomplay in a keenly contested category.

He said voting in the audience choice categories can be done on www.gageawards. com/vote/

Ultimate Love: What to Expect from Aunty Ultimate Love, the new reality show from MultiChoice Nigeria, is set to hit DStv and GOtv screens on Sunday, 9 February 2020.

A recap on what the show is all about: eight males and eight females placed in a secluded location known as the“Love Padâ€?, with hopes that they will ďŹ nd life-long love.

The contestants will have to compete and carry out different tasks and win the votes of the public. The winning couple will not only have won each other’s hearts and the hearts of viewers but will also win an allexpense-paid traditional wedding ceremony and a fully furnished house – if they commit to getting married. If not, they still get to win a cash prize and other amazing prizes.

One of the unique features of the show is the presence of “Aunty�. Who is Aunty and what is she all about?

Just like Big Brother, Aunty will also be a prominent feature on the show but unlike the former who is recognized by his voice only, Aunty will be physically present in the Love Pad. Her job will be to help the singles ďŹ nd their perfect partner and provide them with counsel where necessary.

Aunty will also ensure that the contestants are occupied with loads of daily and weekly tasks and activities, all designed to help them pick the perfect partner and groom their new-found love.

Already, this pivotal character has left soon-to-be fans of the show guessing who would play the role of Aunty. Perhaps she will be revealed before the show or may be not, but what is certain is that the Ultimate Love reality TV show promises to deliver a good dose of excitement, twists, surprises and suspense when it makes its debut on Sunday, 9 February.This is no regular dating show, as it is a journey for 16 strangers who are willing to take a chance on love against the background of a reality TV show.There will be raw emotions, lovers’spats and most importantly, expressions of love that will keep viewers glued to their screens.

For more information on the show, please visit www.africamagic.tv and follow the social media updates on Ultimate Love @ ultimateloveng on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook using the hashtag #UltimateLoveNg.

Andy Chukwu’s New Documentary Tackles Fake News Iyke Bede

In a bid to ascertain and repress misinformation on social media, movie director Andy Chukwu recently embarked on a tour to document his ďŹ ndings from different regions in Nigeria on issues such as national security and ethno violence – two items constantly making news rounds on social media.

His ďŹ ndings are documented in a 30 minutes reel titled ‘National Peace and Unity’. The documentary presents firsthand afďŹ rmations of persons living in those regions.The basis for the interaction stems from a need to verify popular news stories that paints their communities in poor light. “People try to create unnecessary fear,â€? Chukwu said explaining the effect misinformation has on the masses at a press screening recently. He continued: “Sometimes, somebody would pick out an accident that happened in 1980, and tell you that it just happened now along Benin-Ore road. Once it is captured in

video or picture, you are likely to believe it.They might end up saying some Fulani men came out of the bush and shot 30 people. We look at some of these things and try and see how we can cut down fake news.�

Experimental in nature, Chukwu pooled data from ďŹ ve states in the country: Enugu, Kano, Bauchi, Cross River, Bauchi, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

He gained insights from subjects across various socioeconomic backgrounds ranging from local artisans to traditional rulers, and government ofďŹ cials.

Powered by the Ambassadors of Voice of Change Initiative Nigeria (AVCIN), a non-proďŹ t organisation where he serves as vice president, Chukwu’s ďŹ ndings reveal that subjects in these communities live peacefully, as opposed to stories of gore published by implausible online news outlets to drive trafďŹ c. They did however admit to experiencing violence from time to time, but that it was nothing out of the ordinary when compared to other societies.

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Obasanjo, Badero Urge Nigerian Youths to Take Action Stories by Mary Nnah It was an amazing and inspirational experience in Lagos recently at the inaugural edition of the “Why IAmAlive� celebratory event.

Designed to acknowledge the contributions of inspiring Nigerians to the Nigerian story and also empower young Nigerians to be the best at their chosen fields of endeavor, the event was convened by CEO of Eureka Productions, Caroline Moore.

The party was an avenue for young people to use the experiences of these purposeful personalities to expand their capacity to initiate and influence change, and renew their minds for more efficiency and effectiveness in life.

Held at The Podium Lekki, the event brought together global experts, entrepreneurs, investors, service providers, and leading figures in different strata of the society to celebrate the success stories of Nigerians at home and in diaspora.

Addressing guests at the event, Dr Olurotimi Badero, the world’s first and only cardionephrologist charged Nigerian youths to rise to the challenges from their counterparts in other

L-R: Chairman, “Why I Am Alive� Board of Advisors, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo; Fmr. President of Nigeria and Keynote Speaker, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (GCFR); and Convener, “Why I Am Alive� Initiative, Caroline Moore at the “event

parts of the continent.

According to Badero, “it is okay to fail. It is a part of success but you need to know who you are and be the author of your story.�

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was the keynote speaker, spoke on “Debt, Economic Development and Sustenance of Democracy.�

He decried the foreign debt profile of the country and warned that the future of the youths will be in jeopardy if government continues borrowing to solve the challenges facing the nation.

“I fear for the future we are bequeathing to our children and to their children and their children’s children� he said. “I believe that it will be foolhardy, irresponsible and wicked for us to tie a mill of stone around the neck of the successor generations of Nigerians. We need to take hard and important decisions that will facilitate a balanced allocation of resources to both capital and recurrent expenditures.� the revered leader added.

According to the convener of the “Why I Am Alive� initiative, Caroline Moore, “Nigeria

is in dire need of leaders and therefore needs to train emerging leaders�.

She added that “the mindset of young Nigerians need to change. They should believe in their potential, live purposeful lives and succeed as well as to change the perception of Nigeria globally. This is what the “Why I Am Alive� campaign is all about.�

Some Nigerians who have excelled in their fields of endeavor were also honoured with awards at the event. They include the guest speaker, Dr Badero who received The Most Purposeful Person in Healthcare award and Investment banker, writer and theater producer, Joseph Edgar who was awarded Upcoming Most Purposeful Person in Creativity & Art. They were both presented with their awards

by Chief Obasanjo at the event.

Funke Akindele Bello and Mitchell Elegbe were named Most Purposeful Persons in Entertainment & Film and Information Technology respectively, Guests at the event included Chairman of “Why IAmAlive�

Board of Advisors, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo; renowned brand strategist, Charles O’Tudor, amongst others.

Gemade Residents Holds Award Night, Dialogue on Development Plans Gemade Estate Resident Association Zone One, situated at Gowon Estate, Egbeda axis of Lagos, held its first Stakeholders’ Appreciation Night, as an avenue to appreciate devoted contributors to the development of the estate.

Addressing newsmen at the event, the Chairman Gemade Estate Zone 1, Pastor Olawale Odufejo, noted the program also gave room for dialogue on proposed developmental projects of the estate and financial approaches.

He further lamented that for the past two decades since Gemade Estate has been in existence, there has never been government presence as all projects done so far in the estate are self-supported projects. “Gemade Estate has been in existence for over two decades but everything in Gemade has been self-help because the government hasn’t done anything

Chairman Gemade Estate Zone One, Pastor Olawale Odufejo, presenting an award to the Treasurer, Gemade Estate Zone one, Mr. Obijiaku, during the event held recently

at all and we have residents donating. “We feel it will be fine to honour those that have been donating and contributing to the development of the estate for over a decade and to appreciate them to do more� he

said.

The General Chairman, Gemade Estate, Mr. Shola Alabi, commended zone one residents for their strive in generating funds for developmental projects. “We zoned the estate for ease

of administration. I have quite a number of developmental projects that we have embarked on and we felt zoning will facilitate development and today zone one is celebrating themselves and also generating funds for developmental projects. “It’s unfortunate that all the things government should provide, we do it ourselves.

We encourage residents on how to forge ahead in provision of infrastructure and amenities for our own good.

In the areas of infrastructure and security we have taken bold steps and people are buying into our ideas,� he said.

On the award night he noted: “We have always encouraged the zonal chairmen to bring up programs and ideas that will help them raise funds. The award is generally for the people to do more and signifies recognition.�

Rapid Delivery Set to Tackle Logistic Challenges in Nigeria The initiator of Rapid Delivery, a mobile app for deliveries and logistics, Kehinde Olagbenjo, has assured the company will tackle the logistic challenges faced in the country.

The platform aims to use innovation and technology to transform the delivery booking process and improve the clients and drivers/riders experience.

Speaking recently, Olagbenjo explained that: “As one of the emerging players in the mobile transportation network space, we ensure convenient, transparent and quick service fulfilment using technology to make logistics and delivery hassle free for everyone. “What we want is to create

Rapid Delivery initiator, Olagbenjo

a smarter, faster, and more effective delivery platform for all. We invest in two main areas: technology and customer support. “Rapid Delivery provides you with quality transport service for everyday delivery

of goods and connect clients/ customers to safe, reliable riders/drivers from professional drivers/riders across Nigeria�, he added. Olagbenjo hinted that one of the benefits of using their platform is the wallet, adding, “especially for vendors that do payment on delivery. Avoid issues with your cash. Customers and vendors can pay and transfer money to each other using the wallet�.

Explaining the process of getting on the platform, he said, “ Download our mobile app) Get a rider in just two Clicks. Once a rider has accepted to deliver your goods, you will be able to view their movement. You can track the rider to confirm the

arrival point and time. You can as well know the riders available in your locations “The rider will accept your order and your goods will be picked up at your location.

Our reliable riders will get your goods delivered to your desired location. You can track the goods and the movement of the rider from your phone. “When your goods are being delivered, the receiver (clients) pay between cash or cashless with rapid delivery wallet and we do payment on delivery.

We also encourage both the vendors and customers to use our wallet for transaction in order to avoid issues with cash payment.�

DICCI Honours, White House Boss, Others

In line with its mission to inspire, empower and celebrate models, organisations, businesses and missions, that are advancing humanity through selfless pursuit, proficiency and uncommon generosity, the Divine Institute of Chaplaincy Corps International (DICCI) recently honoured honoured President of White House Group, Amb. Augustine Eruotor and nine others.

The awards were to recognise their immense selfless contributions to the development of the society through various novel charitable causes to better their immediate society as well as the entire human community.

In his welcome remarks, DICCI, Chaplain General, Dr. Chris Nwanne Right, who revealed that the DICCI was established in Nigeria in 2005, revealed further that DICCI is found in South Africa, Ghana, Zambia, Dubai and many other countries across the globe and is the affiliate of the United States Chaplaincy of New York, licensed for Africa Regions since 2007.

The institute, he explained, is established to train persons with the knowledge, skills and attitude that would make impactful positive difference who shall function in the military, para military and other establishment, to help in times of national and natural disaster, and crime prevention.

The personnel from the situation, Nwanne said are attached to institutions such as prisons, hospitals, military units, schools, police departments or private chapel facility to list a few, with the responsibility to provide counselling for effective support for the system.

According to him, they can be volunteers or sworn officers, fully trained and commissioned professionals.

He further explained that aside their quarterly fellowship activities the DICCI embark on charity and legal and outreach to hospitals, schools, police stations and prisons.

The Chaplain General outlined the award categories which includes Leadership Development, Transformation Enterprise Development, Science Technology, Humanitarian, Visionary Professional Achievement Life Time Achievement to mention a few.

He stressed that the awardees deserved the recognition and honour given by the DICCI for convincingly and consistently standing all above others considered in the various areas of their calling as Eruotor who was awarded the DICCI 2019 Social Services and Leadership Development award, other awardees include: Dr. Samuel Olatunji Idowu, Pastor (Mrs.) Eno Essien, Mrs. Martha Eseghene Najomo, Dr. (Mrs) Eke Apollonia ,,Chief Dr. Chidi Anyaegbu, others are Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Dr. Uba Onwudiwe and Mr Demian Ndubisi Chukwu. “These select few has uncommonly and silently, consistently made tremendous difference and impact in the things they do to assist humanity in their own way from the one who assembles doctors to perform all sorts of surgeries for free, to the ones who quietly promote and support noble charitable ventures, devoid of the media is overwhelming and needs to be appreciated and encouraged to do more. Hence and celebrate them�, he stated.

Eruotor who spoke on behalf of the awardees stressed the need for individuals and organisations who have the capacity to make meaningful contribution towards the advancement and of the human society should not hesitate to do so because it is more to their advantage than that of the receiver of such help.

He stressed that no matter how small the contribution such is, it would be rewarded in line with the laws of nature.

Thanking DICCI, he said that aside the awardees others would be inspired, encouraged and motivated to make a difference in their immediate environment for governments and their institutions at various levels. “A time has come that individuals and bodies who has the ability to help should not hesitate for the good of the human society for government cannot singlehandedly effect the anticipated change for she alone does not such awesome capacity, and helping her would make things better,’ he emphasised.

In her reaction, Brig. Gen. Rev. Franca Obinyan, National Director Extension and Growth, DICC, said the body would not relent in her conscious and sustained effort to sought after individuals and organisations who inspite of all the challenges are making genuine impactful difference in the advancement of the global human community.

The popular comedian Koffi and The House Band added a spectacular entertaining memorable flavour to the gala night that brought together diplomats, sponsors and partners of DICCI, and various national and international charity organisations.

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ART WEEKEND

‌For pure art enthusiasts

Navigating The Wall Museum

On the heels of the 30th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall last December,YINKA OLATUNBOSUN joined the world in walking through its relics, both in physical and emotional forms “Those who do not respect the border will be greeted by bullets,� is one of the original quotes credited to the East German Defence Minister, Heinz Hoffman in his address to the border guards in August 1966. It was only the fifth anniversary of the erection of the wall that separates the West and East Berlin along their diverse ideologies.

East Germany was controlled by Russia’s Marxist-Lenin philosophy while capitalism was the new order in West Germany rules by the US, British and French government.

Three decades had passed yet many visitors are still excited at the sight of the relics of the Berlin Wall which fell in 1989.Every day, it was besieged by students on guided tours as well as tourists who arrived at the historical CheckPoint Charlie, an ever-busy city centre, flanked by exquisite shops loaded with iconic souvenirs.

The view captures a true story of a people proclaiming freedom but still looking over the fence in form of trenches at Checkpoint Charlie border crossing point, now turned Allied Museum. What was a daily terror in German history has become a major tourist attraction with a compelling panoramic experience enhanced by sound documents retrieved from speeches, films and public appearances made between 1948 and 1989.

Names of visitors written with markers have formed a colourful graffiti on this historical monument.

A visitor can easily be immersed in the experience from the view point of a 4-metre high visitors’ platform, a vantage point to observe in quiet appreciation the monumental panorama installation made by the Berlin artist, YadegarAsisi. The panorama features a photo exhibition with over 80 pictures from first-hand witnesses who gave very moving personal accounts about the construction of the wall, life in the shadow of the wall and the fall of the wall. Documenting landscapes had been a part of Asisi’s portfolio and his preference for digital image processing trail his artistic journey. His projects are widely

A view of the Panorama

Checkpoint Charlie, a crossing border near the wall

known to combine perspective painting, spatial simulation, stage design and an acute awareness of human perception with a love for detail and grandeur.

