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FG Begins Major Airports Airfield Lighting to Improve Visibility Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Enugu, others to benefit from upgrade Chinedu Eze The federal government has started the installation of airfield lighting at major airports in the country to boost visibility, enhance safety

operations, enable airlines to operate for longer hours and boost government and airlines’ revenues, THISDAY has learnt.

The lighting system, when fully installed on the runway of an airport, enables night

landing because it provides the visuals needed for pilots and also works with navigational instrument to enhance precision for safe flight operation.

It is projected that Nigerian

airlines would generate additional revenue annually if they operate to additional eight major airports up till 10 p.m. daily and also utilise their aircraft, which need certain hours of flying to remain

airworthy.

THISDAY gathered that the airfield lighting system would be installed in Port Harcourt, Kano, Lagos, Akure, Yola, Ibadan, Kaduna and Sokoto airports.

This is in addition to the ones being installed at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, which is currently under rehabilitation.

Continued on page 9

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Coronavirus: Concerns Heighten as Chinese Expatriates Return from Holiday China Eastern, Air China, Air France, Ethiopian Airlines, Egypt Air, Virgin Airways, Emirates, Qatar Air head to Nigeria from China Omololu Ogunmade, Adedayo Akinwale, Kuni Tyessi in Abuja, Chinedu Eze and Martins Ifijeh in Lagos As Novel Coronavirus outbreak spreads to at least

19 countries, killing 132 people and infecting over 6,200 persons, efforts are being stepped up in Nigeria to prevent its spread to the country with Nigerians taking to the social media, calling

on the federal government to tighten security at airports as over 300,000 Chinese are bound to arrive the country from China this week.

The House of Representatives has also

requested the Ministry of Health, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Quarantine Services, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and other agencies to set up screening centres at the point

of entry into the country.

However, the NIS has described the Coronavirus saga as an issue of diplomacy between countries, adding that with Yellow Card, sick or infected persons will be

detected and refused entry.

The federal government, through the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission Continued on page 8

Service Chiefs on the Spot as Senators, House Call for their Resignation Senate urges Buhari to declare national security emergency, summons IG Deji Elumoye, Omololu Ogunmade, Chuks Okocha and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Senate yesterday rose from a six-hour debate on the spike in insecurity in Nigeria with a call on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a national security emergency in the country.

The worrisome security situation in the country also engaged the attention of the House of Representatives, which at plenary yesterday unanimously demanded the resignation of service chiefs for suboptimal performance.

The House requested the president to sack them if they fail to heed the call to resign.

The lawmaker also promised to enact laws to give legal support to the South-west security initiative, Amotekun,

and similar outfits that may be set up by states.

The Senate, which debated the motion titled: “Nigerian Security Challenges: Urgent Need to Restructure, Review and Re-organise the Current Security Architecture,” sponsored by the Senate Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, and 105 others from 11.20a.m. to 4.25p.m, also set up a 17-man ad-hoc committee to interface with all the security agencies on the issue and report back in two weeks.

It also summoned the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, to appear before it at plenary on Wednesday next week to discuss the modus operandi of the introduction of community policing in the country.

The President of the Senate, Continued on page 8

Lagos Raises N100bn from Capital Market for Infrastructure... Page 5

N100 BILLION IN THE ACCOUNT...

L-R: Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyo Onigbanjo (SAN); Lagos State Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Rabiu Olowo; and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during the signing of the Lagos State N100 Billion Series III Bond Programme in Lagos…yesterday

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

Lagos Raises N100bn from Capital Market for Infrastructure Sanwo-Olu: It’s a new journey towards development

Segun James The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yesterday signed documents for the release of N100.33 billion, which the state government raised from the capital market to fund infrastructure and pressing capital projects, thus opening a new chapter in the state’s stride towards attaining self-sustenance in finance and governance.

At a signing ceremony held at the State House in Alausa, Sanwo-Olu, investors and issuing parties put the final ink on the over-subscribed Series Three Bond Issuance of N100 billion, which was issued and raised by the state government under its N500 billion Third Debt Issuance Programme approved four years ago.

The visibly excited governor declared the moment as “historic and new journey� for the state in its drive to provide requisite infrastructure to catalyse its economy, saying it is the largest bond programme ever embarked on by any subnational entity in the country.

He said: “We have embarked on a new journey that is not meant to serve our personal interest, but to activate more prosperity for our dear Lagos and give our people the hope for better tomorrow we all

dreamed. When we came into government, we made commitment to all Lagosians that we are coming to pursue and implement an agenda that will build our capacity to achieve ‘Greater Lagos’ we all will be proud of. “Today, I am standing in front of you all to say we are writing the financial history of Lagos in another chapter today and it will bring good dividends to all residents. With this N100 billion, bond, we will ensure that all Lagosians feel the direct impact of this intervention in their homes and on the roads. We are bringing new infrastructure and repairing the existing ones, including bridges and hospitals. We are going to renovate schools and build new ones for our children; slums will be regenerated and pressing environmental issues we are going to solve. We are going to make people feel the essence of governance.�

Sanwo-Olu said the effort to raise the bond started three months ago with a simple discussion with professional partners led by Chapel Hill Denham.

He added that the state almost missed the opportunity as the statutory period recommended by Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) to raise such bond was about

closing when the state started pushing for the bond issuance.

The governor said the partners staked their time and energy for the state to secure essential requirements to access the capital for the bond.

According to him, within a period of three months, the partners helped the state government to restructure its balance sheet and reduced the state’s interest expense by N17 billion, which gave the state the opportunity to raise the bond from the capital market. “Less than three months down the line, we are celebrating the biggest subnational bond issuance today and the team of partners has also helped us to restructure our entire balance sheet. We have been able to revert the entire borrowing of Lagos from very high rate to acceptable numbers.

The team has also helped us to reduce interest expense by N17 billion, which made it easy

for us to approach the financial market,� Sanwo-Olu stated.

He promised not to betray the confidence of investors that subscribed to the bond, pledging that the funds would be disbursed strictly to finance infrastructural projects required to boost the state’s economy.

The state Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Rabiu Olowo, said the state accelerated the bond programme in response to the need to close “huge infrastructural gap� in the face of limited financial resources available to the state.

He added that the state government took the advantage of favourable investment climate in the capital market to issue the “Series Three� of its bond programme to raise the money.

He said: “The cost of inaction would have been huge and it would mean over 20 million Lagosians would be underserved in many areas. It was, therefore, with

this mandate that the Lagos government sought the support of professional advisers to access the capital market in December 2019. “It is fulfilling to note that, despite hurdles we faced, we have been able to achieve the target we set for ourselves. In fact, we exceeded the target.

I want to assure all residents that the proceeds from this bond issuance programme will be judiciously utilised in line with our T.H.E.M.E.S agenda to achieve a greater Lagos.�

Managing Director, Chapel Hill Denham, Mr. Bolaji Balogun, described the bond as a jumbo package for the state, stressing that the support given to the Lagos State Government by capital market was unprecedented.

Balogun noted that it was rare for the sovereign to issue more than a N70 billion at any maturity for a sub-national

entity.

He said Lagos got a bond of N100 billion at first maturity, adding that the Minister of Finance granted the approval for the process while in transit.

Lagos State, he said, must accelerate investment into infrastructure, adding that such would create an incredible multiplier on economic activities and give the state financial buoyancy.

Sustained investment in infrastructure, Balogun said, remained the only way to achieve irreversible development and lift millions of people out of poverty.

A total of 315 bids were submitted during the offer period for the Lagos Series Three Bond Issuance, putting the value of the total bids at N196.48 billion. A total of 208 bids, which amounts to N100.33, qualified under the terms of the offer at the clearing price of 12.25 per cent per annum.

Nigeria May Lose 2m Children to Pneumonia, UNICEF Warns

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has said Nigeria may lose two million children to pneumonia in the next decade if modalities are not put in place to curb the disease.

The UN body identified malnutrition, air pollution and lack of access to vaccines and antibiotics as the drivers of preventable deaths from pneumonia, which last year killed one child every three minutes in Nigeria In a statement yesterday by its communications expert, Ms. Elaina Drakopoulos, the body said boosting efforts to fight pneumonia could avert over two million child deaths from pneumonia and other major diseases in Nigeria.

UNICEF said: "Forecasts show that 1.4 million children under the age of five could die from pneumonia over the next decade in Nigeria, on current trends – the highest number of any country in the world and more than 20 per cent of childhood deaths from pneumonia globally.

"However, an estimated 809,000 of these deaths would

be averted by significantly scaling up services to prevent and treat pneumonia.

"Researchers also found boosting pneumonia services would create an additional ‘ripple effect’, preventing 1.2 million extra child deaths from other major childhood diseases at the same time.

"Interventions like improving nutrition, increasing vaccine coverage or boosting breastfeeding rates – key measures that reduce the risk of children dying from pneumonia would also stop thousands of child deaths from diseases like diarrhoea (580,000), meningitis (68,000), measles (55,000) and malaria (4,000).

"By 2030, that effect would be so large that pneumonia interventions alone would avert over two million predicted under-five child deaths in Nigeria from all causes combined, researchers said."

Pneumonia is caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi and leaves children fighting for breath as their lungs are filled with pus and fluid.

The disease is the leading killer of children in Nigeria, causing 19 per cent of underfive deaths.

SENATORS AT WORK...

L-R: Member, Senate Committee on Foreign Aairs, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Chairman, Senator Bulkachuwa Mohammed; and Senate Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Yau Sahabi, during the screening of chairman and members of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria in Abuja‌ yesterday julius atoi

FG to Repatriate $321m Abacha Loot from US Ibori’s ₏6.86m too Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja The federal government is set to repatriate fresh $321 million looted funds stashed away in the United States' banks by the late former Head of State, General Sani Abacha, to Nigeria.

The government is also negotiating plans to repatriate â‚Ź6,863,977.12 allegedly looted by a former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, from Europe to Nigeria.

The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, told State House reporters after the Federal Executive Council (FEC)

meeting in Abuja that the agreement on the repatriation of Abacha loot would be signed between the US and Nigeria next week.

According to him, upon arrival, the federal government will disburse the loot to fund major ongoing road projects, including the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Abuja-Kano Road and the Second Niger Bridge.

Malami also said another move to repatriate â‚Ź6,863,977.12 reportedly looted by Ibori, was being negotiated, adding that plans are underway to sell an asset belonging to a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani AlisonMadueke, and her associate,

Mr. Kola Aluko.

Malami, who said the negotiations for the assets were still ongoing, added that the price had not been agreed upon and when that was done, it would be made public.

He said: "The immediate figure for repatriation, as it relates to the agreement to be signed next week is $321 million and the government has indeed given commitment that the proceeds of the looted assets, after recovery, should be applied to Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Abuja-Kano Road and the Second Niger Bridge.

"The $321 million expected to be repatriated is attached to Abacha and it is named

Abacha loot. As it relates to James Ibori, the expected amount is â‚Ź6,863,977.12, but the repatriation of same is being negotiated and processed.

"In respect of Diezani and Kola Aluko, what is on the ground is MY Galactica Star Yatch and it is being sold for the realisation of proceeds and the amount is yet to be finally agreed upon. We'll disclose the amount when it's finally agreed upon."

Malami added that $321 million looted by Abacha and kept in Switzerland earlier pursued by the federal government had been fully repatriated to the country and expended.

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Electricity Workers Give 14-Day Ultimatum to Resume Strike

Ugo Aliogo

Electricity workers are set to resume the industrial action they suspended about seven weeks ago after reaching an agreement with the federal government.

The workers, under the

auspices of National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), yesterday issued a 14-day ultimatum to resume strike if the federal government fails to implement the December 11, 2019 agreement.

NUEE General Secretary, Mr. Joe Ajaero, yesterday in Lagos,

Ihedioha Urges Supreme Court to Review Verdict on Imo Election Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The sacked Governor of Imo State, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, has asked the Supreme Court to review its verdict that removed him from office on January 14.

THISDAY gathered that the request for review was submitted to the office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court at the Three Arms Zone, Abuja The final decision to submit the request review was made at the 88th National Executive Committee meeting of PDP that took place last Monday.

An official of PDP told THISDAY that the party is not taking the Supreme Court lightly, because "we believe that as mortal beings that there is an error.�

"We are not insulting or abusing the justices of the Supreme Court. We are simply saying, ‘please take a second look at what you have done in view of the dictated errors.

There is a case of the judgment based on more than registered

votes in the state.

"We shall be asking the Supreme Court to review the verdict in view of what it said in the Atiku's presidential petition against President Muhammadu Buhari, wherein the apex court said that all the witnesses in the polling stations must account for what happened in their respective polling stations.

"In this instant case, not up to 10 per cent of the witnesses of 388 polling stations were recorded. So, basically, we asking the Supreme Court to be courageous and take a second look by reviewing the judgment again. This is the essence of the petition to review".

Citing, the same Supreme Court verdict on the Sokoto State governorship election petition, the PDP source said there are elements of double standards, explaining that the Justice Abba Aji in the case of Sokoto State governorship petitions, said that the court has no power to count or allocate votes.

PDP Urges INEC to Conduct Fresh Elections for Seats of Defected Imo Lawmakers

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct fresh elections in the constituencies in Imo State where its lawmakers defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, during a media briefing in Abuja, also said the defected lawmakers had lost their seats according to Nigeria’s constitution.

He said, “It is settled under the 1999 Constitution (as amended), that a legislator who decamps from a party upon which he was elected a member of a legislative house automatically loses his or her membership of that house as the seat belongs to the political party upon which platform the election was won and not the individual. “The vacation of the seat, as a direct consequence of decamping to another political party other than the party upon which one was elected to occupy a seat in the legislature, is clear and unambiguous under Section 109 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). “For the avoidance of doubt,

Section 109 (1)(g) provides that “a member of the House of Assembly shall vacate his seat in the House if ‌(g) being a person whose election to the House of Assembly by a political party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected: “The Constitution went further to state “provided that his membership of the latter political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously a member or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored.â€? “Consequent upon the above constitutional provisions, these defectors have vacated their seats, they no longer have a place in the state assembly, as there is no division or merger of any kind in the PDP at any level whatsoever. “The PDP is therefore left with no other option than to request the INEC to immediately commence the processes for the conduct of fresh elections into the respective state constituencies where the legislators have vacated their seats, in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.â€?

accused the Minister of State for Power, Mr. Jeddy Agba, of harassment and intimidation during the union's negotiations on challenges affecting workers in the sector.

He said if the issues were not addressed at the end of the 14-day ultimatum, the country should hold the minister responsible for the strike.

Ajaero told reporters in Lagos that though government agencies had intervened in the matter, the demands had not been addressed.

He said at the centre of the dispute was the non-payment

of the entitlements of workers of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) laid off when the company was privatised as well as “shortpayment and conditions of service for workers of electricity companies.� “Because of the nature of the generating companies, where they were sited, were excluded from where people were living and the union decided to build schools for the kids of our members in such areas. “The Power Sector Reform Act provides that power stations be handed over to

some investors but not the primary schools which were seized. By virtue of the Act, even if there are buildings, it is the Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company that will take them, not the GenCos,� he added.

On the issue of non-payment of the entitlement of the disengaged workers of the defunct PHCN, he said the union had taken up the matter with the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) in the last six years without a breakthrough. “On two or three occasions, we have had cause to lock

up the office of the BPE and they will tell us that they have cleared up some names waiting for the Accountant-General of the Federation to pay but up to this moment nothing has happened,� Ajaero stated.

The union had last December embarked on a one-day warning strike that threw the entire nation into total blackout.

The strike led to the shutting down of most of the offices of Distribution Companies (Discos) across the country.

But following a meeting with officials of the federal government, the union accepted to return to work.

MINISTERS IN SESSION...

L–R: Minister of Interior, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola; Minister of Water Resources, Mr. Suleiman Adamu; and Minister of State for Power, Mr. Goddy Agba, at the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja‌yesterday godwin omoigui

Millions of Naira Goods Razed in Lagos Market Fire Chiemelie Ezeobi Two buildings collapsed in Lagos yesterday, while many others were razed at the popular Balogun Market in Lagos Island, as fire gutted a section of the market, razing property worth millions of naira.

Two officials of the Nigerian Red Cross Society and a fireman sustained injuries after the two plazas collapsed.

Preliminary findings revealed that the fire was caused by poor storage of fuel in the four-storey building in front of Oluwole Car Park on Martins Street.

While the firefighters were still battling to contain the flames, two of the already burnt buildings caved in, prompting the intervention of the personnel of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA).

Director-General, LASEMA, Dr. Olufemi Oke -Osanyintolu, confirmed the incident, saying that the inferno was caused by poor storage of fuel in the building.

He said: “On arrival at the above scene, it was discovered

that a four-storey plaza had been gutted by fire. “It escalated to adjoining buildings totalling seven in number and was contained by the emergency responders , that is the Lagos State Fire Service, the Federal Fire Service and NPA Fire Service. “All responders are on ground and progress is being made. However, no life was lost, as upon arrival, emergency responders combatted the inferno to salvage the situation.�

Emergency responders were drawn from LASEMA, the Lagos State Fire, Federal Fire Service, Nigeria Ports Authority Fire, Lagos State Ambulance Services (LASAMBUS) and the police.

Also on ground were the Commissioner for Special Duties & lnter-Governmental Relations, Mr. Paul Bamgbose Martins; the acting Director of the state fire service, Mrs. Magaret Oluseye and the operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), who tried to keep the hoodlums in check.

Two officials of the Nigerian Red Cross Society and a fireman

sustained injuries after the two plazas collapsed.

The officials, who were among those on rescue operation in the market following the fire outbreak that affected 10 plazas, were hit by debris from two of the structures that exploded.

The fireman who was extinguishing the fire on top of one of the buildings, sustained head injuries and was immediately rushed off the scene by his colleagues.

As at press time, the greatest challenge facing the police was the menace of hoodlums who took advantage of the chaos to loot shops.

While one of them was caught by soldiers, two others were apprehended by the police team and made to sit on the floor after they could not account for the goods with them.

Meanwhile, the Director General (DG) Lagos Safety Commission, Mr. Lanre Mojola, has decried the traders' lack of compliance with safety rules.

He said they had organised several sensitisation workshops

for the traders and even held one last week on the need for them to stop storing fuel in their shops.

According to him, the fire escalated because of the presence of petrochemicals and other combustibles.

Also, during his ongoing assessment of the situation, LASEMA DG said they were going to carry out integrity test for all the structures.

He said: "Any building that fails the integrity test is going to be pulled down. We can see that there is lacuna somehow.

The government of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is doing a lot of things to ensure safety of lives and property but look at the lacuna: the attitude of our people is highly challenging and does not conform to the mission and vision of the governor.

"For example, they did not turn off the generator while filling it with petrochemical and that is what led to this.

Eighty per cent of them store petrochemicals inside their shops and it shouldn't be.

They need to abstain from all these.�

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PAGE EIGHT SERVICE CHIEFS ON THE SPOT AS SENATORS, HOUSE CALL FOR THEIR RESIGNATION Dr. Ahmad Lawan, in his remarks after the debate, enjoined his colleagues to pray so that the executive could implement the resolutions since it is not compulsory for the presidency to heed the advice.

"And let me say this; we should prepare our minds that not all what we have resolved on would be implemented; we pray that whatever we resolve that will bring solution, the executive may have their own solution on the way forward.

So, there would be need for us to join and marry the two efforts to ensure that the lives and property of Nigerians are protected," he added.

According to him, “The security of the people is the issue that concerns almost every Nigerian and I think we can do better than just discussing but find solutions to issues at stake. This is not something we can do alone; we must work with the executive to achieve these.

"The president himself has been working hard with security agencies to ensure that we protect the lives and property of our people but we have come to a point where the legislators will also intervene or we give the necessary legislation and support to the executive arm of government.

"So, what we have done is the first thing, I think the most difficult step is the next step and that is, we have passed resolution now, the list of the ad hoc committee members.

They will be charged to work assiduously to ensure that they finish their work in two weeks but that is the second step. The third step will be the implementation of whatever we are able to adopt from the ad-hoc committee report; in that case we have to work much more closely (with the executive) to ensure the implementation on those things we resolved on."

Earlier, some senators in their presentations had canvassed for the sack of all security chiefs who they claimed are now bereft of ideas to solve the nation's mounting security challenges.

They include Senators Binus Yaroe, Betty Apiafi, Matthew Urhoghide, Abba Moro, Opeyemi Bamidele, Emmanuel Bwacha, Adeola Olamilekan, Elisha Abbo and Rochas Okorocha.

Senator Sani Musa said the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Etuk Ibas-Ette; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, who were all appointed in July, 2015, had overstayed their welcome and should be removed forthwith by Buhari.

Other senators like Ibikunle Amosun, Ibrahim Shekarau, Olubunmi Adetunbi, Sandy Onov, Oluremi Tinubu, Tolu Odebiyi and Smart Adeyemi canvassed for the amendment of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to give room for the creation of state police as the current central police system has been overwhelmed by the nation's security challenges.

Those who opposed the establishment of state police in their submissions include Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Senators Gabriel Suswan, Danjuma Goje, Adamu Aliero and Abubakar Yusuf, citing likely abuses by governors.

PDP Caucus Seeks Buhari’s Resignation The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caucus in the Senate, however, canvassed for the resignation of Buhari for failing to solve the security problems.

Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who spoke the minds of the 44 PDP senators during the debate, said the president should resign forthwith for his inability to resolve the security problems.

He said: "Nigerians did not elect the IG; we did not elect the Chief of Staff; we did not elect the joint service chiefs; we did not elect the National Security Adviser. We elected the government of APC in 2015 and re-elected them in 2019.

The reason why we re-elected them was that they continued to tell us that they had a key

to security.

"When you want to deal with a matter, you go with the head; so we will go with the government and ask this government to resign because they can no longer do anything. “Yes Nigerians voted a government into power and that government even said, if we don't perform, stone us.

We are going with the stones to stone them now because they are no longer performing.

"When I was coming this morning, I saw the newspaper headline of THISDAY with Mr. President and Commanderin-Chief expressing shock at the level of violent crimes in the country. In other words, Mr. President was expressing surprise. But in accordance with our Rule 53(13) I will not go into that but I will only say, Mr. President, in pidgin English, this surprise surprises me.�

Abaribe added that if not that the Senate president had urged them not to be partisan in their contributions, he would have called out presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, who while replying to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) leaders’ criticism following Boko Haram killing of a priest, had accused CAN of acting like a political party.

"Now that we are talking about it here, let me hear him say that all of us are acting like a political party when somebody is complaining about these incessant deaths in this country. “Because we have to get to the root of this matter, I can only say one thing: those who live on propaganda will die by propaganda. It is a matter of life and death. We were told that Boko Haram has been defeated, Nigeria is now safer.

Everything was been done to make sure that the hard work that was supposed to be done in securing Nigeria was not done because certain people did not do their work and preferred to cover the eyes of Nigerians with propaganda,� he stated.

At the end of the debate, the Senate, in its resolution,

while urging the presidency to declare a national security emergency, also set up a 17-man ad-hoc committee headed by the Senate Leader to engage the security agencies and report back to the Senate within two weeks.

Members of the committee include Senators Abaribe, Sabi Abdullahi, Ali Ndume, Aliyu Wammako, Haliru Jika, Kashim Shettima, Bala Ibn Na'Allah and George Sekibo.

Others are Ibrahim Gobir, Suleiman Kwari, Geisham Bassey, Stella Odua, Ibikunle Amosun, Abba Moro, Yusuf Abubakar and Kabiru Gaya.

Presidency: Abaribe's Call for Buhari's Resignation UnjustiďŹ able But the presidency last night attacked Abaribe, over his call for Buhari's resignation, describing it as a stray comment.

A statement by presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, which described Abaribe as an arm chair critic, said if Buhari had to resign, then Abaribe and millions of other Nigerians would have to also resign.

He accused the fiery senator of lacking the moral right to call for Buhari's resignation because he aided the escape of the leader of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

According to the statement, Abaribe ought to have replaced Kanu in Correctional Facility for failing to produce Kanu for whom he stood as surety, arguing that Buhari is fixing the country and striving to keep the country safe.

The statement read: "Just because some characters think that President Buhari should resign, then they expect him to quit. That call does not represent the opinion of the country.

"This is the opinion of an arm chair critic, known for making stray comments. If a leader like President Buhari needs to resign, there are millions of other Nigerians who need to resign, including

Senator Abaribe who unlocked the door to enable the escape of traitorous and treasonable suspects.

"He signed the bond for the court to release Nnamdi Kanu on bail, from which moment the suspect disappeared into the thin air. Senator Abaribe has failed repeated deadlines to return Kanu to the court for trial, yet he has the effrontery with which to accuse someone of failing to the bidding of the law.

"This is a man who should have replaced the suspects he failed to produce in the correctional facility. Abaribe’s party raped the nation and left it collapsing in 2015 and President Buhari is fixing things up all the years he is in office.

"President Buhari is working hard to keep Nigeria and Nigerians out of the harm terrorists have unleashed in the entire Sahel and Sub-Saharan Africa with the support of Nigerians and our foreign friends, he is going to finish off these terrorists. He alone can do it."

House Demands Service Chiefs’ Resignation At the House of Representatives, there was a unanimous resolution, asking the service chiefs to resign or be sacked by Buhari.

Earlier, while debating a motion on the need to curb the incessant attacks by the Boko Haram insurgents moved by the Chief Whip, Hon. Mohammed Monguno, many of the lawmakers had asked the service chiefs to relocate to Maiduguri to tackle the insurgency.

Monguno, in his motion, told his colleagues that the Boko Haram insurgents who were relegated to the background are now unleashing terror on Borno and Yobe states.

He said the insurgents had forced the military to close traffic on the Damaturu-Maiduguri Road for some days, adding that the Damaturu-Maiduguri road is the only access from Maiduguri to other parts of

Nigeria.

According to him, the closure of the road is an indication that the Boko Haram insurgents have seized the road and the communities on that axis.

After the long debate on the motion, the lawmaker representing Chibok/Damboa/ Gwoza federal Constituency of Borno State, Hon. Ahmadu Jaha, added the resignation and sacking of the service chiefs in the additional prayers he made on the motion, which the House adopted.

The Speaker of the House, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, had decried the spate of insecurity in the country, saying neither the security institutions nor political leaders could afford to hold on too tightly to a status quo whose frustrating limitations are painfully evident.

The speaker while delivering his speech at the resumption of the 2020 legislative session, said since the House last convened, there had been developments in the public space that concern them, especially with the uptick in crime across the country.

Gbajabiamila said overcoming the country’s overwhelming national security challenges required that everyone should be willing to accept new approaches and consider novel ideas. “Our cup of endurance has run over and we are no longer willing to labour under these dark clouds of random violence inflicted upon our people by faceless cowards whose ends we do not understand, and whose means we do not know,� he added.

Gbajabiamila promised that the House would support Amotekun and similar security outfits with legislation, saying the establishment of Amotekun has met with commentary from across the country, both for and against.

He added that lost in these interactions is the fact that Amotekun and other such state or zonal interventions are a desperate response to the vile manifestations of insecurity in the country.

CORONAVIRUS: CONCERNS HEIGHTEN AS CHINESE EXPATRIATES RETURN FROM HOLIDAY (FCCPC) also shut down a Chinese-owned Panda Supermarket in Abuja as part of the sustained measures to prevent the outbreak of the Coronavirus in Nigeria.

The United Arab Emirates, yesterday recorded its first confirmed case of the virus in four Chinese family members who arrived the country from Wuhan city in China, which is the epicenter of the outbreak.

Cote d’Ivoire has also tested its first suspected case, although authorities are yet to confirm whether the person has the virus or not.

The United States, United Kingdom and Japan have also started evacuating their citizens out of Wuhan city.

However, seven airlines have announced that they are halting or reducing flights to China as the country struggles to contain the spread of the deadly virus.

The airlines are Air France, British Airways, United Airlines, Lion Air, Finn air, Cathay Pacific and Urals Airlines Countries already affected by the spread, as at yesterday, were United States, Australia, Taiwan, Japan, France, United Arabs Emirates, Sri Lanka,

Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, Canada, Cambodia, Germany, Hong Kong, South Korea, Macao, Vietnam, and of course China.

Nigerians, who took to the Twitter to warn the Nigerian government over the planned return of Chinese residents in Nigeria into the country from holiday, called for heightened surveillance and checks at the airport to prevent them from importing the virus into the country.

Their call, tagged: ‘Hundreds of Chinese� was yesterday afternoon, number one on the trending list on Twitter, with over 42,000 mentions.

Abdulwahab Suleiman, using the handle, @ abdulwa90705276 on Twitter said: “Hundreds of Chinese left Nigeria to celebrate their annual festival/Lunar New Year to return shortly.

Over 300,000 Chinese are already infected. The federal government should device preventive actions before we have an epidemic in Nigeria.

Coronavirus in Nigeria will be giant catastrophe.�

However, a senior officer of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) told THISDAY on condition of anonymity

that the 300,000 figure was an exaggeration. “Where did they get that figure? By this time of the year, 3,000 Chinese go home and come back. So, from which statistics did they get the figure? In any case, the federal government has put all measures in place to prevent the outbreak of the virus in Nigeria,� he explained.

But Michael Leke Gideon, with the handle, @stmyk, said: “There’s a new virus that’s currently plaguing China. Hundreds of Chinese come into Nigeria. I hope the relevant authorities are aware and are taking necessary actions so it won’t spread to our country.�

With the demand on social media for improved capacity by the government, Nigerians believed if travellers from China were given heightened precautionary health checks before being allowed into the country, it would help in reducing the risk of Coronavirus spreading to Nigeria.

Meanwhile, residents of the Middle East woke up yesterday morning to the news of the virus in the United Arab Emirates, with four

residents already confirmed to be infected by the virus.

The UAE’s state-run WAM news agency made the announcements, citing the Health and Prevention Ministry, but offered no details on where they were receiving treatment or when they arrived.

The UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula that includes Dubai and Abu Dhabi, is home to long-haul carriers Emirates and Etihad Airways and is a hub for global air travel. Several hundreds of Nigerians are known to travel to and from Dubai every day, using both Emirates and Etihad Airways.

While British Airways has suspended flights to mainland China forthwith, Emirates, which is a common carrier for Nigerian travellers, said it would continue flights to Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai, as well as Hong Kong.

The UK Foreign Office said it had advised the airline to suspend flights to mainland China except for essential travels, adding that the UK government was also arranging the evacuation of

Britons from Wuhan city and the surrounding Hubei province.

United Airlines, Air Canada, and Cathay Pacific Airways have cancelled some flights to China.

The United States yesterday also evacuated 200 Americans from Wuhan city, with hopes to ferry back remaining citizens in China who hopes to return to the US. The 200 passengers, including diplomats and businesspeople, underwent medical screening at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, the local authorities said.

Japan has also evacuated 206 of its citizens from China, with 12 hospitalised for symptoms relating to fever.

FG to Screen Chinese Nationals Entering Nigeria In a statement given to THISDAY yesterday, the Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, said the agency was aware that Chinese nationals were expected back

into Nigeria following their Lunar New Year holiday, but that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has not placed travel restrictions on anyone.

Continued on page 10

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9

THURSDAY JANUARY 30, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

South-west Govs to Meet with IG over Amotekun Court order restrained IG from interference in Oyo LG crisis, Makinde insists

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State yesterday said that governors of the South-west states have agreed to meet with the Inspector-General of

Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, to review the Western Nigeria security network code-named Operation Amoteku.