Titled, “Die Mauer�, meaning “The Wall�, the panorama is created using the German language but the agony of the 30 years of the wall reverberating through the gloomy soundtrack from the surround system required no translation.

Preserving the remains of the wall is not

meant to just generate a revenue for the state but to spark conversations around other walls that humanity had erected in their psyche. Through religious extremities, racism, sexuality, economicstatus and the new wave of far-right politics, humanity has continued to mount invisible walls or barriers to peaceful co-existence.

Meanwhile, The Wall has been a subject of popular works of arts. For instance, Sir Elton John’s ballad, “Nikita� has a deeper meaning

Goethe Institut, Alliance Host World Screening of SHOAH Yinka Olatunbosun The Goethe-Institut Nigeria and the Alliance Française de Lagos are collaborating to join in the worldwide screening of the documentary film SHOAH by Claude Lanzmann on Monday January 27. Organised by the lnternationaleLiteraturfestival Berlin, this film screening is to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau on 27 January 1945.

Lagos movie buffs will binge on this tearjerking movie with an unprecedented length of 9½ hours. It will be screened in 4 Parts with Parts 1 to 3 starting with brief introductions, providing some historical contextualization.

Before the screening of Part 4, the Nigerian historian and filmmaker, Ed Keazor, will talk about different aspects of the documentary.

In the 9½-hour film both surviving victims and perpetrators of the systematic extermination of Jews by the German Reich have a chance to speak.

According to Claude Lanzmann - who worked on the film for eleven years (1974-1985) “Shoah� is not a film about survival but a “testimonial of death�.

It not only asks the witnesses to recall their experiences. Lanzmann’s questioning technique prompts his interviewees to relive the past events. His questions revolve around events at the sites where Jews were murdered such as Chelmno, Treblinka, Auschwitz-Birkenauand the Warsaw Ghetto, laying open the bureaucratic mechanism of extermination.

Claude Lanzmann (1925–2018) was one of the great French filmmakers and intellectuals: Resistance fighter in World War II, lecturer at the FU Berlin at the end of the 1940s, employee (and later editor) of the Les Temps Modernes

when one contemplates the living condition of this dark period. Families, friends, lovers and neighbours were separated by this wall.

Perhaps, the most powerful statement dated 19th January, 1989 resides in the figurative meaning of the words of Erich Honecker, the first Secretary of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) that “The Wall will still remain in place in 50 and even 100 years, if the reasons for its existence have not been

TripleThreat,SwayThe BabaDropsaDebut EP“LookingForTrouble’’ Yinka Olatunbosun

A view of the works of Obi Okigbo at the Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi

magazine founded by JeanPaul Sartre at the beginning of the 1950s, participant in the resistance against the

Algerian war – these are only some of the important stages of his life before he turned to documentary film in the

early 1970s. His autobiography “The Patagonian Hare�

(2010) uniquely condenses the events of his life.

The Nigerian music scene is a beautiful collage of veterans as well as emerging artists with the latter increasing in number daily. One of these is Sway the Baba (Enyi Okpo). The Producer, rapper and songwriter has hit the air waves with his first official EP titled, “Looking for Trouble� rocking the streaming platforms.

With a fusion of Afro-beat and the American Hip Hop culture, he unveils his dynamic style and versatility inspired by artists such as the Legendary Fela Kuti, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, DMX amongst others.

The project is seven tracks deep, all written and produced by the triple threat. It gives a glimpse of his immense talent with Sway showing a more vulnerable side to himself on the simmering opening track, “Beside Me.�

Another banger, “Baby� showcases his smooth and fluid flows in celebrating women globally. Inspired and based on true events, “Say No to Being Broke berates poverty.�

Other mega tunes from the amazing EP include “With You,�“YNG,� “Problem� and “Come Through.�

Contrary to its title, “Looking for Trouble� undoubtedly translates to being the best version of one’s self and staying true without wavering.

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Lawmaker Calls for Improvement in Women’s in Participation Renewable Energy Sector The member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/ South Federal Constituency of Abia State, Hon. Sam Onuigbo, has called for enhanced action towards increasing women’s participation in the renewable energy sector so as to address issues of Climate Change, while also empowering the women economically.

Onuigbo who also doubles as the Vice President (Africa) of Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE) International, said this during his presentation on the topic ‘Measures to Improve Women’s Engagement in the Renewables Sector’ at the just concluded International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)’s Legislators Forum 10th Assembly in Abu Dhabi, between January 10-12, 2020.

The federal lawmaker who spoke on the foundation of three decades of experience as a community leader stated that women are passionate and committed drivers for positive change in societies and as

Onuigbo

such should be engaged in the renewables sector through laws, strategies and deliberate policies to combat climate change in order to achieve Green

economy. Onuigbo called for the deployment of a combination of laws, actions and innovative approaches at the local and national levels to address gender inequality,

and guarantee women’s empowerment and access to finance and education. This is all the more important, he stressed, because when a woman is trained, a nation is built.

He pointed that from his experiences, women have the incomparable ability to mobilise and motivate people to action and as such, as key players in the renewable energy sector, will initiate and execute massive strides towards the attainment of the use of sustainable energy sources and the protection of the environment. While speaking on the need for sustainable energy use and improvement in women’s participation, Senator Abshiro Soka Halake, who is the Vice-Chairman ICT Committee in the Kenyan Parliament, said that the Kenyan Parliament has enacted a Procurement Law that reserves 30 per cent of the procurement activities for Women and Youths and this includes the renewables

NGO Demands Development Blue Print for Riverin Communities Sylvester Idowu in Warri The National Coordinator of a Niger Delta based NonGovernmental Organisation, Center for Peace and Environmental Justice, (CEPEJ) Comrade Sheriff Mulade has renewed his call to the Delta State government to create Coastal Area Development Advocacy (CADA) to serve as a blue print for sustainable development of riverine communities.

He made the call at CEPEJ’s Ugolo office in Warri Delta State during the NGO’s appreciation program organised for local

and national media outfits across the country for contributing to the advocacy for good governance and development in the country.

He appealed to journalists to join the advocacy of taking development to the riverine communities, which is the motive behind the appeal to the Delta State government to create the CADA. Delta State Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Comrade Mike Ikeogu who commended Sheriff Mulade for his selfless service and contributions to peace advocacy in the state encouraged journalists to

be objective always.

The Managing Director of Delta Broadcasting Service (DBS), Malcolm Oteri cheered the occasion with Christian exhortations, urging all to use time wisely and get closer to God. CEPEJ Boss, Sheriff Mulade thanked various media outfits for the positive exposures given the NGO on various news segments especially the professionalism with which they handled the call on the government to create CADA. Mulade noted that CEPEJ is commited to its sustained advocacy to Development and good governance, pov-

erty eradication, peace and security adding that people in the riverine communities are facing problems of poor living hence the need for an interventionist agency to pilot a coastal community development blue print.

He urged the media to assist with publications that will accelerate the development of the coastal region of the state adding, “the present government is trying its best but need to give the riverine communities developmental attention. The coastal area lack roads, bridges, drinkable water, electricity, healthcare centers�.

Davido Becomes AccessBET Brand Ambassador Mary Nnah

AccessBET, a leading sports bookmaker in Nigeria has announced worldwide superstar Davido as their ofďŹ cial brand ambassador. By this announcement, Davido will represent the brand’s image as well as appear in all AccessBET’s marketing campaigns.

With great odds and guaranteed fast payment of winnings, sports lovers can enjoy betting on their favorite teams via pre-match, in-play and also entertain themselves with varieties of virtual games.

The newly forged relationship with Davido is in line with AccessBET’s vision to ultimately become a renowned bookmaker in the world as well as providing the best online, shop and mobile betting experience in Nigeria.

In his reaction to the

AccessBet Announces Davido

announcement, the music super star expressed great delight to collaborate with AccessBET, describing it as one of the best sports betting bookmakers in Nigeria. “I’m a massive fan of Ronaldo and I also love Boxing so this partnership brings me closer to the

things I have passion for.

I am particularly excited to be a part of this new journey and I am looking forward to working with Accessbet,� he said.

In his own remarks, AccessBET General Manager, Mr. Kayode Akinbo, maintained that the company

is pleased to welcome the multi-award winning superstar, Davido, as their brand ambassador. According to him, Davido’s vibrant persona and a worldwide appeal is something we love and this represents another positive step in the right direction for the brand.

Launch of Project to Enhance Child Education in Nigeria Rebecca Ejifoma In line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) four, a group of table shakers and organisations has launched a project, Nigeria Needs You, to cater to the educational needs of out-of-school children in Nigeria all in an effort to build a sustainable nation.

The project, Nigeria Needs You (NNY), was formally unveiled at the 2019 National Leadership Conference (NNLC) and National Economic Empowerment Summit (NEES) 2019 in November at the Chartered Institute of Bankers Nigeria Lagos.

The Founder and Chief Executive Director of the Carpenter Foundation, Dr. Favour Ayodele, highlighted that over 13.2 million Nigerian Children were out of school for varying reasons ranging from poverty to religious and cultural issues, displacements, loss of parents or care givers, insurgency to environmental hazards.

With his foundation focusing on nation building through education, described education as one of the strongest keys to a nation’s sustainable development. “Building a sustainable nation lies in major fundamental roles found in leadership, education and national economic empowerment. They are the paramount parameters that birth national freedom, growth and development,� he said.

The two-in-one event was initiated to gather expertise across the globe on a note to create interrelational approach to solving the current Nigerian situation that depicts a nations whose citizens are at edge in finding strength to forge ahead.

The programme was hatched to strategically birth working development plans to assist every sitting government in achieving their long term goals through infallible lecture on front line sectors such as Education, Security, Politics, Science and Technology, Agriculture and Manufacturing.

The Founder Network of Women and Public Policy and Executive Director Degab Groups Ltd, Mrs. Maureen Omeibe, joined Dr. Joe Odumakin of Women Arise Initiative, the Presidential aspirant of the young progressives party (PPP) in 2019 Election, Professor Kingsley Mogalu, and other Leaders on, ‘Education as a pathway for Nigerians’ Sustainable Development’.

According to Omeibe, there is emphatic need for the Nigerian educational system to be overhauled or improved upon in the least to refocus attention to a balanced and more integrated model of education where societal values, technical skills and competence are as important if not more than certificates.

She highlighted: “The educational models of the Chinese and other Asian Countries and noted that these countries’ economy amongst other factors became formidable through a high concentration of the educational sector on skills and technical Education.�

Omeibe emphasised that the Chinese, over the years, had focused more on distinct skills and competence education where persons are mostly certified on their areas of strength, what they are able to produce, and problems they are able to solve.Sadly, she bemoaned the budgetary allocation for Education in Nigeria, saying that sustainability could not be guaranteed with the current allocation. “Reports in the media show that no government in Nigeria has been able to raise appropriations to the department of Education to the 26 per cent as recommended by UN for sustainability. “Another major challenge is that apart from its insufficiency,the budget implementation windows still have loopholes where funds meant to go directly to institutions for educational infrastructural development, research and supports in form of fees subsidies, school supplies or scholarships could be diverted.�

Continuing, she noted that establishing an all inclusive model of education in Nigeria requires that curriculum is upgraded to remove obsoletes and include courses that are relevant to the demands of “Our� environment today in terms of solutions to problems and productivity.

In her candid opinion, educators are to be trained and retrained consistently to adapt to the current digital and technological advancement with provisions made, then utilise it as a driver in facilitation of knowledge transfers. “Students across levels and also parents and guardians should be reoriented and refocused to developing interests in technical trainings for acquisition of skills for solving specific problems rather than going to school to obtain certificates that may not add value to the carrier and to the society at large,� she advised.

The executive director further decried the cost of acquiring the JAMB form among other costs attached for students who travel across the country to write. “For long term solutions, there should be policy changes on methods and process of admission. The way we are going cannot guarantee our sustainability as a nation�.

She, therefore, enjoined governments across levels to take education serious. “The government should partner the private sector or organisations like Carpenter Foundation to provide palliatives in form of sensitisation and sharing of empowering career and Nigerian labour market information for the youths.�

Other dignitaries present included: Co-Founder and Executive Director Nigerian-American Leadership Council Washington USA, Dr. Okey Mbonu; Fortunes and Financial Advisor with Trans-American Financial Advisor Inc. Dr. Ajayi O. Daniel; Member Governing Council Federal University of Technology Owerri, Mrs. Maureen Omokhomion; and the Founder African Women in Leadership Organisation among others, Dr. Elisha Attai. --

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EVENTS

Mutallab Named Fountain University Chancellor Ayodeji Ake

L-R: Duro lkhazuagbe, Okechukwu Uwaezuoke, Lawrence Ani and Joseph Ushigiale at theTHISDAYSilver Jubilee Anniverssary in Lagos...recently

L-R: Facilitator, Steadicam MTF Masterclass, Ari De Beer; sta of NigeriaTelevision Authority, Oladimeji Gbenga; Academy Director, MultiChoice Talent Factory,West Africa, Femi Odugbemi and Manager Outside Broadcasting and Studios, Ifeanyi Ene at a one-day MultiChoiceTalent Factory Masterclass in Steadicam operations held in Lagos...recently

L-R: Chairman, Arco Group, Mr. Alfred Okoigun; former Common Wealth Secretary- General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku and Ambassador Greg Mbadiwe at the Silver jubilee of THISDAY Newspaper in Lagos...recently ABIODUN AJALA

The Board of Trustees and Management of Fountain University has appointed Chairman, Jaiz Bank Plc, Dr. Umaru Mutallab (CON), as the new Chancellor of the University.

His conferment as the new chancellor of the privately owned Islamic faithbased university was held at the investiture and 9th convocation ceremony at the school auditorium in Osogbo, Osun State, recently.

Speaking on theconferment,Mutallabexpressedhisdelighton theappointment, just as promised to deploy his wealth of corporate experience and resources to foster the growth and development of the institution. “I thank the proprietors of this university, the Nasrul Lahi al-Fatihi Society, (NASFAT) for considering me worthy of appointment as the Chancellor of this university. This is indeed the right moment for me to publicly acknowledge the honour accorded me. I consider this honour a privilege to serve my dear community and humanity. “It comes to me after a modest ďŹ ve-decade career in the corporate world, and at a time that a retiree of my age is willing to commit more of his energies to charity and every possible way of pleasing the Almighty. I consider this a call to serve the young generation of youths to whom we all owe a duty of facilitating a brighter, prosperous and rewarding future. “I intend to deploy my vast experience in the corporate world to make Fountain University the pride of the Nigerian university system. The vision is to transform the university into a centre of excellence whose curricular will be skill-driven and employment generating in content and delivery, well beyond the statutory period of their validity,â€? Mutallab said.

The Vice-Chancellor, Fountain University, Professor Amidu Sanni said he was optimistic that the appointment of the new Chancellor would fast track several other developments to the university, which would enhance learning, research and community service.

In his remarks, the president of NASFAT worldwide, Alhaji Niyi Yusu appreciated the chancellor for accepting the oer, stressing the institution was lucky to have such a prominent personality with wisdom, networks, and resources on the school’s board.

ERA/FoEN Mourns as Sunny Olukoya is Laid to Rest The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) in a statement issued in Lagos described the death of human rights activist and sta - Sunny Olukoya, as a big loss to the environmental justice community and the struggles for righting the injustices in the Niger Delta region.

Olukoya died on Thursday 9, January 2020 and was buried in Benin on January 16, after service of songs which held in his residence in the Edo State capital.

Aside the environment sphere, Olukoya was also an educationist and had previously taught in many schools in Edo State, including Nosakhare Group of Schools, after his graduation from the University of Benin with a B.A Honours Degree in English. He was also the proprietor of Doremi Academy, Benin City, which caters for early child education.

He joined ERA/FoEN in the late 2000s as project oďŹƒcer working on the renewable energy campaigns, a post he held till his demise.

ERA/FoEN said that Sunny Olukoya was a model of relentless and untiring defence of the human ecosystem, a voice of the voiceless and a strong advocate for a just transition away from polluting fossil fuels.

The environmental justice group explained that the environment community will forever remember his commitment to the struggles for environment and social justice amidst his deteriorating health. “We extend our condolences to his wife Mrs. Ewere Olukoya, his four children and the entire Olukoya family and pray that God will strengthen them at this time of grief. It is also an opportunity for those who know what he stood for to reect and interrogate on those issues he lived and died for,â€? the statement read.

Ben Enwonwu Foundation Holds 4th Point of View At Discussion, Pannel Season Mary Nnah

L-R: Digital Imaging Services Manager, Abisola Atat; Chief Financial Officer, Kehinde Bello; Marketing and Communications Director,Morenike Alder; Managing Director, Ayo Adegboye; ChiefTechnical Officer, Chioma Odum,and Human Resources Manager, Folake Ogunleye all of BCX Nigeria at the company’s get together held in Lagos... recently

The Ben Enwonwu Foundation has announced that the 4thedition of the Point of View discussin and panel session which is usually held once in a month is set to take place on January 24, 2020.

The fourth edition of ‘Point of View’ (POV 4) advocates for sustainable cities and communities by promoting interdisciplinary collaborations between professionals across such diverse sectors as government, the arts, science and technology, to highlight the signiďŹ cant role of the visual arts in ensuring policy frameworks that address climate change. The speakers at the event include, Desmond Majekodunmi, Chairman, Lagos State Urban Forest and Animal Shelter Initiative (LUFASI) who will be discussing, “Making Our Futures: The Intersection of Culture and the Environmentâ€?; Sandra Mbanefo-Obiago, Founder and Director, SMO Contemporary Art, presenting a paper on “Waste to Wealth: The Growing Market for Recycled Art, Polly Alakijaâ€?; Polly Alakija, and so many others.

It is expected that the dierent aspects and the dimension of the phenomenon, subsequently conveying to the government, recommendations and creative solutions to negate its impact will be discussed.

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ENTREPRENEUR

Churchill Olakunle: Our Focus is to Entice Nigerians with e-Agriculture Call Dr. Churchill Olakunle a jack of all trades, and you won’t be far from the truth. As a business mogul, philanthropist, agriculture entrepreneur and IT professional, Olakunle is also anAfrican youth champion by the African youth champion governance, a United Nation Goodwill Ambassador and the face of ECOWASyouthcouncil. Olakunleimbibedtheactofgenerosityfromhisgrandmother.Havingventured into the world of computer engineering and programming when he travelled abroad, upon his return to Nigeria in 2005, he took up some professional exams and became a certified software programmer. In 2005, he launched his first company, Big Churchill and in 2010, he added other subsidiaries and founded the Big Church Group. In this interview with MARY NNAH, the serial entrepreneur who loves to extend his philanthropic gestures to Nigerians, Africa and around the world, talked about his intention to entice Nigerians into e-Agriculture. He also revealed his increased passion for media and production which encompasses cinematography, photography, events coverage and TV shows lieve that we can expand and recently we joined gospel music. It is just a way for giving back to society and also putting out contents and we also want to use this platform to inspire young people.

What is your latest project?

The Big Church Group focuses on software engineering, mobile application development, revenue collection and automation, enterprise infrastructure, training and capacity building. It has been in existence for about a decade and this has been with the help of expertise, provision of valuable advice and implementation of solutions professionally with maximum support.

I am actually coming up with a yearly event in Switzerland called the European-African Summit, kicking off sometime around June and then I would be taking my entertainment outfit more serious. We used do some kind of advocacy movies, aside from other movies, that focus on the humanitarian angle. So this year, we are taking very serious the entrainment angle of the movie outfit.

Other companies under the umbrella of Big Church Group like the ones that are into real estate, consultation, Agriculture, Mining, ICT, and entertainment would obviously be having events back to back. And we would probably look into shooting more advocacy movies this year.

The Big Church Group is into many things, can you tell us how you have been able to merge them together?

My own profession is software programming. I started with that then got into the real estate business. I have always been into real estate since age 23, so we added that to the Big Church Group and then agriculture is from my background and then miming. The entertainment aspect was added just recently when we started shooting.

Then the foundations has been there but we just started getting media notice recently. So, we didn’t come up with the group in a year. We started since 2005 till date but we became a group of company in 2010, that’s like 10 years ago but the Big Churchill as a business enterprise is about 15 years old. Then we started with the ICT 15 years ago then gradually we added the Big Churchill property, which later became King Andre Property; when I had my son, Andre. We have been able to expand from Ghana to Switzerland and other parts of the world, especially from the philanthropic angle.

At what stage did you decide to go into the Big Churchill Foundation and what was the driving force behind its formation?

The foundation has always been there.

When I was very young, I used to assist my grandma who is also a philanthropist. So, I didn’t just come up with a foundation, but it has been part of me and at a point I made a vow that whatever proceeds I get from my business, 10 per cent goes to serving the people and community around me.

Do you have any particular area you focus on?

Talking about inspiring young people, what are the guidelines you can give those looking up to you on how they can get to the level you are today?

They should believe in God and keep pushing. You have to stay hungry at some point to achieve something in life. I started out with the real estate at the age 23. And now I still have a long way to go.

Growing up, you lived with your grandmother. Was there any reason for that?

My grandmother is old now, but I must say that she was a disciplinary then but right now she has softened, she can’t even shout. I am her first grandchild and I think she loved me so much and then decided I must live with her then. So, my own mother was just like a sister to me while I was like the last born of her own mother.

Would you say living with her has influenced you in any way?

Yes, it has. She was a great giver then I didn’t realise it but later. She also trained me to attend the best schools. I had my primary education at Cannon Adeyemi Primary School; my Junior Secondary School was at Apata Memorial High School, Isolo, while my senior Secondary education was at Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Abeokuta. Those were the best schools.

Olakunle

We don’t focus on any particular issue; we can decide to embark on any charity course as soon as we get the money. I am a goodwill ambassador, so a goodwill ambassador can decide to embark on any community development project.

So what impact has your foundation had on the society so far?

So far, it has been good, though we do not have a particular focus, but we have touched many lives in Nigeria and other parts of the world. We tend to embark on any charity course that comes our way as soon as the money comes in.

Let’s talk about the agricultural aspect of your business. How did it start and to what extent have you gone with it? Do you farm personally?

We are trying to pus e-Agriculture, that’s like the electronic Agriculture, how we can, like, put everything together about farming. The eAgriculture is a huge one and we are going to work more on that this year. It is a course that we are going to actually issue certificates to people.

The agricultural aspect of my business started right from my background. I do

farming and everyone around me is used to farming. So, I have been farming right from childhood. So, farming I what I know how to do and I’ve got a wealth of experience in farming.

Right now, we have been able to come up with so many farm lands but our focus on agriculture is to entice Nigerians with the e-agriculture, although we didn’t invent it but we are trying to re-introduce e-Agriculture to people and thereby change their perspective which is usually that farmers are low class people. So, e-Agric teaches you how you can manage a farmland. It makes you a farmland manager and it is so quick and easy and stress-free and the manpower is not that much. It is just package for Agriculture, although we have farmlands and we have been able to put things together, even poultry. Then we do exportation of agricultural produce like maize, coffee beans, cocoa, etc.

Now you are branching into media and production. How do you intend to combine the two?

I am just trying to touch every angle.

And already we have started a sort of advocacy kind of production. I just be-

If have the chance of changing a decision you made in the past. What would that be?

I regret that I didn’t focus so much on business early in life. I would have loved to change that. I made mistakes in my life but these days I have opened my eyes.

These days I tend to get close to people than I used to do in the past.

You started business at 23 and succeeded in your first business till date.

What made it then comfortable to go into business at a younger age?

Generally, most of the Yoruba family do not pamper their children even if they were for wealthy homes. So, they allowed us the children to go out there and struggle to make a living.

And when you see what your mates were doing, it got competitive. So, it is like a race and you probably go your own way. So, right from my tender age, I had great dreams for myself, seeing myself as a very successful person. So, to young people, I would say, the road is not too smooth but you have to keep pushing. But so importantly, stay hungry so that you can go far in life and then be prayerful and keep moving.

I am a Christian and I pray a lot.

T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ Í°Í˛Ëœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

39

METRO

‌Your city life in print

How JFK Brought Succor to 150 Homes in Ekiti Raheem Akingbolu reports that the Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, recently put smiles on the faces of 150peoplewhoparticipated inthe maiden edition of JFK Christmas Surprise

F

or 64-year-old retired banker, Olukunle Alaketu, from Ado Ekiti, who unexpectedly won a table gas cooker in the just concluded JKF Christmas Surprise, the Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi has set a new pace in governance.

Unlike many Ekiti indigenes who had received the news of the governor’s proposed Christmas gift with a pinch of salt, Alaketu defended the governor among friends and family members that Fayemi had never appeared to him like a frivolous person. “Many people doubted it and those who didn’t doubt the announcement that Fayemi would be giving gifts to 150 callers on a live programme, concluded the gifts would be given to some party members who had been given some special numbers. “As people around me started trying to call in, I picked my phone too and said in the name of Jesus and dialed the number on the screen. Lo and behold, mine went through and I was told to come for my gift of gas cooker which I got few hours later at the redemption point,�Alaketu said.

The retired banker who described the innovation as the first in this part of the world, urged Fayemi to use his clout as the chairman of the Governors’ Forum to impress it on other governors to initiate such programme in their respective states. He also advised the Ekiti State governor to scout for more cooperate and individual sponsors to take it a bit further in the next edition, “As a well-travelled individual with friends within and outside corporate Nigeria, if the governor extends his tentacles, I believe it will be bigger and better next year. Who knows, callers can win cars and other life changing gifts. With this, Fayemi has taken his Christmas bonanza beyond politicians,� he stated.

Another winner, 23-year-old Agboola Temitope, a fashion designer, who lives in Ayede Ekiti, who won a blender, also extolled the programme as something that put smiles on many faces in Ekiti. “As an individual, I don’t play gamble and I don’t believe in it but as a citizen of Ekiti State, I saw this as the governor’s own Santa Claus and I tried my luck. It was like a dream when my call went through and I was told that I won a blender. I cherish the spirit behind it and I want to advise Mr. Governor to sustain it,� she stated.

Eleyinmi Irewole, though a native of Oyin Akoko in Ondo State, lives in Igede Ekiti. He also won a bag of rice. Irewole who said he was not a politician commended the programme and thanked the organisers for keeping their promise.

His experience was not different from that of Adebayo Yusuf who lives at Onala area in Ado Ekiti. Yusuf had participated like others and won a home theatre set. To him, the gift was a sign that Fayemi feels for his people.

While applauding the manner at which the programme was conducted, Yusuf described it as a good programme that has further warmed the governor to the hearts of Ekiti people.

The JFK Christmas Surprise was a special show that climaxed a week-long Christmas activity initiated by the governor to give surprise gifts to Ekiti people during the festive period. The programme which was in phases also included visitation to three general hospitals in Ikole, Ikere and Ado Ekiti where hospital bills were settled for some indigent patients.

Some patients also received grocery packs while the children got toys. The State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. (Mrs.) Moji Yaya Kolade), led the team that went to Ikole specialist hospital, where hospital bills were settled for some patients, including a 15- year- old mother of two, whose bill was settled and was also given gifts.

The same thing was repeated in Ikere Specialist Hospital, where the Hon. Commissioner for Information, Tourism and Value Orientation, Muyiwa Olomilua was on hand to personally present the gifts. The House of Assembly member, representing Ado Ekiti

Winner of a Home theater

A winner receiving his gift

Constituency 1, Lucas Oluwatoyin Felix, led the team that went to Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti where the same exercise took place.

Though supported by United Bank for Africa (UBA), the JKF Christmas Surprise was said to have been majorly funded by the governor himself.

Speaking on the outcome of the programme, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Communication, Mrs. Sola Salako-Ajulo, said the governor personally conceived the initiative and decided to use his personal money.

She said: “JKF Christmas Surprise is Governor Fayemi’s personal project, which was conceived by him and funded by him in collaboration with UBA. He made it clear from the onset that he wanted to put smiles on Ekiti people without putting the burden on the state’s resources. Aside visitation to hospitals, the programme was also conceived

A winner of at screen TV smiles home

Winner of refrigirator collects her gift

to give 50 gifts to 50 people everyday for three days, which brought the number of gifts and beneficiaries to 150. “It was hitch free and Ekiti people were delighted. Fresh numbers were used for intending participants to call and the numbers were displayed on set. To make sure everybody participated it was broadcast widely that all broadcasting stations in the state should link EKTV and this was done.�

Speaking further, Salako-Ajulo pointed out that the beauty of the programme was in the fact that all that was required was for the number to get through and the caller wins something. “At the end, all the 150 people that succeeded in calling got various gifts ranging from food items and home appliances, refrigerator, home theater, television set, bag of rice, gas cooker, and many other items. The criteria is simple; listeners call in, pick a number and win the gift attached to the number.

“Every caller was a winner and this was demonstrated while the exercise lasted. For redemption of their gifts, those who won came for collection at the governor‘soffice and left with happiness on their faces.“ Beyond the gifts, many citizens of Ekiti have commended the programme and the modern manner through which it was organised. To this end, the governor has been advised to deepen the next edition.�

A Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political Science, Ekiti State University, Mike Omilusi, said the build up and publicity given to the programme was exceptional. “I was impressed with everything about the JKF Christmas surprise, especially the campaign and jingle that announced it. Punchy and direct, the message was clear‌’JKF is really walking the talk....................You better pick your phone and dial the number to be among the lucky winner .......No dullingâ€?, I found those lines inviting.â€?