This is coming as the governor said there was a court order restraining the Inspector-General

Boko Haram Kills Two Persons at Military Checkpoint Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri Boko Haram terrorists have slaughtered two persons who slept overnight at a military checkpoint in Maiduguri, Borno State. The insurgents were also said to have carted away some of their wares, including frozen fish.

According to a security source who preferred anonymity, the truck which was bringing frozen fish from Kano got to the military checkpoint at Auno, an outskirts of Maiduguri, few minutes to the closure of the security gates but could not continue its journey into the town as he had a mechanical fault.

The driver was advised by the military personnel at the checkpoint to leave the truck, a DAF, with Yobe State registration number PKM 665 X and proceed into the town to sleep with the two other persons with him.

They were said to have rejected the advice and chose instead to sleep in the brokendown vehicle.

The source said the insurgents came at night and slaughtered the three of them, while two dead instantly, one was still gasping for breath when the men of the Rapid Response Squad arrived at the area yesterday morning.

The corpses of the deceased were deposited at the hospital and the wounded was left to be treated at the emergency unit of the Borno State Specialist Hospital in Maiduguri.

The source said: “The RRS got the information at about 7a.m. on Wednesday of Boko Haram attack. Information revealed that some armed men suspected to be insurgents intercepted a DAF truck with registration number Yobe PKM 665 X driven by one Yusuf Mohammed and a motor boy Abdullah Mohammed.

of Police from giving unilateral order regarding local government administration in Oyo State.

The Oyo State chief executive made the disclosure after a meeting with Adamu, in Abuja.

He said the duo had an agreement in principle that the South-west governors should meet with the IG to review the situation.

“Everybody is aware of the issue with Amotekun; so, we deliberated; we had an agreement in principle to have

the governors of the South-west to meet with him to review the situation.

“It is work in progress, we are trying to operationalise it and in doing that, all the relevant stakeholders would have to align,” he said.

Speaking on the crisis in the Oyo Local Government administration, Makinde said a restraining order issued on Tuesday barred the IG, AIG and CP in charge of the state from giving unilateral order as it

relates to the local government administration in Oyo State.

“We are here basically to discuss two things. You all must have heard about the issue of local government administration in Oyo State. “There is a court order yesterday restraining the IG, the CP, the AIG from giving unilateral order regarding the issue of local government administration in Oyo State”, he said.

Governor Makinde said: “I came to brief the IG that this is

the situation. We do not want chaos in Oyo State. I personally, am law-abiding.

“If there is a court judgment, I would obey it and he’s given me the assurance that once he gets the copy of the court order, he would do the needful”.

He said: “we are trying to build a new country where the rule of law is supreme; so, everybody should be lawabiding, ensure that they don’t do anything that would create lawlessness”.

Court Dismisses Suit MARKET GROWTH...

Seeking to Sack Oshiomhole PROMOTING L–R: Managing Director/CEO, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc; Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri; Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE); Mr. Oscar Onyema; Head, Listings Business Division, NSE, Mr. Olumide Bolumole; and Head, Primary Markets, NSE, as APC Chairman Mr. Tony Ibeziako, during the launch of NSE Growth Board at NSE, Lagos...yesterday DAN UKANA

An Abuja High Court yesterday struck out a suit seeking to oust Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The court presided over by Justice SO Oriji, struck out the suit filed by one Steven Oshawo and others, from ward 10, Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State, where Oshiomhole hails from.

Oshawo and others had gone to court asking it to stop Oshiomhole from parading himself as National Chairman of APC, after alleging that Oshiomhole has been suspended from the APC by members of his ward.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Oshiomhole, Mr. Simon Egbuegbulem said Oshiomhole in his defence, argued that the plaintiffs do not have the powers to

suspend him according to the constitution of the APC, adding that all the Plaintiffs in the suit were earlier suspended in their respective units in ward 10.

He argued that at the time they purported to have suspended him as National Chairman, they had no such powers anymore since they were earlier on suspension.

Oshiomhole also argued that Article 21 of the APC constitution automatically expels any party member who ran to court without exhausting the provisions of the APC constitution.

He described the suit as lacking merit and urged the court to dismiss it.

However, in his ruling, Justice S.O.Oriji, struck out the matter and awarded N100,000 cost against the Plaintiffs.

Armed Robbers Kill Corps Member in Osun Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo A member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), serving in Osun State, Adebayo Mukaila, was reportedly killed by two-man armed robbery gang.

THISDAY yesterday gathered that the deceased was operating a container made-shop at Omo-west Street close to the NYSC secretariat in the state capital, where he was selling

credit recharge cards, cable subscription, and money transfer. It was gathered that Mukaila simply nickname as Alfa was attacked after closing his shop around 11.00 p. m on Tuesday night by the attackers.

The robbers, according to a source, after disposing the deceased of his bag containing cash, POS machine, recharge cards and bunch of keys, shot him on the head before they ran away on a motorcycle.

FG BEGINS MAJOR AIRPORTS AIRFIELD LIGHTING TO IMPROVE VISIBILITY The Director of Engineering, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. Salisu Daura, told THISDAY yesterday that seven out of the eight airports to benefit from the modern equipment already have airfield lighting, “but many of them have become obsolete and needed to be renewed. For example, the one at Kaduna airport was installed in 1983.”

He added that the agency had commenced the installation of the Airfield Lighting System (AFL), starting from Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.

He stated that after Kano, the second runway, known as 18L or domestic runway in Lagos, would be the next in line.

According to him, after Lagos, Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa will follow.

“We want to do the installation on international airports first.

Akure is a virgin airport; airfield lighting has not been installed there before. We are right now in Kano holding site meeting with our contractor for the installation of airfield lighting at the Kano airport.

“This will enable airlines to operate into the night. Standard airfield system has three categories and the Category 3, which we are installing enables precision approach landing with navigational instrument provided by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA). So, AFL is installed on runways that have instruments,”

Daura explained.

He added that the federal government had identified eight airports where the equipment would be installed, noting that for the airports to operate beyond 6 p.m. there would be additional personnel to manage the airports because of the increase in capacity arising from night landing.

“This will be a win-win situation because the airlines will generate more revenues and the airports will be put to greater use. Airfield lighting increases capacity utilisation of airplanes. But currently airplanes that can operate 18 hours in a day are restricted to from 7 a.m. to 6.00 p.m., which is 11 hours. But when these airfield lighting is installed, the airlines will make greater use of their aircraft,” he said.

He said the federal government was determined to renew the infrastructure in some of these airports to address the decay.

According to him, unlike in the past when new administrations terminated projects and programmes of their predecessors, President Muhammadu Buhari, believes in continuity and has continued the efforts to transform the aviation sector.

“This administration continued with the past projects, especially the ones that are security and safety- related. So, we must commend President Buhari and the Minister of Aviation, Senator

Hadi Sirika, who continued to transform the industry. Last year, we opened the new terminal at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa and the one built at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. This year we hope to open the ones in Lagos and Kano,” Daura said.

Daura added that some facilities like privately-owned business jets located around the new terminal would be removed so that the apron of the terminal would be extended, adding that Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) headquarters may be relocated at a later date for the expansion of the apron.

Speaking on the lighting system, the Chief Operating Officer of Dana Air, Mr. Obi Mbanuzuo, told THISDAY in Lagos that with the airfield lighting installed in more airports, airlines would be able to abide by their flight schedule with very minimum flight delays and cancellations.

He attributed delay flights to the few major airports that have airfield lighting and operate the daylight airports, which close at about 6 p.m. before operating to Kano, Port Harcourt, Lagos and Abuja, which have night landing facilities.

“If you look at weather issues now, there are delays of flights to Port Harcourt, Benin, Owerri because of harmattan weather.

We will later operate to these airports but we will fly to the daylight airports first in order

to beat 6 p.m. when they will be closed for flights.

“So, if airfield lighting is installed we will be able to operate our schedules that we publish. In terms of additional revenue, it will affect the bottom line. If we operate more revenue because of the extended flight there will be more revenue. The installation of the equipment will enable us to maintain our schedule integrity despite VIP movement and weather that could cause delays. Above all, it will reduce our cost and add to our benefits,” Mbanuzuo said.

The Managing Director of FAAN, Captain Yamisu Yadudu, said his administration was committed to revamping the nation’s airports, noting that considering Nigeria’s population, there is need to have functional airports.

He stated that even if some of the airports were not currently viable, they would be viable in future, as they continue to play critical role in the movement of people and goods.

THISDAY gathered that airlines would benefit immensely after the installation of airfield lighting.

Currently, an average Boeing aircraft in daily rotation from 6.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. with 120 – 150 passengers generates about N20 million daily.

It was gathered that if the operating time is extended from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., each aircraft could generate additional N5 million daily.

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NEWS

Presidency Faults Abaribe’s Call for Buhari’s Resignation Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja The presidency last night attacked the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, over his call for President Muhammadu Buhari’s resignation, describing it as a stray comment.

A statement by the presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu,

which described Abaribe as an arm-chair critic, said if Buhari had to resign, then Abaribe and millions of other Nigerians would have to also resign.

He accused the fiery senator of lacking the moral right to call for Buhari’s resignation because he aided the escape of the leader of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.

Borno Gov Appoints Igbo, Yoruba Indigenes as Special Advisers Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, yesterday swore in an Igbo man and Yoruba indigene as special advisers.

The two-Chief Kesta Ogualili from Anambra State and Alhaji Yusuf Alao from Oyo State are among the 26 special advisers swore in by the governor.

Ogualili, hails from Dunukofia Local Government Area, while Alao is from Ogbomosho Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Zulum had on January 9, 2020, appointed both men who as professionals, have lived in Borno State for many years and have been actively supporting the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The state Deputy Governor, Umar Kadafur, who represented Zulum at the swearing-in

ceremony of the 26 advisers, administered oaths of office and allegiance on them.

The others swore in were Sheikh Modu Mustapha, Ali Damasak, Mustapha Bulu, Hussaini Gambo, Bukar Ardoram, Tukur Mshelia, Tijjani Modu, Inna Galadima, Zarah Bukar, Mustapha Sandabe, Gadau Ngurno, Mohammed Maulud, Bole Kachallah, Abdulrahman Abdulkarim, Barr. Bashir Maidugu, Bukar Konduga, Umoru Gaya, Ali Zangeri, Tukur Ibrahim, Tijjani Kukawa, Abba Gubio, Malam Gana Badu, Alhaji Adamu Chibok and Ahmed Zarma.

The governor advised the newly cabinet appointees to live up to the high expectations and contribute to the attainment of the ten pact development agenda already being implemented within the last eight months.

Three Persons Die of Lassa Fever in Rivers Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt

The Rivers State Government has confirmed that three persons who tested positive to the Lassa virus have died in the state.

Addressing journalists yesterday in Port Harcourt, the acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Chinwe Atata, however, advised members of the public not to panic as the state government is doing everything to contain the spread of virus.

Atata advised members of the public to continue with all the necessary preventive measures under the circumstances, describing Lassa fever as an acute Viral Haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus.

According to her, “You will recall that few days ago, I briefed you on a number of suspected cases that were being investigated in the state.

We have received preliminary confirmation that three of the samples tested positive to Lassa virus.

“The Rivers State Public Health Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) had earlier commenced pro-active effort to contain the outbreak.

“So far, all hands are on deck for facility decontamination, line-listing, presumptive prophylaxis and surveillance to ensure public health safety and security.

“In addition, the state has procured large quantities of

anti-viral agents; isolation centres have been designated and are being set-up across the teaching hospitals in case of any eventuality. Rivers State Government is doing everything to contain the Lassa virus.

“Let me assure you that all hands are on deck to ensure rapid containment of the outbreak. There is therefore no cause for alarm as all cases are being managed with expertise according to the standard protocol for containment. We will update you regularly on further development if any.

“I will continue to reiterate that in view of the prevailing upsurge of Lassa fever cases in the country, all health service centres have been advised to maintain simple triage system for all patients and uphold standard infection prevention principles required for service delivery. The public is further advised to continue all necessary preventive measures under the circumstances.

“It is important to remind you that Lassa fever is an acute Viral Haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus.

The reservoir of the virus is the multi-mammate rat and transmission could be from rodents-to-humans and also by ingestion of food and materials contaminated by infected rodent excreta or urine. It could also be from human-to-human by direct contact with infected blood, tissues, secretions or excretions of infected humans.

According to the statement, Abaribe ought to have replaced Kanu in Correctional Facility for failing to produce Kanu for whom he stood as surety, stressing that Buhari is fixing the country and striving to keep the country safe.

The statement read: “Just because some characters think that President Buhari should resign, then they expect him to quit. That call does not represent

the opinion of the country.

“This is the opinion of an arm-chair critic, known for making stray comments. If a leader like President Buhari needs to resign, there are millions of other Nigerians who need to resign, including Senator Abaribe who unlocked the door to enable the escape of traitorous and treasonable suspects.

“He signed the bond for the court to release Nnamdi Kanu

on bail, from which moment the suspect disappeared into the thin air. Senator Abaribe has failed repeated deadlines to return Kanu to the court for trial, yet he has the effrontery with which to accuse someone of failing to the bidding of the law.

“This is a man who should have replaced the suspects he failed to produce in the correctional facility. Abaribe’s party raped the nation and left it

collapsing in 2015 and President Buhari is fixing things up all the years he is in office.

“President Buhari is working hard to keep Nigeria and Nigerians out of the harm terrorists have unleashed in the entire Sahel and Sub-Saharan Africa with the support of Nigerians and our foreign friends; he is going to finish off these terrorists. He alone can do it.”

SWEET VICTORY...

L-R: First National Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Osita Izunaso; and Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, shortly after the inauguration of Bello for a second term in office at the Government House, Lokoja…recently

CORONAVIRUS: CONCERNS HEIGHTEN AS CHINESE EXPATRIATES RETURN FROM HOLIDAY

He said: “What we have done is to heighten screening measures at points of entry.

In addition to automated thermal screening at points of entry, travellers from China are questioned on if they are feeling unwell and their travel history. Those, who show no symptoms on arrival but have a fever and cough within 14 days of arrival in Nigeria, are advised to report immediately to NCDC on 0800-970000-10. “ According to him, the Chinese government has extended the Lunar New Year holiday and has put in place other measures to dissuade their citizens from travelling out of China, as part of measures to contain the spread of the virus.

FG Issues Advisory to China-bound Nigerians Reacting to the fears over the returning Chinese, the federal government said they would be isolated on arrival for two weeks.

It also urged Nigerians to suspend trips to China.

Minister of Health, Dr. Osage Ehanire, while briefing State House reporters yesterday after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, said the federal government was compelled to issue the travel advisory to Nigerians and foreigners from affected countries in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus to the country.

He said: “In view of the trending stories around the

Coronavirus, it has become very necessary to issue a travel advisory to Nigerians.

The first is that all Nigerians intending to travel to China should delay all their travel plans until further notice, except it is extremely essential for them to do that trip.

“All persons arriving from China or any country that has a major outbreak is advised, if they have no symptoms at all, to self-isolate, meaning that they stay indoors in their homes for at least two weeks and if they develop any symptoms, like cough, catarrh, sneezing, breathing difficulties within this period, to report to the nearest health facility.

“We are also advising all airlines to report any case of a passenger falling sick on-board before the plane lands. That is a requirement in the agreement. Nigerian Port Health Services, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control are on alert at our airports and other points of entry. That is the advisory.”

FG Shuts Down Chinese Supermarket in Abuja In another preventive measure, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), an agency of the federal government, has shut down a Chinese-owned Panda Supermarket in Abuja.

Explaining its action in a series of tweets, FCCPC said it also confiscated some frozen food items illegally imported

from China.

The expiry date of some of the frozen food items according to some of their pictures posted on Twitter is 2089.

This raised concern that they were not certified by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

“The FCCPC inspected Panda Supermarket, Jabi, on credible reports that it discriminated and had a concealed area for Asian nationals. The allegation was confirmed. Seafood and animal products imported illegally from China were discovered.

“The store was closed for cautionary reasons considering the Coronavirus. Products with expired and irregular shelf life were also discovered at Panda. Regulatory activities to remove all such products from the supermarket continue,” FCCPC explained in the tweets.

House Requests Health Ministry, NIS, Others to Establish Screening Centres Also yesterday, the House of Representatives requested the Ministry of Health, NIS, the Quarantine Services, the FAAN and other agencies to set up screening centres at points of entry into the country.

This, it said, was aimed at preventing the transmission of the virus into the country.

The House made the request following the adoption of a

motion of urgent national importance on the need to put measures in place to prevent and contain the spread of the virus into Nigeria.

Moving the motion at the plenary yesterday, the Deputy Chief Whip, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, said with Nigeria and Nigerians being major trading partners with China, the country stood a high risk of having the virus transmitted into the country.

The House, therefore, directed the health ministry and other agencies to take all preventive steps to stop Coronavirus from being transmitted into the country.

Coronavirus is Diplomatic Issue Involving Countries, Says NIS Meanwhile, NIS has allayed fears over the spread of the virus to Nigeria, describing Coronavirus as an issue of diplomacy among countries, adding that with Yellow Card, sick or infected persons would be detected and refused entry.

The Public Relations Officer of the Service, Mr. Sunday James, who spoke to THISDAY on the preparedness of NIS towards protecting Nigeria’s entry points, said the Ministries of Aviation and Health must be on their toes as well.

He added that already, there are scanners at the airport terminals which have the capacity to detect and capture temperatures of travellers, especially those coming into Nigeria.

THURSDAY JANUARY 30, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWS

Group Urges Supreme Court to Consider Ihedioha’s Request on Merit Davidson Iriekpen A civil society organisation based in Lagos, Peoples’ Will, has urged the Supreme Court to consider former Governor Emeka Ihedioha’s application for the review of his case whenever he approaches the court.

It was revealed last weekend that Ihedioha, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the poll, would soon approach the court for a review of the judgment.

But in a statement yesterday, the convener of Peoples’ Will, Mr. Victor Imoukhuede, appealed to the justices of the court not to hurriedly throw out the application.

He said a careful review of the case had revealed that there was indeed substantial miscarriage of justice when the apex court first heard it on January 14, 2020.

The convener added that the review has merit and that the justices of the court should diligently examine the case whenever Ihedioha comes with his application for a review.

He said his appeal is based on the judgment of the former justice of the court, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, who was regarded as the Socrates during his time where he said justices of the court are human-beings, and therefore are capable of erring.

Justice Oputa while delivering the lead judgment in the much celebrated Adegoke Motors Ltd. v. Adesanya (1989) 13 NWLR (Pt.109) 250 at page 275A said: “We are final not because we are infallible; rather we are infallible because we are final. Justices of this court are human-beings, capable of erring. It will certainly be short sighted arrogance not to accept this obvious truth. It is also true that this court can do inestimable good through its wise decisions.

“Similarly, the court can do incalculable harm through its mistakes. When therefore it appears to learned counsel that any decision of this court has been given per incuriam, such

Nasarawa Offers Free Medical Services to Journalists Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia The Nasarawa State Government, in collaboration with the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital (DSAH), Lafia, yesterday offered free medical services to more than 50 practicing journalists in the state.

The Chief Medical Director of the DASH, Dr. Hassan Ikrama, who declared open the one-day event, stated that “the exercise is to prevent diseases at their early stages before they escalate. Prevention is better than cure. I urged you to go for regular medical checkup because 80 per cent of diseases infected on us are as result of negligent.”

He further stressed that a lot of diseases could be treated at the early stage and advised the beneficiaries to avoid allowing diseases to stay long in their system before going for treatment.

counsel should have the boldness and courage to ask that such a decision be over-ruled. This court has the power to over-rule itself (and has done so in the past) for it gladly accepts that it is far better to admit an error than to persevere in error.”

Imoukhuede said based on Justice Oputa’s judgment, the justices of the court can correct the mistakes they might have made in the case.

He contended that from the processes filed from the tribunal to the Supreme Court showed that there were mathematical and factual inconsistencies which the apex court ignored.

He also noted that if the apex court had carefully examined the certified-true-copy of the record of the appeal filed before it by

Uzodinma and APC, there was no way it would have given judgment to them.

“In the records tendered at the tribunal, Uzodinma, from pages 9 to 27 of his petition, drew a table of votes allocation which he claimed were the figures obtained from the duplicate copies of Forms EC8A handed over to his party agents at the 388 polling units, the results of which were excluded in the overall result of the election.

“From the table he compiled from the 388 polling units, there were 252,452 registered voters, out of which 213,695 voted for APC, and 1,903 voted for Ihedioha. But the table does not indicate either the total number of accredited voters or the number of invalid votes, if any, and the

votes allocated to the remaining 68 candidates that contested the election, aside from Uzodinma and Ihedioha.

“Also, the duplicate Forms EC8A tendered by the PW54, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Mr. Rabiu Hussein, showed that there were no fewer than six polling units where more votes were recorded above the registered number of voters.

“For instance, on figure number 69 which shows votes cast at Eziama/Okpala (Umualum Village Square, Eziama), the total number of registered voters was 492, whereas the table shows that the APC scored 819 votes and PDP scored 7 votes, meaning that 334 more votes than the registered voters were recorded,

apart from the votes polled by the other candidates at the election that were not shown on the table.

“Similarly, on page 22 of the petition referencing polling unit 282, the number of registered voters was put at 591, whereas the tabulation shows that APC polled 586 votes and PDP nine votes, indicating a total of four votes higher than the registered number of voters. This, again, excluded the votes scored by the other candidates.

“On the same page 22 of the record, at the polling unit 285 (Obudi/Aro, Central Assembly Square, Unusable 11) with 449 registered voters, APC was credited with 780 votes and PDP with four votes, leaving a total of 335 votes higher than the actual number of registered

voters.

“Figures obtained from page 79 of the record of appeal under item 384 show that APC scored 526 votes, while PDP was credited with two votes, and the total votes cast was put at 526, indicating two votes higher than the total number registered voters in the area.

“But in its judgment, the Supreme Court said that the votes from the disputed 388 polling units were wrongly excluded from the votes of Uzodinma.

“By relying on the tabulation made by Uzodinma, the Supreme Court arrived at a figure of 950,952 votes, which is more than the 823,743 votes cast at the election, thereby affirming 127,209 excess votes.”

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COMMENT

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

UZODINMA’S STATE BROADCAST: MATTERS ARISING Austin Uganwa writes that the new Imo State governor is economical with the truth

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enator Hope Uzodinma who emerged Tuesday, 14th January as Imo state Governor through the instumentality of the Supreme Court had his maiden state broadcast on Wednesday, 22nd January .

Although it was a voluminous speech that was focused on his administration’s plans for Imo development, a large chunk of the frameworks and elements that he noted would define his administration’s policy thrusts are manifestly and essentially a rehearsal of Rt Hon. Emeka Ihedioha’s Rebuild Agenda which in seven months as governor he implemented with vigour, intensity and abiding faith.

In all modesty, not a few observers believe that the speech lacked veritable flow, elegant touch, proper sequence and clear segments intrinsic in such high profile speeches. As a result the speech typified more of a campaign message than a state broadcast. In contents and context, the broadcast attempted to provide insights into the new administration’s trajectory of governance. But, on the contrary, the speech was fraught with unassailable inaccuracies, ample gaps and disturbing misinformation about Ihedioha-led government.

Unmistakably, sectoral analyses of the frameworks and governance structures unfolded in the speech would drive the point home profoundly. Take the fiscal sector as a case study. The speech contained that the new government “will restore financial discipline, entrench due process and conduct government business in the most transparent fashion� as if these were non-existent prior to this time.

This is far from the truth. Ihedioha took efficient steps to enthrone fiscal discipline in government through the introduction of Treasury Single Account that cancelled the 250 accounts ran by Owelle Rochas Okorocha government. Ihedioha-led government also revitalized Bureau of Public Procurement and Intelligence and Easy of Doing Business towards instilling due process and transparency in government. The fascinating result was that Imo under Ihedioha’s watch was rated as the least corrupt state in Nigeria by the National Bureau of Statistics and relevant international development agencies. The critical point being emphasized is that the new administration should be more inclined to consolidating the impressive fiscal discipline Ihedioha has responsibly laid down rather than using the erroneous term ‘ to restore’ what has already been an organic structure of Ihedioha administration Again, the impression created in the speech that the 27 local councils in the state didn’t enjoy autonomy under Ihedioha’s watch was misplaced and deceitful. It is on record and verifiable that one of the earliest accomplishments of Ihedioha-led government was restoration of sanity to the local councils and enthronement of full financial autonomy. Consequently, Joint Account meeting was introduced towards ensuring that the authorities of the local councils collected their allocations in full.

It is equally untrue to suggest and imply in the speech that Ihedioha didn’t t drive civil service and pensions reforms underpinned by regular payment of salaries. The broadcast contained

THE IMPRESSION INHERENT IN THE SPEECH THAT THE OTAMIRI WATER SCHEME WAS ABANDONED BY IHEDIOHA IS ANOTHER HUGE MISREPRESENTATION THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. THE RECORDS ARE ESTABLISHED THAT IHEDIOHA RESTORED OTAMIRI WATER AFTER EIGHT YEARS OF DRY TAPS IN OWERRI

that the new government will “overhaul the civil service and other institutions and ensure prompt payment of salaries, pensions and other statutory obligations�. One of the cardinal objectives of Ihedioha-led administration was the revamp of the civil service and reinstatement of the pensioners entitlements abandoned for about six years by the previous administration. It is evidence-based that within three months of his administration Ihedioha restored full payment of workers’ salaries, undertook pensioners’ biometric verification leading to regular payment of the pensioners entitlements through bank alerts system. Last December, for instance, both pensioners and civil servants received their entitlements before 20th of the month, early enough for the Christmas festivities. It is therefore inappropriate to incorporate prompt payment of salaries in the speech as one of the plans of the new government as if it was not a standard practice under Ihedioha’s watch.

Besides, Ihedioha crucially addressed recruitment, promotion, appointment, disengagement and other challenges confronting the civil servants through a committee he set up to look into the avalanche of petitions that inundated government and impacted adversely on the civil service. The White paper on the committee’s report was painstakingly considered by the State Executive Council.

The administration also undertook staff retraining for enhanced proficiency, motivation and productivity. Equally worrisome and trite was the manner Governor Uzodinma presented his administration’s infrastructural development plan without making even veiled reference to the massive and significant infrastructural development drive of Ihedioha administration. Within seven months of his administration, Ihedioha demonstrated unprecedented sensitivity to the deplorable state of Imo roads leading to the plight of Imo people by awarding 25 critical roads projects for reconstruction and rehabilitation and accordingly mobilized the contractors to the sites. As it is well known by Imolites work has reached advanced stage on some of the projects However, the impression inherent in the speech that the Otamiri Water Scheme was abandoned by Ihedioha is another huge misrepresentation that needs to be addressed. The records are established that Ihedioha restored Otamiri Water after eight years of dry taps in Owerri. What is therefore required is an earnest follow-up to functional foundations already laid out. It is in the same regrettable manner that the technology hub which Imo was rated the best in the country under Ihedioha’s watch was inaccurately captured in the maiden speech.

It is therefore imperative to note that a veritable way forward is to acknowledge the remarkable accomplishments of Ihediohaled government within a short period of time. And also compelling for Uzodinma to develop desirable capacity to build on the uncommon foundations laid by Ihedioha assuming the status quo remains. t%S 6HBOXB XSPUF GSPN 0XFSSJ

FANI-KAYODE’S LOVE FOR SOUTHERN KADUNA Southern Kaduna should be wise and pragmatic, writes

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lufemi Olu-Kayode aka Femi Fani – Kayode persistently denigrates the Hausa/Fulani race.

The reason for the deep animosity or extreme hostility, which by the way is a recent development, is confounding, considering that before Fani-Kayode reportedly saw the light like Saul, he wined and dined with the “oligarchy�, a relationship that was clearly rewarding, most especially the funding of his medical treatment in Ghana. But whatever the present state of the relationship - be it a separation or divorce - there is no denying the fact that Femi Fani-Kayode’s palm kennels were cracked by those he now derides as slave masters. Against this background, it can safely be argued that Fani - Kayode’s new found love for some Southern Kaduna people is more of using the Northern minorities to get at his former friends, as clearly the only binding cord driving their relationship is the mutual hatred of a common enemy - the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

If only the likes of Jonathan Asake, who parades himself as the President of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union(SOKAPU), have bothered to critically look at the antecedents of Fani -Kayode their new found “hero�, they definitely would have been much more cautious in embracing him. How can Fani -Kayode , who was a Special Assistant to late Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi, one-time Director -General of the Nigerian Security Organization(NSO) and a staunch member of the equally conservative National Republican Convention(NRC) claim to love the people of Southern Kaduna? A man who also in the fourth Republic initially pitched his political tent with the All Progressives Congress(APC), which many analysts also consider conservative, convince anyone that wining and dining with the Hausa/Fulani oligarchy was a grievous mistake and that he has genuinely retraced his steps? The point must be stressed that Femi Fani -Kayode,is not and can never be Saul,who Jesus Christ had converted, because he is a leopard and leopards don’t change their spots, even though he now speaks the language of hate and of marginaliza-

tion like Asake.

On January 4, 2020 at the Southern Kaduna Prayer Summit, organised by the Southern Kaduna Christian Leaders Association (SKCLA), Fani-Kayode, made many fallacious statements which rather than help the Southern Kaduna people dig themselves out of the deep hole they dug themselves into, would further compound their problems by leading them down the path of political and economic irrelevance. The falsehoods which the likes of Fani-Kayode help amplify include the usual allegations of organized marginalization, the threat of Islamization, systematic and institutionalized violation of the rights of minorities, the continuity and entrenchment of some unjust pre-colonial and colonial political structures. And the more baffling allegation, that the creation of new states, geo-political zones and local government areas rather than addressing their plight, has tended to worsen it by lumping minorities with the more hegemonic Hausa/Fulani.

Substantially Fani-Kayode in his rousing speech at the event which was more of a political event than a prayer summit didn’t say anything new, rather he reinforced the age-old narratives, that would continue to make the much desired peaceful coexistence of the North a mirage. It was disheartening to hear Fani-Kayode, a man that was once a Special Assistant and minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria utter the kind of statements attributed to him at Kafanchan. Hear him: “There is an ongoing battle to conquer none-Fulanis and Christianity in Nigeria and Southern Kaduna being strategically located at the Middle Belt is at the center of the battle�. It’s a huge shame that a man with such a mindset, who spews and promotes hate, once presided over not one, but two ministries, including a sensitive one like culture and tourism. I shudder at what Hausa/Fulanis in those ministries would have gone through in his hands on account of their tribe and religion.

Most certainly Fani -Kayode and his cotravellers are entitled to their delusions that the 2019 political miscalculation by some Southern Kaduna elites amounted to some “serious�

political statements. Hear Fani-Kayode: “The show of determination by the Southern Kaduna people during the 2019 governorship election in Kaduna was a referendum, a show of unity

by Southern Kaduna people and a show of their determination�. The plain truth is that the Southern Kaduna Senatorial District lost out big time, by their very negative political behavior, which demonized anyone from the zone that belonged or identified with the APC which it mischievously tagged a Muslim party. Their worse crime is their lack of political pragmatism.

For instance, in spite of the area not voting for Nasir el - Rufai in 2015, they refused to acknowledge the fair distribution of projects and appointments in his first term. For instance, Kagoma in Jema’a Local Government Area which voted overwhelmingly for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Ramallan Yero, had two commissioners under El-Rufai and the township roads started by Patrick Yakowa, which Yero had abandoned were completed by El-Rufai. But these practical demonstration of goodwill didn’t sway them to vote El-Rufai in 2019,simply because they hate him.