40

T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ Í°Í˛Ëœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

POLSCOPE

N

with Eddy Odivwri Ă?ĂŽĂŽĂŁË›Ă™ĂŽĂ“Ă ĂĄĂœĂ“ĚśĂžĂ’Ă“Ă?ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁĂ–Ă“Ă Ă?Ë›Ă?Ă™Ă—Ëœ ͸΀͸ͽ ͝͸͞ Π͝ͽ͞

Amotekun: The Issues, the Politics

ot many issues in Nigerian politics and social discourses are able to engage national attention for two weeks and more. Amotekun has done so and it is not about fizzling away.

Since the Southwest security outfit was launched on January 9 , it has seized the headlines in major newspapers in Nigeria.

And it has generated lots of both serious and controversial conversations .

The notch of controversy got a little raised when the federal government through the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, responded to the south west initiative by declaring it as illegal. That declaration has not only drawn out the Yoruba elite, it has introduced politics into the mix.

The ringing question is why should Malami declare Amotekun illegal? Did he indeed have the right and powers to declare Amotekun illegal? Is he the court of law? Not even the president can declare it illegal. If Malami and co still believe in the rule of law, then they should realize that only the court of competent jurisdiction can truly declare Amotekun legal or illegal.

I had thought what should worry Malami and indeed the entire federal government is the prompt and provocation that gave birth to Amotekun.

Without much ado, it is clear that the resort to Amotekun is because government has failed in its primary duty to protect lives and property. Too many people have been killed and many more are being killed every blessed day, essentially because government has not lived up to the bill of protecting lives and property of Nigerians.

So, if the government has failed and every now and then wrings its hands in helplessness, should the people knowingly surrender themselves to be killed and maimed by the growing band of marauders in the land? God Forbid!

Where was law and legality when innocent Nigerians were being killed and maimed by bandits? The Adamawa State chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev Lawan Andimi, a captive of Boko Haram terror gang, was beheaded last Monday. We can no longer count the number of people and even soldiers that have been killed by Boko Haram. That is why it appears weird that despite the obvious inability of the nation’s security apparatchik to rein in the terrorists, Mr President has resisted public pressure to change the security architecture in the country.

The service chiefs have over-stayed. They have no new ideas of how to win the war against the terrorists. They should be shown the door.

So, if committing to save and protect their own people, since government is unable to do same, is considered an illegality by Malami, so be it.

Indeed, there is no where in the criminal code or Police Act that says the duty of securing lives and property is the exclusive preserve of the police. No where!

There are citizens’ rights. In fact, the right to life and safety is paramount and it remains the raison d’etre of all other rights. What other right will be useful or necessary if the right to life is compromised?

The governors of the South west had simply resorted to self-help to protect their people.

Nobody should blame them. A thousand Malamis cannot and should not stop them.

If the government cannot protect the people, can’t the people protect themselves?

Fayemi

Is it not even strange, if not curious, that in spite of the many cases of massacre, pogrom and lethal raid of communities across the country, no one, yes, no one has been arrested, prosecuted or jailed for the sundry heinous crimes against the rest of Nigerians?

Is it that the Fulani herdsmen who have been in the vanguard of the attacks, killings and abductions across the land enjoy unofficial immunity? Is it not clear that they are treated specially, preferentially and with kids’ gloves?

They seem to be carrying on with the Paulean boast and confidence: “if the president be for us, who can be against us?�

If the state governors are addressed as the Chief Security Officers of their states (even though they do not control any lever of security agencies), does it not behold on them to devise ways and means of protecting their electorate, including even law-abiding non-indigenes? Is it mere official shenanigan to describe them as Chief Security Officers when they cannot secure their people? The governors of the South West region have taken a great and bold initiative in deciding to form Amotekun. Nigerians can only expect a replication across the land If nothing else, the formation of Amotekun has pushed further the clamour for restructuring, as a major essence of federalism. To prove their seriousness, the six state governors have donated 20 Hilux vans each to kick start Amotekun, among other perks, here and there.

Already, recruitment and training of its personnel is already in progress.

The federal government has ben dillydallying on the issues of restructuring and state police. The South West governors have simply nudged the federal government from its slumber on the all important subject of restructuring and security.

Now the bit that is even more disturbing is the rude and provocative comments from Miyetti Allah, the group whose members have been orchestrating the unrest and tension in Nigeria.

First, Miyetti Allah had arrogantly declared that for Yoruba people to launch Amotekun, they are no longer eligible for the nation’s presidency in 2023.

Next, they said the launch portrays Yoruba people as “primitive�. I cannot understand this arrogant posturing from a group of cattle breeders. Surely, because the federal government had chosen to look the away from the many atrocities of the body, it is now arrogating to itself strange and feathery powers. What is the business of cattle breeders in the politics of presidential succession? Who had even told them that it is now the turn of the Yorubas to produce the president in 2023? And who are they in the real scheme of things in Nigerian politics? Not only is it all raw rubbish, it is manifesting as a butterfly thinking itself a bird. Miyetti Allah should mind their cattle business and not dabble into the rather complex matrix of Nigerian politics .

They must not remind us that all animals are equal but some are more equal. Were it not so, Miyetti Allah, with all the insecurity

and atrocities they have caused Nigerians, should have long been proscribed. Many ethno-centric groups proscribed by the federal government have not committed a quarter of the atrocities Miyetti Allah has caused and continue to cause in Nigeria.

We have not forgotten that it was essentially for them that the federal government had mulled the idea of RUGA Settlements.

Surely, this phase shall pass and Nigeria will reboot and reset its operational template, if you know what I mean. How can a league of roaming and largely homeless folks describe the Yoruba race as “primitive�? And no body in government has condemned such open provocation in the land.

Understandably, many Yoruba elite have spoken vehemently in support of the initiative.

Even Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the APC who had kept silent for over two weeks, because of his perceived presidential ambition, broke his silence last Wednesday when he berated those who believe Amotekun will lead to national disintegration. He did not spare his own folksmen either for maintaining extreme viewpoints and stance.

The other area of concern is what many have perceived as bias on the part of the federal government which has allowed and tolerated Hisbah and Civilian JTF in the north but describes as illegal Amotekun in the South West.

Some have argued that while Hisbah is a product of Kano State House of Assembly legislation, and Civilian JTF is a child of circumstance in the North east region (because of the rampaging effect of Boko Haram terrorists), Amotekun does not have the backing of any law.

Yes, the various Houses of Assembly in the South West can go ahead to pass a law legitimizing the formation of the security outfit.

But all said, the other concern will be the issue of arming the Amotekun personnel. How will the governors source for arms, if their work is to be effectively done? I have heard of ideas of resorting to dane guns—the type local hunters use in killing grass cutters in the bush. I dare say that such weapons will not be able to confront the cache of sophisticated arms borne by both the Fulani herdsmen and other bandits in the land.

Critics have also raised concern about the capacity of the state governors to effectively sustain a funding regime for the security outfit. It is beyond the drama of donating 20 Hilux vans per state. If not well managed and supported, even the fuelling of the vans will become an issue.

Here are state governors battling to accept and commence the implementation of the minimum wage agreement, now to be further saddled with the onerous task of maintaining a militia. It is thus hoped that a well-laid out funding structure is designed to ensure that financial constraint does not eventually stifle and cripple the operations of Amotekun.

Finally, the hitherto held fears about state police as being susceptible to abuse by politicians, must be guarded against. Thankfully, it is a regional security outfit, not necessarily a state police. It is even more reassuring knowing that the South west region is governed by both the All Progressive Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The idea of reducing Amotekun to a political machine to crush opponents should therefore be verily far from its essence.

Protecting lives and property of all the people in the South west should be the sole motivation and reason for existence.

That Little Space A week ago, I was at the Ikoyi cemetery, where we had gone to lay our departed colleague and friend, Mrs Labake Yembra, to rest.

I hate going to cemeteries, even though we may all end up there someday. But I had to do it for my friend.

Spending over an hour there made too many pensive moments and thoughts run through my head.

It is an old cemetery. Getting a space to lay a loved one is a challenge. Just a little space is even scarce. Every inch of a space matters. Like for the living as well as for the dead, accommodation is a problem. What is this life!

Walking down to search out the little space secured for Labaks, served me lots of lessons. Just a little space—that’s all we

may end up with.

Every space is marked out with arithmetic precision. No space to waste. In the little corner found for her, not even a walk way is available. We had to meander through old graves to access hers. What is this life!

The cemetery preaches the gospel of life’s futility. There you see a million epitaphs some of 22 year olds, some of 50, and some of 87. All sorts and ages are there. Men and women, rich and poor. While some tombs look well maintained and protected, finished with beautiful tiles and marbles, many others are in ruin. Some have even caved in and looked desolate, overgrown with weeds.

You can see rot and decay all over. Even the once bouquets of flowers have suffered the effects of the elements The many types of epitaphs bespeak of

how the people therein were valued by their loved ones. But nothing on the surface can ever foretell the fate of the dead: whether they are lounging in heaven or roasting in hell. The cemetery is a leveler. They all lay there quiet. And gone. Leaving behind concrete mounds that indicate they once trudged this earth.

No matter how much we cry when they are laid down, everybody turns to leave.

Nobody stays back The grave is a private place. So private, so desolate.

Some organized and “visionary� families, fearing the squeeze that even the dead suffer, had gone ahead to buy up spaces ahead of their passage. Thus you see two graves, lying side by side for papa and mama, with differing death history .

I hear in some other cemeteries, the

managers have devised smarter ways of managing their limited space by making families buy spaces for the entire family.

And this is achieved by having very deep graves where the first to die in the family lies farthest down, and he/she is decked off while the next to die is laid atop the first and so on. Just that little space, is all you are entitled to at the very end of the day.

At the Ikoyi cemetery, there is hardly a one- feet space between neighbours. Everywhere is tight. No matter how much they have, or how well they splurged or how well they were endowed, when that final bell rings, all you get is just that little space. So, why all the fuss about life, undoing others to position self, knowing that you will not get a jot more than that little space?

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

Seplat Restates Commitment to more Asset Acquisitions, Growth Goddy Egene The Chief Executive Officer of Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, an indigenous oil and gas firm, Mr. Austin Avuru said the company remains committed to more asset acquisitions in the exploration and production space and to organic growth’

Avuru, who said this at the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) January Technical/Business Meeting on mergers, acquisitions and divestments in exploration and production (E&P) business held in Lagos on Wednesday, explained that one of Seplat’s key mandate is to leverage opportunities in the oil and

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

gas industry through acquisition of more oil and gas assets.

He said: “We are delighted to successfully complete the acquisition of Eland Oil and Gas Plc, which further enhances Seplat’s footprint in Nigeria and provides opportunities for enhanced scale, diversification and growth. We welcome our new colleagues and

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 22Jan-2020, unless otherwise stated.

Nigerian partners as we look forward to working together in this exciting phase of our development.”

Addressing stakeholders at the meeting, Avuru said Seplat had positioned itself as an early mover through the acquisition of a 45 per cent operated interest in OMLs 4, 38 and 41 from Shell, Total and Agip in

2010, thus, becoming the first Nigerian independent to acquire a package of oil and gas blocks directly from the major international oil companies (IOCs) as part of a disposal process.

Avuru explained that the company has demonstrated its ability to work its assets and produce its reserves despite external negative factors such

as downtime and losses.

“Seplat also began to invest in its gas business in 2010 in response to the Nigerian Government’s initiatives to improve the debilitating impact of poor power generation and supply in the country by opening the domestic supply obligation pricing to market forces,” he said.

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 N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Plutus Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria International Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.91 0.91 7.72% ACAP Income Funds 0.76 0.76 33.75% 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 8.33% AIICO Balanced Fund 2.49 2.53 0.84% info@anchoriaam.com ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 6.65% Anchoria Equity Fund 109.53 109.94 7.85% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.17 1.17 2.56% 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 16.64 17.14 8.64% ARM Discovery Fund 367.56 378.64 6.40% ARM Ethical Fund 30.60 31.52 5.19% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 8.64% 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 103.08 103.80 7.28% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 6.20% CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 1.94 1.94 16.31% 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 9.94% Paramount Equity Fund 13.13 13.29 4.59% Women's Investment Fund 116.17 117.25 5.24% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 8.86% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 107.47 108.10 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 111.98 112.77 CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 6.10% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 8.98% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,167.75 1,169.17 0.46% FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 119.79 120.06 0.46% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 120.47 120.74 0.53% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 133.62 135.30 2.68% 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 1.00 1.00 9.82% Legacy Debt Fund 3.67 3.67 0.46% Legacy Equity Fund 1.20 1.22 5.97% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.08 1.08 0.25% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund 3,181.81 3,220.66 6.71% Coral Income Fund 3,097.67 3,097.67 13.01% FSDH Treasury Bills Fund 100.00 100.00 8.67% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria Entertainment Fund N/A N/A N/A

GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gdl.com.ng Web: www.gdl.com.ng ; Tel: +234 9055691122 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn GDL Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 8.19% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.28 2.31 5.78% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 11.87% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 145.53 146.04 16.61% 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: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 10.59 10.69 15.64% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 6.93% 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 1.42 1.45 16.28% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.33 12.42 9.25% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 10.00% PACAM Equity Fund 1.19 1.20 PACAM EuroBond Fund 107.91 109.78 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 136.76 138.86 15.31% 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 0.07% 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 N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.25 1.27 3.89% United Capital Bond Fund 1.73 1.73 0.11% United Capital Equity Fund 0.74 0.75 4.77% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 7.47% United Capital Eurobond Fund 112.20 112.20 0.30% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.10 1.11 1.33% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 10.95 11.12 6.73% Zenith Ethical Fund 12.14 12.30 4.69% Zenith Income Fund 22.97 22.97 3.37% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 5.98%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

3.40 118.78 52.13

-64.85% -0.13% 0.15%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

9.91 104.01 80.17

10.01 106.25 81.64

13.73% 12.49% 8.73%

Fund Name FSDH UPDC Real Estate Investment Fund SFS Skye Shelter Fund Union Homes REIT

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

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

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

3.93 5.57 13.77 12.18 170.35

3.97 5.65 13.87 12.38 172.35

10.67% -5.68% 13.21% 17.04% -8.97%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

108.69

17.60%

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.

42

T H I S D AY Ëž Í°Í˛Ëœ 2020

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

PenCom to Enforce Group Life Insurance Law Ebere Nwoji The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has ordered all employers of labour covered by the Pension Reform Act 2014, to submit copies of the insurance certificates with the schedule of benefits of their employees to the commission.