Fani-Kayode, like many Southerners have this erroneous believe that the people of “Southern Kaduna are under siege, chains and shackles�, because it suits the North versus South politics.

But what they fail to realize is that the minorities are the worst enemies of themselves. For instance, the Southern Kaduna elites rejected two key projects -Vicampro potatoes farm and the 50 megawatts Solar power projects located at Manchok by the El-Rufai administration for two very laughable reasons. The first was that the land (Manchok Reserve) on which the projects were to be cited, which by the way rightly belongs to the Kaduna State Government, is their “ancestral land� that abhors development. The other reason, which is dumbfounding, because it’s championed by a university teacher, who is supposed to disabuse ignorance, was that the solar plant would affect conception amongst women, or worst still lead to still and deformed births. When the stupid arguments were roundly debunked, thugs were unleashed on the

contractors forcing them to abandon work. This is how two projects of over N1 billon that would have kick-started the economic development of the zone were killed on the alter of hate.

Like Lailah Gifty argued “men are often mislead by their fellow - men� and the Fani -Kayode Southern Kaduna lecture is a classical example of how a people can be misled by a so -called friend. How on earth can Fani-Kayode assure them that they can produce a governor on their on terms when the numbers are clearly against them and when they are not building bridges? Like the late Chief M.K.O Abiola would say, with a friend like Fani-Kayode, the people of Southern Kaduna do not need an enemy. The 2019 elections have clearly shown that as things stand today in terms of electoral votes that the district is inconsequential, thanks to the Card Reader, which has demystified the figures that the area hitherto produced. A fact that the elites have refused to come to terms with. But while they can allow themselves to be deluded by FaniKayode, the political reality cannot be wished away. Moving forward, the Southern Kaduna elites owe it to itself and the larger society, the duty to subject itself to what psychologists call the “shadow�- a term that refers to everything we can’t see in ourselves, which the likes of Fani-Kayode would never tell them.

Before 2019, the deputy governorship slot was taken as given by the average Southern Kaduna person and that it will most certainly be a Christian and from any of the three big tribesBajju, Jaba or Kataf. The other smaller tribes and native Muslims never counted. By nominating Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, a native, that conclusion has changed and today everyone from that zone counts. So while someone from the Southern Kaduna Senatorial District who has built bridges can be the governor or deputy governor it will no longer certainly be a Christian, a Bajju or Jaba, which is some of the benefits from the politics of isolation that the Southern Kaduna toed between 2015 and 2019. And if they continue to listen to Fani -Kayode, who is not even a force in his zone, by 2023 they would surely be in political Afghanistan- totally irrelevant.

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020

EDITORIAL RETURN OF BANDITRY IN NORTH WEST The security agencies must live up to their responsibilities of protecting the people An apparently excited permanent secretary, special services, office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Dr Amina Shamaki commended the effort, arguing that the “dialogue” initiated by the governors in the zone should be adopted by states with similar security challenges. “The application of the carrot-and-stick approach is an effective strategy that enables criminals willing to embrace peace to do so while repentant ones are identified and isolated for appropriate actions by security agencies,” she said.

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arely four months after the Katsina State government and others in the North-west struck a peace deal with some bandits, another state of emergency is in the air. Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna and indeed Niger are again at the mercy of criminals who kill, maim and loot property at will. In the last few weeks the bandits, armed with sophisticated weapons, had attacked several communities where hundreds of citizens were seized and released after ransom had been paid. Farmers are afraid to go to the farms why many others are fleeing the suburbs for Katsina, the state capital, for security. Various communities in 13 local councils are reportedly under intense attacks with Dutsin-Ma alone witnessing over 30 attacks in recent times. In Jibia town, the military had to be invited to engage the bandits on the stretch of the Rugu forest nearby, after two customs officers and some residents were abducted.

Desperate to find a solution to the large scale banditry, kidnapping, WHAT IS HAPPENING armed robberies IN THE NORTHWEST IS and cattle rustling in A REPLICATION OF THE the state, Governor, GENERAL INSECURITY Alhaji Aminu ACROSS THE COUNTRY Bello Masari had last September held FOR WHICH THE sessions with repreAUTHORITIES MUST sentatives of bandits FIND A MORE ENDURING terrorising his state SOLUTION and signed agreement with them to drop their weapons and restore the peace.

The bandits were in turn granted “amnesty,” and their pockets reportedly stuffed with wads of naira. The Masari initiative was adopted by other governors in the North-west, a region earlier insulated from the havoc and ghastly atrocities of the decade-long Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east.

A peace summit convened by the Inspector -General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, in Katsina facilitated discussions with representatives of the bandits from Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, Kaduna and Zamfara.

Letters to the Editor

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

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

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SEX FOR GRADES ON AFRICAN CAMPUSES

Continue from Backpage

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ast Sunday afternoon, I hosted two respected scholars in my home: Professor Jacob K. Olupona of Harvard (currently spending part of his sabbatical year at the centre he is building at Ife as an advanced summer institute for university lecturers) and the Vice Chancellor of my alma mater, Obafemi Awolowo University, Professor Eyitayo Ogunbodede. Both were on their way from Sokoto to Ife through Ibadan airport when they decided to use their flight lay-over period to visit me. In the process, I engaged Ogunbodede on the latest sexual harassment scandal involving a female student and male lecturer in the Department of International Relations. The case, he assured me, is already being investigated. More importantly, Ogunbodede also shared with me measures that are being put in place to rid the campus of the menace of sexual harassment of female students. I consider his ideas ground breaking.

Meanwhile, for those who have been asking about my coming book, ‘NAKED ABUSE: Sex for Grades in African Universities’, I can now project that it will be out by the end of March or early April. But it is already written. Inspiration for the book came in December 2018 from the Director, West

hile the agreement lasted the bandits released about100 captives in their custody while government in turn freed more than 50 bandits detained by security operatives in Katsina, Kano and Kaduna States. “The peace accord had come and gone and many of us who were against it have now been vindicated,” said Abdusamad Jibia, a university don. But the Special Adviser to the government on security, Ibrahim Katsina said the resurgence of banditry was a temporary setback, arguing that security issues are often a gradual process. “We are presently trying to network members of the community to be alive to their responsibilities and partner with security agencies, so that it will be reduced”, he said.

We are not surprised at what is happening to the so-called peace accord with the bandits which boldly advertised government’s helplessness. Indeed, we warned in this space that it would be impossible to hold a group of outlaws to any form of agreement.

With many sophisticated guns in their possession, what will they do if they run out of cash? The scale of banditry was such that earlier in the week, President Buhari asked the security agencies to go after the criminals terrorising Niger State and others. But what is happening in the northwest is a replication of the general insecurity across the country for which the authorities must find a more enduring solution. The security agencies must live up to their responsibilities of protecting the people while the states should ensure good use of resources within their domains by providing the enabling environment for job creation and entrepreneurship.

African Office, Ford Foundation, Mr Innocent Chukwuma, who believes that sexual harassment on campuses of institutions of higher learning is a serious social menace that must be tackled. Fortunately, I received tremendous support from the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) chairman, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, both of whom made themselves available and asked their people to work with me to provide whatever information I needed with respect to the project.

But I owe so much to many people, especially the respected women who helped me avoid what could have been tragic pitfalls on such a sensitive issue. After reading the first draft, the suggestions offered by Ms Jackie Farris, the Director General of the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation and Dr Abimbola Adelakun, an Assistant Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas, Austin, were quite invaluable. Same with Ms Ayisha Osori, Executive Director of the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) and Dr Chidi Amuta.

My appreciation also goes to Mr Ibraheem Sanusi, the Addis Ababa-based Advisor on the Joint African Union – German Cooperation on Citizens Participation and Innovative Data Use. He explored his contacts within the continent to connect me

with Dr Melvis Ndiloseh, a senior lecturer and policy analyst in Cameroon, Ms Nancy Muigei, a governance expert in Kenya and Nebila Abdulmelik, a Pan-African and feminist writer from Ethiopia. Through my friend, Asavia Philip Nampandu, I was also able to access Ms Dianah Ahumuza, a lecturer at the School of Law, Makerere University, Uganda. There are of course many others across the continent whose assistance will be acknowledged in the book. Even from the United Kingdom as a Chevening Scholar, my aburo, JJ Omojuwa offered tremendous assistance.

In writing the book, my main objectives include raising the profile of discourse on sexual harassment in tertiary institutions on the continent, deepening awareness of the drivers, risks and consequences and influencing the development and implementation of policies and systems to tackle the challenge. Exposing the culture of sex-for-grades, I believe, will not only help highlight the malaise, it could also kick-start efforts on how to curb predatory behaviour on our campuses. And to borrow from the words of the Ekiti State First Lady, Mrs Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, in the Foreword: “…as the young people say these days, Olusegun Adeniyi has ‘shaken a lot of tables’.”

Watch out for the book! t0MVTFHVO "EFOJZJ "CVKB

TOURIST SHOULD LOOK AND NOT TOUCH

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he latest attempt to stop tourists from inappropriate behaviour at a site is the intention to fence off the Trevi Fountain in Rome. This is to stop people from jumping in and dancing in the fountain but why is it

necessary?

Another tourist, apparently an influencer, was arrested for climbing a Pyramid in Egypt.

She seemed to think it was her ‘right’ but what about the right to protect sites that have stood for thousands of years?

In Australia the climb to the top of Uluru (Ayer’s Rock) has been discontinued for cultural reasons although again many people claimed it as their ‘right’ to climb it. They had no regard for its spiritual and cultural significance to the local people.

There seems to be a drift from enjoyment to participation, from appreciation to possession and little regard for how others consider a site.

Let’s just sit back and enjoy the uninterrupted view. t%FOOJT 'JU[HFSBME .FMCPVSOF "VTUSBMJB

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ADVERTORIAL

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY JANUARY 30, 2020

POLITICS

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

‘I Wonder Why Ihedioha Refused to Enter Government House throughout His Eight-Month Stay’ Nseobong Okon-Ekong discusses the recent political upheavals in Imo State with Chief Longers Anyanwu, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress

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hat is the most important thing that the APC in Imo needs to do now?

The first thing to do is to regain and sustain the confidence and trust on the APC led government under Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodinma as the governor.

Under the new administration, we shall ensure that the governor being large hearted and a man of the people, will consciously embark on actions and policies that will establish equity and eliminate nepotism and antagonism. Governor Uzodinma will promote an all-inclusive and peaceful system in the state that will inevitably bring prosperity to the people of Ìmo state. Above all, the governor has assured Ìmo people that upon confirmation of the status of all on-going projects started by all the past governments, he will expeditiously finish them.

It will be the priority of the APC to expand the popularity of the party especially in Ìmo state and the entire South-east in general in order to integrate our zone into the Nigerian project.

One of the lessons of the 2019 general election in Ìmo to our party APC is never again shall we go into any election with a divided house. And if you look at the way the governor is embracing all the leaders back to the party, you will agree with me that he’s an experienced party man.

The leaders have agreed not to tolerate external meddlesomeness in the party. The governor, given his approach based on an all-inclusive disposition will be capable of handling the party matters.

I call on the APC warlords to drop their guns and embrace peace and collapse all their factions and join Hope’s mainstream party to strengthen the party in the state Many of the legislators in the state House of Assembly have suddenly switched political party allegiance, making the APC which had no legislator to become the majority, can they be trusted?

Nigeria is practicing party politics. APC, apart from being a national party, is also the ruling party at the centre and in the majority of the states in the country. It is also a fact that the state had been an APC state until the recent debacle.

Legislators are the true representatives of the people and close to their people. Whatever action they take is the true representation of the wishes and aspirations of the people.

Will these defection reduce the tension?

Did these people have to defect in order to work amicably with the governor?

Legislative duties require the corporation of the executive to maximise the dividends they attract to their constituents. It’s their choice to remain in the mainstream or struggle with the opposition.

Seeing that the legislators took this decision unilaterally without going back to the people who elected them, how do you think this will affect the relationship with their constituents?

You don’t say that because you are not one of their constituents. I can tell you for free that most of them enjoy the encouragement of their constituents, who trooped out in large numbers to give solidarity on that defection.

Is it true the Governor Hope Uzodinma disbursed a lot of money to buy the Imo legislators over?

As one of the APC leaders who was on hand to receive the defecting members, I can tell you that the governor never disbursed any fund for that, rather, most of the defecting members openly disclosed to everyone in public how the governor even before he was elected governor used to assist them without expectation and expressed hope that his government will engender an explosion of prosperity in Ìmo state hence their action to defect to the governor’s party, the APC.

aligned again with the party that controls the Federal Government?

Taking the state back to APC will solidify the state at the center. Ìmo state can now be counted as a major player in the Nigerian project. I also call on the APC federal government to include Ìmo state this time into the league of states under the ruling party with all necessary extra political dividends and perks.

Anyanwu I look at this allegation that the governor enticed the legislators with money as cheap blackmail and spurious. Money from where? As you may know, the governor has not accessed any official document of the government till date.

The reputation of the APC in Imo under the immediate past governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha was seriously damaged, what should the party and the governor do to avoid the mistakes of the past?

The governor is a man with an irresistible appeal. He is at home with the masses, captains of industry, the private sector, the church and traditional institutions. He suffers no complex whatsoever. Above all, he is a devote Christian and a ‘communicant’ of the Catholic faith. Unlike the past, Hope is a man of immense political experience.

A lot of investment and effort was made by the former governor to get the buy-in of most of the elites in the state. However, I think he wasn’t sure of the sustainability of his brief mandate such that he didn’t embark on any tangible and conclusive project for that eight months. One month before his exit, he embarked on sporadic construction projects that could not get 10 percent completion that has left the entire state of confusion and reckless abandonment of incomplete projects.

advice Uzondinma to continue on that path?

I believe Governor Hope Uzodinma has come to establish his own legacy. It is unfortunate that Ihedioha’s government has retained the record of being the first in history not to commission a single project after eight months in the saddle despite all the lofty and flowery dream of the governor. I know that he could have done a lot better within that eight months but for some bad and “over qualified” appointees who thought they knew better and were more experienced than the governor. It was a story of dashed high expectations. Very sad.

Frankly, I was shocked at level of abandonment and decadence at the Government House. Not a single room was functional or put in use. I could not recognize the beautiful structure and clean Government House environment that Governor Ohakim left behind in 2011. I wonder why Governor Ihedioha refused to enter the premises throughout his eight months stay not to talk of rehabilitation of a single office. I am really shocked why he was scared of entering the Government House which worsened the deplorable state of the infrastructure he inherited from Rochas. It was indeed a great disservice to Ìmo people and it is my hope that Governor Uzondinma will courageously tackle the problem straight away. Hope will not waste time in sloganeering like Ihedioha.

The Ihedioha government was already trying to steer governance away from everything linked to Okorocha, would you

For a few months, Imo was run by a political party in opposition to the party at the centre, do you see any comfort in Imo being

I believe Governor Hope Uzodinma has come to establish his own legacy. It is unfortunate that Ihedioha’s government has retained the record of being the first in history not to commission a single project after eight months in the saddle despite all the lofty and flowery dream of the governor. I know that he could have done a lot better within that eight months but for some bad and “over qualified” appointees who thought they knew better and were more experienced than the governor. It was a story of dashed high expectations.

Very sad. Frankly, I was shocked at level of abandonment and decadence at the Government House. Not a single room was functional or put in use. I could not recognize the beautiful structure and clean Government House environment that Governor Ohakim left behind in 2011

The governorship candidates of the AA and APGA accompanied Uzodinma to receive his Certificate of Return from INEC, was that a hint at some kind of collaboration among them? And could this arrangement be on individual basis or does this understanding include their parties?

And indeed gubernatorial candidates of other parties who participated in the 2019 governorship election. APC was the dominant and ruling party before the 2019 election. Few months before the election, there was an implosion within the party.

Consequently, when the Supreme Court reversed the judgement, it was natural that people who left party out of annoyance rushed back to where they belong. Recall that the struggle to free Ìmo from the clutches of the governor before the last election was across all the political parties.

Consequently, upon the emergence of Governor Uzodinma, every other discerning leader in Ìmo saw himself as a winner. All the members of the coalition across the parties were jubilant over the Supreme Court verdict. I will say, therefore, that it was the role played personally by Uzodinma and the coalition spirit that is pulling people from different political parties back to APC. Do you see the street protests continuing now that the leaders of the people as represented by Imo legislators have jumped ship?

Is the protest is against the Supreme Court, President Buhari or who? How come the protest was more pronounced in Sokoto and other states than in Ìmo state? I believe it was an externally sponsored demonstration. The immediate past governor was not part that senseless conspiracy because he is a promoter of the principles of the rule of law.

The sponsors of the mischievous protests will be in a better position to answer that question. I call on Ìmo indigenes to be vigilant and circumspect.

Anybody who thinks he can use Ìmo as an excuse for attacking the Federal Government should please think twice.

The governor is appreciative of the enormity of job to be down and pleads to be given a fair chance not by “hitting him left right and center with unnecessary blackmail.”

Injustice to one is injustice to all. After every election, it is part of the electoral process to seek redress at the tribunal if you feel your right has been infringed upon or you have been shortchanged instead of resorting to self-help.

The court is not a Father Christmas, as the say. It is what you asked the court it will grant or deny you. And in the case of Hope and APC, the case was very straight forward, “include the votes that was not included in about 383 polling booths, add it to the overall votes cast, whoever that has more votes declare him the winner!

The tribunals and the Appeal Court ignored this cogent alarm because the defense team in their own strategy thought it could be swept under the carpet, alas the justices of the Supreme Court in their supreme wisdom said, ‘no’ that the claim was germane and that was the blow that broke the camel’s back in my view as a non-lawyer. Do you blame the appellant who only harvested the legal fruit of his dexterity?

The law deals squarely on provable and incontrovertible facts. Sentiments can’t give you victory on such contentious matters as this.

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

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POLITICS DISSENTING VOICE...IN HIS OWN WORDS ‘Ihedioha Began a Turning Point Imo State and the Politics of in the Right Direction for Imo’

Legislative Opportunism

Mr. Emeka Nwokeke, better known as, Iroko, director general of the Imo Liberation Movement, one of the groups that championed the election of Hon. Emeka Ikenga Ugochinyere narrates the disloyal and selfish Ihedioha as governor of Imo State tells Nseobong nature of majority of politicians, whose only objective Okon-Ekong that the Peoples Democratic Party is to fill their pockets in Imo is alert and upbeat with the desire that he judgment of the Supreme Court voiding the lawful election of Hon. the Supreme Court will reverse the contentious Emeka Ihedioha (who scored 276,404 judgment for the sake of Imo electorate votes) and awarding questionable

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ould you admit that the wind has been taken out of the sail of the PDP with the defection of legislators elected on its platform to the APC? I do not admit that assertion. Many things are still hanging. Nothing is certain for now.

Anything can still happen. The lawmakers that are purportedly defecting aren’t original PDP members. They were joiners into the party by political exigency when His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha was inaugurated as governor. I am aware that core PDP lawmakers are still in PDP. That’s to say PDP still maintains the majority in the Imo State House of Assembly. Moreover, politics is practice based on freedom of association. It is important to add that Imo State is a core PDP state since 1998 irrespective of the avoidable incidents that made it lose power in the past. Only defection creates a deficit in the integrity quotient of the politician. For now, though, there’s no cause for alarm or worry yet. From what we hear, those defections were not willful.

What is left to common understanding now is that the PDP has to start a rebuilding process, how do you intend to approach that?

The recent development in the state is still hazy and doesn’t give enough provision for considering restrategising yet. It’s just a little over a week. Senator Uzodinma knows that the circumstances that brought him to power has caused a great deal of embarrassment to our democracy, and so there is a moral burden if I may use that phase. Hon. Ihedioha hasn’t settled down.

The legislature hasn’t settled down. I am sure the judiciary is jolted too. That rubs off on the PDP too. It’ll require an assured state and status of things before the party takes stock, determines who is where, and begins to consider how to forge ahead. . Even when in power, the party doesn’t neglect the need to continually rebuild where necessary. Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha led PDP to victory even without the kind of money and federal might at the disposal of the contending forces. It tells you how rebranded, rejuvenated and reformed the party is. The party is alert and upbeat with the desire that the Supreme Court will reverse the contentious judgment for the sake of Imo electorate who have been thrown into mourning and importantly, our nascent democracy.

Is there any logic in the reasoning of PDP legislators who defected to APC, saying they made the move to give peace a chance and to support the governor?

I may not be able to answer for the lawmakers that are said to be defecting. And there’s freedom of movement and freedom of association. However, I should be able to say that defection hasn’t been underscored as a check against breakdown of peace and order.

It even often ends up creating more problems than the claim to give peace a chance. As for the allusion to according the governor support, I have my reservations. It doesn’t require a lawmaker being in the same party as the governor, to give him support. It’s a thing for party ideology, personal ideology, integrity, character and conduct. I feel there’s more to defections by lawmakers than to give peace a chance and give the governor support. That prescribes one party system, which presidential system of democracy doesn’t support. Nobody will be guilty of not giving peace a chance and not giving

Nwokeke the governor support because he advances representation that would be to the greater benefit of his constituency and constituents.

The governor may not like it, but the interest of the people should matter most.

Ihedioha did not commission any project in seven months, he seemed to have spent time instituting committees, now he is out with no concrete project to his name That’s not true. The ‘Rebuild Imo’ administration has been in office for just seven months. There is no informed Nigerian, who did not know that Governor Ihedioha met a state in ruins, such that not one sector was functional. He had to commence the process of laying the foundation afresh for the rebuilding of the state. He started afresh to piece together the fabrics of the state, based on the recommendation of the Dr. Ernest Ebi-led Transition Technical Committee. The gains of the ‘Rebuild Imo Agenda’, championed by Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, within the seven months are everywhere for anybody to see. There could not have been completed projects in a system where there was nothing to build on. His Excellency awarded direct contracts for over 40 capital projects across the state and had commissioned an Ultramodern 28-room Administrative Secretariat Complex in Ahiazu Mbaise on December 27, 2019. That’s one in the 27 Administrative Secretariat projects in the 27 local government councils in the state. Others are at various levels of completion. You don’t forget that 27 mini-stadiums project is also ongoing in the 27 LGAs. Those have reached far stages of completion. The Honourable Minister of Sports paid a working visit to Imo State and after a tour of some of the stadia, said it was unique for sports development in the country.

He adopted it as a national sports policy for each local government in Nigeria to establish a mini-stadium. Contracts were awarded for the reconstruction of 25 roads across the state. But work actually commenced in November because of the rains which stretched deep into the last weeks of 2019.

Dan Anyiam Stadium is being reconstructed to a world class facility that can host any event. It had reached 70% completion stage.

So, timing was an issue. Not so many big projects could be completed by anybody under seven months. Governor Ihedioha believes in high and durable quality. And therefore it takes time just as it takes money.

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

votes to declare Hope Uzodimma of the APC, who scored 96, 458 votes as governor of Imo state is highly irrational, unfounded, a provocative product of executive manipulation and a recipe for crisis, which should not be allowed to stand.

The Supreme Court, as presently constituted under Justice Mohammed Tanko, has become heavily compromised, lost its credibility and is now annexed to execute ignoble agenda of the APC-led Federal Government against the Nigerian people.

With the verdict, the Supreme Court executed a coup against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the people of Imo state, as well as other Nigerians.

The verdict, however, also brought back the age long politics of party defections and legislative opportunism to Imo state, the Nigeria’s capital of political runs men and food is ready politicians.

In Imo today, honour, consistency, value and respect to friendship is now irrelevant, thanks to the new political gangsters that have taken over the stage in the last two decades or so. It’s now the politics of follow him if he has bread in his bag and betray him if his bread has finished.

From 1999 to 2007: The lack of alternative means of survival has turned 80% of Imo politicians into shameless politicians who eat their vomit. They wined and dined with Dr. Achike Udenwa and immediately the succession process started, they broke into aggressive camps ready to sink and destroy the man who fed them for eight years.

Some followed Araraume, slept at his Isiebu mansion but few seconds after Charles Ugwu was announced as the chosen one, they left Araraume and started praising Charles Ugwu who never won the primaries and left Araraume to stand in the cold and they stopped going to Isiebu.

Enter Chief Martin Agbaso: Immediately Martin Agbaso of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) was announced as the chosen one, these same men moved without shame to Agbaso and started chanting “Ochudo, the God sent”... After the election was declared inconclusive and a new one set, they jumped ship without waiting to finish the fight.

Enter Chief Ikedi Ohakim: Immediately Ohakim was announced as the consensus/ compromise candidate under the PPA platform, these same men from PDP, APGA, ACN etc all flocked to the camp of Ohakim and the chant of “Ochinawata” rented the air and they suddenly claimed that Ohakim was the messiah they had been waiting for.

Gang up against Ohakim: Immediately the bread and butter did not spread well, some of them now discovered that Ohakim was not the messiah and the kick-him-out mobilization and propaganda started. They moved from one alliance to another, from ACN to APGA and some back to PDP at last minute to collect money to remedy what they had already destroyed.

Enter RochasOkorocha: Rochas from a distant third rating, he emerged victorious in the midst of these confusions and the same people who preached against Owelle didn’t wait for swearingin to jump ship again and started worshipping Owelle in search of the their usual bread and butter.

The Dishonorable Honorable: The era of Owelle came with the emergence of empty stomach honorables who couldn’t wait for the House to be composed before decamping and abandoning the party on whose platform they were elected. With due respect, this era started with late Benjamin Uwajumogu and his gang of ‘food is ready’ honourables Before Owelle could finish his first term and immediately after the 2015 election whatever that was left of these elements both from PDP, to APGA etc all emptied into Owelle faction of APC and even formed their Agburu camp.

Rochas’ last moments: In furtherance of the

Ugochinyere new Imo political tradition of anything goes, immediately succession time was announced, they broke into dangerous camp ready and willing to kill themselves. The fight got messy with Hope’s last minute entrance into APC and before you could say jack, decampment and counter decampment was all over the air driven by selfish interest clothed under the guise of public interest.

AA to the Rescue: Majority of them moved to AA in a bid to enthrone the anointed son in-law while the rest went to Hope, Ihedioha etc.

Same people who praised Owelle as god, took campaign mic to tell us how evil their master, once their benefactor was, some honourable members who passed budget without seeing the content for Owelle’s sake now saw him as an evil man because their interests had been blocked. By the time election was over they had all destroyed themselves and their name but could not emerge winner.

Enter Ihedioha: With emergence of Ihedioha, these same men who campaigned against Ihedioha could not wait for swearing-in before jumping ship and praising Ihedioha in search of their bread and butter. The Speaker then, Acho Ihim who decamped to become Owelle’s choice for Speaker and decamped to Action Alliance to become Uche Nwosu’s Deputy Governorship could not show any public restraint in dumping his guber candidate who was at the tribunal in decamping to PDP including other honourables and so called politicians of note.

Ihedioha was the beautiful star and they all crawled from their hideout to join him including the newly elected AA and APGA honourables decamping to join his party Enter Uzodinma: With the Supreme Court installation of Sen. Hope Uzodimma as governor, before he could reach Owerri for his swearing-in, these same Imo politicians have started flocking around him and telling stories of how they were the ones who delivered the non-existing 388 units.

Before Uzodimma could reach Owerri in company of the same Okorocha and his anointed in-law that Hope claimed he came to rescue Imo from their hands, the honourable members in following with the new tradition of ‘whereever belle face na front’ have dumped their parties and joined APC from their PDP, AA and APGA platform all in a bid to secure their big stomach and ensure food flows under the usual talk of supporting government to succeed. The usual cross carpeting is just starting with even the prevously unknown PDP state Chairman whose only aspiration was to be Transition Committee Chairman of Okigwe LGA under Ohakim before Ihedioha helped install him as PDP Chairman.

He has now abandoned the party he once led just a couple of weeks after losing at Supreme Court. The likes of Acho Ihim who crossed from PDP to APC to AA to PDP was seen again at the APC rally for Princess Onuoha crossing to APC again.

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

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FEATURES

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

Drones and Lagos’Push for a Smart City With the recent purchase of two unmanned aerial vehicles by the Lagos State government for digital mapping and effective planning, stakeholders believe the state is tilting towards becoming a smart city, Martins Ifijehwrites

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hile Lagos, a home to over 22 million people, is a destination for many Nigerians who crave for the pursuit of happiness because of its cosmopolitan nature and business friendly environment, the increase in population has begun to have a toll on planning, infrastructure, environment and the people.

For instance, housing, lands, transportation, healthcare challenges, air pollution, as well as flooding have continued to threaten the mega-city status the state is known for, hence prompting the state government to push for a change in status from the mega-city it is known for into a smart-city.

To achieve this, the Governor, Babajide SanwoOlu said his administration has put a number of moves in place, including the deployment of technologies, and the use of highly experienced professionals to ensure, Lagos, in no distance time, becomes a smart city, just like New York and London.

As one of its plans to ensure public services are delivered despite the overwhelming population the state is faced with, he recently launched two aerial unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), commonly called drones which would help in digital mapping and accurate planning of the proposed smart city A drone typically refers to a pilotless aircraft that operates through a combination of technologies, including computer vision, artificial intelligence, object avoidance tech, and others.

Sharing his thoughts on the feet in an interview with the media recently, the Commissioner for Science and Technology, Lagos State, Akeem Popoola Fahm, said the purchase of the two Tiguar S-410 UAVs marks the demonstration of seriousness by the state towards attaining a smart city status, as this technology has taken the state an inch into achieving the dream.

Fahm said the UAVs will give Lagos more convenient resource systems to deliver the digital mapping infrastructure that will serve as the backbone for the state’s planning activities, with at least, six UAV operators trained and certified in Poland to fly and maintain the drones.

UAVs, he believed, would offer the unique ability for the state government to capture data within a convenient time frame whenever it is in need of accurate facts to guide planning.

He said: “The UAVs will be most useful in ortho-photo mapping, environmental monitoring, infrastructural control, flood monitoring, search and rescue operations and many more disaster management activities. Once the digital mapping is available, it provides limitless benefits for the state in terms of delivering accurate data that helps purposeful planning, as there is virtually nothing involved in public affairs management that does not require this great planning tool.�

While previous administrations had made concerted efforts to improve the status of the state, it is believed the UAVs offers limitless capacities into achieving the dream city the present administration hopes to get. “It will help in processing land information, identify different structures whether buildings, schools, hospitals and so on available within the state and provide the necessary navigation so that people can go there and plan events around the areas. The information can be used for future planning because we will be able to identify areas available for agriculture, areas available for estate planning, areas available for hospitals and so on. It is going to be a great planning tool,� Fahm said.

The real beneďŹ ts of EGIS project Fahm, who is a seasoned ICT expert with a track record of distinction in the deployment of technological innovations to solve social problems, said some of the common issues in the state were around property acquisitions and complaints about ease of doing business in Lagos, adding that the digital mappings with the aid of the UAVs, and through the Enterprise GIS (eGIS) platform launched by the state in 2015, it will now be able to fully provide a digital mapping platform of the entire state.

Armed with digital mapping data, Fahm said

Cross section of Lagos State oďŹƒcials during the launch of the drones

What Lagos will look like as a smart city?

By the time the dream becomes a reality, Fahm said that Lagos will begin to run a 24-hour economy where companies can operate in a secure environment, thereby creating more jobs and increasing the state’s gross domestic product.

Because ICT serves as its backbone, which provides the template upon which everything revolves, a smart city is one in which public facilities and other infrastructure that enable social services delivery to achieve the best possible operational efficiency – since conception, planning, and implementation of policies are anchored on verifiable data. In other words, it is not just a city that is ICT- driven; it is one that makes useful information and data readily available for everyone, thus improving both the quality of government services and citizens’ welfare.

According to Fahm, Lagos as a smart city will be much more than just technological networks because it will use new technologies for the benefit of its citizens and the city will become more efficient in the process, especially in the deliverables that make life more abundant for residents.

One of the drones

Commissioner for Science and Technology, Hakeem Fahm

The drones

the state would be able to develop programmes such as land management, flood, erosion controls and rainfall patterns in more efficient ways. “But the scope of the ambitious project has since been expanded to cover migration of the present spatial data infrastructure (SDI) to the Cloud platform, implementation of Google geo-technology platform, deployment of the continuously operating reference stations (CORs) across the divisions of the state, acquisition of unmanned aerial vehicles

or smart devices, he said the overall benefit of the project was that it will improve the ease of doing business and boost the confidence of investors locally and internationally. “It will also provide for proper monitoring of government infrastructure, ensure accurate land surveys and related services, optimise revenue collected from land transactions and decrease transaction costs and increase incentives for private sector investment. “It will bring about improved planning for social services to the populace in the area of education, health, infrastructural development and security; just as it will usher in increased public confidence and people will be more disposed to buying properties due to lower transaction costs. It will also enable the state government tackle all land conflicts easily as it will bring about the standardisation of business processes involved in land transactions and make way for an improved and bankable Certificate of Occupancy (C of O),� he added.

for data capture and mapping, building of bespoke applications to cover health, pharmaceuticals, agricultural sector and real-time kinematics for structural and civil engineers, surveyors in private practice, and navigators; deployment of e-survey solutions, implementation of the integrated land administration and automation system using Thomson Reuters Aumentum Solution.�

Because all the data generated is viewable from any part of the world either using desktop, tablet

Lagos smart city dream, not a one-man orchestra Believing that Lagos, which generates about 90 per cent of Nigeria’s trade flows and is rated the fifth largest economy in Africa, can do far better than it is currently doing in view of its humongous potentials, the Lagos State House of Assembly (LAHA) has also fully thrown its weight behind the smart city initiative – seeing it as a great possibility.

During the 2020 budget presentation, the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa, challenged the executive arm of government to come up with bold and innovative ideas that can take Lagosians out of the woods and precipitate tremendous changes and improvement in the standards of living of residents.

While promising that LAHA is fully prepared to lend its support, Obasa suggested other means of mass transportation in the state, especially rail, at the presentation of the 2020 budget by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu recently.

Having a population of over 20 million dependent on-road transportation, which is the most common for movement of people and goods in Lagos, needs to be reviewed if social and economic prosperity is to be realised in a state that records the most visits from across the country averaging 5, 000 daily, with not less than 600 people staying put and taking residence in spite of the state’s disadvantaged position in landmass. He pointedly asked Governor Sanwo-Olu to change the narrative in the area of transportation, which is at the heart of any economic development, but a major headache in Lagos. Also, the lawmakers admonished the executive to take advantage of the state’s aquatic endowment by embracing water transportation, saying a functional and modern transportation system is one of the major indices of a smart city.

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#THISISNIGERIA - Rotimi Fawole

The Second Quadrannium of Gambrach: Armoured Tekuns & Angry Yetis

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n the ninth month of the second quadrannium of Gambrach, the spirit of rubberstampia descended with great heaviness upon the wardens of senatii and junior senatii – Sers Nar Wal and Jar-Jar Beer Miller – and in unison they proclaimed, “We are nothing but inkpads in the hands of rubberstampia.

Our constituents did not send us into Boo Jar to contend with Gambrach. No! We were sent to keep him unchecked and balanced.

Anybody who doesn’t like it, that’s their gaddem business!�

And Gambrach beheld them and was well pleased with them.

It was in that day as well that the High Magistracy, now under the headship of Branko (who had been installed by Gambrach when Nono Gengen was ignominiously removed), ruled on the various Disuputio Gubernatoses that followed Electoralis across the land.

In the Kingdom of Imossopotamia, previously ruled by Roe Chazz the Statuesque, King Heady Hoha had been delcared winner of electoralis by the Necomongers but Disputio Gubernatosis followed with his contenders (including Inlaw Luther Roach – son in law to Roe Chazz) dissatisfied with the outcome. Of all the contenders, Ser Whose Ordimm had recorded the lowest number of votes. At the High Magistracy, Whose Ordimm protested the cancellation

of polls from several hamlets in Imosspotamia, alleging that this was the reason he ‘carried last’ (in Jirrian parlance). The High Magistracy panel of 7 agreed and thus was Whose Ordimm declared King in Heady Hoha’s stead.

The High Magistracy, on the other hand, upheld the victories of King Macashma Gandi the Great Sold, in Car-Knoe, and King Tambouriner of Ko Tow. Yea, there was unchill in the land – but not because of the news from the High Magistracy (this was a time of in Excelsis after all) but because new news reached the people that Gambrach’s daughter, Hernnana Oohnana, had flown on the Royal winged chariot to Bah Ouchie (na na na) to indulge in some private inner bahyour. You see, unlike what some in her family had not quite managed to do, Hernnana Oohnana had obtained a High Papyrus Certificato in Moboriousity and the King of Bah Ouchie had staged a cantata (na na na) for her to flex her newly minted skills. “The winged chariot is not Gambrach’s personal property. Yes, we know it ferries him on private appointments to the Jandinian meisters – but at least he is King. Wither cometh the audacity of Hernnana Oohnana?�

Wherefore, Lady Yeeshah, Hernnana’s mother came unto the people, singing the words of the ancient bard Slarr Tann, “Pepper. Dem. Ooooo!!!!�

Meanwhile, in North Easteros, the Haramites of Boko had recovered from their technical incapacitation and were resuming their plague of pillage, kidnappery and murder. In South Westeros, farmlands continued to suffer attacks from swarms of locusty cattle, herded without regard for civilisation by herders, under the auspices of the Yetis of Gawd. The people wailed and gnashed their teeth in anguish until, one day, the South Westerosi kings decided that it was time to act.

Thus did they go into conclave to ponder the matter and when they arose, in billowing white smoke, with their arms folded in a letter X across their chests, they proclaimed unto the people – “Behold, we have heard thy cries. The lord of the harvest that has been destroyed has also heard thy cries. Ye shall cry no more – for we have consalted theh spirits of the ancestahs and they hevv told us, to invoke theh spirit of the Tekun. But yea, as these are modern times, it is no mere Tekun that shall protect thee and thy farms.

Nay! It is an army of Armoured Tekuns!!!� “AT LAST!!!� the people cried in glee. “Yes, we have summoned men from all the corners of South Westeros. And when they drink this potion, theh pawehs of the Tekun shall be upon them and thy sorrows shall be stripped ehwhey!!! WAKANDA FOREVER!!!!�

Bar-Kar, Gambrach’s chief lawman saw it and declared unto them that it was solely within the preserve of the King (that is, King Gambrach) and his Nassholes to constitute an enforcement unit akin to police.

But the people answered, “We did not hear you declare it illegal for roaming herders to destroy our farmlands. Neither did we hear you proclaim Macashma Gandi’s Hizballah constables illegal. Is it because Macashma of the dollared robes is the chief magician of electoralis?�

Lo, the Yetis of Gawd themselves heard it and said unto the South Westerosi – “Ye are the most un soapysticated Marlians of the Jirrian peoples, with this Armoured Tekun machinations. Be ye not deceived.� “Our leader Shiwajun will unleash wahala morghulis upon thee for this insolence!� the people declared, and looked towards the palace of Body Lawn. But there was only silence.

And then news came from Trumpstantinople that Jirrians would soon no longer be welcome into the Kingdom, for reasons as yet unclear. It was this that finally broke the dams of unchill for, as it is said, nobody cometh between a Jirrian and his/her dream to love Jirria from Trumpstantinople!�

Lo, yea and behold – there was no gaddem chill in all the land!

-Rotimi Fawole is a lawyer and satirist.

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THURSDAY JANUARY 30, 2020 •T H I S D AY

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BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S

A S

MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

A T

J A N U A R Y

REPO 3.67 % 4.33 %

CALL 1-MONTH

S & P INDEX INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY

3.50 % 8%

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

2 4 , 2 0 2 0 S&P

493.67 % 0.60 %

1/4 TO DATE YEAR TO DATE

EXCHANGE RATE 2.60 % 2.60 %

N306.95/1US DOLLAR* *AS AT LAST FRIDAY

Quick Takes Tech Leaders to Attend NerdsUnite 2020

Over 500 ITprofessionals from enterprise organisations acrossWest Africa will convene in Lagos on February 21, 2020, for MainOne’s fifth annual gathering of its flagship event, Nerds Unite, themed: “Enabling theDigitalEconomy.�

Thisyear’seventwillshowcasethelaunchofitsManagedCloudServicesin partnershipwithMicrosoftandHewlettPackardEnterpriseOperatedby Selectium.Theeventwouldfeaturepresentationsandpaneldiscussions on Cloud adoption, Cloud migration and all things Cloud with MainOne anditsglobalpartners.

Featuringover10speakersfromglobaltechcompaniesandWestAfrican corporateorganisations,#NerdsUnite2020isdesignedtofacilitatediscussions on trending developments in the IT sector to help professionals deliverincreasedvaluetotheirorganisations.

Theevent’skeynoteaddresseswouldbedeliveredbyCEOHewlettPackard EnterprisesOperatedbySelectium,ErnestSales,andMicrosoftBusiness GroupDirector,WaleOlokodana.

Speaking on expectations for this year’s event, Head of Marketing MainOne, Tayo Ashiru, said: “For the past four years, Nerds Unite has delivered powerful technology insights and networking opportunities fororganizationsandtechenthusiastsalike.Thisyearweexpectthatwith ourpanelofdynamicspeakers,partnersandlaunchofourManagedCloud Services,theenergyaroundNerdsUnite2020willbeelectrifying.These developmentswillhelpacceleratethedigitaltransformationacrossall sectorsandtheICTecosysteminWestAfrica,supportedbytechnological innovationandworldclasspartners.�

ECONOMIC REVIEW AND OUTLOOK

L-R: Head, Afrinvest Research, Abiodun Keripe; Deputy Managing Director, Afrinvest West Africa Ltd, Victor Ndukauba; Group Managing Director, Ike Chioke; Managing Director, Afrinvest Securities Limited,, Ayodeji Ebo, and Managing Director, Afrinvest Asset Management Ltd, Ola Belgore, at the launch of the Afrinvest Nigerian economy and ďŹ nancial markets 2020 outlook, in Lagos...recently PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT

Lagos to Discount RoW Charges for Telcos Stories by Emma Okonji Following the intervention by the federal government to assuage state governors and state agencies of government, over the hike on Right of Ways (RoW) charges for telecoms operations in their various states, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has pledged to discount RoW charges.

Sanwo-Olu, this week, in Lagos, said he would discount RoW charges in the state from between N1 to N145 per linear metre. The governor who spoke at a forum organised

by Airtel in Lagos, said: “I will give Airtel and other telecoms operators a huge discount on the RoW charges in the state in order to do more in touching the lives of Nigerians.

TELECOM “Telecoms operators should see Lagos State government as partner that they can believe and trust, with regards to telecoms development in the state.�

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, had on January 21, met with the Nigeria Governor’s Forum (NGF) in Abuja, led by its chairman, the Executive Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, to discuss possible ways of reducing the charges on RoW across all states of the country, in order to allow telecoms expansion in the states as well as unhindered penetration of broadband connectivity across the states.

The meeting, which was

convened at the instance of the Minister, came on the heels of the recent hike in the charges of RoW by 14 states, including Lagos State, from between N3,000 to N6,000 per liner metre, whereas telecoms operators need thousands of kilometres right of Way to lay their fibre optic broadband cables for internet broadband connectivity.

Disturbed by the hike, which was likely to stall telecoms network expansion in the states, telecoms operators, through their umbrella body, the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), had written to the minister and had highlighted the consequences of the hike, which they said would impede telecoms growth and expansion across sates.

At the meeting with the

minister, the state governors unanimously agreed to reverse the RoW charges from the planned N6,000 per linear metre, to N145 per linear metre.

Pantami used the occasion of the meeting to highlight the importance of broadband penetration to the nation and 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.

Pantami, who also spoke at the Airtel Touching Lives Season 5 event, said: “I know the challenges facing telecoms operators in the country, one of which is the RoW charges by states and I have been talking Continued on page 24

NBC Engages Lawmakers on Bill Passage The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has engaged members of the House Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values, to facilitate the passage of the NBC Amendment Bill 2018.

The meeting was held in Ibadan and initiated by the NBC to brief members of the Committee on the mandate of the Commission as well as conception, implementation, benefits and challenges of the Digital Switchover (DSO) in Nigeria, including other past and present endeavours of the Commission, with a view to put all hands-on deck for the progress of the broadcasting Industry in Nigeria.

Members of the Board of

TELECOM NBC, also used the opportunity to reel out the challenges of the Commission, which included lack of sufficient funds to implement approved projects of the Commission.

The Chairman, Board of the Commission, Alhaji Ikra Bilbis, in his remarks, sought the support of the Committee in the release of funds for projects lined up by the Commission.

He reminded members of the Committee that the NBC Amendment Bill 2018, was still with the National Assembly, and pleaded with the Committee to help facilitate the passage of the bill for the progress of the Commission.

In his opening address, the

Chairman of the Committee, Odebunmi Dokun, pointed out that as a Committee with oversight function on the NBC, “It is imperative for the Commission to take advantage of the current harmonious relationship between the executive and the legislature to ensure that they are adequately carried along on the broader scope of the functions and activities of the Commission.�

He noted that the only major difference between democracy and any other systems of government was the institutionalisation of the legislature as an arm of government.

He stressed that the adoption of constitutional democracy

entails more emphasis on an intertwined relationship between the lawmakers and other arms of government, most especially with the provisions of Sections 88 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which provides that there must be a harmonious working relationship among arms of government in the quest to deliver exemplary democratic dividends for Nigerians.

The Director General of the Commission, Is’haq Modibbo Kawu, noted that there were many reasons why the Commission needed to engage with the Committee. “You have oversight Continued on page 24

Group Wins InterswitchSPAK 2.0

Team Earth, a group of nine teenage students, have emerged winners oftheInterswitchSPAK2.0InnovationChallenge.Thegroupofninecollaboratedto‘IdentifyaproblemintheagriculturalvaluechaininNigeria leveragingtechnology’.

Grouped into nine teams, the InterswitchSPAK finalists were tasked withdevelopingsolutionstothreesalientsocio-economicissues.These issues were in the areas of Agriculture, Electoral process and Financial inclusion.Thestudentsprofferedbrilliantsolutionstotheirgiventasks by leveraging technology. Each team was led by Interswitch staff who volunteeredasmentors.

Winnersofthechallenge,TeamEarth,madeupofnineSS2students,were mentored by Paul OtuandTolulope Adesokan and Opeyemi Adekugbe whoaremembersofstaffatInterswitch. Theteam’sAgriculturalsolution, FarmEazy,isaplatformexpectedtohelpthefarmersconnecttopotential buyers.Itbringspeoplewhowanttobuyfarmproduceincontactwiththe farmersonasingleplatform.

FarmEazywasproposedtobemadeavailableasamobileappforIOSand Androiddevices,USSDandSMSfornon-internetenabledphones.The FarmEazyhasthreesections:Farmers,buyersandinvestors.

Togetontheplatformfarmerssimplyneedtocreateabankaccountfor theireWallet.Registeredfarmerswillbegrantedaccesstoallfeatures availableontheplatform,includingnewsfeedsandupdates.

BuyerswhosignupontheplatformcanselectandpayusingtheQuickteller paypointeWalletorUSSD.

Canon Secures New Partnerships

CanonCentralandNorthAfrica(CCNA),aworldleaderinimagingsolutions, hasannouncedtwonewpartnershipsthatunderlinetheircommitment totheArabRepublicofEgypt.Thefirst,withDelta,establishesanewlocal presence in the North African nation.While the second, withTenaui, extendsthesuccessfulrelationshipthecompaniesformedinNigeria.The win-win-wincollaborationgivesCanonagreaterpresenceinanimportant market,deepensCanonsupportforthenewpartners,andprovidesthe proud Canon community in Egypt with greater access and assistance.

WithastrongfootholdinEgypt,DeltaandTenauiaretheidealpartnerfor Canontocontinuetoprovideeasyaccesstoitswiderangeofinnovative productsandprintingsolutions.

Tenauiisamarketleaderinimagingsolutionsthroughagroupofcompanies coveringMiddleEasternandAfricanmarkets.Theyofferover26years ofexperienceintheEgyptianmarketalone,givingTenauiaprofessional established status in the North African market epitomized by a strong reputationforreliabilityfortheEgyptianconsumeraswellaswithpartners andresellers.TheirgoalistoconvertthebusinessofphotographyinEgypt todigitalprintingthroughthisnewpartnershipwithCanon.

“Federal Government is committed to providing conducive and enabling environment for all mobile telecommunications operators that are operating in the country, to enable them do their business without hindrance in any part of the country�

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy,

Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami

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BUSINESSWORLD LAGOS TO DISCOUNT ROW CHARGES FOR TELCOS with state governors on how to resolve some challenges. “The federal government has been working hard to improve the security of telecoms facilities across the country, and has directed security agents to protect critical national infrastructure of telecoms companies across the country. “On the 21st of January 2020, I had the privilege of addressing the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), through their Chairman, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, where we had discussion on RoW challenges for telecoms operators.�

According to Pantami, the Chairman Governor’s Forum told me “I assure you that henceforth, the issue of RoW has been resolved and you do not need to come and discuss issues associated with the challenges of RoW anymore.�

He further said some governors who were present at the meeting, told him they were willing to give waiver to any telecoms operator that is willing to come to the state to lay fibre optic cable for broadband connectivity.

Before the close of the meeting, two governors indicated their interest to give waiver on RoW in their states. They promised not to go beyond the N145 per linear metre charge that was agreed during the National Economic Council Meeting in 2013, Pantami said.

NBC ENGAGES LAWMAKERS ON BILL PASSAGE responsibility over what we do. But how can you effectively do that, if you do not have a sufficient understanding of the complications that underline our work,� Kawu asked.

He noted that the interest for broadcasting in Nigeria was growing every day, and the duty of the Commission included processing the applications for these, monitoring and regulating same, as well as generally ensuring that “broadcasting shall influence society positively, setting the agenda for social, cultural, economic, political and technological development of the nation, for the public good.�

NEWS

Expert Foresees Growth for Public Relations Industry Raheem Akingbolu Renowned economist and member of the Presidential Economy Advisory Council (EAC), Mr. Bismarck Rewane has predicted large scale growth for the public relations and integrated marketing communications industry in Nigeria in 2020.

Rewane made this forecast recently during his presentation at the Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN) Breakfast Meeting held to discuss the Nigerian Economic Outlook in 2020 and its implications for the Marketing Communications Sector.

He explained that the three key sectors expected to play significant roles in the growth process for the industry include the telecommunications, retail and Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) business sectors.

According to him, with the federal government’s introduction of interventionist’s policies and subsidies, it was certain that more businesses would be poised to spring up which would consequently necessitate increased spending on advertising and marketing communications generally.

Rewane, who identified three key areas such as agriculture, manufacturing and telecommunications sector as major drivers of the Nigerian economy in

2020 stated that notwithstanding the likelihood of a slow GDP growth rate at 2.2 per cent, the impact of government intervention policies, businesses was likely to increase spending on PR, advertising and branding this year.

Listing some of the gamechanging events that would

shape growth for PR industry and the Nigerian Business economy in general in 2020, he noted that projects and initiatives of the government including construction projects like the Lekki Deep Sea Port, Lagos-Ibadan Railway as well as the newly introduced Finance Act, Border Closure Policies,

the cost-reflective electricity tariff policies, and the cashless policy and PSB licensing of the Central Bank of Nigeria, are all bound to expand the economy and attract more FDI thereby increasing productivity for the industry and the country as a whole.

X-raying the Nigerian

economy vis-a-vis its standing 15 years ago, Rewane surmised that it was unfortunate that Nigeria as a country was still lagging behind on various economic fronts and indices despite the fact that there are enough resources to achieve the numerous ‘2020’ goals set many years ago.

2020 ECONOMIC OUTLOOK

L-R: Chief Operating OďŹƒcer, Deloitte, Anthony Olukoju; West Africa Tax Leader, Yomi Olugbenro; CEO, Fatai Folarin; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed; Governor, Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; West Africa Strategy, Customer & Marketing Leader, Deloitte, Linda Quaynor, and Deputy Chairman, Femi Abegunde, during the Nigeria Economic Outlook 2020, held in Lagos‌recently

Digital Economy to Catalyse Nigeria’s Growth, Says Expert Stories by Emma Okonji An information technology (IT) expert, Dr. Evans Woherem, has said the move by the federal government to embrace digital economy strategies will serve as a catalyst for achieving economic transformation that will help in stimulating economic growth in the country.

Woherem, commended the federal government for upgrading the Ministry of Communication to a digital status, saying he was particularly delighted by the upgrade because he had for long advocated the need for the country to constitute a committee that would come up with a new policy and strategy aimed at creating a roadmap on how to turn the country into a digital economy.

Citing developments in South Africa and the United Arab

Emirates (UAE), with UAE having a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, Woherem said it showed that such countries were really preparing for the fourth Industrial revolution and for the new century.

Woherem, a former Executive Director at First Bank Plc and Unity Bank of Nigeria noted that he had always pointed out the need for Nigeria to do the right kind of thing as a nation.

According to him, “Going by the creativity of Nigerians, by her population, and by what the youths are doing today, we need to do something that is audacious. We are just simply destined to do something great in leading Africa. “Unfortunately, our leaders do not think long term; they rather think short term that has to do with themselves

than pan-Nigeria. “Simply, information technology is the major catalyst for development. Recent statistics showed that ICT alone contributes 13.8 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). That to me, portends a lot of good for the country. It means that in the next 10 to 20 years, ICT contribution will reach about 30 per cent or more.�

Woherem advised that information technology should be taken seriously because it would positively affect all the sectors of the economy, all the activities of government and even her citizens, adding that currently Nigeria and indeed Africa are still at the lower end of the spectrum of information technology. “We are just at the foundation stages. It does not however

mean that it is like that in all the sectors of the economy. For instance, the banking sector might be at the beginning of the operational level, same as the Agricultural sector. Our various sectors of the economy are at various stages of development whereas all of them are supposed to be at the operational level going to strategic levels of use of information technology,�

Woherem said.

Woherem who doubles as the Digital Africa Global Consult Group boss, warned that as a country, Nigeria should not just be technology users but should participate in developing technology applications that are going to drive the 21st and 22nd centuries.

According to him, “Digital economy is therefore a good thing for us as a country because it can definitely help

us to not only have ICT but to also add more to our GDP. It is also going to develop and advance each of the industries and sectors of our economy as a nation by creating lots of employment opportunities for our youths.�

He, however, advised government to come up with a set of policies and strategies through which things can evolve to enable Nigeria attain digital transformation. “To actualise the digital economy of our dream as a nation, government should build tech hubs, parks and experience centres through which people can acquire emerging technology skills. “Government should also encourage the private sector to be involved in the digital transformation agenda of the country,� Woherem said.

FG Highlights Benefits of Google Developers’ Space Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Senior Correspondent

Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents

Chinedu Eze (Aviation) Eromosele Abiodun (Maritime) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafo (Energy) Reporters

Nume Ekeghe (Money Market) Nosa Alekhuogie (ICT)

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, has said the launch of Google Developers Space in Lagos, Nigeria, will enhance digital transformation among Nigerian youths.

The minister who made the assertion at the launch of Google Developers Space in Lagos, recently, was represented by the Managing Director of Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), Ms. Abimbola Alale. According to Pantami, “The launch of Google Developers Space in Lagos is a

welcome development, because it will serve as a platform to empower Nigerians to acquire digital skills and carry out digital research on new trends, in line with the aspirations and goals of the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.� Alale, in an interview with journalists, said it had been the dream of the minister to see Nigerian youths rank equal among their peers in developed countries of the world, and to ensure that Nigerian youths are digitally empowered, adding that the minister has shown full support

for startup hubs and youths development in the country.

On her part, the Country Director, Google Nigeria, Juliet Ehimuan said: “Google is very excited to launch the Google Developers Space in Nigeria, because it aligns with the drive of the federal government to digitally transform Nigerians.

Developed countries around the world have develop hubs that drive technology innovation in their countries, and the Silicon Valley is a good example. “We have seen a lot of tech startups that emerged from

those hubs, having been exposed to technology tools and infrastructure, as well as access to research, mentorship and investors. “That has helped to foster vibrancy and growth of tech startups across globe and that is what we want to achieve with Google Developers Space that is open to all free of charge, especially for those who desire to acquire more technology skills.�

Speaking at a panel session during the launch, the Launchpad Accelerator Africa Head of

Operations, Onajite Emerhor, said: “Google is strengthening its commitment to supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Africa by opening the Google Developers Space. We have partnered with Impact Hub to bring the Space to life and worked with a local company called Spacefinish, which designed it specifically to create an environment that fosters collaboration and innovation. We’re looking forward to working with startups and other players in the ecosystem from across the continent at the Space.�

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ANALYSIS

Touching Lives of Downtrodden The Airtel Touching Lives Seasons, which is in its fifth year, has raised hopes of the less privileged in the society, and motivated well-meaning Nigerians and corporate organisations to see the need for corporate social responsibility, writes Emma Okonji

Osinbajo

F

or five consecutive years, Airtel Nigeria has maintained its philosophy of giving and catering for the downtrodden in the society in order to give them hope and a sense of happy living. At the grand ceremony of the season five premiere of ‘Airtel Touching Lives’, which held in Lagos, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, commended Airtel for its unswerving efforts in bringing millions of underprivileged Nigerians out of despair and being a beacon of hope through its Touching Lives initiative. He said: “I really want to laud the effort of the Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya and his team for touching so many lives and for doing so in the past five years without fanfare. Listening to the stories of the lives that have been touched, must be a reminder of so many others in despair who need our help and comfort.�

Osinbajo went on to expound the federal government’s continuous efforts in providing support for more Nigerians in dire need of help by creating social safety nets to the vulnerable, including improved access to healthcare, welfare, housing, among others. He noted that part of the safety net schemes is the feeding of over nine million pupils across 34 states.

He, however, stated that the efforts still have a long a way to go in providing succour to people in hard-to-reach communities.

Airtel Touching Lives is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative carried out by Airtel Nigeria, which was initiated by its current CEO, Ogunsanya, few years after he was appointed as CEO of Airtel Nigeria. The initiative, which was borne out of the philosophy of Ogunsanya, is designed to identify with the less privileged in the society and cater to their immediate needs.

Since its inception, it has touched lives of millions of Nigerians and communities who have benefitted directly and indirectly from the support from Airtel Nigeria.

The Season 5 In his keynote address at the season five premiere of ‘Airtel Touching Lives’, Osinbajo said: “What differentiates humans from others is the capacity to pull others out of their predicaments and offering services of hope to the downtrodden. I am proud of Airtel for touching so many lives and for doing so much in the past five years of Airtel Touching Lives Seasons. “It is clear to us all that many people need our help and kindness towards them and we must show the love and give them a sense of belonging. The poor and the vulnerable people always need our support.�

According to him, in 2014, Mr. Wale Edun, Prof. Pat Utomi and himself met at the home of Utomi to write the manifesto of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and they all agreed that the fundamental pillar of the political party plans must be to create social safety measures for people of this country,

Ogunsanya

because the government own a duty to the poor and weak in the society. “Today government through its social investment programme, is feeding about 9.5 million children in 34 states of the federation across all public schools. We are taking care of about a million households in Nigeria as part of our cash transfer scheme and N2.2 million loan has been disbursed to petty traders whose inventories are no more than N5,000. “We have also engaged about 500,000 young men and women who have been unemployed under our M-Power programme. But at these, we are still very far from touching the majority of those Nigerians who need help. To adequately address the needs of the poor, we need far more resources to invest in our initiatives to address the challenges of the poor,� Osinbajo said. “It is for this reason that I commend Airtel for touching lives of the poor in the past five years and their role as a telecoms brand is so vital in bridging a huge gap between what government can do and what is left to be done,� Osinbajo added.

Vice President of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who was represented at the Airtel Touching Lives Season 5 edition by one of his Ministers, said: “Airtel’s philosophy that is built on supporting the weak and vulnerable, should be commended. I align and endorse the philosophy because it promotes inclusion, collaboration, self-sacrifice, progress, development and oneness in the society. I equally commend the federal government of Nigeria for her improvement on the World Bank rating index on the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in Nigeria, which moved 15 places upward and has been tagged as one of the most improved economies in the world.

Nigeria’s 15 place rise on the World Bank 2020 Doing Business Index, is a welcome development for Nigeria. Nigeria is now ranked 131 from the initial 146 last year, which has seen Nigeria rose 39 places upward since 2016, when the Enabling Business Environment Council was established in Nigeria.�

As the Head of Ghanaian Economic Management Team, my key objective is to ensure that I deliver real value to the people. Our vision as a country, align with the philosophy of Airtel to lift more people out of poverty, create more jobs and I am happy that we have achieve milestones in these areas,� Bawumia further said.

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in his address, said he was moved by the thousands of lives that Airtel Nigeria has touched since the inception of Airtel Touching Lives Seasons, five years ago. He promised to touch more lives during the 1,468 days of his administration in the first tenure of four years, out of which he has spent 242 days as at weekend.

According to Lagos State Governor, “We see Airtel as not just a reputable telecoms company, but also a company that is Partner in Progress with the Lagos State Government.

We see Airtel as a true company that will we truly really need to partner with, because they have the aspirations of touching lives, just like

the Lagos State Government. “We want to thank Airtel and other corporate organisations that are touching lives in various ways. Airtel donated 200 lines to our security trust fund, for all our operatives in the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) without pressurising them to do so. That gesture for me, is critical and important because the lines, which will be used for communication, are important tools for our security outfit. “Many corporate organisations have taken the way of Airtel in touching lives and we as government, are very appreciative of that.

Government cannot do all by touching the lives of all Nigerians, hence we need many more corporate organisations to join Airtel in touching the lives of more people. “The Lagos State government recently passed a huge budget in the history of Nigeria. We passed a budget of N1.1 trillion, but that figure is barely less than $3 billion, which is expected to cater for the state’s population of over 22 million people. Certainly that amount will not be able to take good care of the population of Lagos in the area of healthcare, road infrastructure, education, among others. So we see Airtel’s moves in touching lives of people as commendable because as government, we cannot touch the lives of all citizens, given the strength of our budget,� he said.

Sanwo-Olu, however, said the Lagos State government was not giving reason why it cannot serve the public better, but that government just wanted to identify with Airtel and to commend its management for the good work they are doing in touching people’s lives in a most positive way. “We see Airtel as a true partner in alleviating the sufferings of the people. We have set up relief camp for those that were ravaged by fire in the state recently and we have made provisions for buses to take their children to their schools and return them to the camp after school hours,� Sanwo-Olu said.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, also said: “I am happy to have attended this event and I described it as highly motivational. Airtel has demonstrated a true sense of CSR, which in many nations, does not come under strict regulation, but voluntary practice by those who practice it. “In the United States, CSR has always been a soft law and not a hard law that is enforced by government, although many nations are in discussions to make CSR enforceable by law. In Nigeria, CSR is still voluntary and observed by those who are moved to do so. So on that note, government commends Airtel for touching lives of Nigerians that are downtrodden.�

According to the minister, one of the beauties of having wealth, is to spend part of it in touching the lives of the less privileged in the society. No one becomes poor by giving charity to others, so it is good to touch the lives of the less privilege in the society, just

like what Airtel is doing. “For corporate organisations like Airtel, the CSR of giving will lead to brand recognition, it will boost brand reputation, and improves customer loyalty. I am highly motivated by what Airtel is doing in touching lives of people and I commend the telecoms company for that,�

Pantami said.