Section 4 sub-section 5 of the Pension Reform Act stipulates that all employers of labour should set up group life insurance policy for their workforce.

The policy which ensures that dependents of a deceased employee receive three times his total annual emolument was meant to cushion the effect of death on a deceased worker’s family.

PenCom, in a circular titled, “compliance with guidelines for life insurance policy for employers and submission of insurance certificates for 2020 sent to various employers stated that, “in accordance with the provisions of Section 4(5) of the Pension Reform Act (PRA) 2014 and Section 5.5 of the Guidelines for Life Insurance Policy for Employees, employers of labour covered by the PRA 2014 are required to submit copies of

the Insurance Certificates with the schedule of benefits to the National Pension Commission (PenCom)�.

According to the commission, the insurance certificates shall state that all employees are covered up to an amount not less than three times their respective Annual Total Emoluments (ATE). “Employers that have not yet submitted copies of insurance certificates for the current year to the commission, are therefore advised to do so before 31 March, 2020 failing which the National Pension Commission would consider such employers in default of Section 4(5) of the Pension Reform Act (PRA) 2014�

PenCom stated�.

According to the commission, the guidelines for Life Insurance Policy for employees can easily be accessed and downloaded from its website, adding that compliance with PRA 2014 was not complete without the Group Life Insurance Policy.

The commission in a similar notice to members of the public on life insurance policy as one of the employees’ rights and condition of service stated, “this is to remind all employees in the public service of the federation,

federal capital territory and states that have implemented the Contributory Pension Scheme as well as private sector, that it is their rights; under Section 4(5) of the PRA 2014 to have Life Insurance policy taken on their behalf by their employers for an insured amount of not less than three times their annual total emolument.�

The commission, in the notice to the employees further stated that employees should note that employees were also required to ensure that all pension contributions deducted from salaries and/or contributed by employers are remitted to the Pension Fund Custodian (PFC) by the employer not later than seven working days from the date of payment of their salaries.

The commission advised employees to report where the employer fails to do, “procure the minimum required life insurance policy in their favour; submit the evidence of compliance with life insurance policy to the commission and place the certificate in a conspicuous place within the organisation; and remit the deducted pension contributions into their retirement savings accounts.�

Kure Now Acting NIRSAL MFB CEO, CBN Appoints New Directors James Emejo Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has appointed Mr. Abubakar Abdulahi Kure as the new acting Managing Director of NIRSAL Micro Finance Bank (NMFB).

He replaces Yusuf Phillip Yila who becomes Director, Development Finance of the CBN with effect from Friday, January 24, 2020.

Yila succeeds Dr. Mudashiru Olaitan who retires from the bank from January 26, 2020.

The apex bank in a statement further named some new directors including Clement Busari as Director of Strategy Management; Haruna Mustaphah, Director, Consumer

Protection; Bello Hassan, Director, Other Financial Institutions Supervision Department; Dr. Ozoemena Nnaji, Director, Trade and Exchange Department as well as Musa Itopa Jimoh who is now Director, Payment System.

NIRSAL MFB, which was incorporated in 2019 and granted a licence to operate in the same year, was set up by the CBN to assist farmers and those in the agricultural value chain access funds with little interest rate.

Its shareholding structure comprises 50 per cent by the CBN, while the Bankers’ Committee own 40 per cent as well as NIPOST which accounts for the remaining 10 per cent.

In March last year, the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele disclosed that the NMFB would provide loans to small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) at five per cent interest rate for about seven years tenor, as well as a two-year moratorium.

Set up with an initial capital base of N5 billion and designed to boost credit to small businesses by removing identified problems, Emefiele, had said the emergence of the institution would significantly boost access to credit for SMEs, and allayed the fears expressed by existing microfinance institutions that the emergence of NMFB could be a ploy to crowd them out of business.

CHI Limited Unveils New Product The Chi Limited has announced the launch of Chivita 100% Real Lychee Blend fruit juice in one litre Tetra aseptic packaging.

According to a statement, sweet and exotic, the lychee is a small, delicate, rare fruit that grows in subtropical regions throughout the world.

It originated in China where it is especially popular, and is present in many countries of the Southeast Asia continent.

Lychee is widely regarded as the ‘Fruit of Royalty’ for its delightful flavour, exquisite taste, satisfying juiciness, and immense health benefits. The ancient Chinese consumed this super fruit and its juices to promote positive energy circulation in the body and overall well-being. “Round in shape, lychees are about the size of a walnut, and have an outer shell with a textured surface which is usually reddish-brown or pink in colour. Inside the outer shell is a soft, succulent,

jelly-like flesh that is white or pearl-coloured with a sweet, delicious taste. “Lychee contains a good amount of fibre and Bcomplex vitamins which aid metabolism. The fruit also contains nutrients like manganese, magnesium, copper, and iron required for the formation of red blood cells in the body.

Research has also shown that the Lychee fruit helps boost the body’s immunity, regulates blood pressure, aids weight loss, is good for skin, and helps maintain strong bones. “No matter how you consume it, whether eating the actual fruit, as a pure fruit juice, or blended with other fruits, lychee is a delightful, tasty, and pleasurable fruit. The new Chivita 100% Real Lychee Blend fruit juice is a great addition to the already existing range of Chivita 100% fruit juices

which come in Orange, Pineapple, Apple, and Red Grape variants,� the statement explained.

It further stated that the Chivita 100% Real Lychee Blend offers Nigerian consumers who quest for good health and great tasting fruit juices a new Chivita fruit juice variant to choose from. “With this launch, Nigerian consumers have the opportunity to join the rest of the world in enjoying the pure, natural, and wholesome goodness of the great tasting lychee fruit as a pure 100% fruit juice with no added sugar, preservatives or additives. “The fact that the new Chivita 100% Real Lychee Blend is produced in a clean and hygienic packaging gives consumers the added confidence that Chivita has taken the utmost care to ensure highest standards are maintained in its manufacturing process,� it added.

PenCom Acting DG, Aisha Dahir-Umar

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

SEPTEMBER 2019 Money Supply (M3)

35,029,779.72

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

7,374,356.91

Money Supply (M2)

27,655,422.82

-- Quasi Money

116,533,891.21

-- Narrow Money (M1)

11,121,531.60

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,625,047.69

---- Demand Deposits

9,496,483.91

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

13,911,335.83

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

21,118,443.89

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

35,918,179.45

---- Credit to Government (Net)

10,452,199.38

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

11,007,422.79

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

25,465,980.07

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

-14,799,735.56

--Other Assets Net

7,000,253.07

Reserve Money (Base Money

2,005,600.83

--Currency in Circulation

4,677,530.81

--Banks Reserves

317,121.43

Ëž Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? Ě‹

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month Inter-Bank Call Rate

March 2018 15.16

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

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

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE ˜ ͰͰ Ͱ͎Ͱ͎

The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $64.66 a barrel on Wednesday, compared with $65.26 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

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

SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

43

T H I S D AY Ëž Í°Í˛Ëœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

MARKET NEWS

Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank Posts N1.4bn Revenue, N420m Profit Goddy Egene Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank (ITMB) Plc has reported a revenue of N1.378 billion and profit after tax (PAT) of N419.697 million respectively for the year ended December 31, 2019.

In its interim unaudited accounts made available to stock market operators, ITMB posted N1.378 billion revenue in 2019, up by 37.3 per cent from the N1.005 billion recorded in 2018.

Net operating income rose from

N943 million to N1.184 billion, while total operating expenses rose from N577 million to N743 million.

Profit before tax rose 20.4 per cent from N366.756 million to N441.786 million. However, PAT grew slower by 9.4 per cent to N419.697 million from N383.467 million due to a jump of 232 per cent in tax from N6.644 million to N22.089 million.

The Managing Director/ CEO of ITMB Plc, Dr. Olabanjo Obaleye last September said

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

the company continued to maintain profitability since its listing on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) despite the harsh business environment in the country.

He said the bank had increased its number of shareholders, attained national primary mortgage bank status, and opened its Lagos regional office. “We have received strong industry and regulatory ratings, and many industry and inter-

S E C U R I T I E S

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

national awards. The bank also added two independent directors and became shareholders with Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company and Mortgage Warehouse Funding Limited.

The bank has held its annual general meetings consistently,� he said.

Obaleye explained that ITMB Plc was constantly exploring areas that could advance its core values, part of which was the adoption of digital initiatives like development of mobile

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

application which will increase convenience and payment options available to customers.

He said the company needed to be technology-driven and that was why we were exploring available options by joining the NIBSS platform to improve customer service, drive revenue and promote corporate goodwill.

Meanwhile, the equities market rebounded yesterday as the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index appreci-

O F

ated by 0.45 per cent to close at 29,591.29, while market capitalisation added N68.5 billion to be at N15.2 trillion. The performance improved the year-to-date growth to 10.2 per cent.

A total of 14 stocks appreciated same as number of price losers.

CAP Plc led price gainers with 10 per cent, trailed by Unilever Nigeria Plc with 8.1 per cent.

Conversely, Linkage Assurance Plc led the price losers with 8.3 per cent, followed by WAPIC Insurance Plc with 7.8 per cent.

2 1 / 0 1 / 2 0 2 0 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

44

˾ FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2020

WORLD OF ISLAM

Edited by: MJO Mustapha Email deji.mustapha@thisdaylive.com

Integration of Knowledge As A Way Forward – 3 Spahic Omer/IslamiCity (Continued from last week) Imam al-Ghazali’s experiences also epitomize the problem at hand. He was a distinguished professor at one of the leading educational institutions of the day, Nizamiyyah School in Baghdad. However, he soon underwent a spiritual crisis. As a result, he abandoned his lucrative academic career, left Baghdad and, having made necessary arrangements for his family, disposed of his wealth and adopted an ascetic lifestyle. He abstained from teaching at state-sponsored institutions. Rather, he taught in mosques, private schools and Sufi monasteries.

Al-Ghazali believed that the Islamic spiritual tradition and authentic scholarship were on the decline and that the spiritual sciences taught by the first generation of Muslims had been forgotten.

The newly emerging educational institutions were instrumental in kindling as well as perpetuating the predicament.

Later, however, al-Ghazali, as a changed man, broke his vow and returned to teaching at the state-sponsored Nizamiyyah School in Nishapur, where he himself had been a student. “To his followers he justified this step with the great amount of theological confusion among the general public and pressure from authorities at the Seljuq court”.

A feature of al-Ghazali’s career is his systematic attacks on the negative aspects of Aristotelian philosophy, after which it never fully recovered in the Muslim circles. No wonder that there are many unfavorable views by well-known Muslim scholars concerning philosophy. Imam al-Shaafai’i is reported to have said that the people did not become ignorant and begin to differ until they abandoned Arabic terminology and adopted the terminology of Aristotle. Many jurists regarded forbidden studying philosophy. Today’s widespread reverence for Muslim philosophy and philosophers is largely owing to the roles of the West and Western scholarship.

It stands to reason that what is traditionally called the Islamic Golden Age (an era dated from the 8th to the 14th century, commencing with Caliph Harun al-Rashid and the inauguration of the House of Wisdom) is a flawed thing and far

from being accurate. An age cannot be golden if it featured an unbridgeable gap between the political and mainstream religious leaderships, which furthermore were continuously at odds with each other. Nor can an age be called golden if its society, due to the incessant political upheavals, suffered a series of spiritual and intellectual disorders, some of which were able to shake the foundations of the leading national institutions.

Without a doubt, the Islamic Golden Age is the Prophet’s age and the age of his immediate successors (sahabah). What is generally perceived today as the Islamic Golden Age is a Western bequest and appellation. They arrived at such conclusion having studied the Muslim history through the lens of their own materialistic worldview and one-dimensional civilizational criteria and standards, focusing mainly on worldly sciences, economic development and cultural works.

Muslims’ Scenario Today Today when Muslims stand at the crossroads of their cultural and civilizational consciousness and performance, the subject of integration of knowledge and its sciences becomes overriding.

Yet, it perhaps denotes the most important issue that must be addressed and resolved.

Muslims should learn from history, both when they ruled and when they were ruled, that the only way forward is authentic knowledge and an effective mode of integrated education. Ever since the yoke of colonialism loosened and Muslims started controlling their own cultural and civilizational fate, they tried and experimented with basically every available model of development. However, nothing really worked. The 21st century is in its full swing and most Muslim societies are still struggling with the basic requirements of bona fide independence, sovereignty and progress.

Certainly, there is nothing better and more productive for Muslims than their Islam and models derived from its heavenly worldview, principles, and values. There is no better educational system than the one based on divine truth, which aims to make students, apart from being knowledgeable and experts in their respective fields, also better men and women, enabling

them to function properly and prove themselves worthwhile in all contexts and environments they may find themselves in. Doomed is a system which makes students merely superficial, greedy and selfish professionals, alienated from truth and its ways, and from their very selves; and doomed is a society where such individuals live and operate.

For Muslims to succeed they need to revive the culture of iqra’. They need to revive the notions of holistic knowledge and education as vehicles of absolute and transcendent truth. The concepts of integration, rather than separation, inclusiveness, rather than contraction, harmony, rather than dichotomy, cooperation, rather than conflict, comprehensive excellence, rather than mediocrity, and dynamism, rather than lethargy, are the main thrusts that need to be subtly interwoven into the fabric of Islamic education. While doing so, sporadically learning from others and other systems in the East and the West should never be frowned upon. It yet should be welcomed, as wisdom is the lost property of a believer; wherever he finds it, he takes it - as expounded by the Prophet (pbuh).

It is grossly inappropriate that the worldview, teachings, and values of Islam are taught in Islamic departments and syllabi, but elsewhere it is business as usual, whereby alien-to-Islam ideologies and value systems are directly or indirectly applied and promoted. It is equally inappropriate that in the latter, Islamic precepts and solutions are indeed consulted, but only as secondary, inferior, outmoded and symbolic options. Imposed foreign irreconcilable paradigms remain nevertheless favored and in force. Islam must not be a footnote in Muslims’ educational obsessions and systems.

As part of this revivalist drive, mosques need to start functioning again as real community development centres, re-examining their educational significance and functions, and their relationships with other national institutions and bodies, principally with such as are education-oriented.

In the same vein, educational institutions should also revisit their own missions and characters, rendering themselves as “mosques”, in the sense that in them only Almighty Allah will be glorified and the interests of His revealed truth will be

only served.

It is high time that the thinking, according to which Islam is only for the purely religious sciences, purely religious institutions and establishments, and purely religious people, be rescinded once and for all. It is really astonishing why after all the events and episodes of the past century, Muslims still cannot come to terms with the fallacy and absurdity of such a philosophy. The philosophy was served as a poisonous chalice by the colonial masters and their numerous collaborators for their well-known agendas and programs. At present, such thinking is an unmistaken sign of intellectual and spiritual backwardness.