Airtel’s vision Speaking about the vision of Airtel Premiere of Touching Lives, the CEO of Airtel Nigeria said: “When I was appointed CEO of Airtel Nigeria seven years ago, I made it known to all that I would do everything within my power to deliver value to all stakeholders and shareholders alike, including employees, government, customers and the communities that we serve. I strongly believe that poverty and helplessness should never be permanent features of any community. The strong must support the weak and the rich must support the poor, to make life worth living. What makes a rich man or rich woman is not about how much money they have in their bank accounts, but how much help they render to the poor in the society.�

According to him, “When it comes to kindness, the size of the wallet doesn’t matter, and when it comes to giving, the size of the help is the only thing that matters. People like Mr. Femi Otedola who recently gave N5 billion to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, must be commended for the powerful kindness. Some days ago, I was in a conversation with a driver in our office and he told me that his happiest moment was when he used his December bonus to take care of the hospital bills of his nephew.

It was a meagre bonus for him, based on his status as a driver, but he was able to sacrifice the bonus to giving, which goes to say that the size of the wallet does not matter in giving, but the kind gesture to give.�

The CSR initiative has touched millions of lives in the past five years, but in narrating the ordeals of key beneficiaries, Ogunsanya said the Aina family lost everything they had including their children to a fire incidence that ravaged their home some years ago. Airtel built a new house for the family to begin a new life, and furnished the house with household facilities.

Recently the family was blessed with a set of twins. In another year, a man called David suffered in the hands of rebels in Sierra Leone who tortured him to the extent of cutting off his two wrists. We provided artificial wrists for him and set up an ICT Centre for him to earn a living.

A seven years old girl was diagnosed of tumor on her legs and the leg was amputated and as we were making arrangements to buy her artificial leg, the other leg was also affected by the tumor and we decided to take full responsibility of her treatment, but she later died.

Another eight years old girl had a hole in the heart and we took her to India, paid for her surgery and she survived and back in school.

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FG Inaugurates Committee on e-Government Training Centre, NIGCOMSAT Board The federal government, through the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami has inaugurated a governing committee for the e-Government training centre to facilitate training of civil servants in digital skills in the country.

The committee which comprises members from relevant government agencies from Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Galaxy Backbone, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and Public Service Institute of Nigeria |(PSIN) was inaugurated in Abuja recently.

The minister said in compliance with the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari to the ministry to ensure digitalisation process of government activities, the training centre would provide civil servants basic, intermediate and advance training skills based on the role they play in their various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs,) According to him, “In order to ensure that at least we implement the directives given to us.

Firstly, we commissioned the centre, which has been handed over to us since November 2019

by KOICA, however, before formal handover we started using the centre to train civil servants.�

Pantami explained that government intended to establish training centres in the geo-political zones in the country to make it easier for civil servants to be trained in their zones.

Part of the terms of reference for the committee, is to establish the legal and regulatory framework requirement, review and monitor the operational procedure, and to provide a

strategy to ensure the sustainability of the centre and oversea its implementation.

Others are to monitor and ensure the facility and technology management of the centre meets global standards and to develop and implement strategy towards attracting funding, collaborations and expanding the centre.

The committee is jointly chaired by the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, and the Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone Limited, Professor Mohammed Abubakar.

In a related event, the minister inaugurated the Chairman and members of the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) Board and urged them to ensure that the recently approved satellite infrastructure company and the satellite broadband and broadcasting company, take off immediately.

According to him, “These two companies are very apt and they came at the right time.

You have to hit the ground running immediately because we are trying to ensure that NIGCOMSAT is not only competitive in Nigeria but at least in Africa and Asia�.

In his response, the Chairman of Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), Yusuf Kazaure, thanked the minister for the expression of support and marching order along the line of the new vision for NIGCOMSAT. “We will make effort to be part of the drive to achieve digital economy and look forward to create necessary partnership with the agencies within the ministry, other agencies outside the ministry as well as other ICT ecosystem,� Kazaure said.

Europe’s Luxury Brands Want Tougher Rules for Tech Rivals Europe’s luxury brands want EU regulators to take a tougher line against online retailing giants like Amazon and Alibaba on issues like data protection and counterfeiting, the head of a leading industry group said.

The call by Andreas Kaufmann, president of the European Cultural and Creative Industries Alliance (ECCIA) and chairman of Germany’s Leica Camera AG, comes as the European Commission overhauls its regulatory and policy approach to tech companies. “The internet at the beginning was free for anyone. It’s not now, it’s driven by market power, it has to be regulated,�

Kaufmann told Reuters in an interview.

Europe’s luxury brands contribute about 800 billion euros ($887.5 billion) in revenue annually to the economy, accounting for four per cent of its gross domestic product, and employ over two million people.

They have long complained about tech companies free-

riding on their investments and tarnishing their image.

The ECCIA, which represents over 600 brands and cultural bodies, wants regulators to strengthen measures against big tech companies on issues like intellectual property rights and data protection. “The existing framework doesn’t reflect what is best for our brands. Amazon for example gets information which we are not allowed to give to our distributors.

Amazon collects and decides,�

Kaufmann said.

The alliance, which is made up of groups in the cultural and creative industries in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, is hoping the Commission will take its views into account as it drafts rules known as the digital services act (DSA). “A well-functioning single market for digital services helps provide new opportunities for many traditional companies (in particular small or new companies)�, a Commission document seen by Reuters said.

E-BUSINESS

Minister Urges MTN, Others to Improve Service Quality Stories by Emma Okonji The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, has urged MTN and all other telecommunications companies operating in Nigeria to improve the quality of their services in order to satisfy their customers across board.

Pantami gave the charge to the MTN Board, led by the Group Chairman, Mabisi Jonas when they paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja recently.

The minister pointed out that federal government was committed to provid-

ing conducive and enabling environment for all mobile telecommunications operators that are operating in the country, to enable them do their business without any hindrance in any part of the country.

Pantami said: “I am happy that you also appreciate our modest efforts in addressing most of the challenges being faced by mobile telecommunications in Nigeria. I believe every county has its own peculiar challenge. We have achieved a lot in addressing most of the challenges like issues of vandalism, Right

of Ways (RoW) and several others.�

The minister added: “We are working on strengthening the policy to ensure that telecommunications infrastructures are well protected in the country and President Muhammadu Buhari has given directives to security agencies to provide security to critical telecommunications infrastructure in their different locations in the country.�

Pantami expressed gratitude to the board and stated that MTN has the largest market in Nigeria and globally. He, however, expressed concern

at the untapped market and enjoined the telecommunications companies in Nigeria to exploit the huge market opportunities in the country legitimately.

Commending MTN for the $1.6 billion it budgeted to invest in Nigeria for the next three years, the minister said: “I am glad to hear that you have a budget of $1.6 billion you plan to invest in Nigeria in the next three years.

Please, try to get your priorities right. Look at the areas that are underserved and invest and the earlier you realised that, the better for you.�

COURTESY VISIT

L-R: CEO, MTN Nigeria, Mr. Ferdinand Moolman; Chairman, Board of Directors, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe; Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami; MTN Group Chairman, Mr. Mabisi Jonas, and MTN Group President/CEO, Mr. Rob Shuter, during a courtesy visit to the Minister in Abuja...recently

9mobile, Google, Kirusa to Promote RCS Business Messaging 9mobile, in association with Google, and Kirusa, a global leader in communication solutions on data networks for consumers and enterprises, recently hosted a workshop in Lagos for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), aggregators, and brands to introduce Rich Communication Services (RCS), and to showcase how RCS Business Messaging (RBM) is revolutionising enterprise communication with their consumers.

The workshop was attended by over 50 attendees, including representatives from MTN, Airtel, Glo, GTB, Zenith Bank, Unity Bank, Accion Microfi-

nance, Interswitch, and Infobip, among others.

Touted as the next-generation native messaging evolution for Android users, RCS is an update to SMS, offering features for enhanced smartphone messaging on Android such as high-resolution photo and video sharing, location sharing, group chats, read receipts, among others, all of which are not available on SMS. It is changing Personto-Person (P2P) as well as Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging. For individuals, RCS opens up the possibility of rich media interactions with any other mobile subscriber using

the native messaging app on the phone. Enterprises, on the other hand, are opened to an opportunity to engage with their smartphone customers using RBM, RCS’s offering for enterprises which is used for business-to-consumer communication to provide a richer and interactive brand experience, complete with verified senders and brand logos.

At the workshop, 9mobile announced that they had chosen Google’s Jibe platform for offering RCS, and had chosen Kirusa for managing their RBM services in Nigeria, including directories, onboarding, verification, and

APIs to send OTP’s over RCS. Google demonstrated their Jibe platform, including their Dialogflow bot creation tool, while Kirusa demonstrated the RCS directory.

Announcing the initiative, Partnerships Lead, Communication Products, EMEA at Google, Johanna Kollar, said: “We are excited to see Kirusa and 9mobile leading the way by launching the first RCS agents in Nigeria on Google’s RCS MAAP platform.

Bringing modern messaging to everyone on Android is important to us and we look forward to supporting Kirusa and 9mobile further.�

industry. Reuters selected Porsche, BMW and Mercedes because their cars compete in similar price segments and for a like-minded customer base.

Tesla’s rally in recent months has been fueled by its unexpected third-quarter profit, a production ramp-up at its new factory in China and better-than-expected car deliveries. Tesla’s stock was up 1% on Tuesday.

While analysts on average expect Tesla to report another profitable quarter, it would be only the fifth such quarter since 2010. For the December quarter,

analysts on average expect Tesla to post revenue down 2.9 per cent to $7.02 billion and adjusted net income of $305 million, or $1.72 per share.

Options traders expect more volatility after Tesla releases its fourth-quarter results late on Wednesday.

As of Tuesday, Tesla options implied an 11 per cent swing for the shares in either direction

by Friday. Over the last eight quarters, the stock moved 9.5 per cent on average after Tesla reported results, according to options analytics company Trade Alert.

High Expectations for Tesla Tesla’s quarterly report could be another wild ride for investors.

The electric carmaker’s stock has more than doubled since Tesla’s previous quarterly report on October 23, when it posted a surprise profit that was viewed as a milestone for the company.

Still, a Reuters analysis of Tesla’s and other luxury carmakers’ operating profit per vehicle - a metric closely watched by auto executives - shows Tesla still has a long way to go before reaching the steady profits of rivals Porsche, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

At an average of roughly $17,750 per vehicle, operating profit at luxury carmaker Porsche, for example, has been stable over the past four years.

Mercedes’ and BMW’s profit per vehicle have been closer to $3,000.

At Tesla, on the other hand, operating results fluctuated between a loss of nearly $20,500 per vehicle in the third quarter of 2017 and a profit of nearly $5,000 per vehicle in the third quarter of 2018.

Calculating profits per vehicle allows for better comparison across the auto

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BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

Wema Bank, BoA to Enhance Trade Wema Bank Plc is deepening pan-African trade services for its customers through its bilateral partnership agreement with Bank of Africa Group (BOA).

According to a statement, the partnership agreement, which was announced last quarter, MD/CEO of Wema Bank, Mr. Ademola Adebise and CEO of BOA, Mr. Amine Bouabid, was is aimed at enhancing relationship between both banks and delivering sustainable and value-adding support for business growth and profitability across the continent.

Through the partnership, both banks would gain an opportunity to promote bilateral trade services which will include Import and Export services, Bonds and Guarantees, and Structured Finance collaborations. “In keeping with the tenets of the partnership agreement, activities around corresponding banking, trade facilitation and remittances will

kickstart between Wema Bank and BOA Ghana. “This opportunity will also envisage the full implementation of Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), with a focus on the manufacturing, power and agriculture sectors, as well as Nigerian business community in Ghana, Wema Bank customers in Nigeria can now trade and make remittances seamlessly with BOA customers in Ghana,� the statement added.

According to the Head, Global Trade and Correspondent Banking, Wema Plc, Mr Adeola Ajai, “the partnership with BOA will help facilitate business activities across the African continent, offer better and more competitive pricing to support customers and execute transactions faster� to customers looking to take their businesses beyond borders.�

Ajai, also added that the subsequent phase of the partnership would be to sign a sub-agreement

with 16 other BOA affiliated locations across Anglophone and Francophone African countries, 6 of which are in West Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Togo and Senegal), 7 in East Africa and the Indian Ocean region (Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda) as well as in the Democratic Republic of Congo. “Significantly, this opportunity opens a window for African businesses to trade with their Chinese partners through the BOA/BMCE branch office in Shanghai, mainland China. BMCE, Banque Marocaine du Commerce Exterieur of Morocco is the leading shareholder in BOA,� he said.

As stipulated in the partnership agreement, Ajai added that Wema Bank would not only back its clients with businesses that have cross border transactions in Africa, but the bank would play an advisory role for import and export trade services.

Enyo Partners Cars45 on Automobile Sales, Servicing Raheem Akingbolu Enyo Retail and Supply has strengthened its partnership with digital vehicle trading platform, Cars45, to launch an auto centre.

The site, which is located at Ogolonto, Ikorodu was unveiled receently to provide consumers with superior automobile services and improve the auto service industry in Nigeria.

According to the management of the company, this initiative was part of Enyo and Cars45’s commitment to customer satisfaction and providing efficient services in the Nigerian automotive industry.

The unveiling of the auto centre will provide customers with access to world-class automotive services including vehicle maintenance, servicing, inspection, sales, swap and other value-added services which strengthens Enyo and Cars45 long standing partnership.

At the official launch of the centre, guests were excited with an exclusive car auction hosted by Cars45; and enjoyed free car services and diagnostics, courtesy Vehicon.

Commenting on the initiative, Chief Executive Officer, Enyo Retail and Supply, Abayomi Awobokun, described the partnership with Cars45 as an extension of Enyo’s efforts to strategically position itself as a brand that not only provides fuel but also creates value for its customers across board.

According to Awobokun,

“Both organisations involved in this partnership are deeply invested in technology and customer satisfaction and it is only natural that we further our partnership to develop the currently fragmented automobile industry. “It is also in alignment with our brand persona as the most exciting and trusted fuel retail brand in Nigeria. I have no doubts that this partnership will become the role model for delivering world-class automotive services in Nigeria.�

The auto-service centre would feature Vehicon – Enyo’s premium vehicle diagnostics and maintenance service outlet manned by skilled operators trained

by Enyo’s Mechanic and Technician Academy (MechTech) and Bosch, global leaders in auto equipment manufacturing. It will also stock an array of global Castrol lubricants, in addition to providing certified spare parts to deliver the best possible outcomes in any automobile.

Also speaking on the partnership, Chief Executive Officer, Cars45, Etop Ikpe, noted that the relationship was a strategic one aimed at helping the company to achieve its mission to build an ecosystem that enhances, enables and drives trade within the nation’s automotive sector. “This partnership with Enyo stems from our commitment to expand our products and services across the country. On our journey to empower mobility across Nigeria

and Africa, it is our desire that we are there for the consumer every step of the way. “As such, our solutions have brought convenience and transparency to the purchase and sales of vehicles, we are championing vehicle financing to help more Nigerians own cars; inspection services that empower users to know more about the history and condition of their vehicles amongst other services that we provide. “Our partnership with Enyo as well as the launch of the world-class auto maintenance, sales and repair facility is in line with our commitment to be that platform where anything automotive can be achieved�, Ikpe added.

On his part, Corporate Development Lead, Enyo Retail and Supply, Olabanjo Alimi, said, “We recognise that there have been changes in the automotive industry in terms of automobile sophistication and parts, which has created a skills gap. “We introduced Vehicon to cater to the new advanced mobility world – as customers now have access to excellent products and services for their vehicles.

These services will now be available at the autoservice centre�.

The launch of the auto centre comes after Enyo signed a partnership with Cars45 to sell, buy or swap cars at all Enyo Retail and Supply stations nationwide in March 2019.

With the partnership, both parties aim to successfully transform the automotive industry in Nigeria.

THE ENTREPRENEUR’S BEST FRIEND

DEBBIE LARRY-IZAMOJE

Business Lessons from Kobe Bryant I grew up learning about Kobe from my classmates. If we tried to throw a bottle or paper from a distance into the bin and successfully did so, everyone shouted “Kobe�!. The boys are the school’s basketball court loved to copy his mannerisms. He had a way of biting the top of his jersey when frustrated, there was also a hand gesture he did many times that I can’t quite put into words. If anyone bought a jersey then, it was definitely a Lakers jersey.

Loving Kobe was effortless as kids and you didn’t have to watch basketball to know that this man was on his way to greatness or greatness personified.

I heard of his 81-point masterpiece in 2006, as I look back I can’t remember why I missed that game but I do know that everyone referred to my generation as being lucky enough to witness this great man. They would often tell us that this; “there will never be another Kobe�. You see when people say such things you never really think of the death, it never crosses your mind that this person might die in a helicopter crash at 41 years, with his baby girl Gigi on board. You don’t think of the tears and just how final death is. At that moment you don’t even consider the impact someone else’s life has had on yours, someone you are yet to meet.

I figured today, in my disbelief and shock, that it is only right to shed light on what Kobe meant to us and the lessons we can learn as business people.

NEVER FORGET FAMILY It is said that our generation prioritizes work over family. I have never really understood the concept of overworking yourself to make money, only to never have time to use the money you’ve worked so hard for. I have also believed that some things cannot be bought with money. What price can we put on our families? On memories shared with friends? These moments are so priceless and it was evident that Kobe understood this.

His social media pages are full of images of his moments with family. He was very close to his daughters who he referred to as princesses and often-followed Gigi for basketball practice. You must make some time for those who love you, life is so short. live a little. Ensure those close to you know how much you love them. Close early on some days just to join in on that evening

chat with family. When all is said and done, it’s the memories that count.

MAKE AN IMPACT OUTSIDE OF WORK When I think of Kobe, I think impact. Isn’t it crazy that the world stood still at the news of his demise? That people that had never even seen a game of Basketball were in tears?

That in under 3 hours there were over 10 million tweets on Kobe’s death?

You see, impact is not what you do to earn money, it’s about the lives you touch daily.

It is about empathy, the times you let things go even when you know you should pick a fight. It is about using your skill to bless people who would’ve never had access to it. Helping your neighbours open the gate while they drive-in, being generous to those in need, visiting the sick, giving to wise counsel to people, that is what you call impact. How good of a person are you outside and inside the work environment? Do people love you for your productivity or character? These are questions we must start to ask ourselves.

HAVE A SUCCESSION PLAN Kobe knew that with retirement he had to invest in money in multiple sources. He was very intentional about his transition from basketball to entrepreneur and business model. He found mentorship in billionaire businessman, Chris Sacca, to whom he indicated interest in one day investing in basketball and owning a club. He won an Oscar as a producer, wrote several books and launched a media company. It’s important to do what you love, but ensure that like Kobe you also have an exit plan or strategy especially in the years leading to your retirement. Save money, spend wisely and invest in appreciating assets.

20 seasons, 18 NBA All-star games, 5 NBA Titles, 2 Olympic Golds, 2 Finals MVP‌.

Not bad Champ! Rest In Peace Kobe Bryant.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Debbie Larry-Izamoje AKA The Entrepreneur’s Best-Friend, is the founder of Email : contactus@imageboosters.com.ng or debbie@ imageboosters.com.ng Website: www.imageboosters.com.ng Instagram: @imageboosters_ Phone No (text only) : 08050464111

Quickteller Launches New Campaign Quickteller, the consumer payment platform of Pan-African integrated digital payments company, Interswitch, has launched a new campaign themed “Everything is Possible�. The campaign demonstrates the ubiquitous nature of the Quickteller platform.

The commercials, which have just been released, are in two versions: ‘The Big Idea’ and ‘Possibility’. Both versions are in furtherance of the previous Quickteller campaign - “One less thing to worry about� – and reiterate the ease and universality of the Quickteller platform. The commercials deploy the use of humour and creativity to subtly drive in the point that on Quickteller, a user can pay for almost anything they can imagine.

Both commercials are a body of great creative thinking and

drive home the overarching message that everything is possible on the Quickteller Platform. The commercials both depict the importance of a platform that makes payment possible irrespective of person, location and needs.

Quickteller enables everyone to make transactions on the go, with a few clicks.

Speaking on the launch of the campaign, Group Head, Quickteller Marketing, Olawale Akanbi, highlighted the importance of transacting on a platform that provides a vast number of services in the digital payment space.

He said: “It’s amazing to know that you can pay for almost anything on Quickteller.

At Quickteller, we are committed to making all payments possible on our platform. This is why we are continuously expanding the services available on Quickteller.

“From just a platform where you could transfer money, customers can now perform more transactions that speak to their lifestyle, businesses, passion and even their careers.�

According to Akanbi, “This campaign illustrates the compelling point that Quickteller makes almost anything possible. Both versions of the campaign are a natural flow from the previous campaign and consistent with our messaging that payments are easier and most convenient on the Quickteller platform. It is simply a visual metaphor for everyday payments made easy by Quickteller.�

The commercials feature celebrities such as Bovi (a leading Comedian), Ini Dima Okojie (Nollywood actress) and Eric Omondi (a Comedian based in Kenya, who is one of the best comedians in Africa).

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Between New LASAA MD and Challenges Ahead Raheem Akingbolu writes on the need for the new helmsman at the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency to change the perception about the agency through stakeholders’ engagement and friendly operational models.

S

ince its establishment, the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA), has always been viewed as one agency of government that was created to frustrate advertising practitioners in the out-of-home sub sector of the industry.

As a result of this, there hasn’t been mutual relationship between the successive managing director of LASAA and the leadership of the Outdoor Advertisers’ Association of Nigeria (OAAN). The consequence of this is that the industry has continued to suffer.

In view of the determination of the larger advertising family in Nigeria to reposition the industry in 2020, the timing of the leadership change at LASAA can be said to be appropriate and good for industry growth. However, close to two months after the appointment of Mr. Adedamola Docemo as MD, little or nothing has been recorded to show that the new man indeed understands the industry.

Docemo replaced Mobolaji Sanusi, erstwhile Managing Director of the agency, who was sack at the twilight of last year.

Tasks ahead Among other steps, the new MD has been advised by many stakeholders to initiate genuine engagement that would allow practitioners and regulators to address salient issues.

Though previous leaders in the agency, especially under Messrs. Tunji Bello and George Noah initiated similar engagements but they didn’t achieve expected result. If Docemo gets it right and gives LASAA human face that it requires, his name will be written in gold as the first person who lead the agency without rancor. Bello’s tenure was short and so difficult to rate but it was war all through between OAAN members and the agency, while Makanjuola Alabi, George Noah and Mobolaji Sanusi were in charge.

Perhaps of major concern to practitioners is the need for Docemo to quickly settle down and begin to take steps at ‘righting’ the wrongs of the past, so as to bring back the lost glory of a sector, once considered the juiciest among the four media channels of advertising.

For instance, the issues of debts being owed members by the agency and the ‘vacant site regime’ top the list of some of the demands, stakeholders would want the new helmsman given utmost priority.

From anywhere one chooses to look at the industry, it has not been a jolly ride for the nation’s outdoor advertising sector in recent times. For instance, since year 2016, when it attracted a spend of N28.8billion, representing a 35 percent spend of the N91billion of the total advertising spend for the year, it has been a steady decline in fortune for this once boisterous sector.

According to a recent report, published by Mediafact, in 2017, the revenue for the sector dropped from N28.8 billion, recorded in the previous year, to N24.6 billion; representing a 28 percent of the N88 billion of the total ad spend of that year. This was to drop further in 2018, to N20.7 billion, representing 26 percent of the total N81 billion spend, an indication of a sector, going through trying times.

Interestingly, stakeholders, especially practitioners believe some of the challenges are induced by hostile business environment and the not-too-friendly policies of the state.

But with the country’s 60th anniversary around the corner, the president of the Outdoor Advertisers’ Association of Nigeria (OAAN), Mr. Emma Ajufo believes things are looking good for the industry. While congratulating the new LASAA MD, he called on federal government to quickly constitute the board of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria. “What will gladden our hearts more than any other thing is for government to give us a council. The Industry is truly suffering as a result of this.

Similarly, 2020 is a significant year for Nigeria

Docemo

as the Country will turn 60. I hope that the Advertising industry will come together to partner with government to project our country positively to the world at large.

In our Sector of the Advertising industry, the first part of our research we promised has started. The outcome of the research should come out early in the new year. “Our internal cohesion is getting better.

New members are coming in too. We have also resolved with JC Decaux as you would have probably known. So, things are looking up for the better for our Association.

We strongly believe that despite the challenges of the country, the Advertising Industry

From anywhere one chooses to look at the industry, it has not been a jolly ride for the nation’s outdoor advertising sector in recent times. For instance, since year 2016, when it attracted a spend of N28.8billion, representing a 35 percent spend of the N91billion of the total advertising spend for the year, it has been a steady decline in fortune for this once boisterous sector

in general and our Sector in particular will continue to witness growth,� Ajufo stated.

While thanking OAAN members for their support so far, he encouraged them to be steadfast and continue on the part of professionalism.

OAAN’s Hands of Fellowship In what looked like a positive signal, the leadership of OAAN has promised to work with the new MD to lift the industry.

Congratulating the new LASAA boss, Ajufo expressed the readiness of members of the association to work with him.

Ajufo however expressed shock at the announcement, terminating the appointment of the erstwhile LASAA boss, arguing that he had thought the former LASAA boss had been given a second term, having been allowed to stay that long, after the expiration of his tenure.

The OAAN boss also expressed regrets that the leadership of the association was not able to implement some of the agreements, brokered with the former LASAA chief executive before the sack.

One of such agreements, Ajufo stated, was the vacant site regime, which the former LASAA boss promised to commence since July, last year. “In fact the day before the news broke out, I sent him a text message reminding him about his promise to start the vacant site regime that he promised to do since about July or so this year, when I led my executive team to visit him. “Mr. Sanusi will be remembered for giving the Industry the best rate discount in the history of LASAA. The icing would have been the vacant site regime which we all agreed to, but has not been officially implemented,� he added.

He also expressed regrets that the former LASAA boss never upheld the agreement the association had with his predecessor in office over the campaign its members ran in the build- up to 2015 elections.

Ajufo, however expressed the hope that

the issue would be resolved by the agency’s new helmsman.

The OAAN boss also believes the appointment of Docemo, an advertising practitioner, no doubt, put him in good stead to understand the industry better.

The association’s Vice President, Mr. Babatunde Ogala would want the new LASAA boss to hit the ground running.

According to him, there is the need to revisit some of the policies of the last regime, which, he argued, had constituted some form of encumbrance to the growth of the sector in Lagos. “There is that need to make outdoor advertising services affordable. The way things are now, apart from moving such services beyond the reach of small and medium scale businesses, a lot of brands, that used to spend so much on outdoor signages are beginning to look for much cheaper alternatives. “Meanwhile all these are induced by government regulations that insist practitioners should be paying for their vacant billboards. And the question we’ve been asking is, how can one be paying for a billboard that is generating revenue for you. I think what you pay to government should be from the money you’ve made from that site, and if the site is vacant, it will be unfair to ask people to begin to pay,� he stated.

Ogala also dismissed the claim that attributed the failing fortunes of the sector to the advent of digital platforms.

The Man Docemo Prior to his appointment, Docemo was the CEO of Viadotech Limited, a frontline player in the Outdoor Advertising, Telecommunications and Engineering sectors in Nigeria.

A graduate of Mechanical Engineering from Yaba College of Technology, Lagos with a Postgraduate Diploma from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Osun State, Docemo had also worked at various times with Bell & Bell Telecommunications Limited, Private Networks Nigeria Limited and Emotion Advertising Limited.

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Bakare-Okeowo: MDAs Hurting FG’s Ease of Doing Business Reform A council member of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and Chairperson, Pulp, Paper & Paper Products, Printing & Publishing Sectoral Group of the association, Mrs. Layo BakareOkeowo , who is also the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of FAE Limited, in this interview speaks about the travails of the manufacturing business in Nigeria and the menace of ministries, departments and agencies, which she alleges frustrate government’s policy on the ease of doing business. Chris Uba provides the excerpts:

H

ow will you describe the envelope manufacturing business in Nigeria when viewed against the prevailing environment in the country?

Our major problem is paper. Yes, we have papers mills in Nigeria, about three or four of them. But they are not able to produce good quality papers we need for envelopes because there is no long fibre in the country. So, we appeal to the government to help us establish a paper research institute because we are losing a lot of dollars.

But if we have a paper institute that will guide and advice on the quality of paper produced in the country it will be good for us. I know you will ask me what relation does paper institute have with raw materials? The paper institute will conduct researches that will enable paper mills to produce good quality papers that are needed for production of envelopes. Paper research institute will test whatever they (paper mills) have done, which investors will want to buy if there is this research institute and with good policy formulation to guide the industry. Because nobody can do everything. Somebody has to do cropping; somebody has to do foresting liking planting of the threes.

So, that value chain is missing. But if the policy is there to guide the industry, which we are doing now, and we will still make our recommendation to the government as an association. We will do our presentation and pass it through the appropriate quarters and we pray that government listens to us. To be honest, the government is trying. We cannot condemn them totally. However, I think what government should do is that all the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) that are causing hiccups in the ease of doing business should be cautioned. There should be a section in the government circle that should be assigned to monitor and discipline the MDAs, so that when these MDAs are misbehaving, we should report them and expect a response within 24 hours because we want to avert losses.

There has been this issue of low patronage of local products by the MDAs and as a response the President issued two Executive Orders to that effect. Has there been any positive response from these MDAs? Your guess is as good as mine. You, too, can answer that question. They said buy Nigeria; buy made-in-Nigeria products, but all these MDAs are not doing it. I think the best way is to have a sort of audit from them. Yes, I will always say it; let them buy made-inNigeria products. I am not even saying that they must buy everything from SMEs. What I am saying is that at the end of every year, whether they are buying envelopes or cut papers, let them mention the names of the companies.

Let them audit each agency to see that are patronising local products.

The audit will show that this agency bought at least so and so percentage of local products. If they can even try 70 per cent to be a local content, local manufacturers, we will be smiling. But because, there is no audit (they don’t

the other, or to do one thing or the other for Nigerian government. So, that means they still feel that Nigeria is good. Look at the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) and the border closure. A lot of our brothers and sisters in the other countries are crying. This is because they see that Nigeria is good. And so, we should not kill our economy further. We should try and improve things for better.

What will you say about the border closure you just mentioned, do you think it is good for Nigeria?

I do not really want to comment a lot on border closure, because the government knows what they have seen and why they have chosen to close the borders. Locally, I understand that the rice mills are doing fantastically well.

So, what the government is saying is that we don’t need rice importation.

Bakare-Okeowo

want to buy made-in-Nigeria). They are just saying buy made-in-Nigeria. Are they really buying made-in-Nigeria?

My President (MAN President) is trying but you know his hands are tied.

Let them (government) audit all these MDAs. Let them present a report at the end of every year and let us see how many local manufacturers they have patronized. There was a time I heard that in India, government said nothing should be bought from abroad.

And they kept to that directive.

From what you have just said, don’t you think that the government is not taking the issue serious?

To be honest, I don’t think it is necessary to criticise the government. It might look as if I am taking side with the government. The government is trying.

But what I feel is that government should do additionally is to do the audit. Let them audit them to make sure that at least, 70 per cent of their purchases are made-in-Nigeria. Let them issue a release to daily newspapers like Thisday or Punch or anywhere and let us see. You know when they are doing audit and the reports are published, they will seat right. They will patronize made-in-Nigeria goods.

So, we appeal to the government to help us establish a paper research institute because we are losing a lot of dollars. But if we have a paper institute that will guide and advice on the quality of paper produced in the country it will be good for us

Is MAN not advocating any sanction to compel them to do the right thing?

Well, there might be sanctions, but I think before that, let the government experiment the audit option first. If they know that their level of patronage of locally made goods will be published they will do the right thing. For example, two years back, I would go and pay this bill (demurrage not due to my fault), and I will just swallow it, but, now, I am not swallowing it again.

Everybody should be responsible for what they have done. Everybody should be responsible.

What is your expectation from the Nigerian economy?

I think it will be better if all these things are put in place; because Nigeria is not going down. Yes, there are problems here and there, but you still have a lot of foreigners, especially the Europeans wishing to come down to the country to have one contract or

You talked about expansion; are you saying that you want to go to the ECOWAS countries to establish your business?

We would not mind going there because AFCFTA is the best thing that has happened to Nigeria. So, it wouldn’t be a bad idea exporting to ECOWAS countries but the Nigerian government needs to address the problems of infrastructure. Look at the roads, electricity and others to make us competitive, because, if we are too expensive, they will not buy from us. Secondly, government needs to address the issue of logistic problem because it is too expensive. Transporting goods from Nigeria to Cotonou or Ghana is expensive. Number three, all these bottlenecks need to be addressed because they themselves know about the checkpoints. I believe that should be addressed and on the final note, the issue of external tariff has to be addressed .I am making this call here in Nigeria , of course, my production cost will be very high but somebody can sit down in China and makes the same cup and because their production cost is low, he can bring it into Nigeria or Ghana . If the tariff on the cup is low, he will bring it in conveniently into Nigeria and compete with the person making this cup locally. So, the external tariff has to be addressed.

But must the government do everything for you? Don’t you think on your part, you should do something to reduce cost and make your business more competitive?

In an industry that is just over half a century old, we have more than 40 years’ experience, way more than any of our competitor. We combine basic local knowledge and international expertise to produce a product that is second to none. Our first class equipment ensures that we are able to produce to the specification of our customers and satisfy our ever growing client base. We earned this right because of the quality, the type of paper we use, and how we serve our clients as a trusted ally and concerned friend.

We provide them with the rare loyalty of a business partner and make sure they get what they need timely and also helping them secure more clients to make more money

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BUSINESSWORLD

AGRIBUSINESS

Strengthening Local Rice Production The decision of the federal government to close the country’s land borders has resulted to increased local rice production, writes Oluchi Chibuzor

T

he volume of rice produced locally has soared to eight million metric tonnes with the federal government aiming to achieve 18 million tonnes

by 2023.

This development can only be sustained if farmers are motivated towards increasing yield per hectares across the federation to meet the Agricultural Policy Programme.

This would ensure food security and increase agro-export to boost the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Reports have it that Nigeria has about 12 million rice farmers, and the number is expected to keep growing.

Global rice consumption remains strong. It is driven by both population and economic growth in many Asian and African countries, as Nigerian rice value chain is characterised by yields that are far below what would be possible with improved management, improved market information and structure, and sufficient and updated rice-processing capacity.

Consolidating Achievement World rice production statistics revealed that in 2018, out of the 14.6 million metric tonnes of paddy produced annually on 7.3 million hectares of land in Africa, Nigeria’s production rose from 3.7 million tonnes in 2017 to 4.0 million metric tonnes. Through the anchor borrower ’s scheme, reports on rice production in Nigeria said it has hit eight million metric tonnes, with the nation aiming at 18 million tonnes by 2023.

According to Cyril Okonkwo, a rice seller at Mile 12 market, Lagos, although the margin of profit between foreign to Nigerian rice is still high, it is pertinent that the nation support home grown rice producers to encourage local farmers in various states.

He said government should discourage importation with heavy duty to aid local farmers.

He also said, since he started selling his product in the market, there has never been a period that demand for local rice was high compared to what is obtainable now, noting that people have adjusted to the reality that the local rice farmers can close the gap. “By this time last year when we started selling rice in this market, we were not displaying the produced locally, but now it has replaced foreign rice. As a compatriot Nigerian I fully support Nigerian government on the closure of the border, to encourage local farmers who are producing what we are selling now,� he said.

Another rice dealer pleaded to remain anonymous, said, “local rice is good for consumption and local farmers should be encouraged to produce more as we have some quality rice in the market.�

In its Food Price Index report released in November, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) stated that world rice production was likely to reach 515 million tonnes, a mere 0.5 percent drop from the record set in 2018, “with Egypt, Madagascar and Nigeria all poised to spearhead a rebound for African rice production this season.�

Up-scaling Small-holders Farmers According to Rice Almanac, a publication of Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP), Policies and conditions that offer opportunities for developing the rice sector in the country, includes zero tariffs on agricultural machinery and equipment, a large domestic market for rice products and by-products, government subsidies on fertilizer, seed, and tractors and implements, and guaranteed minimum price support

Rice farm

for farmers.

Igbo Obianuju, a rice farmer in Saminaka, Lere Local Government Area in Kaduna state, who cultivates the commodity on four hectares of land, highlighted her challenges to include high cost of machines for processing and fertilizers, and low yield per hectares.

She said rice cultivation was good, but the returns on investment since the border closure is being gained by the middle men.

She also added that farmers bought NPK last year at the rate of N 8,000 before it went up to N12,000, thus reducing the level of profit. “Am in Kaduna, I have to travel down to Kano for me to get atleast a machine that can de-stoning for me, because if I sell my rice at the rate of N8000 to N 9000 am at a great lost. “But the border closure is helping farmers who are also in processing.

To plant and harvest is one thing, but to process is also another thing,� she explained.

She, however, was optimistic that considering the quantity of local rice in circulation, with support to over 12 million rice farmers, the nation would close its domestic gaps. “On our rice farm in different locations, when we harvested we got about

According to a comprehensive study conducted by the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (or FAPRI), the world’s demand for milled rice could be expected to rise to 496 million tons in 2020, from 439 million tons in 2010

10.7 tonnages of rice on approximately four hectares of land. And my plan is to go into processing if government can boost my capacities. “As a farmer you do not gain money if you are not into processing. Then secondly the machine for good finishing is not available and is a major problem we are having here,� she lamented.

Meanwhile, the State DeputyChairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Lagos Chapter, Shakin Abgayewa, was of the opinion that inclination to imported rice consumption should be discourage by all stakeholders to attract enough investment to improve the quality of rice. “Our local farmers have the capacities to produce our own rice, but because of the orientation our people that foreign rice is better than the local one, so we have that issue of increase of rice during the festive period,� he reiterated.

Increasing Patronage The market value of the current quantity of local rice produced in Nigeria, according to analysts, is about N684 billion, thus making the country the 16th top producer of rice in the world.

According to the General Manager, Elephant Group, a rice milling company, Dr. Rotimi Fashola, “Since the boarder closure, the number of rice millers has actually doubled and that is because people can now see the light after the tunnel-commercially value of it. “If I have an investment in rice milling and they are flooding the market with imported rice, then I do need incentives to put money in rice milling.�

Demand for rice is expected to continue to increase in coming years, at least up until 2035. According to a comprehensive study conducted by the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (or FAPRI), the world’s demand for milled rice could be expected to rise to 496 million tons in 2020, from 439 million tons in 2010.

By 2035, this requirement would likely further rise to an estimated 555 million tons.

According to the report, “Not surprisingly, rice will account for almost half of these countries food expenditures, not only for the extreme poor, but also for those of mid-level and high income statuses.�

Fashola, said on improving quality

of the local rice which has always been major complains from local consumers, he noted categorically that, “the quality of rice keeps increasing with more people patronising. “But if I can have a breakthrough in my investment then more and more people would come. We started with just 20 now we are hitting almost 40, so more millers are coming and the quality is improving,� he stated.

He, however, emphasised that the quality of home grown rice depends on increased demand, because as they receive more patronage for Nigerian made rice, it would invariably affect the quality which means more investment.

Regulation and Monitoring Commenting further on the issue, Agbayewa said, “when we all agree to push the market, rebrand our own and educate our people on why they must patronize local farmers as against foreign rice, people will still feel reluctant to patronize us. “The distributors are also among those giving the local farmers problems.

During the festive period, what they did was that they bought foreign rice, bag it in Nigerian bags and put high price on it; this distracted people from buying local rice, selling at N17,000 to N18,000 as against the local rice that was supposed to be N14, 000 to N15, 000,� he revealed.

On sabotaging the rice value chain according to him, “most of these syndicates are mostly Nigerians, so until necessary law enforcement agencies enforce arrest and showcased them to deter other people. “This situation was what made Lagos state Government not to sell their own rice; because most of their distributors hoard the rice, increased price and even re-bagged it in foreign bag just to make more money.�

On strengthening capacity of farmers to grow their businesses, he noted that most of the alleged cabals were beginning to subside as their gimmicks would not work again. “They only capitalise on the gaps created by lack of preparedness of the local farmers. “Right now in the market you will begin to see more of local rice in the market and people are patronising our products. All we need is that government should not open the borders now.�

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BUSINESSWORLD

DEVELOPMENT

Understanding Impact Investment Ugo Aliogo writes on the importance of impact investment in improving the business climate in the country

Buhari

I

mpact investment refers to investments made into companies, organisations, and funds with the intention to generate social and environmental impact alongside a financial return.

The 2015 Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) study, noted that in the landscape for ‘Impact Investing in West Africa,’ Nigeria and Ghana, represented more than half (54%) of impact investing capital in the region.

A breakdown of this showed that Nigeria received 29 per cent, while Ghana received per cent of the capital deployed.

The study explained that the remaining impact investing capital in the sub-region were found to be highly fragmented, and there are indications that this remains the case.

The study primarily focused on the dominant two countries.

Also, a recent report by Impact Investors Foundation (IIF) on Nigeria and Ghana impact investing and policy landscape noted that despite a deteriorating economic climate, the volume of impact capital deployed increased. And this reflected the fact that where investors had already raised funds to be deployed in the region, they remained committed and continued to deploy capital.

The report stated that investors realised that it had become more difficult to source quality deals, while on the demand-side business growth was often stifled by a tougher economy.

The report argued that on the supply-side, investors accepted many of the deterioration in the macroeconomic environment as a given when operating in the region. It further maintained that once investors had raised funds and made a commitment to deploy capital in the region, they continued to do so (although the environment has at times made additional fundraising more difficult).

According to the report, “Although the ease of doing business index performance improved for both countries, investors continued to note significant challenges, particularly in Nigeria. “That said there was often a sense that, given the size and materiality of the market, the difficulties of doing business were simply a cost of accessing a sizeable ‘must-reach’ market in West Africa. “Despite a worsening economic climate, the number of impact investors active in Ghana and Nigeria increased markedly. This reflected a significant increase in non-DFI (development finance institution) investors pursuing impact oriented deals and courting impact capital in their fundraising activities.�

It added: “Many of these investors focus on commercially viable deals that also have an impact narrative as opposed to providing concessional capital and accepting below market rate returns.

For this reason, truly patient impact capital-that accepts below market returns in an attempt to invest in riskier or higher impact deals-remains in short supply. “Nigeria continues to experience growth in deal flow, but Ghana has yet to replicate its 2010

Ghanaian President, Nana Akufo-Addo

peak. This likely reflects the greater focus placed on Nigeria by development institutions, as well as the opportunities offered by the sheer size of the Nigerian economy (outweighing other challenges such as barriers to ease of doing business). “This disparity can also be seen in the relative growth of the Nigerian and Ghanaian impact investing markets. While they were comparable in the 2015 report (29% and 25% of the overall West African market respectively), impact investing transactions in Nigeria since 2015 have been 3.9 times greater in value than those in Ghana (with $4.7 billion in transactions in Nigeria and just $1.2 billion in transactions in Ghana).�

It noted that across Ghana and Nigeria, agriculture, infrastructure, energy and publicto-public lending11 was 58 per cent of the total impact capital deployed, which it stated was in alignment with the dominant sectors in the economy. “In Nigeria, agriculture, public-to-public lending and energy reflect the top 3 sectors and total 56 per cent of impact capital deployed. In Ghana, ICT, infrastructure, and financial services reflect the top three sectors, totaling 58 per cent of impact capital deployed. “The non-DFI space shows a more diversified transaction mix overall. In this domain, Nigeria sees a greater focus on ICT and manufacturing compared to Ghana, while Ghana sees an outsized focus on financial services. “By value, where the instrument was known, 95 per cent of DFI transactions were debt-based13.

This reflects the lower risk tolerance of DFIs and the easy route to exit offered by debt. “That said 67 per cent of non-DFI transactions by overall value were equity-based. This increasing deployment of non-DFI equity since 2015 reflects the realities of the economic environment. Entrepreneurs became more willing to give up equity during difficult economic times (often in response to increasingly crippling US dollar denominated debts or weakening market demand). On the positive side, this shift could sensitize a wider audience to the benefits of equity investment.�

Policy Recommendations One of the policy recommendations in the report was the need to recognise and regulate impact capital as an investment strategy which can enable other recommended policy responses, thereby ensure impact investors operate at high standards, “while also providing impact investors with the assurance that they can benefit from wider investor protections.�

The report also recommended that there was need for support local fundraising by building awareness through institutional reforms that engender greater allocation towards impact investing strategies and by socialising impact investing opportunities and leveraging successful transactions for market signaling purposes.

According to the report, “Incentivise impact capital to attract additional capital, to ensure impact capital plays its optimal role, and to

encourage layering, through decreased restrictions on institutional capital allocations to impact investing strategies; potential tax incentives for concessional capital providers; and the encouragement of governments to use impact investing as a means of financing public projects. “Drive demand-side competitiveness and attractiveness through policy reforms including fiscal incentives by prioritizing and targeting high potential sectors for sector specific policy reforms and by creating sandbox environments (akin to the sandbox created by the Central Bank of Nigeria for financial inclusion) in other sectors that provide sufficient flexibility for new innovations and businesses to grow while building appropriate regulations. “Improve the ecosystem of accelerators, hubs, and incubators by engaging with funders and convening ecosystem actors to ensure that business development service providers increase the relevance of their services and avoid clustering funds around only a few intervention areas. “Improve the focus on systemic, institutional level capacity building by ensuring that regulators, enforcers, and potential institutional funders all have sufficient understanding of impact investing and can fully engage in the opportunities it presents.�

Experts’ Views In his reaction to the report, the Chief Executive Officer, AllOn, Dr. Wiebe Boer, said the report explained how deep impact investment has spread, compared to 10years ago when there was no information about it.

He also stated that presently, the conversation is on billions of dollars of transactions yearly, adding that there is really need to define who is and who is not an impact investor.

Boer, further noted that there was also need to waive the conversations around the successful impact investor companies in Nigeria, especially those companies that are returning profits and creating social change in the country.

He added: “Impact investment covers many social sectors, such as health, education, agriculture and others. For us as group we focus on access to energy which is the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 7). To fill the energy deficit in Nigeria, the total investment needed is $200 billion which is huge, but there is a lot more capital that needs to come into the energy sector. “The funding to drive impact investments in many sectors requires contribution through private capital, government alone cannot do.

On the part of government, they have to put in place the right regulatory framework to attract significantly more private capital to investments into the energy space.�

On his part, the Regional Director, Ford Foundation West Africa, Johnson Chukwu, said the report was part of the efforts of the foundation to build an effective ecosystem which are investments that have intentions of making social impacts, while delivering financial returns to the stakeholders in the business.

He explained that the report gave credence to

the fact that even though the business environment continues to be challenging, more investors are coming to do business, “this implies that if government can do more in easing the business environment, it will attract more investment opportunities.�

Chukwu added that the report also expressed the need for more enterprises especially small enterprises need to open up for investments and also seek for technical support to make their enterprises ready for investments, therefore there is a whole lot more in the report that help the suppliers of impact capital and recipients of impact investments.

Also commenting on the report, the Academic Director, Lagos Business School (LBS) and Enterprise Development Centre (EDC), Pan-Atlantic University, Prof. Olayinka David-West, said the key focus of the report was to provide knowledge on what is going on the impact investment space and how impact capital is being deployed.

She hinted that: “The report focus is in three folds; the supply side- this primarily focuses on how you get more impact investments to come into the country. There is the demand side- here the concern is how do we prepare Nigeria companies to receive and attract that funding. “There is the ecosystem side and it is concerned with how to ensure that these Nigerians companies can strive and deliver the impact they promised to deliver. There is the policy side which points to the fact of ensuring that we have the right policies within the environment to ensure that things work for good in general and the enabling environment is there, so that when investors are bringing in foreign capital, how do they ensure they can take their money back after couple of years.�

David-West, further explained that the report was an eye opener because it helps to identify the challenges and constraints in the ecosystem, adding that the next step should be what actions should be taken since there is awareness about the challenges and constraints.

She maintained that the report is a pointer on the need to build an advocacy campaign around the policy issues highlighted in the report, building the ecosystem on the supply side, “While on the demand side- we examine how to begin to generate local investors as well, because we cannot strive on an economy that all the monies are coming as Foreign Direct Investment (FID) and closing the gap, rather than just sharing information and knowledge.

I think the bright spot for me, is that there is diversity in the impact investments areas such as ICT and infrastructure that we see both in Nigeria and Ghana. “So there is diversity across the ecosystem, so you don’t have to be head strong in one area. But you can grow in different area. The second area is the fact that the need for hubs, incubators and accelerators to work together.

We also have to examine the support given to these smaller businesses to attract the funding and to use and deploy that funding effectively.�

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IMAGES

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

L-R; MD/CEO, eTranzact International Plc., Mr. Niyi Toluwatope; Chief Economist of BusinessDay, Dr. Nonso Obikili; Managing Director, BusinessDay, Dr Ogho Okiti; Senior Vice President, Mastercard West Africa, Mrs Ebehije Momoh; Country Director/ CEO, Dale Carnegie Nigeria, Mr. Patrick Nwakogo and Publisher, BusinessDay, Mr. Frank Aigbogun during the BusinessDay Nigeria Economic Outlook Conference, themed; Nigeria’s Prosperity Ahead 2030: Population, Data, Productivity in Lagos...recently Abiodun Ajala

Minister for Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim(left) and Managing Director, Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya, during a courtesy visit to the Minister by Ogunsanya in Abuja...recently

L-R, Director of Enviromental Health, Baba Yakubu Mohammed; Minister of Enviroment, Dr Mohammad Abubakar and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs Ibukun Odusote during a press brieďŹ ng by the minister on the eorts of the Ministry to address the outbreak of Lassa fever in Nigeria held in Abuja... recently Julius Atoi

L-R: Wife of the new Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Ogechi lhekweazu; Her husband, Chimezie Victor Ihekweazu; Managing Partner, Punuka Solicitors, Mrs. Elizabeth Idigbe; and Senior Partner, Punuka Solicitors, Chief Anthony Idigbe SAN , during a dinner party organized in honour of the new SAN, .Ihekweazu by Punuka Attorney & Solicitors at Victoria Island, Lagos...recently. KOLAWOLE ALLI

L-R: Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Nigeria, Kikuta Yutaka; Director of International Cooperation , Mrs. Elizabeth Egharevba and Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba, during a courtesy visit to the minister by the Ambassador in furtherance of Japan-Nigeria Development/Business facilitation, in Abuja ...recently

.L-R: Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, Dr. Mohammed Bello; Minister of State, Science and Technology, Barr. Mohammed Abdulah; Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETF), Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, during the signing of memorandum of Understanding between Federal Ministry of Science and Technology and TETF in Abuja...recently . ENOCK REUBEN

L-R: Coordinator, NIPR Fellows in Lagos, Rev. Abraham Olusola- Niyi; Son of the deceased, Mr. Constantine Akinfolarin Akinyele; Vice President, NIPR, Comptroller Adewale Adeniyi; ďŹ rst son of the late Chief Alex Akinyele, Mr. Akinrinmola Akinyele; Council member, NIPR, Mrs. Nkechi Ali-Balogun and President, African Public Relation Association (APRA), Mr. Yomi Badejo Okusanya, during the night of tributes for the late Chief Alex Akinyele organized by Body of Fellows of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Lagos State Chapter in Lagos...recently

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R-L: Taraba State Governor, Architect, Darius Dickson Ishaku; Speaker, Taraba House of Assembly, Honorable Joseph Kunini; Deputy speaker, Hon. Hamman Abdullah and Clerk of the State House, Mr. Orngu Mela, during the signing of the 2020 budget by the governor in Abuja...recently ENOCK REUBEN

L-R: Managing Director, Fan Milk Nigeria, Mr Ferdinand Mouko and Managing Director, RecyclePoints, Mr Mazi Ukonu during the MoU signing ceremony kicking o the partnership between Fan Milk and RecyclePoints to turn plastic waste into tables and chairs to be donated to rural and urban schools in Nigeria in commemoration of International Education Day held in Lagos...recently

L-R: Academy Director, West Africa, MultiChoice Talent Factory, Femi Odugbemi; Award-winning producer, Denny Y. Miller; Actor/Producer, Lilian Amah Aluko, and an actor, Ron Mgbatogu. during the MultiChoice Talent Factory masterclass Series in acting for Camera held at Africa Magic Studios in Lagos...recently UNICEF representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins and , Managing Director/CEO, Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya during the U-report MOU renewal between Airtel Nigeria and UNICEF at Airtel HQ in Lagos...recently

Some of the ejected illegal residents of Takwa Bay stranded at Marina Jetty, CMS, Lagos ...recently

KOLAWOLE ALLI

L-R; Chief Marketing and Strategy OďŹƒcer, Allianz Nigeria Insurance Plc, Walter Bossman; Managing Director, Connect Nigeria, Emeka Okafor; Corporate Communication Manager, Aiteo, Odianosen Masade and Team Lead, LPG Expansion Programme, Ibile Oil and Gas Corporation, Abiola Ibine, during a press conference on the coming Connect Nigeria Business Fair held in Lagos...recently

L-R :Dean , Lagos Business School, Enase Okonedo; Partner and West Africa Tax Leader, Deloitte, Yomi Olugbenro; West Africa CEO, Deloitte, Fatai Folarin; Minister of ďŹ nance , budget and National planning, Zainab Ahmed; Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and , Chairwoman , Jumia Nigeria and head of Institutional Aairs , Jumia Group, ,Juliet Anammah at the Deloitte in Dialogue Nigeria Economic Outlook 2010 in Lagos...recently

T H I S D AY ˾ , JANUARY 30 , 2020

34

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

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

Protecting Nigerians against Novel Coronavirus The continuous spread of the Novel Coronavirus disease from Wuhan in China to 19 countries, with the death toll rising to 132, has created a new challenge for the Nigerian government, health officials and citizens. With Côte d’Ivoire being the first African nation on the watchlist, Martins Ifijeh writes on the need for Nigeria to step up preventive and management measuresNigeria to step up preventive and management measures

Ehanire

W

ith the world just only recovering from Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreaks which ravaged many countries since March 2014, especially the Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia, killing at least 11,000 people in total, there seems to be a new cause for panic globally with the emergence of the Novel Coronavirus, an emerging disease outbreak from Wuhan city in China.

The disease, which is referred to as ‘novel’ because the virus and its effect on humans are not well known to science, has as at Tuesday, January 29, taken at least 132 lives, infected 6200. persons, and affected at least 19 countries across Asia, Europe and North America.

As the spread continues with resultant public health threats, countries not affected, including Nigeria have started to put measures in place to prevent its entry into their country, or in worst case scenario, manage the outbreak should it find its way in.

One of the several countries that have activated measures is Nigeria. It has heightened health security protocols in all airports across the country, especially international airports, and has issued travel advisory to critical healthcare stakeholders, primary health facilities and the public.

The world health body says a Coronavirus is a virus that causes infection in the nose, sinuses or upper throat, and can be transmitted from animal to human or from human to human just like the mode of spread of the dreaded EVD. Major Concerns Although many may argue that the chances of the virus reaching Nigeria is around average because of the partial lock down on over 150 million persons in China where the outbreak is concentrated, same was said in 2014 when Ebola outbreak started, until it found its way to Nigeria, claiming eight productive lives, some $180 million in cost, and throwing the entire nation into panic.

With Nigerians known for their high trading partnerships with China, the virus is closer to the country than expected. But is our health security system strong enough to prevent the virus from entering the country? Is it strong enough to manage the virus should it find its way in?

Government’s Stance To allay fears, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, in an exclusive interview with THISDAY , had said national health security measures were

been heightened, especially at international airports, and that surveillance was also been mounted in all borders to prevent the spread.

He said: “If you screen anybody properly at the borders, check their travel histories and routes, it will help us a lot in ensuring the virus doesn’t get in.

“So far, we do not have plans to stop Nigerians from traveling to China or coming from China because there are international health regulations that must be followed on public health concerns.

No country has done that.

“We have issued advisory to Nigerians, including states, public health facilities, as well as private facilities. This advisory is intended to be trickled down up to primary health facilities also, because they are actually closer to the people,” Ehanire said.

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu said currently, there was no known case of the virus detected in Nigeria, and that the federal government was however working very hard to be prepared in the event of an outbreak, as it was for precise events like this that the NCDC was set up.

He said: “Since the first cases were confirmed in China in earlier this month, we have been in close contact with WHO, the Africa CDC and other coordinating bodies. We set up an Epidemic Information Management Group that includes representatives from Port Health Services of the Federal Ministry of Health, WHO and other partners. This group meets daily to review the situation globally, assess the risks to Nigeria and provide recommendations for action.”

On whether the country has the capacity to address Coronavirus should there be an outbreak, Ihekweazu, whose centre is responsible for the country’s national health security, said Nigeria has improved in its JEE rating from 39 per cent in 2017 to 46 per cent in 2019, adding that it has worked very hard to ensure it is able to prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies.

He called on Nigerians to remain calm, noting that the Federal Ministry of Health and its partners were fully committed to strengthening the country’s preparedness and response to infectious disease outbreaks.

Prevention Tips The minister of health said Nigerians should continue their normal routine of hand washing with running water, cover their mouths with handkerchief while coughing, and report early to hospitals if they notice fibril symptoms.

He said: “On our part as government, we are on 100 per cent alert. We will continue to make

sure our international airports are adhering to the surveillance protocols we have put in place.

As we speak now, I am in Kano International Airport to meet with our Ports Heath Service officials to monitor level of compliance.

“If we screen anybody properly at the borders, check their travel histories and routes and do the needful from there, it will help us a lot in ensuring the virus doesn’t get in. Nigeria is on full alert with the health ministry leading Port Health Services and the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC).”

Among guides released by the WHO, persons are advised to avoid touching their eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands; as well as avoid close contact with people who are sick.

On how to protect others for those with cold-like symptoms, they should seek immediate medical attention, avoid close contact with others, cover mouth and nose with tissue when coughing or sneezing, throw tissue in the trash after use, wash hands and clean and disinfect objects and surfaces.

Treatment Health experts believe there are currently no vaccines available against human Coronavirus infection. They also mentioned that there are no specific treatments for illnesses caused by human Coronaviruses, adding that most people with common human Coronavirus illness will recover on their own. “However, you can do some things to relieve your symptoms like taking pain and fever medications (Caution: do not give Aspirin to children) use a room humidifier or take a hot shower to help ease a sore throat and cough.

If you are mildly sick, you should drink plenty of liquids, among others,” they recommended.

Spread Already, 6200people have been infected by the outbreak with at least 132 persons losing their lives; a development that has put health authorities around the world on their toes. So far, 19 countries have been confirmed to be affected by the spread including, Thailand, Japan, Nepal, United States, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Canada, Cambodia, France, United Kingdom, South Korea, Germany, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Taiwan, and of course China where it originated from, thereby causing global panic.

In China alone, over 13 cities have been put on partial lock down, with most public facilities shut down, including airports, road and train transportation systems, markets, schools, among others. Over 150 million persons have been affected by this partial lockdown in China.

Australia has confirmed five cases of the virus.

The most recent was a 21-year-old woman who was

on the last flight out of Wuhan to Sydney before China imposed a travel ban. Cambodia confirmed the first case of coronavirus in the country on January 27. The patient was a 60-year-old Chinese national in the coastal city of Sihanoukville.

In Canada, a man who arrived in Toronto with his wife on January 22 after visiting Wuhan has been confirmed to have the coronavirus. The couple were wearing masks on their flight from Guangzhou and took their own transport home from the airport. His wife has also tested positive for the virus. Nineteen suspected cases being investigated by health officials are from Toronto.

In Hong Kong, eight people are known to have the disease, with hundreds of suspected cases reported.

In France, there are three known cases of the coronavirus. A 48-year-old France national who had traveled to Wuhn is in hospital in Bordeaux.

Two others have been hospitalised in Paris, one of whom is a relative of one of the other infected patients in France. All three had recently travelled to China and had now been placed in isolation.

In Germany, the first case has been confirmed in a man in the Starnberg region. For Japan, at least four cases have been confirmed.

In Malaysia, four cases have also been confirmed in Chinese nations on holiday from Wuhan.

Nepal said a 32-year-old m an arriving from Wuhan had tested positive for the deadly disease. The patient, who was initially quarantined, recovered and was discharged. The government said that surveillance has been increased at the airport “and suspicious patients entering Nepal are being monitored”.

The US has also confirmed five cases of the virus - two in California, one each in Arizona, Chicago and Washington State.

Potential Spread There are high indications that with Asia, North America and Europe affected, it is only a matter of time before a case is registered in Africa, and especially in Nigeria where the citizens are known for their penchants for travel, and coupled with the public knowledge that Nigerians have.

Although Wuhan’s international airport serves 104 destinations including 29 outside China, there are three direct flights a week from Wuhan to Heathrow, an airport often known for transit among many Nigerian or African travellers.

It therefore behooves on the Nigerian government, health personnel and the general public to collectively remain vigilant so that the virus does not find its way into the country.

T H I S D AY ˾ , JANUARY 30 , 2020

35

NEWS

Leprosy Still Endemic in 18 States in Nigeria, Says FG Onyebuchi Ezigbo ÓØ ÌßÔË The federal government has said that 18 states are currently leprosy endemic, with few cases of the disease also being reported in others.

It said Nigeria was among the few countries in the world still reporting above 1000 new cases annually, adding that in 2018 the country recorded 1095 new leprosy cases.

According to the 2015 National Leprosy Review, government said 18 states

were still endemic in leprosy although there were pockets of endemicity in few other states of the federation.

The Minister of state for Health, Senator Olorunnibe Mamora, who stated this at the ceremonies marking the 2020 World Leprosy Day, held in Abuja recently, said the federal government has made notable progress in tackling the scourge through the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control programme by ensuring treatment for over

33,000 patients from 2009 till date, including men, women and children.

He also said the country was among the countries that met the target of reducing the prevalence to one leprosy case to 10,000 persons.

“We have been to reduce the registered prevalence from 250,000 in 1989 to about 2000 in 2018. The number of newly registered leprosy patients has fallen from 7,827 in 1994 to 2,095 in 2018,” he said.

The minister said that the

country presently has at least one multi-drug therapy clinic for management of leprosy patients in each of the 774 local government areas, while it maintains free medical treatment for the patients.

He said the World Leprosy Day celebration which is usually observed on the last Sunday of every January was used to mobilise support for leprosy control.