These approaches only increase the confusion of especially Muslim youth. They become torn between their Islamic traditions and identity, and what is served to them through the phenomenon of educational dualism, some people even contracting “multiple personality disorder” or “dissociative identity disorder”. In the end, something’s got to give, and unfortunately, in many cases, it is Islam and its influence on people’s spiritual, intellectual and psychological well-being that are compromised.

Indeed, integration of knowledge begets the harmony, peace, coherence and consistency of being. Whereas, separation of knowledge and fallings-out between its diverse segments ultimately beget the disharmony, inconsistence, contradiction and despondency of being.

One wonders why in most parts of the Muslim world there still cannot be place, nor opportunity, to integrate in the realm of humanities Islam’s paramount principles of man, life, society, humankind, gender issues, history, geography, environment, law, politics, aesthetics and ethics; why in social sciences there is no room for integrating Islam’s overriding values and doctrines concerning human and social development, human behavior and well-being, economics, psychology, health, sustainable development, justice, equality, linguistics, society, culture, and epistemology; why in the diverse fields of science there is no place for incorporating Islam’s perhaps most fundamental tenets and teachings in connection with life and death, universe, earth, ecology, biology, matter, astronomy, mathematics and ethics.

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FRIDAY JANUARY 24, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Ahmed Upbeat about Improved Revenues, Insists Nigeria Has No Debt Challenges Nigeria needs to grow faster, says Okonjo-Iweala FG woos Qatar’s Sovereign Wealth Fund Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja and Nume Ekeghe in Lagos The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed has reaffirmed her position that Nigeria does not have a debt problem but the

challenge of under-performing revenues, which makes debt service obligation a struggle for the country.

In spite of Nigeria’s burgeoning debt profile, which currently stands at over N26.2 trillion, Ahmed has consistently insisted

WHO Urges Countries to Mount Surveillance against Coronavirus Says virus now in Japan, Korea,Thailand, Singapore Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The World Health Organisation (WHO) has cautioned all the countries of the world to be on high alert to be able to contain the spread of the new deadly novel Coronavirus first found in Wuhan city of China.

A health advisory issued by WHO yesterday night, at the end of the emergency meeting of the International Health Regulations Committee, said countries should be prepared for the containment of the virus disease including ensuring active surveillance, early detection, isolation and case management.

The world body said the virus had spread to Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Singapore WHO said: “It is expected that further international exportation of cases may appear in any country. Thus, all countries should be prepared for containment, including active surveillance, early detection, isolation and case management, contact tracing and prevention of onward spread of 2019-nCoV infection, and to share full data with WHO. It said that countries are required to share information with WHO, according to the international health regulations.

The world health body said it is ready to assist countries with technical advice to help contain the epidemic.

WHO Health Advisory also urged countries to place particular emphasis on reducing human infection, prevention of secondary transmission and international spread and “also to contribute to the international response through multi-sectoral communication and collaboration and active participation in increasing knowledge on the virus and the disease, as well as advancing research”.

While giving update on the Coronavirus outbreak reported early this month in the Chinese city of Wuhan, WHO said the Chinese authorities presented a new epidemiological information to committee that revealed an increase in the number of cases, of suspected cases, of affected provinces, and the proportion of deaths in currently reported cases of four per cent (17 of 557).

It said that the information presented by the Chinese delegation showed the prevalence of fourth-generation cases in Wuhan and second-generation cases outside Wuhan, as well as some clusters outside Hubei province.

Dasuki Finally Appears in Court for Trial after 14 Months bail forced him to shun his Alex Enumah A former National Security Adviser (NSA) Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd) for the first time in 14 months appeared in court yesterday to stand trial in his alleged illegal possession of firearms and money laundering charges.

He appeared before Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court Abuja, one of the courts where the federal government is prosecuting him on the alleged infractions.

The former NSA was re-arraigned before Justice Mohamed in 2017 on an amended seven-count charge bordering on alleged unlawful possession of firearms and money laundering.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted but the federal government refused to recognise his bail and kept him in custody for four years until last Christmas Eve when he was allowed to go him in line with his bail terms.

The refusal of the government to recognise his

trial in all courts in the country until his bail was recognised.

Apart from the Federal High Court, Abuja, Dasuki is also standing trial in two separate suits before Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf of a Federal Capital Territory High Court (FCT) in Maitama.

Dasuki had in letter written in 2018 asked the court to: “absolve him of any obligation of appearing at his trial, since the office of the State Security Service, an agent of government detaining him has also refused to respect the various court order for his bail”.

The former NSA stated that he was granted bail at different occasions by various court’s in all the charges he is standing trial but the Federal government had refused to obey the orders.

According to Dasuki, he was re-arrested at Kuje Prison in Abuja on December 29, 2015, shortly after he perfected his bail in respect of the three sets of charges filed against him before different judges.

that the nation faces no debt problem.

This is coming as a former Minister of Finance and Chairman, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, yesterday stressed the need for policy makers in Nigeria to design policies that would fast track economic growth in the country.

Zainab, who spoke from Davos, Switzerland in an interview with Arise News at the ongoing conferences of the World Economic Forum (WEF), insisted that at about 19 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Nigeria has no debt crisis, but that of revenue.

Arise News is the sister broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers.

Lending credence to her position, Ahmed said two Bretton Woods institutions--the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund

(IMF) recommended that for economies the size of Nigeria’s, the comfortable threshold for borrowing should be 50 per cent of GDP, adding that the country is just at about 19 per cent.

Prodded on whether or not she still maintains her stance on the nation’s debt, the minister said: “Nigeria has a revenue, not debt problem. Our debt today is still just about 19 per cent of our GDP. The World Bank and the IMF recommend that an economy that is the size of Nigeria could have a borrowing that is up to 50 per cent of its GDP, but we are only at 19 per cent.

“Why I call it a revenue problem is because our revenues are under-performing and therefore our debt service obligation is a struggle for us .

To address that, we are working to increase revenue; we are also working to reduce our cost of borrowing by refinancing our old domestic loans that are quite

expensive in terms of rate and also expanding the tenor so that the debt payment obligation becomes easier.”

She also addressed the issue of failure to meet revenue targets in the past few years, noting that the 2020 fiscal year provided positive hope to change the narrative.

According to her, all the key ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) are working towards increasing every revenue aspect that they handle.

Meanwhile, Okonjo-Iweala, yesterday stressed the need for policy makers in Nigeria to design policies that would fast track economic growth in the country.

She also advised the federal government to take step to raise the country’s revenue generating capacity, adding that the government must always take into consideration the country’s revenue to GDP so as to ensure that it is able

to service the rising debt level.

Okonjo-Iweala said this yesterday, in an interview with Arise News at the ongoing World Economic Forum 2020 in Davos, Switzerland.

Speaking on the state of the economy, she said: “I think we need to step up as a continent and our country Nigeria. This is because Nigeria, South Africa and Angola are more than 50 percent of sub-Saharan Africa GDP and therefore they bear a very big responsibility that they have to grow and perform themselves, but to also carry along the rest of continent.”

“But luckily, we have some good examples in the continent.

There are eight countries that are among the fastest growing in the world; Ethiopia, Senegal, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda, Tanzania just to name a few. It shows that if we do the right policies and push on some reforms, we can indeed grow.”

PROTEST AGAINST KILLINGS...

L-R: President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), His Eminence, Dr. Samson Ayokunle; President, Christian Council of Nigeria, Archbishop Benebo Fubara-Manuel; Director, National Issues, CAN, Bishop Stephen Adegbite; and former Chairperson, Women in CAN, Pastor Mabel Sowoolu, during World Press Conference on the killing of CAN Chairman in Adamawa and other insecurity issues in Abuja… yesterday ENOCK RERUBEN

I Have Never Seen Anyone as Selfish as Kwankwaso, Ganduje Alleges Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje on Wednesday night berated former governor of the state, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, describing him as the most selfish person he had ever known.

“It is natural to be a bit selfish but I have never seen anyone as selfish as Kwankwaso. It was such that he imposed his whims on all and exploit them for his personal

benefit as against the collective interest of all,” Ganduje alleged.

“All of us seated here were with him in the past and we made him what he is politically but had to withdraw from his persistent self-conceit,” the governor added.

The governor spoke at the Government House when he received the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as well as troops of the Kwankwasiyya Movement that decamped to the ruling All Progressives Congress

(APC) in the state.

Ganduje spoke at length on his political relationship with Kwankwaso, which he said dated back to the military era.

He also narrated how loyal he had been to Kwankwaso.

Ganduje explained that even the Kwankwasiyya movement was initiated by himself and the decamping PDP Chairman, Mr. Rabiu Sulaiman Bichi to prove their dedication to Kwankwaso’s course.

“We have initiated reconciliations in the past but Kwankwaso is not the repentant type; it is either his bid that is done or he destroys everything,” the governor added.

Ganduje explained that even after the Supreme Court reaffirmed his victory he called on the opposition to come and join hands to move Kano State forward but all Kwankwaso could do was to curse everybody for his defeat in the legal battle.

Obi’s Kinsmen Hail THISDAY for Award Charles Ajunwa The people of Agulu in Anambra State have have hailed THISDAY Newspapers and also expressed delight with their son and the vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party

(PDP), Mr. Peter Obi, on the award of ‘Governor of the Decade’ by THISDAY last Monday.

In a statement signed by the traditional ruler of the town, His Royal Highness Igwe Innocent Obodoakor, and the Traditional Prime Minister, Ichie

Anagboso, entitled: ‘Our son in whom we are well pleased’, the people said the award by THISDAY did not come to them as a surprise in view of what they called Obi’s exemplary conduct both in and out of office.

The statement read in part:

“We have read the reasons THISDAY honoured Obi with such a recognition. We agreed with them entirely. We wish to let the world know that beyond the national credentials that made him fit for the award, he is also a very good and an exemplary Agulu man.”

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Falana Asks Malami to Apologise to Nigerians over Amotekun Ejiofor Alike Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) has called on the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, (SAN) to apologise to Nigerians for misleading them on the legal status of the South-west security outfit, Amotekun.

Malami had declared the outfit as illegal and unconstitutional on the grounds that Defence is an item in the exclusive legislative list.

He also said it is illegal for states governments, either singly or jointly to set up any

security outfit under the current democratic dispensation.

In a statement issued last night, Falana described as unwarranted the attack on him by the AGF, saying it was without any justification.

The SAN said the belated volteface of the Malami on Amotekun is a welcome development.

Falana, who himself had called on South-west governors to enact a laws to back the security outfit, said his position on the Amotekun debate is not based on sentiments but on the relevant provisions of the Constitution and decided cases of our courts.

He said he was not surprised

that the federal government was initially opposed to Amotekun.

Falana added that like Amotekun, the Sharia State Police called ‘Hisbah’ was ferociously attacked by the federal government.

“Even though Hisbah

was established by the Kano State Hisbah Law No 4 of 2003 the federal government said it was illegal. In fact, in a letter addressed to the Kano State government, President Olusegun Obasanjo expressed concern over the

constitutionality of Hisbah.

Falana noted that the President later sent a factfinding delegation to Kano on the matter. He added that based on the antagonistic posture of the federal government, the Nigeria Police Force took steps

to outlaw the Hisbah.

“Apart from declaring the Hisbah illegal and unconstitutional, the police arrested the commander-general of Hisbah and his deputy in Kano and took them to Abuja where they were detained.

Court Remands Adoke, Others in EFCC’s Custody Alex Enumah in Abuja Justice Abubakar Kutigi of an Abuja High Court sitting in Gwagwalada area of Abuja, yesterday ordered the remand of former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke (SAN) in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), pending the hearing and determination of their bail applications.

Justice Kutigi ordered their remand with the EFCC shortly after the defendants pleaded not guilty to allegations of crime against them by the federal government.

Adoke and his co-defendants were yesterday formerly arraigned before Justice Kutigi on a 42-count charge of fraud, criminal breach of trust amongst others.

However, they pleaded not guilty to all the charges The others are: Mr. Aliu Abubakar; Mr. Rasky Gbinigie,

Malabu Oil and Gas Limited, Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited, Shell Ultra Deep Limited and Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Limited.

Following their plea of not guilty, prosecution counsel, Mr. Bala Sanga, prayed the court to order the remand of the defendants in a correctional centre pending the commencement of trial. Sanga also prayed the court for a date for the commencement of trial.

However, counsel to the first to third defendants drew the court’s attention to the individual bail applications filed on behalf of their clients, urging the court to hear the applications with a view to admitting the defendants to bail.

However, prosecution counsel opposed the request on the grounds that the applications were premature, adding that, he was only served copies of the individual applications yesterday and as such would need time to prepare and file his counter motions to the bail.

Minister Decries Neglect of Nigeria’s N30tn Livestock Assets James Emejo in Abuja Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, yesterday said the country’s over N30 trillion assets in livestock had been neglected by both the public and private sectors.

He added that though the sector contributes 17 per cent to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), “it is not being taken seriously both by the private and public sectors.”

Speaking during the formal launch of the Advancing Local Dairy Development in Nigeria (ALDDN) programme, which was developed by Sahel Consulting Agriculture and Nutrition Limited, a leading management consulting firm, the minister said the federal government is currently focused on the development of the livestock sector. He added that it would consolidate all existing livestock policies into one policy in order to transform the sector.

ALDDN is a five-year dairy development plan (2020–2024), which seeks to catalyse a vibrant local dairy sector in

an inclusive way that improves the livelihoods, productivity, nutrition and empowerment of smallholder women dairy farmers and the communities in which they live.

Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, ALDDN would reach 60,000 dairy farmers in 15,000 dairy households in Adamawa, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano and Plateau states.

The programme would be implemented in partnership with private sector companies with the support of the federal ministries of agriculture and rural development, health, women affairs and social development, and the governments of the implementing states.

The Country Director, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr. Paul Basinga, said the project represented one of its biggest investments in the country, adding that the launch represented “one big step” for Nigeria.

He pointed out that the dairy sector development could further boost the country’s human development index.

CEMENTING TIES...

L-R: Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Melih Ulueren, exchanging pleasantries with the Yobe State Governor, Alhaji Mai Mala Buni, during a visit to the envoy at the Turkish Embassy in Abuja... yesterday

Controversy Trails Headship of Senate Committee on Constitution Review Deji Elumoye in Abuja The leadership of the Senate appears divided over, who will head the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, THISDAY has learnt.

This is coming just as 10 constitution review bills are pending before the Senate for further legislative action by the committee more than seven months after the inauguration of the Ninth Assembly.

Investigation by THISDAY revealed that the eight principal officers of the Senate are sharply divided over who chairs the Senate ad-hoc committee on constitution review.