He said that the occasion provided opportunity for Nigeria to focus attention

on the ancient disease which has caused a lot of pain and misery to humanity over the years.

He said the day gives government an opportunity to appraise stakeholders with updates on efforts to deal with leprosy, as well as things being done to monitor progress made at attaining global targets set in that direction.

According to Mamora, leprosy is a mildly infectious disease, known by its slow

multiplying bacteria, with an incubation period of about five years, while its symptoms may take as long as 20 years to appear.

The National Director, Leprosy Mission Nigeria, Dr. Sunday Udoh said the group will be launching its knowledgedriven chemoprophylaxis Pilot Programme (PEP) in the six geographical zones of the country in order to accelerate efforts towards achieving zero transmission of the disease by 2035.

SensitiseResidentsonLassaFever Prevention,OsunTellsLGAs Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo The Osun State government has mandated all local government areas (LGAs) and local council development areas (LCDAs) in the state to sensitise residents on measures to be adopted in the prevention of Lassa fever.

The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Yekini Adeleke Adebayo and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Health, Pharmacist Olasiji Olamiju gave this indication during an urgent sensitisation of the council chairmen in Abere recently.

The mandate, according to Olamiju, was sequel to the spread of the disease in some states of the federation, including the neighbouring Ondo State, where about 19 victims have reportedly died.

He said: “Tell your wards to keep their environment clean.

People should stop exposing their food items to urine or

faeces of rats.”

He also hinted that the government has prepared isolation centres for victims should there be any reported case of the disease, while arrangements have also been made to protect the health officers that would be in charge of their treatments.

Adebayo charged the council chairmen to handle the campaign with uttermost sense of duty, explaining that they also have the mandate to guarantee healthy living in the areas.

Describing the mandate given to the council as a very critical project, Adebayo stressed that stakeholders must be actively involved to ensure that the desired result is achieved.

He then charged the council chairmen to explore the opportunity of radio and television adverts to ensure that the campaign gets to the nooks and crannies of the state.

SFHSensitisesAdolescent GirlsonHealthyLifestyle Ayodeji Ake The Society for Family Health (SFH), through its ‘Adolescents 360 Project’, said it sensitises 300 girls monthly on healthy lifestyle and relationships, as well as breaks down barriers on critical health services for adolescent girls.

Speaking during a field trip to the Youth Friendly Centre, Ikorun-Igando, Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State recently, the Project Director, Adolescent 360, Mrs. Fatima Muhammad, said the over four years project was targeted at adolescent girls between the ages of 15 and 19 years, which has been implemented in eight states, including Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Edo, Delta, Nassarawa and Kaduna.

She said: “One of the interventions SFH is currently implementing is the four-anda-half-year long adolescents 360(A360) Project Services International (PSI) which is funded by Children Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BGF).

“A360 project works through public and private health facilities to create safe

spaces for girls, both married and unmarried. Girls acquire life, love, family and health skills, and make informed choices to create the future they envision.”

Sharing her thoughts, a staff with Youth Friendly Centre, Ikorun-Igando, Alimosho, Adeyemi Paulina, said the SFH team has been able to convince girls on the street access the facility for counseling and education.

“We provide counseling for adolescent girls. We make them independent on their own so that they won’t depend on their parents for everything. We talk to girls about relationships, courtship, how to calculate their menstrual calendar, and how they can avoid unwanted pregnancies.

“Some parents do not look into the affairs of their children at all, so we created the platform for them to talk freely with us here, as part of measures to provide them sexual education.

“When ladies come to tell us she is pregnant, we try to calm them. On a daily basis, we get a minimum of 15 girls and sometimes, it could be 25 or 30. On a monthly basis we get close to 300 girls.

L-R: Representative of the Deputy Governor of Ogun State, and Permanent Secretary, Ogun State Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Olubola Aikulola; Commissioner for Health, Ogun State, Dr. Tomi Coke; Representative of the Minister of Agriculture, and Director, Department of Agriculture, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Karima Babangida; The Alagbara of Agbara, HRH Oba Lukman Jayeola Agunbiad; MD/CEO, Nestlé Nigeria PLC, Mr. Mauricio Alarcon; and Category Manager Dairy, Nestle Nigeria PLC, . Aboubacar Coulibaly during the relaunch of GOLDEN MORN in Lagos recently

Most Imported Foods are Carcinogenic, Says Experts Omolabake Fasogbon Food experts have cautioned Nigerians against the consumption of imported foods which they said could lead to cancer.

The experts gave the warning on the sidelines of a sensitisation programme organised for food handlers and manufacturers by the Lagos State Ministry of Health, recently.

Speaking, a Director in the Directorate of Environmental Health Services, Lagos

State Ministry of Health, Dr Theophilus Ajayi, hinted that casualties arising from food borne diseases, including cancer, were on the rise.

He noted that this was not unconnected to Nigerians’ penchant for foreign foods in addition to improper food handling, preparation, preservation and unsafe source, amongst others.

He said most food handlers in the state have refused to comply with the laid down procedures for food safety which he said also aided the

rise in food borne diseases.

He said, “In the course of our routine inspection, we discovered most of the food manufacturers and vendors do not comply with the laid down procedures for food safety in the country despite awareness and statistics of food poison in the country.

“This has prompted us to organise this sensitisation programme tagged: Food Safety, a Call for Active Participation.

“This is to familiarise stakeholders in the food chain with

the food safety management system called Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point, HACCP. “As a result, they won’t fall short of the law while we can also boast of a healthy population in Lagos. We see a need for active collaboration to combat the menace of foodborne diseases.”

Earlier, President of the International HACCP Association of Nigeria, Dr. James Marsh, stressed the need for Nigeria to fully embrace HACCP as a condition for a safe population with regards to food consumption.

UNICEF, Airtel Expand Partnership to Boost U-Report, Support Communities Martins Ifijeh The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has signed an agreement with Airtel Nigeria to further expand telecommunication services to boost U-report.

U-report is UNICEF’s unique social media platform that empowers young people and communities with information to transform their communities and drive positive change on issues affecting them.

U-Report uses simple short message service (SMS) and social media to reach more than three million responders (U-Reporters) across all states in Nigeria on critical issues such as access to education, skills development and employability, water and sanitation, health, violence

against children, safety and security, and the needs of internally displaced persons.

Speaking at the signing event in Lagos recently, the Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya, said: “Airtel is pleased and excited to be a part of the history and story of U-Report and we commend UNICEF for blazing the trail in empowering young people and giving a voice to the voiceless.

“We believe this partnership with UNICEF will provide more Nigerians with a voice and also promote a more inclusive society, a cause we are passionate about.

“Airtel Nigeria is also passionate about empowering people and providing them an opportunity to rediscover themselves and to become

successful in their personal and professional endeavors.

“We are confident that Ureport will continue to deliver value in the remotest locations as we explore more innovative and sustainable ways of helping the underprivileged and also promoting corporate philanthropy,” he said.

U-Report introduced a second platform in Nigeria, U-Report 24x7, almost a year ago, dedicated to serving the needs of affected populations in the North-east states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.

It has become a trusted channel for sharing lifesaving information on essential household practices to adopt by communities during emergencies, such as disease outbreaks.

Sharing his thoughts, the

Country Representative, UNICEF Nigeria, Peter Hawkins said: “Partnerships are essential as we continue to support communities to become active participants in finding solutions to issues that affect them. We are delighted that Airtel Nigeria shares this vision.

“The first U-Report poll in Nigeria was sent in April 2014, and since then, over 900 polls have been shared on the platform in English and the major Nigerian languages of Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and Pidgin, making the platform inclusive.”

“Political office holders also use the U-Report platform to connect with their constituencies to find out their service delivery needs and areas for improvement,” he added.

36

T H I S D AY ˾ , JANUARY 30 , 2020

INTERVIEW

Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu is the Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. In this exclusive interview with Martins Ifijeh, he said the federal government is more than ready to tackle any eventual Coronavirus outbreak. He also advised Nigerians to imbibe normal hygiene culture, including hand washing with soap under running water As at today, how prepared is Nigeria against Coronavirus? Also share some of the new interventions put in place against it within this few days.

Since the first cases were confirmed in China in January 2020, the NCDC has been in close contact with WHO, the Africa Centre for Disease Control and other coordinating bodies. We set up an Epidemic Information Management Group that includes representatives from Port Health Services of the Federal Ministry of Health, WHO and other partners. This group meets daily to review the situation globally, assess the risks to Nigeria and provide recommendations for action.

It is very important for the right information to be disseminated. A public health advisory was issued to Nigerians to inform members of the public on steps to take if they suspect that there is a case of Coronavirus around them. We have also provided guidance to state ministries of health on what to do if they have a suspect case.

The Port Health Services have heightened screening at ports of entry, especially for passengers traveling from China to Nigeria.

This is to enable us detect cases quickly, if there are any Over the last three years, we have strengthened capacity at our National Reference Laboratory to provide molecular diagnosis for various disease pathogens. This depends on laboratory equipment, primers specific for pathogens and technical expertise. At the moment, we are receiving advice from WHO on gaining access to the primers to be used for this ‘new’ virus.

In December 2019, we completed the training of Rapid Response Teams in all states in Nigeria. Every state has a Rapid Response Team ready to be deployed in the event of an outbreak. We have also supported 22 states to establish Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs). These EOCs serve as coordination platforms and are networked to our National Incident Coordination Centre. In addition to supporting the establishment of EOCs, we also trained colleagues in the states on the activation of incident management systems during outbreaks. This has been activated for various outbreaks in states and we continue to learn from this.

We continue to improve our surveillance system to quickly detect infectious disease cases for immediate response activities.

Is any Nigeria or African infected by the Coronavirus outbreak?

Currently, there is no known case of the Novel Coronavirus detected in Nigeria.

However, we are working very hard to be prepared in the event of an outbreak. It is precisely for events like this that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control was set up.

Won’t Nigeria’s Joint External Evaluation capacity affect our preparedness level?

The Joint External Evaluation (JEE) of International Health Regulations capacities helps countries identify areas in their health security that need to be strengthened. Since

The federal government is working very hard to be prepared in the event of an outbreak. It is precisely for events like this that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control was set up ...Nigerians should adhere to preventive measures, like wash your hands regularly with soap under running water; cover your mouth and nose properly with handkerchief or tissue paper when sneezing and/or coughing; and avoid self-medication.

Healthcare workers should observe standard infection prevention and control measures when attending to patients

Ihekweazu

our first JEE in 2017, we have worked very hard to improve our capacity to prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies.

We have established a National Reference Laboratory with the capacity to test for all epidemic prone diseases in Nigeria as well as highly pathogenic infections such as Ebola. We continue to build capacity in our network of laboratories across states in Nigeria.

We have also improved our emergency response capacities, risk communications, coordination with other ministries, departments and agencies and more. We are not where we want to be, but we continue to make progress.

Nigerians travel to China in droves for business. Are there travel bans from our end?

During outbreaks, countries are guided by advice from the WHO on travel and trade related bans through the International Health Regulations. Currently, WHO has not placed any ban on travel between China and other countries. No country in the world has placed travel bans. However, travel has been severely restricted out of then Wuhan province in China, the epicentre of the outbreak.

We have advised travelers to Wuhan in China to restrict contact with livestock and livestock produce as well as with ill patients.

NCDC has also advised any travelers from Wuhan, China with symptoms to report to NCDC on arrival in Nigeria.

Is this more deadly than Ebola considering the speed at which it spreads?

Based on current reports, the 2019 n-CoV has moderate transmissibility and relatively low pathogenicity. Most deaths have occurred in patients who are older or have underlying health issues. But we are learning every hour.

What specifically should Nigerians do to prevent themselves against Coronavirus disease?

Nigerians are advised to remain calm.

The Federal Ministry of Health through NCDC and its partners are fully committed to strengthening our preparedness and response to infectious disease outbreaks. Our advice to travelers from China is to report immediately to a port health officer on entry or to NCDC, if they feel ill.

In addition, members of the public are advised to adhere to preventive measures, like several other infectious diseases; wash your hands regularly with soap under run-

ning water; cover your mouth and nose properly with handkerchief or tissue paper when sneezing and/or coughing. You may also cough into your elbow if handkerchief is not available; avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illnesses such as coughing and sneezing; and avoid self-medication, report to the nearest health facility when you experience any of the above-mentioned symptoms. Healthcare workers are always advised to observe standard infection prevention and control measures when attending to patients and take a travel history How many people so far have died and have been infected?

As at January 25, 2020, there are 1,287 confirmed cases with 41 deaths across China and 11 other countries.

Editor’s note: Latest news from the Coronavirus outbreak, as at yesterday, shows 132 persons have died from the virus, with over 6200. persons infected. At least, 19 countries have so far been affected.

Has FG deployed a special funding for this?

The Honourable Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, has recently approved an additional disbursement of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) for public health emergencies. This fund is to strengthen our preparedness and response capacities for disease outbreaks.

Nestle Pledges to Tackle Micronutrient Deficiency in Nigeria Ayodeji Ake As part of plans to reduce the prevalence of malnutrition, Nestle Nigeria has pledged to address the health challenges caused by micronutrient deficiency.

Speaking at the Golden Morn product relaunch at Nestle manufacturing site, Agbara, Ogun State recently,

the Chief Executive Officer, Nestle Nigeria, Mr. Mauricio Alarcon said over 80 per cent of Nestle products sold in Nigeria are fortitied with micronutrients, reaching 34 million households in the country.

He said the company has since its establishment been nourishing Nigerians.

He aid: “Nestle has been nourishing Nigeria for

over 58 years, delighting individuals and families with high quality nutritious products loved by many.

“This is in line with our purpose to enhance quality of life and contribute to a healthier future. An estimated 200 million people on the African continent are undernourished, and the numbers have increased

by almost 20 per cent since the early 1990s.

“In Nigeria, almost 26 million people are undernourished according to the World Bank collection of development indicators for 2017.

“We are committed to helping to develop sustainable solutions to this menace through the inclusion of bio-fortilied crops and the fortification

of our products.”

In his goodwill measage, the Head of Nutrition, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Chris Isokpunwu said Golden Morn can provide 24 per cent of iron needed in a day which will help battle micro nutrient defeciency.

“We commend this laudable effort by Nestle and we look forward for more,” he said.

The Commissioner for

Health, Ogun State, Dr. Tomi Coker said there was need to prioritise the healthy growth of children, as embraced by Ogun State government.

“Most caregivers have little time after hard labour to care for their children which also resuls to malnutrition. It is our responsibility to provide our children healthy lives, as this will in turn help our economy,” she said.

37

T H I S D AY ˾ , JANUARY 30 , 2020

INTERVIEW

Ikrama: Nasarawa has Spent N270 Million in Training of Doctors Dr. Ikrama Hassan is the Chief Medical Director, Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia. In this interview with Igbawase Ukumba, he reveals that the Nasarawa State government has spent over N270 million on salaries and on allowances in training doctors at DASH. Excerpts; What measures are on ground in the training of doctors in Dalhatu Arab Specialist Hospital (DASH), Lafia?

Residency training is a very important component of a hospital, especially like ours which is designed as a teaching hospital. There are different components to what we do here; sick people come and they get treated.

But apart from services, we also do training.

Nursing students before they become nurses do part of their training here. People in the laboratory and pharmacist also do part of their training here. We also have for doctors which is elaborate and comprehensive. The essence of this training is to provide critical mass of health manpower for us and other hospitals in the state; doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists. Apart from providing service, the training process itself strengthens health care delivery.

One of the major problems we have been having is turnover of staff in the hospital.

Doctors will come and spend one or two years and they leave; reason being that there is no upward mobility for them. When you come as a fresh doctor with just MBBS, you will want to become a consultant naturally. So you want to work in a center where there is a training program so that as you are working, you are progressing to become a consultant.

But if you are working in a center where there is no training, you don’t go anywhere.

So when they come here, despite the fact that our salary is attractive, but after some time, you are not making any progress and they leave after a year or two.

So these are the reasons why we felt that we should begin to train. Now when we began to train, we did not have accreditation, we did not have the requisite requirement to train, so when we employ people, we send them out to other centers to be trained. Now we are being short changed in that these people will go there and be offering their services to those places while we pay their training fees and salaries. Like in the last five years, we have sent quite a number of people out for trainings in the various departments and the state government have spent over N270 million in terms of salaries and other allowances in training them and for those people to finish their training, we are going to spend again about N200 million.

It is those centers that are benefiting from it. But if we can train here, that money will be spent here within the hospital for the benefit of the people. So these are the reasons why we are doing the training ourselves; it will improve the quality of service and will ensure retention of healthcare manpower in the hospital to serve the state.

Again, accreditation is not at hospital level, it is at departmental level, this is the fifth accreditation team we have invited so far. We started with family medicine. We did pediatrics,

to come here, simple antenatal care that can be done at PHCs are brought here. So these specialists spend most of their time attending to headache and malaria rather than technical treatments like dialysis, IVF, heart disease.

So that is why we are working with hospital management board and the government to create awareness by telling people to first access healthcare at PHCs. Do you have facilities in the hospital to effectively take care of persons living with HIV/AIDS, diabetes and malnutrition?

For HIV/AIDS, this hospital is one of the prominent centers for treatment. From the beginning of the HIV/AIDS management in Nigeria, we started managing it here. It has been a very important center. We also provide mentorship to healthcare providers around when it comes to HIV/AIDS. Globally, people don’t die of HIV/AIDS again except you don’t come for your drugs. With drugs you can live a normal life for a very long time.

We also have a consultant for diabetes here who handles it very well. For malnutrition, which is mostly with children, we have four consultants and several young doctors. Normally malnutrition cases are handled by PHCs and from there to general hospitals. The cases we handle here are the ones that are very bad and we treat them very well here too.

Dr. Ikrama

we have done obstetrics and gynecology, we have done surgery and the fifth one is internal medicine that we are going to have. We are positive to get all of them and once we get accreditation in all these departments, we will start training our doctors here.

Is there any plan soon to start conducting in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), as well as Kidney transplant and dialysis?

Presently, we are already doing dialysis. We have started it for a very long time. It is one of the oldest units here in this hospital but of course, the machines are old and breaking down every day, but the state government has made provisions and we are waiting for delivery to replace the old ones. We also have a consultant here that deals with kidney problem and we are trying to equip him to utilise him maximally, and we offer services for all sort of kidney problems.

At the movement, we don’t do IVF but we have a proposal to start doing it sometime in the future, because it is a specialised area. We want to start training our staff on it. It is not just about getting the machines; you need to train your own staff about it. Already one of our consultants will soon go for the training and while she is there, we will now make arrangement to establish an IVF center. But

it is capital intensive.

The general perception is that DASH is full of cases that should be treated at the Primary Healthcare Centers. How true is this anomaly?

Yes, that is very true. Majority of the cases we treat here are actually for Primary Healthcare Centres. It is historical, there was a time there was a complete breakdown of our healthcare system especially at the primary level, and to some extent at the secondary level, so people had lost confidence in the healthcare at that level and everybody wants to come to tertiary hospital. It is either they go to private hospitals or they come to DASH. So you find a situation where somebody will wake up and feel slight headache and he comes straight to DASH. But now, our PHCs have been revived. The government has done a lot in reviving primary health centers and they have improved significantly.

So the issue now is restoring the confidence of the people back; people should know that PHCs can handle headache, malaria, ulcer and the likes.

We encourage people to go there; it is only when PHCs cannot handle their case that they should be brought here. What we have now is that everybody wakes and want

There are insinuations that DASH morgue lacks personnel and equipment to effectively treat corpses under its custody. How true?

It is not true. We have enough personnel.

When we say preservation of dead bodies, the misunderstanding is that people have it in mind that the only way to preserve them is to put them in fridges. You can preserve with chemicals.

If you put corpses in fridge, you have to guarantee 24 hours power supply, if not; it will get spoilt. Running on generators to preserve them will attract a lot of cost.

So, what we do in DASH, and in almost all hospitals across Nigeria is that we use chemicals to preserve corpses which is as good as that preservation in fridges.

Is the hospital in partnership with any foreign hospital in healthcare provision?

We are not yet in partnership with any foreign hospital; we have a number of partnerships with some nongovernmental organisations, especially with regards HIV, tuberculosis and some aspect of nutrition, also management of hypertension. We have those kinds of collaboration around and in a lot of research areas and all arms towards improving healthcare delivery system.

So we have collaboration in these selective areas. We are also in talks with other organisations and some foreign hospitals on how they can come to help DASH.

Germany Pledges More Support for Nigeria’s Effort in Polio Eradication Onyebuchi Ezigbo ÓØ ÌßÔË The German government has said that it will continue to support Nigeria’s efforts in the eradication of polio.

It also commended Nigeria for achieving a milestone of reaching three years without any reported case of wild poliovirus.

Speaking during their visit to a Family Health Clinic in Garki, Abuja, recently to observe a vaccination session and surveillance documentation, a member of German parliament and a member of the budget committee acknowledged the achievements of NPHCDA, WHO, and UNICEF in polio

eradication and the positive impact they have made in the journey.

He said: “We are happy to be on ground to see how our money is being spent, despite a lot of bad stories that have been circulating about Nigeria, it is a job well done.

“It is very heartwarming to come and see these positive achievements and we look forward to celebrating a certified Polio free Nigeria with you all in June 2020.”

German Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs. Brigitt Ory led other members of the German Parliament, during the visit, to the health facility.

In his remark, the Execu-

tive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, traced the historical financial partnership with Germany on polio eradication to over 10 years ago.

Shuaib said Nigeria has over the years, received millions of Euros from Germany as grants for polio eradication initiative.

Represented by the Incident Manager of the National Polio Emergency Operations Center, Dr Usman Adamu, he said, “These funds, which came in at different times were used to purchase vaccines and finance operations of special immunisation campaigns.

“Just recently, in December 2019, the German government released 26.8 Million Euros (€ 26,800,000) channeled through the World Health Organisation and UNICEF to the Nigerian government to support polio operations and procure vaccines.”

In his remarks, the Officerin-Charge, WHO, Dr. Clement Peter stated, “Since the detection of the wild poliovirus three years ago, Nigeria with support from Germany and other partners, implemented various innovations during outbreak response (OBR) and scheduled polio campaigns to halt transmission of the virus.

“Surveillance has been

strengthened and technological innovations such as e-Surveillance and use of audio visual techniques for AFP detection and expansion of community informant network helped to further increase sensitivity of surveillance to detect any suspect cases.

“In spite of this progress, the current success in Nigeria is still very fragile as insecurity, which hinders access to some children, and suboptimal routine immunisation coverage across several states, pose a threat to sustaining recent gains.

“Forty seven per cent of children nationally have not received their third dose of

polio vaccine, whilst 19 per cent of children in Nigeria have not received any vaccination at all.”

Shuaibu urged GPEI partners and donors such as Germany to sustain their technical and financial support to the programme until the job is done (global certification of WPV1-free status, certification of vaccine-derived polio virus (VDPV) free status).

Germany has been a long term supporter of the Polio Eradication Program in Nigeria, providing tremendous and longstanding financial support over the years with grants to fill critical funding gaps for vaccines and campaign operations across the country.

38

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍąÍŽËœ 2020

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Kwara Assembly Passes N162bn Budget Hammed Shittu Ă“Ă˜ Ă–Ă™ĂœĂ“Ă˜ The Kwara State House of Assembly has approved N162,487,666,170 as the 2020 budget for the state.

This is against the N162, 060,661,985 presented to the lawmakers last month, by Governor, Mallam AbdulRah-

man AbdulRazaq, as the 2020 Appropriation Bill.

The budget passed by members of the House of Assembly was 0.26 per cent or N427,004,185 higher.

Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Yakubu Danladi, said the budget size was 55.06 per cent in favour

of capital expenditure and was expected to drive infrastructural development in the state. He said the 2020 budget would ensure paradigm shift from the old order.

Danladi, therefore promised that members of the House would carry out periodic legislative oversight function on the 2020 budget implementation.

Nigerian Ports Most Expensive in West Africa, Says Minister Kasim Sumaina Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË The Minister of State for Transportation, Senator Gbemisola Saraki has described Nigerian ports as the most expensive in the West African sub-region. This, according to her, was occasioned by duplicity of functions by operators in the ports.

The minister of state, said this when she received members Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) in Abuja in a courtesy call, said that the high cost of operation has made it difficult for Nigeria to compete with other neighboring countries. According to her, Nigeria is supposed to be the biggest and cheapest player but unfortunately, “we are not. But I assure you that changes will

be witnessed as we will soon be efficient and effective�.

The minister, in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, by the ministry’s Director of Press, Mr. Eric Ejiekwe, stated that the issue of Nigeria becoming a dumping ground for empty containers also contributes to the gridlock in Apapa, adding that the problem was not a hidden one.

According to Saraki, “Everyone knows that and I assure you that we will soon unveil plans which will surely bring about positive changes.�

She further lauded the association for its commitment in bringing about changes in port operations and urged the members to always avail themselves for robust discus-

sion as that is the only way the ministry could know whether the policies set by government are working or not. Earlier, the National President of ANLCA, Iju Nwabunike, said the visit became necessary to inform the minister about happenings in the area she superintends, so as to guide her in decision making in the discharge of her duties.

Nwabunike, further commended the ministry for the revival and growth of the Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria and stated that his association is in support of collection of Practitioners’ Operating Fees (POF), as it will bring about improvement in the transport chain and the training of their members as professionals.

Wavelength Integrated Signs Power Deal with Lagos Community Peter Uzoho The Wavelength Integrated Power Services, one of the independent power providers in the country has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ibeshe community, Ikorodu, Lagos State, to deliver stable and sustainable electricity supply to the community.

The densely populated riverine Ibeshe land is made up of 47 Community Development Areas (CDAs) under 14 communities, and is currently under the distribution network of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IE).

Under the deal, Wavelength would deliver seven megawatts of power daily to the community with a plan to ramp it up to 14 and 21 megawatts progressively in future.

The initial seven MW is estimated to cost the company close to $7 million, which would be funded through private equity and secondary sources.

Wavelength also said part of the process was to engage with Ikeja

Electric for negotiation on matters relating to how to pay the debts owed it by the community and possible concessioning of its assets and distribution infrastructure in the community.

Giving further details on the deal during the MoU signing ceremony recently, the Commercial/Technical Director, Wavelength Integrated Power Services, Mr. Moses Ajayi, said: “We are trying to make sure that we make power available to this rich community, Ibeshe land.�

According to him, “this is their yearning to make sure that they have light for 24 hours, and this we intend not to do without having to discuss with the public service provider, Ikeja Electric. “So, we are trying to have power generated independently and distributed through the same network Ikeja Electric is using.

We have a law that regulates it; we have charges that we need to pay. “These are all arbitrative things and processes that we need to go through. With that we will be able to make sure that we bring

together the services offered by Ikeja Electric and that offered by us so that the end person that will enjoy the product which is electricity will be the people here in Ibeshe land.�

Ajayi added: “the first step in all this is to have an MoU signed, this is the first step towards having the right to negotiate, discuss or interface with Ikeja Electric. After this we will be able to map out strategies to engage IE. Our engagement with IE is an engagement of understanding, because it is their jurisdiction and we need to take them along, because they need to concession the place for us based on agreement. So we will have to run to them to start up our deployment strategy. “We have a rough estimate of seven megawatts. What happens is, we will double it based on our studies. Why I said 7 megawatts is because of our partners, we have engine that can give us seven MW, that we can easily deploy. But we need to actually do studies, we can go beyond seven, 14 and 21.

‘Under 40 CEOs Live’Holds February 18 The ‘Under 40 CEOs Live,’ a live recording of a no-holdsbarred conversation with accomplished business leaders will hold in Lagos, on February 18. The maiden edition of the event will features the co-founder and former Group Executive Director of Sahara Group, an energy conglomerate, Mr. Tonye Cole.

The Sahara Group operates in 38 countries around the world with over 4,000 employees and an annual turnover of $11 billion.

According to the Executive Director, Africa at Under 40 CEOs, Familusi Akin Babatunde, “While

there is a stream of information available online for aspiring entrepreneurs with regards to business news, industry developments and opportunities, nothing is more effective than direct learning at the feet of business giants, drinking from their fountain of knowledge. And Under 40 CEOs Liveoffers young business leaders that possibility.�

A statement quoted him to have added: “As Group Executive Director at Sahara, Mr. Patrick Tonye Cole was directly responsible for the Group’s global expansion, upholding her corporate governance principles

and maintaining her status with global institutions like the World Economic Forum and The United Nations where he was a pioneer member of the advisory board of the Private Sector Advisory Group for the UNDP Sustainable Development Group Fund (SDGF). “It is, indeed, a privilege to have him share his experience with us at the maiden Under 40 CEOs Live.�

The Under 40 CEOs Live is supported by FCMB and the Enterprise Development Centre.

The event is free but requires registration through a designated website,

L-R: Assistant Chief Economist, Development Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Joseph Nnanna; Managing Director, Old mutual LifeAssurance,SegunOmosehin;ChiefEconomistBusinessDay,Dr.NonsoObikili;ActingChairman,NationalPopulation Commission, Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, andTechnical Adviser, Office of the Statistician General of the Federation, LolaTalabi-Oni,at theBusinessDay2020NigeriaEconomicOutlookConferenceheldinLagos‌recently

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

SEPTEMBER 2019 Money Supply (M3)

35,029,779.72

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

7,374,356.91

Money Supply (M2)

27,655,422.82

-- Quasi Money

116,533,891.21

-- Narrow Money (M1)

11,121,531.60

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,625,047.69

---- Demand Deposits

9,496,483.91

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

13,911,335.83

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

21,118,443.89

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

35,918,179.45

---- Credit to Government (Net)

10,452,199.38

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

11,007,422.79

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

25,465,980.07

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

-14,799,735.56

--Other Assets Net

7,000,253.07

Reserve Money (Base Money

2,005,600.83

--Currency in Circulation

4,677,530.81

--Banks Reserves

317,121.43

Ëž Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? Ě‹

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

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

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE Ëœ Í°Íś Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $60.67 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $61.98 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

39

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍąÍŽËœ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

MARKET NEWS

Onyema: NSE Committed to MSMEs, Economic Growth Goddy Egene The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema has said the exchange is commitment of to the growth of start-ups and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as part of efforts to grow the nation’s economy.

Onyema stated this yesterday, at the launch of NSE Growth Board (GB) in Lagos, saying the GB aims to encourage companies

with high growth potential to seize the opportunity of raising long-term capital and promote liquidity in the trading of their shares. “The board also presents as an avenue for companies in their growth phase to leverage the NSEs platform and varied products and services to achieve their long term business objectives,� he said.

According to him, the GB was designed to offer relaxed entry criteria and less stringent

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

ongoing listing requirements and allows for greater accessibility to capital flows, global visibility and credibility through corporate disclosures.

He said the board, which restructures current market segments to better meet needs along company’s entire lifecycle, will be in two segments, entry platform and standard platform.

Onyema disclosed that the entry platform would be for companies with a market capitalisation from N50 milliom

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

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

and above, while the standard platform would be for institutions with a market capitalisation between N500 million and N4 billion.

The CEO noted that the segmentation also provides alternative options for interested investors to participate in each company’s growth journey.

Onyema said: “To successfully achieve our listed company’s growth strategy and listing objective, the NSE will be collaborating with various strategic business

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

partners and value added service providers to offer cost effective services designed to create a competitive edge for listed companies within their respective industries. This platform is pivotal to our efforts in catering to a segment of the economy that hitherto has been neglected and perceived as a high risk and low reward venture by most service providers especially in relation to access to capital from financial institutions. “The traditional role of the

O F

exchange as an enabler of capital flow from areas of surplus to deficit holds good promise for its capability to support SMEs, as access to capital is the prime challenge faced by companies that are active in the SME sector.�

He explained that the SME space remained critical to the growth of the economy, noting that it had contributed about 48 per cent to the national gross domestic products (GDP) in the last five years.