Sources said the inability of the Senate leadership to agree on a particular Senator to head the committee resulted in the membership of the committee not being constituted before the National Assembly went on Christmas break last December.

Unlike the practice in the past when the Deputy Senate Presidents were made Chairman of the committee during the Fifth to Eighth Senate, THISDAY learnt that some Senators are routing for a change in the norm and would prefer a neutral Senator and not the current Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, to head the committee.

The National Assembly had adopted the practice of appointing the Deputy President of the Senate as the Chairman of the Joint Constitution Review Committee by convention when the Fourth Republic took off in May,1999.

The federal legislators adopted the arrangement based on gentleman agreement by both chambers and has since become the convention in the National Assembly even though it was not contained in the standing rules of either the House of representatives or the Senate.

THISDAY further learnt that the fact that the issue was not captured in the Senate rules, could make the presiding officer to use his discretion to appoint any lawmaker apart from the Deputy Senate President to head the committee.

A ranking senator who spoke anonymously said, “ the Deputy Senate President used to be the chairman of the Joint National Assembly Committee on Constitution Amendment. That was why Senator Ibrahim Mantu led the panel for many years.

“It was later split in 2007 and both chambers started having separate panels and chairmen.

Since the joint panel was split in 2007, the Deputy President of the Senate has always been the chairman of the Committee. For instance, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, was the chairman when he held that position from 2007 to 2019.

“Splitting the joint panel is not even healthy for the economy of the country because it is cheaper for both chambers to come together and do the work instead of duplicating efforts”.

When contacted on the issue, the Senate spokesman, Senator Godiya Akwashiki, refused to be drawn into the issue.

DECLARATION OF NAMES

This is to inform the general public that my name Jeremiah Casper Eva was wrongly spelt as Lokossu Jeremiah Eva in my BVN. My correct name is Jeremiah Casper Eva. All former documents remain valid.

The general public and affected banks should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly known and addressed as AWOLUSI TOYOSI RACHEAL, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS BOLARINWA TOYOSI RACHEAL. My date of birth is 14TH OCT 1977, not 1ST JAN 1979. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

DECLARATION OF NAMES

This is to inform the general public that my correct name is Oyefusi Isiaka Idowu and not Oyefusi Ishaq Idowu. All former documents remain valid. The general public and First Bank Nigeria Plc should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as OLUWATIMILEHIN LUKMON ADEDEJI, now wish to be known and addressed as OLUWATIMILEHIN GIDEON DEINDE-ADEDEJI. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as OLADINI OMISORE ANUOLUWAPO DORCAS, now wish to be known and addressed as OLADINI DORCAS ANUOLUWAPO. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as PETER CHIGOZIE JOSEPH, now wish to be known and addressed as NJOKU CHIGOZIE JOSEPH. All former documents remain valid.

The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as AKINNAWONU OMONIYI GILBERT, now wish to be known and addressed as OGUNSAKIN GILBERT IFEOLUWA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as FLORENCE NKEM AYETIN, now wish to be known and addressed as AYE-

TIN FLORENCE. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and the general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as AWONIYI MOTUNRAYO YETUNDE, now wish to be known and addressed as AKINOLA MOTUNRAYO YETUNDE. All former documents remain valid.

NYSC andthe general public should take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Sarah Edem Okpo-Mfon henceforth wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Sarah Edem Umoh. All documents bearing my former names remain valid. Nigerian college of Accountancy, ANAN, NNPC, NYSC, UNIVERSITY OF CALABAR and the general public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as OSENI OLUWAFUNMILAYO OLUBUKOLA, now wish to be known and addressed as OTUYELU OLUWAFUNMILAYO OLUBUKOLA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS ADELAJA BUKOLA RONKE, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OLONADE BUKOLA RONKE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as AFORONWA, CHINEDU CHINANU, now wish to be known and addressed as OMAFODEZI, CHINEDU CHINANU. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as EDITH EJIRO OMAFODEZI, now wish to be known and addressed as EDITH EJIRO MUSA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

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Mohammed Seeks Foreign Investment in Nigeria’s Creative Industry Ejiofor Alike The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has urged investors to take advantage of the burgeoning opportunities in the Nigeria’s creative industry.

He also described the industry as the fastest growing sector of the nation’s economy, in terms of business opportunities, employment, earnings and entertainment.

Mohammed stated this yesterday at the 11th Tourism Investment and Business Forum for Africa (Investour), which was held on the sidelines of the ongoing International Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR) in Madrid, Spain.

According to a statement by the Special Assistant to the President (Media), Office of the minister, Mr. Segun Adeyemi, Mohammed said the sector currently employs about one

CAN Demands Arrest of Miyetti Allah Leaders Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has asked the federal government to immediately re-organise the headship of the country’s security agencies to ensure that they are not dominated by persons of one religion and same section of the country.

The CAN also called on the government to desist from sending official representations to meetings of international Islamic organisations.

The religious body has also urged the federal government to either label the Miyetti Allah Fulani Association a terrorist organisation or order the arrest of its leadership and prosecute them for all the killings in Southern Kaduna, Benue, Plateau and Taraba states, among others.

The leadership of CAN also said that it has directed all its state chapters nationwide to honour all innocent victims of terrorists and religious-motivated killings in the country by observing a three-day fasting and prayer from December 31,

2019, to February 2, 2020, in all state capitals and Abuja. The President of CAN, Rev. Samson Supo Ayokunle, told a press conference yesterday that Christians have suffered greatly over the years with little or no effort by the federal government to arrest and prosecute the culprits. Ayokunle said that onslaughts by the insurgents and other bandits have made the lives of Christians very unsafe and miserable.

He described the situation as clearly reprehensible and unacceptable and accused the federal government of not doing enough to stop the killings and abductions of Christians in the country, adding that there was no doubt that Christians were the major targets of the killing expedition of the monstrous insurgents over the years.

CAN urged the federal government to either label the Miyetti Allah Fulani Association a terrorist organisation or order the arrest of its leadership and prosecute them for all the killings in Southern Kaduna, Benue, Plateau and Taraba states, among others.

million people, directly and indirectly, and has the potential to employ millions more, with the much-needed investment. ‘’Nollywood, for example, is not just about entertainment.

It is also a major driver of economic growth and job creation, especially for youths and women. ‘’With over 2,000 movies produced annually, the opportunities are immense for wealth and job creation,” Mohammed said.

He stated that though the growth in the area of cinemas, for example, has been impressive, it is yet a tip of the iceberg. ‘’In 2014, Nigeria had just 23 cinemas, 100 screens and

three digital platforms. By 2018-2019, the cinemas have grown to 51, the screens to 184 and the digital platforms to five. Now, this is just a tip of the iceberg, considering that 6,000 screens and 1,000 cinemas are required to serve the Nigerian population of about 200 million people,’’ the minister explained.

He listed the potential impact of such growth to include the creation of additional one million jobs and a GDP growth contribution of three to five per cent.

According to Mohammed, who served as a panelist at the event, the nation also boasts a vibrant and popular music industry, which not only

reflects its cultural richness, but has over the years translated into international recognition and acceptance. ‘’The Nigeria music revenue grew from about $36 million in 2014 to $53 million in 2018 and is projected to hit $86 million in 2021, making it the biggest in the region,’’ he said.

He noted that a chunk of the figure comes from digital music consumption, an area of the market which significantly boosted the industry in Nigeria and paved the way for local artistes to thrive.

In the area of fashion, the minister put the earnings at over N4 trillion of Nigeria’s re-based GDP (National Bureau of Statistics, 2018),

and described arts and craft as another growing area of the creative industry.

He said with rich food diversity, Nigeria could also leverage on gastronomy to grow its tourism and create job, especially for women who, he said, dominate the sector. ‘’It offers opportunities for communities to integrate tourism and local food systems in order to promote economic activities. Gastronomy tourism contributes positively to many levels of the tourism value chain, such as agriculture and local food manufacturing and provides a platform for the promotion of cultures through their cuisine,’’ Mohammed said.

CONGRATULATIONS…

L-R: Enugu State Governor, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; Head, Department of African Geo-politics, Geo-law and International Diplomacy, United Nations International University for Peace, Europe Campus, Rome, Prof. Edmund Ugwu Agbo; and Secretary to Enugu State Government, Prof. Simon Uchenna Ortuanya, when Ugwu Agbo presented the approval letter for establishment of the first African Campus of the university in Enugu State, at the Government House, Enugu… yesterday.

PFN Condemns Murder of CAN Chairman

Crisis Hits Fulani Community in Oyo over Alleged Imposition of Leaders

Mary Nnah

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has condemned vehemently the murder of the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Michika Local Government Area chapter, Adamawa State, Pastor Lawal Andimi, by Boko Haram terrorist group.

Deeply saddened by the unfortunate incident, the group in a letter signed by its National President, Rev. Dr. Felix Omobude, which was made available to THISDAY, said: “We strongly condemn the barbaric killing of this innocent man, on account of his faith by this evil gang of terrorists whose record of crimes against humanity continues to worsen by the day. We are shocked that the activities of Boko Haram have of late been on the upward swing in spite of the claims by the federal government that the group has been technically defeated.”

While commiserating with the family of Pastor Andimi and all members of the CAN in Adamawa State, PFN prayed for comfort, healing and strength for the family at this ‘difficult time’.

“We are worried that the gains that have been reported appeared to have been rolled back, with increasingly disturbing reports of worsening level of insecurity being constantly received from the North-east region about the activities of Boko Haram.

“While we salute the officers and men of the Nigerian Army, many of whom have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the course of the counter-insurgency operation for their gallantry and sense of duty, we call on the federal government to provide for them all the equipment they need to be able to win this war,” the group stated.

PFN also called on the federal government to take the issue of security of the citizens more seriously, adding: “The government should not be carried away with the assumption that the battle has been won but come up with a strategy, which might include the redeployment of security chiefs, to bring in fresh ideas and revitalise the operation as well as find ways to tackle the acts of banditry, kidnapping and other heinous crimes being perpetrated across different parts of the country.”

The Fulani community elders in Oyo State yesterday converged on Igangan in Ibarapa North Local Government Area of the state to kick against alleged imposition of one Alhaji Ibrahim Jiji as the state Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) “based on an order from the above.”

The Fulani elders, who stormed the palace of the

Sarkin Fulani of Oyo State, Alhaji Salihu Kadiri, accused the National Chairman of NACBAN, Alhaji Muhammadu Kiruwa, of unilaterally directing the imposition of Jiji as the state chairman of the body as against the popular will of the stakeholders.

The community in Oyo State, therefore, threatened to take a legal action against the MACBAN leadership.

The position of the chairmanship of MACBAN in

the state became vacant recently on the expiration of the tenure of Alhaji Yakubu Bello.

Consequently, an electoral committee headed by Alhaji Kabir Labar was put in place to midwife a new executive.

However, the Fulani community claimed that even though four candidates, namely: Ibrahim Salihu, Aliyu Mahmood, Mohammed Lawal and Ibrahim Jiji, were jostling for the leadership position of the new executive, “the

electoral committee woefully failed to follow due process as they only came out to tell us that the National Chairman, Alhaji Muhammadu Kiruwa, has directed the committee to select Ibrahim Jiji as the new state chairman.”

They alleged foul play in the exercise as they expressed concern that majority of those handpicked into the new executive are foreign Fulani in contravention of the constitution of MACBAN.

NCDC Raises the Alarm over Rising Cases of Lassa Fever Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has reported a sharp increase in the case of Lassa fever across the country.

According to the weekly situation report issued yesterday, the agency said the number of new confirmed cases has increased from 64 cases in the first week of January to 81.

The report put the number of fatality in 2019 at 33, while 24 has been recorded in 2020.

It added that there were reports of new infections from

six states - Ondo, Edo, Delta, Taraba, Plateau and Bauchi.

According to the state-by-state epidemic report, Ondo has 81 reported cases, Edo has 58, Ebonyi seven, Taraba six, Plateau three, Bauchi four, Ogun one and Abia one.

However, NCDC said the number of deaths arising from Lassa fever has decreased, adding that the overall case fatality rate (CFR) for 2020 was 14.7 per cent which is lower than the CFR for the same period during 2019 (23.4 per cent).

“In total for 2020, nine

states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 32 local government areas. The predominant age-group affected is 11-40 years (range: 11 to 60 years, Median age: 33 years). The male to female ratio for confirmed cases is 1:1,” the agency said.

NCDC noted that although the number of suspected cases has increased, it’s lower than the numbers reported in 2019.

It said no health care worker has suffered any infection or identified as being among the fatality so far recorded.

NCDC listed some of the

root causes of Lassa fever and challenges limiting efforts to check its spread to include poor environmental sanitation conditions, observed in high burden communities, poor risk communication activities at the state level leading to late presentation and sustainability of Lassa fever outbreak response by states.

NCDC added that confirmed cases of Lassa fever are treated at identified treatment centres across the states with Ribavirin with necessary supportive management also instituted.

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FRIDAYSPORTS Ndidi Happy to Be Back to Full Swing after Layoff

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

Femi Solaja with agency report

After over a month lay off due to injury, Super Eagles midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi, is delighted to return to action with his English Premiership side Leicester City.

The AFCON bronze medal winner with Super Eagles last summer featured for the Foxes in their 4-1 Premier League win against West Ham United at King Power Stadium.

Ndidi has been sidelined since early January after suffering a knee injury in training ahead of their League Cup semi-final first leg tie against Aston Villa.

But, with 56 minutes under his belt against the Hammers, the midfielder is delighted to be back on the field again and is looking forward to concluding the season with Brendan Rodgers’ men. “Feels good to be back, slowly and steady we keep moving back to our Leicester ways. Love it Foxes,� he tweeted yesterday

to celebrate his return to action and the return is intended to help push the Foxes back to second position behind runaway leaders, Liverpool but they have resurgence Manchester City to contend with.

The 23-year-old missed his club’s last three matches in all competitions which produced no wins for the former English champions.

Rodgers’ men are third in the English top-flight log with 48 points from 24 outings.

They host Chelsea in their next English top-flight tie but, before then, have an FA Cup fourth-round clash with Brentford.

In a related development, his manager Rodgers has praised Ndidi following his return from injury on Wednesday evening.

The midfielder suffered a knee problem in training on January 8 and after successful surgery, the 23-year-old was expected

to be sidelined until February.

Ndidi, however, returned to training ahead of time and featured for about an hour to help the King Power Stadium

outfit return to winning ways against the Hammers after backto-back defeats in his absence, which has drawn applause from his boss.

“It’s remarkable, really. We were thinking he could only play 25-30 minutes,� Rodgers said after the match. “Obviously he was fine to

come on and play a full hour.

He is genetically blessed and he recovered very, very well.

And he was excellent,� remarked Rodgers.

Dare Gives NFF Deadline VICTOR MOSES UNVEILED AT INTER... on Movement to New Wike: Real Madrid Academy will Empower Secretariat

Former Nigerian international, Victor Moses, was officially unveiled as an on loan Inter Milan player yesterday evening. The 29-year-old Nigerian joined the Nerazzurri on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season. He has been handed the number 11 jersey at the club

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, has ordered the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to put into functional use the refurbished Sunday Dankaro House, to serve as the new NFF Secretariat office within two weeks.

Dare gave the order on Thursday when he paid a visit to the structure located inside Package B of MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja. “It is a working visit for me, my first time of inspecting Sunday Dankaro Building and I feel it is important to see what is going on with the building.

This is a befitting building, I am impressed with what I have seen so far, this building should be functional in two weeks and it is a befitting structure for Nigeria’s football. “The building is long overdue and that is why the Sunday

Dankaro House must be put in place so that the Moshood Abiola Stadium will be busy once again,� Dare said.

The NFF had in the past few years set different dates for its relocation to the new office that was commissioned in 2013 by then Vice-President, Namadi Sambo.

The facility was built by the then Presidential Task Force (PTF) for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, headed by then Rivers Governor Rotimi Amaechi and set up by then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan.

Jonathan had set up the PTF then in 2009 to complement NFF’s efforts of ensuring the Super Eagles’ qualification for South Africa 2010.

The football house, built at the cost of N339 million is named after Dankaro, an industrialist and a businessman, who was the Chairman of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) from 1974-1980.

New Football Stars with Formal Education

Davidson Iriekpen Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has declared that the Real Madrid Academy will empower upcoming football stars with the requisite formal education to effectively rule the sporting world.

Addressing journalists after inspecting ongoing construction of hostels and additional classrooms at the Real Madrid Academy in Port Harcourt yesterday, Wike said several footballers were short changed in the past due to lack of formal education.

He said: “We are combining education and football in this Academy. We felt that while they are playing football, they should be educated. So that those that may not make it, will continue with their education. “While those who have

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike (right), inspecting the hostels and additional classrooms at the Real Madrid Academy in Port Harcourt....yesterday

made it in football, will also have a formal education. Part of the problem we have had, is that most of our footballers don’t have formal education.

Sometimes, it affects them

in terms of negotiation and knowing what you are supposed to do.�

He expressed satisfaction with the quality of work at site of the hostels and additional

IBM Haruna, Gadzama, King Diette-Spiff, Top Golfers Commend Dickson on Bayelsa Golf Course Stanley Nkwazema in Yenagoa Life President of Nigerian Professional Golfers Association, General Ibrahim Haruna (rtd), prominent legal luminary, Mr Joe Gadzama (SAN) and King Alfred Diete-Spiff who is the Amanyanabo of Twon Brass, have commended the Bayelsa State Governor, the Honourable Seriake Dickson for establishing the Bayelsa Golf Course.

The top golfers who converged on Yenagoa for the inauguration of the Bayelsa State Golf Course, did not hide their feelings on the 18-hole golf course while commending the governor for his foresight

Gov Seriake Dickson ( in front) leading other distinguished golfers on a round at the newly inaugurated Golf Course in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State

and commitment in establishing the sporting and recreational facility.

Gen. Haruna (rtd) who spoke just as the facility was officially opened, described the 18-hole

golf course as world-class with capacity to generate employment opportunities and revenue for the state and called on succeeding governments to take the investment seriously.

Haruna said “ His Excellency, we praise you for this initiative and for your vision. We pray that those who will succeed you will see the long term vision and wisdom in initiating this golf course and the properties that will be developed around here. “This is a money spinner and if I may say so, in the future it will make much more returns than it will get from the stock exchange. We should keep the vision on and develop it because it is something that will

be beneficial to everybody from the lowest man in the social strata to the elite,� observed the retired army general.

Prominent lawyer, Joe Gadzama, who took time to enjoy a round of golf at the 18-hole course also commended Dickson for translating the noble dream to reality and assured that he would do everything within his reach to ensure that the objectives that inspired the crucial project are achieved. “This is a dream come true because going through memory lane, I remember how my good friend told me he wanted to build a befitting golf course in Bayelsa when he was elected governor.

classrooms, saying it is worldclass. “I am quite impressed with the quality of structures of hostels and additional classrooms. With what we are seeing, before the next academic session, this phase will be ready. “This will be the best in Africa. I don’t know any country in Africa that will have this kind of facility,� he said.

Wike noted that sports is one of the outstanding economy boosters, hence the commitment of his administration to use it as a driving force to empower the youths.

He said: “Sports today is one of the key factors that make a nation great. It attracts foreign exchange and the rest of it. I believe that there are so many of our youths who are talented and they don’t have the opportunity to bring out their potentials. “In trying to help our youths to bring out their potentials, we should do it amongst the best. Real Madrid as far as I am concerned is the best in the world. We felt that Rivers children should go for the best. “We thank God that Real Madrid agreed to partner us to establish an Academy here, which will make our children play in the best teams of the world. “Last time, we sent our children to have a feel of the best when they went to Real Madrid. They were all happy.

You saw the kind of football they exhibited when the Academy was commissioned. “Football is a great thing today. When I heard that Neymar was sold for that huge amount of money, I don’t think any other profession will give you that kind of money. You can imagine the kind of talents Brazil has exported and the kind of foreign exchange they have attracted.�

Friday January 24, 2020

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Price: N250

MISSILE

Afenifere to Tinubu

“Maybe, he (Tinubu) should have kept quiet. This is not the time to speak in a forked tongue. What is the reason? You are afraid of Buhari? We are being killed for months, our women are being raped. Now, our governors are taking a token measure to secure our people. At this point, if you can’t speak for the people, it is better to keep quiet. We are not impressed” – Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, dismissing the statement by the former Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Amotekun as lacking in substance.

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Kalu’s Conviction: EFCC and Sanctity of Commercial Transactions

S

ince 2004 when the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Professor Charles Soludo, carried out reforms of Nigeria’s financial infrastructure, the system has grown in leaps and bounds. The reforms have dramatically transformed the banking landscape from an unfit-for-purpose financial system with 89 fragile banks that could neither support the economic transformation of the country through private sector-driven initiatives nor compete with foreign banks into (22 as of now) bigger and stronger banks.

According to Soludo, “Confidence in the system was very low. All the banks put together were smaller than the fourth-largest bank in South Africa, and none of them was in the top 1,000 banks in the world.

If any private sector entity needed a loan of US$500m, it had to syndicate it from all the banks put together – or go abroad.”

Nigeria’s total banking sector assets amounted to less than 20% of GDP at the time, and bank loans were about 4% of the country’s GDP. “Talk about a private sector-led economy was simply a slogan, as there was no financial system to power that,” continued Soludo. “We concluded that the system needed to be brought down and recreated from scratch….. Nigeria had never experienced a policy revolution of that magnitude”, he told Lawrie Holmes of Public Finance International in 2012.

From that pathetic pre-reform situation, the banking system has witnessed a massive turnaround to a very robust, strong, versatile system that now finances multi-billion dollar private sector projects. Dangote Group’s massive expansion and growth are owed partly to capital financing by our local banks; something previously impossible pre-consolidation. Some of the banks are now so big and have gone global that anything that smells of corporate greed, incompetence or scandal can wreck the system very quickly.

The revolution and evolution have been truly phenomenal.

But the gains of that consolidation that have put several Nigerian banks among the top 500 in the world are in danger of unravelling as a result of heavy-handed regulatory interference and broader considerations beyond pure business imperatives.

The agencies that investigated and are enforcing the outcome of the Orji Kalu case have hurt the dispassionate outcome of it by introducing into the enforcement process an interpretation outside the judgment of the court that goes against the grain of professional governance and regulatory administration. Indeed, the manner of enforcement of the court judgment against Kalu could easily hurt the steadily repaired reputation of Nigeria’s business environment and the Ease of Doing Business. The recent interrogation of the Managing Director of Access Bank by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over a dispute concerning the conviction of the former Abia State Governor, Orji Kalu and the winding-up order against his company, Slok Holding, is yet another disturbing development in the series of misadventures by investigative authorities.

Available information seems to suggest that the defunct Diamond Bank, which merged with Access Bank last year, financed

EFCC acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu the acquisition of 3 vessels by Slok with depositors’ funds amounting to $85m. The vessels, it is understood, have a long-term contract with Mobil Producing.

Last December, Orji Kalu, the principal shareholder of Slok, was convicted by a Federal High Court in Lagos of corruption and stealing of Abia State money and sentenced to 12 years in prison while his company, Slok, was ordered to be wound up and its assets forfeited to the government. The conviction was a commendable job done by the EFCC, no doubt.

But fellow Nigerians, does it make sense that the agency, which prosecuted Kalu, should now confiscate the vessels that were financed

by Diamond Bank (now Access Bank by virtue of the 2019 merger)? In a real sense, are the vessels a part of the assets of Slok Holding when huge depositors’ money loaned to Slok to acquire the vessels is unpaid?

So when EFCC moved to take inventory of Slok’s assets, the understanding is that the bank attempted to explain to the anticorruption agency that Slok has an obligation to Access Bank, now the creditor bank and that the vessels in question do not belong to Slok or Orji Kalu. The loan obtained by Slok was secured by the vessels and the Mobil contract. One doesn’t have to rack one’s brain to understand the underlying structure of the transaction. It is therefore difficult to understand the insistence of the anti-corruption agency to vitiate a valid commercial contract between private sector entities. By pursuing this approach to asset recovery, the agency would, inadvertently, be creating dangerous precedence capable of discouraging private investment by both local and foreign investors.

The obvious questions are, should the EFCC have its way, who will repay the depositors’ funds used to finance the acquisition of the vessels? Is this not another way of shortchanging the shareholders of the lending bank? The normal practice is that when a company is going into liquidation, all liabilities are factored in so that no one gets the short-end of the stick. What will EFCC do with the vessels? Sell them in compliance with the winding-up order and remit the money to the government when Slok’s financial obligation to Access Bank

has not been met? The solution would be a learning moment and a defining point in the resolution of a commercial loan involving the company of a politically exposed person.

In an opinion piece in February last year titled, ‘Things Fall Apart, But is the President Aware?’, a former Chairman of Stanbic IBTC, Mr. Atedo Peterside had lamented the damaging effect of the actions of regulators and law enforcement agencies on businesses/ investments and stated that it was beginning to undermine business confidence with the potential of scaring away investors. He said the biggest negative of Buharinomics was allowing hard-working but sometimes overzealous law enforcement officers to go after private sector businesses in a manner that could discourage investment. “The business community then takes fright and investors flee, thereby sending the economy into a tailspin”, he added.

In June 2019, the United Nations report, as published by Reuters, stated that Foreign Direct Investment into Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer plunged by as much as 43 percent to $2 billion in 2018. The report cited two significant hindrances to investment in Nigeria, namely regulatory activities and harassment by security agencies. Following the publication of that report, Peterside took to twitter to once again vent his anger on Nigerian regulators and law enforcement agencies who appear too willing to shakedown top chief executives of companies over one form of regulatory infraction or the other with the following tweet: “Nigeria’s rogue regulators finally succeeded in chasing away Foreign Direct Investment, (FDI)? Ghana had more FDI in 2018 than in Nigeria. Rogue security agencies contributed also. Nigerians no longer wish to invest here either.”

The blame for the huge drop in FDI and investors’ apathy towards Nigeria was allegedly the result of the dispute between the government and South African telecom giant, MTN over repatriated profits. As a result, Banks HSBC and UBS both closed their representative offices in Nigeria in 2018. The situation was compounded by EFCC when it entered the political arena, accusing the HSBC of money laundering immediately the bank predicted that if President Muhammadu Buhari was returned to office, it would “stunt the economy.” EFCC had, apparently, for the optics, vowed not to “rest on its oars” till all the looted funds allegedly in possession of the bank were repatriated back to Nigeria.

For those who don’t know, HSBC is one of the largest banking and financial services organisations in the world. Its international network comprises around 7,500 offices in over 80 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East. Its mere presence in Nigeria was a huge confidence booster for our economy, and to have the bank exit on the altar of politics, undermined the integrity of our system. Apart from the fact that it is a correspondent bank to many of the local banks, many of our country’s international transactions such as Euro bonds, are packaged jointly with it.

Again, in September 2018 after the CBN ordered Standard Chartered and three other lenders to repay $8.134bn for allegedly issuing irregular Certificates of Capital Importation on behalf of some offshore investors of MTN

Nigeria Communications Limited, armed operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) stormed the headquarters of Standard Chartered Bank in Lagos during working hours, presumably to arrest Bola Adesola, the managing director of the bank in the full glare of the bank’s customers who were later escorted out of the premises by EFCC operatives. It was a strange move by the anti-graft agency.

The bank confirmed it then that EFCC operatives indeed entered its head office building but left shortly afterwards as there was no reason for them to be there. It is saddening that straightforward commercial disputes between regulators and business institutions which could have been resolved without any fuss with the cooperation of the latter have degenerated into a public spectacle.

The EFCC, on its part, said that it never sanctioned any raid on the headquarters of Standard Chartered Bank in Lagos, adding that the act might have been carried out by overzealous personnel. The commission noted that it’s modus operandi when probing any transaction was to invite officials of financial institutions after discreet investigations and that it does not use strong-arm tactics. It added that what happened in Standard Chartered Bank was a breach “of the standard operating procedures of the commission, as it is not the style of the EFCC to openly raid the offices of banks and other financial institutions.” I remain unpersuaded by EFCC’s statement.

It is important to note that the investigative agency’s governance framework involving private enterprises should build credibility in the legal system and protect enterprises from avoidable reputational damage. Dramatic actions of anti-graft bodies could discourage the much-needed foreign direct investments (FDIs). In recent times Nigeria’s loss has benefited Ghana, which is in the midst of an oil and gas boom. With inflows of $3bn, it dethroned Nigeria and became West Africa’s leading destination for foreign investment.

To reverse the migration of the muchneeded FDI across the borders, the Nigerian government and its crime-fighting agencies must take the processes of institutional governance in commercial matters more seriously and protect the integrity of the financial system and the credit management process. Forfeitures should protect those that provide loanable funds. The recent EFCC/ Slok/Access Bank dispute could erode business confidence and stall the inflow of foreign investment capital into the economy. Rather than insist on seizing Slok’s contracted vessels and auctioning them off to third parties, EFCC should follow not only the letter but also, the spirit of the law. Open and frank discussions should commence with Access Bank towards finding an amicable solution to the matter in such a way that no party gets the short-end of the stick.

The Slok incident should serve as a learning moment for all parties and provide useful takeaways that will serve as a basis for due governance processes in future. For sure, the local and international business community is keenly watching as events unfold and would be deeply interested in how the tango ends. I’m watching with keen interest to see whether depositors’ funds will be protected.

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