2 8 / 0 1 / 2 0 2 0 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

40

˾ THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020

Thursday, January 30, 2020 Thisday Afrinvest 40 Index Sheds 1.6% zĞƐƚĞƌĚĂLJ͕ ƚŚĞ dŚŝƐĚĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ϰϬ /ŶĚĞdž ůŽƐƚ ϭϲϮďƉƐ ƚŽ ƐĞƩůĞ Ăƚ Ϯ͕ϯϬϳ͘Ϯϳ

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 INDEX

points, following price declines in MTNN (-ϰ͘ϬйͿ͕ GUARANTY (-Ϯ͘ϵйͿ ĂŶĚ ACCESS (-Ϯ͘ϬйͿ͘ dŚĞƐĞ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĐƵŵƵůĂƟǀĞůLJ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ĨŽƌ ϰϰ͘ϭй ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŝŶĚĞdž͘

Fundamental Performance Metrics for THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 Index

Price Previous Current Change Price Weighting YTD Change

ƋƵŝƟĞƐ DĂƌŬĞƚ ^ƵƐƚĂŝŶƐ >ŽƐƐĞƐ͘​͘​͘ ^/ ŽǁŶ ϵϭďƉƐ dŚĞ ďĞĂƌƐ ƌĞŵĂŝŶĞĚ ƵŶƌĞůĞŶƟŶŐ ĂƐ ƐĞůů-ŽīƐ ŝŶ MTNN (-ϰ͘ϬйͿ͕ 'h Z Edz ;Ϯ͘ϵйͿ ĂŶĚ ^^ ;-Ϯ͘ϬйͿ ĚƌŽǀĞ ƚŚĞ All-^ŚĂƌĞ /ŶĚĞdž ƐŽƵƚŚǁĂƌĚƐ ďLJ Ϭ͘ϵй ƚŽ

Ticker

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40

2,307.27

-1.62%

120.00

-4.0%

29.4%

14.3%

10.1%

298.90

0.0%

13.5%

0.0%

0.0%

30.10

-2.9%

10.7%

1.3%

3.1%

32.9%

5.4%

4.5x

1.4x

9.0%

22.0%

21.15

0.0%

7.1%

13.7%

13.1%

24.3%

3.4%

3.3x

0.8x

13.2%

30.1%

Ϯϵ͕ϭϭϬ͘ϵϬ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ͘ Ɛ Ă ƌĞƐƵůƚ͕ zd ƌĞƚƵƌŶ ŵŽĚĞƌĂƚĞĚ ƚŽ ϴ͘ϱй ǁŚŝůĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ 1 MTN Nigeria Communications PLC ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝƐĂƟŽŶ ĨĞůů േϭϯϳ͘ϵďŶ ƚŽ േϭϰ͘ϵƚŶ͘ ĐƟǀŝƚLJ ůĞǀĞů ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ĂƐ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ĂŶĚ 2 Airtel Africa PLC ǀĂůƵĞ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ĨĞůů ϯ͘ϯй ĂŶĚ ϰ͘ϵй ƚŽ ϮϰϮ͘ϴŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ĂŶĚ േϰ͘ϲďŶ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘ dŚĞ 3 Guaranty Trust Bank PLC ŵŽƐƚ ĂĐƟǀĞ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ďLJ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ǁĞƌĞ E/d, ;ϰϲ͘ϲŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ͕ hE/> s Z ;Ϯϱ͘Ϭŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ ĂŶĚ 'h Z Edz ;Ϯϰ͘ϯŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ ǁŚŝůĞ DdEE ;േϭ͘ϯďŶͿ͕ E/d, ;േϵϴϬ͘ϳŵͿ ĂŶĚ 'h Z Edz ;േϳϰϬ͘ϮŵͿ ůĞĚ ďLJ ǀĂůƵĞ͘

4 Zenith Bank PLC 5 Nestle Nigeria PLC

WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ ǁĂƐ ďĞĂƌŝƐŚ as 4 ŽĨ ϲ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ƵŶĚĞƌ ŽƵƌ ĐŽǀĞƌĂŐĞ

ROE

57.2% 130.7%

ROA

13.7%

5.1%

P/E

P/BV

Divindend Earnings Yield Yield

5.3x

0.7x

6.0%

15.9%

14.3x

24.1x

2.5%

7.0%

3.6%

1,380.00

0.0%

4.5%

-6.1%

-6.1%

82.9%

26.3%

23.4x

19.4x

4.7%

4.3%

179.90

0.0%

5.4%

26.7%

26.7%

47.8%

23.1%

7.9x

3.6x

9.2%

12.6%

7 Access Bank PLC

9.80

-2.0%

4.0%

-2.0%

-3.0%

22.7%

2.2%

2.5x

0.6x

5.1%

40.6%

8 United Bank for Africa PLC

8.20

0.0%

3.1%

14.7%

13.9%

2.9x

0.6x

10.4%

34.1% 23.0%

6 Dangote Cement PLC

9 FBN Holdings Plc

ĞĂƌŝƐŚ ^ĞĐƚŽƌ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ

Price Change Index to Date

Current Price

6.95

-1.4%

2.9%

13.0%

6.9%

10.2%

1.2%

4.3x

0.4x

3.7%

10 Nigerian Brew eries PLC

55.00

1.9%

2.5%

-6.8%

-6.8%

10.2%

4.6%

25.7x

2.7x

4.2%

11 Lafarge Africa PLC

16.95

-1.5%

3.0%

10.8%

22.8%

50.3%

23.4%

17.0x

0.8x

605.00

0.0%

ůŽƐƚ͘ dŚĞ ŽŶƐƵŵĞƌ 'ŽŽĚƐ ĂŶĚ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ŐĂŝŶĞĚ͕ ƵƉ Ϭ͘ϰй 13 Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC apiece, ďƵŽLJĞĚ ďLJ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ E/' Z/ E Z t Z/ ^ ;нϭ͘ϵйͿ͕ 14 Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC

2.2%

-8.0%

2.2%

14.4%

9.5%

3.9x

0.5x

6.1%

25.6%

41.50

0.0%

2.0%

1.2%

3.8%

27.0%

4.0%

5.9x

1.5x

4.8%

16.9%

22.35

5.7%

1.1%

13.5%

13.5%

3.6%

1.3%

17.4x

0.6x

5.4%

&>KhZD/>> ;нϱ͘ϳйͿ ĂŶĚ K E K ;нϮ͘ϴйͿ͘ KŶ ƚŚĞ ŇŝƉ ƐŝĚĞ͕ ƚŚĞ &Z-/ d ;-Ϯ͘ϯйͿ 15 International Brew eries PLC

9.00

0.0%

0.9%

-5.3%

-5.3%

-48.8%

-4.0%

16 Ecobank Transnational Inc

7.45

-2.6%

1.0%

14.6%

13.7%

13.8%

1.0%

2.4x

0.4x

17 Fidelity Bank PLC

2.11

0.0%

0.7%

2.9%

4.5%

12.5%

1.4%

2.4x

0.3x

5.2%

42.1%

147.90

0.0%

0.6%

0.0%

0.0%

22.5%

10.6%

6.0x

1.4x

6.0%

16.6%

ŝŶĚĞdž ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ͕ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĚĞƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ in MTNN (-ϰ͘ϬйͿ͘ DŽƌĞ ƐŽ͕ ƉƌŽĮƚ-ƚĂŬŝŶŐ ŝŶ D E^ Z (-ϲ͘ϭйͿ͕ E D (-ϴ͘ϯйͿ ĂŶĚ t W/ (-ϱ͘ϰйͿ

12 SEPLAT Petroleum Development C

3.9% 5.9%

18 11 PLC

4.5x

5.8% -15.6% 41.7%

dragged ƚŚĞ /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ŝŶĚĞdž ĚŽǁŶ Ϯ͘ϴй͘ >ŝŬĞǁŝƐĞ͕ ƐƵƐƚĂŝŶĞĚ ƐĞůů ƉƌĞƐƐƵƌĞƐ ŝŶ 19 Okomu Oil Palm PLC

68.00

0.0%

0.7%

22.3%

22.3%

18.3%

13.2%

12.1x

2.2x

4.4%

8.3%

'h Z Edz (-Ϯ͘ϵйͿ͕ ^^ (-Ϯ͘ϴйͿ ĂŶĚ t W K (-ϭ͘ϱйͿ ƌĞƐƵůƚĞĚ ŝŶ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞƐ 20 Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC

13.80

0.0%

0.5%

1.5%

-1.4%

19.6%

11.6%

8.2x

1.6x

8.1%

12.2%

5.2x

in ƚŚĞ ĂŶŬŝŶŐ ;-ϭ͘ϯйͿ ĂŶĚ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ ;-Ϭ͘ϮйͿ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ͘

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ^ƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶƐ

21 Transnational Corp of Nigeria

1.02

1.0%

0.5%

3.0%

-4.7%

11.7%

2.6%

22 Unilever Nigeria PLC

15.00

-5.1%

0.3%

-31.8%

-27.5%

-5.6%

-3.5%

23 Guinness Nigeria PLC

30.20

0.0%

0.4%

0.5%

0.5%

4.8%

2.6%

1.95

-0.5%

0.4%

5.4%

7.1%

7.8%

10.00

-5.2%

0.3%

16.3%

12.4%

5.85

0.0%

0.3%

3.5%

3.5%

24 FCMB Group Plc

ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞĚ ƚŽ Ϭ͘ϲdž ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ Ϭ͘ϰdž ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ĂƐ 27 PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC 28 Custodian and Allied Insurance 29 Presco PLC

^ K ;нϳ͘ϳйͿ͕ // K ;нϲ͘ϯйͿ ĂŶĚ &>KhZD/>> ;нϱ͘ϳйͿ ǁŚŝůĞ K ' ^ (-ϵ͘ϭйͿ͕ 30 Union Bank of Nigeria PLC E D (-ϴ͘ϯйͿ ĂŶĚ D E^ Z (-ϲ͘ϭйͿ ůĞĚ ƚŚĞ ůĂŐŐĂƌĚƐ͘ ůƐŽ͕ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵͲ 31 Total Nigeria PLC

ƐĞĞ ŵŽƌĞ ƉƌŽĮƚ-ƚĂŬŝŶŐ ĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ůŽĐĂů ďŽƵƌƐĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŶĞĂƌ ƚĞƌŵ͘

dŽĚĂLJΖƐ ŽƌƉŽƌĂƚĞ ĐƟŽŶƐ

ƚŚĞ ƚŽƚĂů ŶƵŵďĞƌ ŽĨ ďŽĂƌĚƐ ŵĂŝŶƚĂŝŶĞĚ ďLJ ƚŚĞ E^ ƚŽ ĨŽƵƌ ;DĂŝŶ͕ ^ D͕ WƌĞŵŝƵŵ ĂŶĚ 'ƌŽǁƚŚ ŽĂƌĚƐͿ͘

0.7x

5.0%

6.5%

1.0%

2.7x

0.2x

7.2%

37.0%

-24.5%

-11.3%

11.1x

-4.0%

-2.0%

0.6x

6.4%

9.0%

0.6x

2.6%

-7.1% 20.3%

0.0%

0.3%

0.0%

0.0%

17.5%

7.0%

4.9x

0.8x

7.5%

0.0%

0.3%

10.0%

10.0%

5.2%

3.0%

19.4x

2.0x

3.8%

6.00

1.7%

0.2%

0.0%

-0.8%

7.0%

1.1%

9.6x

0.7x

0.0%

0.2%

-3.5%

-3.5%

1.0%

0.2%

14.0x

1.4x

3.74

2.7%

0.1%

-6.3%

-6.3%

14.5%

2.6%

1.6x

0.2x

23.4%

8.6%

20.5x

3.5x

7.1%

4.9%

2.8x

0.7x

9.0%

36.2%

0.5x

4.3%

17.9%

15.00

0.0%

0.2%

15.8%

15.8%

22.25

0.5%

0.2%

11.8%

11.8%

35 Wema Bank PLC

0.69

-1.4%

0.1%

-6.8%

1.5%

9.0%

0.9%

36 Forte Oil PLC

20.60

0.0%

0.1%

13.8%

14.4%

7.6%

1.3%

37 Cement Co Northern Nigeria PLC

18.10

0.0%

0.1%

0.0%

0.0%

5.9%

5.4%

70.00

0.0%

0.1%

30.1%

30.1%

17.8%

4.45

0.0%

0.0%

-9.2%

-9.2%

3.6%

5.6x

13.0%

1.5x

-1.3%

12.0x

0.7x

2.2%

8.3%

12.5%

6.4x

1.1x

1.9%

15.5%

1.8%

16.4x

0.6x

3.4%

6.1%

38 Continental Reinsurance PLC

40 Transcorp Hotels Plc

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V o l u m e

T o p 10 G a i n e r s T ic k er

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

LA SA C O

0.28

7.7%

Z EN IT H B A N K

46.6

0.0%

A IIC O

0.84

6.3%

UN ILEVER

25.0

-5.1%

Vo lum e

P ric e C hg %

5.7%

GUA R A N T Y

24.3

-2.9%

3.74

2.7%

FCM B

21.1

-0.5%

ST ER LN B A N K

1.89

2.2%

UB A

12.4

0.0%

55.00

1.9%

FB NH

12.3

-1.4%

UB N

6.00

1.7%

VER IT A SKA P

12.2

0.0%

dKd > E/' Z/ W> ;hŶĂƵĚŝƚĞĚ &z͗ϮϬϭϵͿ͗ ZĞǀĞŶƵĞ ĚŽǁŶ ϱ͘ϲй Y-o-Y to

C A VER T ON

2.94

1.4%

C OUR T VILLE

11.5

0.0%

േϮϵϬ͘ϵďŶ͖ W d ĂůƐŽ ĨĞůů ϲϵ͘ϲй z-o-z ƚŽ േϮ͘ϰďŶ͘

T R A N SC OR P

1.02

1.0%

M TNN

10.7

-4.0%

22.25

0.5%

F ID ELIT YB K

9.0

0.0%

ƵƉ Ϯϰ͘ϵй z-o-Y ƚŽ േϳ͘ϳďŶ͖ ƉƌŽĮƚ ĂŌĞƌ ƚĂdž ;W dͿ ƌĞĐŽǀĞƌĞĚ ĨƌŽŵ ϮϬϭϴ ůŽƐƐĞƐ͕ ƵƉ ϭϳϵ͘ϲй z-o-z ƚŽ േϱϯϬ͘Ϯŵ͘

F LOUR M ILL

T ic k er

22.35

^<zt z s/ d/KE , E >/E' KDW Ez W> ;hŶĂƵĚŝƚĞĚ &z͗ϮϬϭϵͿ͗ ZĞǀĞŶƵĞ

7.2% 62.1%

OA N D O

,ŝŐŚůŝŐŚƚƐ ŽĨ ^ŽŵĞ ŽƌƉŽƌĂƚĞ ĂƌŶŝŶŐƐ ŝƐĐůŽƐƵƌĞƐ ŶŶŽƵŶĐĞĚ dŽĚĂLJ͗

5.2% 10.4%

107.00

33 NASCON Allied Industries PLC

Ƶŵ-ƐŝnjĞĚ ĐŽŵƉĂŶŝĞƐ ƚŚĂƚ ĞdžŚŝďŝƚ ƚŚĞ ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ĨŽƌ ĨĂƐƚ ŐƌŽǁƚŚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĐŽƌƉŽͲ ƌĂƚĞ ĞĂƌŶŝŶŐƐ ĂŶĚ ĂƌĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŐƌŽǁƚŚ ƉŚĂƐĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞŝƌ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ĐLJĐůĞ͘ dŚŝƐ ďƌŝŶŐƐ

-4.9%

15.5x

6.00

34 Julius Berger Nigeria PLC

dŚĞ EŝŐĞƌŝĂŶ ^ƚŽĐŬ džĐŚĂŶŐĞ ;E^ Ϳ ƚŽĚĂLJ ůĂƵŶĐŚĞĚ 'ƌŽǁƚŚ ŽĂƌĚ ĨŽƌ ,ŝŐŚ- 39 Beta Glass PLC 'ƌŽǁƚŚ ŽŵƉĂŶŝĞƐ͘ dŚĞ 'ƌŽǁƚŚ ŽĂƌĚ ŝƐ ĞdžƉĞĐƚĞĚ ƚŽ ĂƩƌĂĐƚ ƐŵĂůů ƚŽ ŵĞĚŝͲ

19.1%

52.25

ŵĞŶĐĞŵĞŶƚ ŽĨ corporate earnings releases, we believe investor ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ 32 Oando PLC ǁŽƵůĚ ďĞ ŝŶŇƵĞŶĐĞĚ ďLJ ƚŚĞ ĐŽƌƉŽƌĂƚĞ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞƐ͘ ,ŽǁĞǀĞƌ͕ we expect to

2.9% 10.0%

25 Sterling Bank PLC

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ĂƐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ ;ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞͬĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ƌĂƟŽͿ 26 UAC of Nigeria PLC

10 ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ƌĞůĂƟǀĞ ƚŽ ϭϴ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞƌƐ͘ dŚĞ ďĞƐƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĞƌƐ ǁĞƌĞ > Ͳ

0.6x 1.2x

NB

J B ER GER

, D/ > ĂŶĚ >>/ WZK h d^ W> ;hŶĂƵĚŝƚĞĚ &z͗ϮϬϭϵͿ͗ ZĞǀĞŶƵĞ ƵƉ T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V a l u e

T o p 10 L o s e r s

ϵ͘ϳй Y-o-z ƚŽ േϴ͘ϰďŶ͖ W d ĚŽǁŶ ϭϮ͘Ϯй Y-o-z ƚŽ േϭ͘ϴďŶ͘ E ^ KE >>/ /E h^dZ/ ^ W> ;hŶĂƵĚŝƚĞĚ &z͗ϮϬϭϵͿ͗ ZĞǀĞŶƵĞ ƵƉ ϳ͘Ϭй z-o-

T ic k er

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

T ic k er

Value

P ric e C hg %

z ƚŽ േϮϳ͘ϲďŶ ǁŚŝůĞ W d ĚŝƉƉĞĚ ϱϲ͘ϭй z-o-z ƚŽ േϭ͘ϵďŶ͘

B OC GA S

4.50

-9.1%

M TNN

1282.2

-4.0%

N EM

2.20

-8.3%

Z EN IT H B A N K

980.7

0.0%

ϭϭW> ;hŶĂƵĚŝƚĞĚ &z͗ϮϬϭϵͿ͗ ZĞǀĞŶƵĞ ƵƉ ϭϲ͘ϭй z-o-z ƚŽ േϭϵϭ͘ϳďŶ ǁŚŝůĞ PAT ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ϱ͘ϭй z-o-z ƚŽ േϴ͘ϵďŶ͘ s/d &K D E/' Z/ W> ;hŶĂƵĚŝƚĞĚ Yϭ͗ϮϬϮϬͿ͗ ZĞǀĞŶƵĞ ĨĞůů ϲ͘ϯй z-o-Y to േϲ͘ϬďŶ͖ W d ƐƵƌŐĞĚ ϭϮϲ͘ϱй z-o-z ƚŽ േϴϭϵ͘ϳŵ͘

M A N SA R D

2.00

-6.1%

GUA R A N T Y

740.2

-2.9%

WA P IC

0.35

-5.4%

UN ILEVER

375.3

-5.1%

UA C N

10.00

-5.2%

N EST LE

210.2

0.0%

UN ILEVER

15.00

-5.1%

D A N GC EM

156.9

0.0%

120.00

-4.0%

A IR T ELA F R I

119.6

0.0%

30.10

-2.9%

UB A

102.0

0.0%

M TNN

^d E / / d W> ;hŶĂƵĚŝƚĞĚ &z͗ϮϬϭϵͿ͗ ZĞǀĞŶƵĞ ƵƉ ϱ͘ϭй z-o-z ƚŽ േϮϯϯ͘ϴďŶ͖ GUA R A N T Y W d ƌŽƐĞ ŵĂƌŐŝŶĂůůLJ ďLJ Ϭ͘ϴй z-o-z ƚŽ േϳϱ͘ϬďŶ͘

Afrinvest West Africa Limited

ET I

7.45

-2.6%

NB

93.8

1.9%

UC A P

2.60

-2.3%

FB NH

86.3

-1.4%

Brokerage

Asset Management

Investment Research

Ayodeji Ebo | aebo@afrinvest.com

Ola Belgore | obelgore@afrinvest.com

Abiodun Keripe | AKeripe@afrinvest.com

Adedoyin Allen | aallen@afrinvest.com

Oluwarotimi Ashimi | oashimi@afrinvest.com

Adedayo Bakare | abakare@afrinvest.com

41

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

Total Nigeria’s Profit Falls 70% on High Financing Costs Goddy Egene The reliance on bank borrowings to finance its operations continued to have a negative impact on the fortunes of Total Nigeria Plc as it has recorded a decline of 69 per cent in its bottom-line for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Financing costs jumped by 193

per cent from N2.86 billion in 2018 to N6.706 billion in 2019, thereby depressing profit after tax (PAT) to N2.422 billion, down from N7.969 billion in 2018.

An analysis of the results showed that Total Nigeria posted a revue of N290.883 billion in 2019, down marginally by 5.6 per cent from

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

N307.987 billion in 2018. Gross profit stood at N33.827 billion, as against N34.785 billion in 2018.

Other income rose on the back of N2.763 billion realised from sale of property, plant and equipment to hit N4.597 billion in 2019 compared with N1.451 billion in 2018. The company ended with an operating profit of

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 28Jan-2020, unless otherwise stated.

N10.358 billion, up from N9.812 billion in 2018.

However, net financing cost jumped from N2.286 billion to N6.706 billion in 2019. Consequently, profit before tax fell from N12.098 billion to N3.652 billion. A reduction of 70 per cent in taxation from N4.137 billion in 2018 to N1.231 billion in 2019, made PAT

to print at N2.422 billion, down from N7.961 billion in 2018.

Some shareholders of Total Nigeria have been calling for equity injection into the firm so as to reduce its reliance on debt funding.

According to one of the shareholders, the chairman of Total Nigeria Plc had personally

complained about the high cost of doing business due to heavy reliance on debt financing.

“The company can even capitalise some its reserves by issuing bonus shares to shareholders. Total Nigeria Plc has a share capital of N169 million but retained earnings of N30.561 billion.

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 157.73 161.16 9.45% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 6.99% Nigeria International Debt Fund 320.01 320.01 2.46% 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 0.90 0.91 7.08% ACAP Income Funds 0.76 0.76 33.76% 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 8.00% AIICO Balanced Fund 2.48 2.53 0.71% 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 N/A N/A N/A Anchoria Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Anchoria Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 16.46 16.95 7.45% ARM Discovery Fund 364.52 375.51 5.52% ARM Ethical Fund 30.71 31.63 5.57% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 7.96% 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 102.61 103.33 6.80% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 6.29% 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 1.95 1.95 22.29% 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 8.66% Paramount Equity Fund 13.08 13.27 4.32% Women's Investment Fund 116.16 117.24 5.23% 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 8.68% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 106.79 107.41 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 116.96 117.74 CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 7.48% Coronation Balanced Fund 0.96 0.97 3.91% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.36 1.36 2.40% 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 5.73% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 6.18% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,182.00 1,183.87 1.71% FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,316.21 1,317.34 1.95% FBN Balanced Fund 152.13 153.28 3.62% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 7.44% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 119.66 119.99 0.35% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 120.36 120.69 0.44% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 133.29 135.06 2.43% 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 9.31% Legacy Debt Fund 3.68 3.68 0.60% Legacy Equity Fund 1.18 1.21 4.65% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.09 1.09 0.34% 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 3,168.60 3,206.56 6.26% Coral Income Fund 3,100.18 3,100.18 13.10% FSDH Treasury Bills Fund 100.00 100.00 8.78% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.49% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 119.41 119.84 11.35%

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 6.67% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.26 2.29 5.04% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 11.46% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 145.10 145.59 16.26% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.23 1.25 5.69% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,108.51 1,108.51 0.93% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Meristem Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.42 1.44 15.90% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.49 12.58 10.56% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 9.00% PACAM Equity Fund 1.20 1.21 PACAM EuroBond Fund 108.34 110.22 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 139.96 141.34 10.43% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.00 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 2,521.35 2,532.80 4.56% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 210.33 210.33 0.53% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.88 0.89 7.30% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 273.87 273.95 0.97% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 154.92 156.64 5.32% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 6.70% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,674.15 7,756.30 6.60% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.16 1.16 0.54% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 118.18 118.18 0.00% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.18 1.20 1.63% United Capital Bond Fund 1.69 1.69 15.58% United Capital Equity Fund 0.69 0.70 -3.63% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.06% United Capital Eurobond Fund 111.58 111.58 8.05% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.08 1.08 6.79% 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 10.82 10.99 5.52% Zenith Ethical Fund 12.07 12.22 4.04% Zenith Income Fund 22.99 22.99 3.43% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 5.64%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

3.40 119.19 52.14

-64.85% 0.22% 0.17%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

9.98 102.52 79.44

10.08 104.72 80.91

14.53% 10.87% 7.75%

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

3.79 5.54 13.72 12.50 173.16

3.83 5.62 13.82 12.70 175.16

6.71% -6.27% 12.75% 20.09% -7.58%

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

THURSDAY JANUARY 30, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

INTERNATIONAL

South Korea, Malaysia, France Demand Entry Ban for Chinese Travellers Hundreds of thousands of people in South Korea, Malaysia and France, on Wednesday signed online petitions aimed at banning Chinese travellers from entering their countries after the outbreak of a new coronavirus in China.

In South Korea, over half

a million people supported a petition which had been posted on the website of the president’s office, asking to temporarily bar all visitors from China to avoid the spread of the disease.

However, as of Wednesday, 578,000 signatures had been collected.

The author of the petition’s argument was that the virus was spreading from China, adding that even North Korea, a close ally of China, had barred Chinese nationals from entering the country.

Meanwhile, some supporters expressed fears in the comment section, with a hotel employee

EU Parliament to Vote on Brexit Ahead of Friday’s Departure The European Parliament on Wednesday said it was due to vote on Britain’s departure from the EU, marking one of the final steps required for Brexit to take place.

Britain is due to leave the EU on Friday (2300 GMT), three-and-a-half years after Britons narrowly voted on the issue in a 2016 referendum.

Little will change in practice for the duration of an 11-month transitional phase.

A simple majority of EU lawmakers must vote in favour of Britain’s withdrawal deal for it to pass, a move that is expected following a recommendation by the parliament’s constitutional

affairs committee.

Following the vote, EU member states must finally approve the deal in a written procedure that should be a formality.

Britain’s departure date, initially set for March 2019, was postponed several times amid disagreement in the British parliament on what shape Brexit should take.

In October, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, finally struck a deal with his EU counterparts that was accepted by parliament after snap elections delivered a landslide majority for the Conservative premier.

However, the European

Parliament had always stressed that it could only vote on the withdrawal agreement following ratification in Britain, a process that had been completed.

The legal text runs to more than 500 pages and specifies the details of Britain’s departure, including key provisions on citizens’ rights, arrangements to maintain peace on the divided island of Ireland and Britain’s remaining financial obligations.

The withdrawal deal says nothing about Britain’s future relationship with the EU, with painstaking negotiations due to start on everything from trade and security relations to future fishing rights.

claiming to be nervous when serving Chinese customers.

More than 400,000 people had signed a similar petition in Malaysia by Wednesday, accusing Chinese people of an “unhygienic lifestyle” responsible for its spread.

In France, citizens of Asian descent have complained of discrimination since the outbreak of the virus. They shared their experiences on

social media using the hashtag #JeNeSuisPasUnVirus (I’m not a virus).

According to the Daily Straits Times, so far, seven coronavirus cases have been reported in Malaysia.

The Korea Times had so far reported four confirmed cases in South Korea, while the French Health Ministry had confirmed at least three cases at the weekend.

South Korea is planning to evacuate 700 Korean citizens from the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Thursday and Friday, where the disease is suspected to have originated from wild animals sold at an exotic food market.

According to experts, the respiratory disease only affects patients mildly in most cases, and some people do not even show symptoms.

9,000 US Soldiers Threaten to Leave Korea over Funding Row About 9,000 members of the U.S. military, stationed in South Korea, on Wednesday urged to leave if a dispute over the sharing of the costs for the 28,500 U.S. soldiers stationed in the country remains unresolved.

According to U.S. Armed Forces, upon expiration of an agreement on funding from 2019, no follow-up deal for the U.S. Forces/Korea (USFK), has been reached and employees were notified of a potential administrative furlough from April. “Without the Republic of Korea’s continued

commitment to share the cost of employing our Korean National workforce, USFK will soon exhaust programmed funds available to pay their salaries and wages,’’ USFK said.

Meanwhile, the notice was sent 60 days in advance of the potential commencement date for the leave.

However, it could only come into effect if the two sides were unable to negotiate an agreement over the next couple of weeks. The U.S. has long been demanding that its allies increase their financial support

for its military presence.

Washington asked Seoul to raise their share to up to $5 billion annually, more than five times its current share.

The U.S. Ambassador, Harry Harris, recently said that Washington had softened its position. Korea has also rejected Washington’s demand to discuss sharing the cost of transporting U.S. soldiers to and from South Korea.

Instead, the country asked that the framework of the previous agreement, which had been in effect for 28 years, remain in force.

THURSDAY JANUARY 30, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢ T H I S D AY

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Stop Disrupting Activities in Edo, Obaseki Tells Oshiomhole Adibe Emenyonu in Bénin City Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has vowed to deal with the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, if he (Oshiomhole) continues to disrupt political activities in the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Obaseki said Oshiomhole as a governor would not tolerate a fraction of the misdemeanour and misbehaviour he (Oshiomhole) is undertaking.

The governor who spoke when he attended a meeting of the 18 APC local government Chairmen in the state at Sokponba road in the state capital, added that he would

show Oshiomhole that he (Obaseki) is the governor of the state.

The Edo State governor said the regret of the Edo APC was the elevation of Oshiomhole without knowing the kind of a person he is.

He directed the party chairmen to seriously deal with any persons or group carrying out activities outside what the party hierarchy has agreed to do.

Obaseki stated that Oshiomhole did not build the APC as there was no party structure in place when he became the governor.

According to him, “This is not a party man. Look at the dump he kept the party as a Secretariat. With all the resources

we had he could not support the party until the landlord evicted us. You are governor or chairman based on the platform that elevated you.

That is why I looked for one of the most beautiful building along Airport Road and said this

is the secretariat of the party.

“All these nonsense they are doing- if anybody in the name of our party tries to do anything contrary to what we have agreed as a party we will deal with that person ruthlessly no matter who he is,” he said.

“If you are elected a chairman, your attitude should show if you believe in the party. Party supremacy means the leadership of the party must respect the membership. It is the members that make the party supreme because the members subscribed

to a constitution which governs the conduct of the party. One man cannot be the party”.

However, a former Deputy Whip, House of Representatives, Hon. Pally Iriase, described Obaseki’s comments as unfortunate and a hard one.

Senate Committee Screens Obiora for CBN Deputy Governor Position Obinna Chima The Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions yesterday screened Dr. Kingsley Obiora for the position of Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The Committee urged Obiora, who is an Alternate Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to bring his wealth of experience to bear in the task of assisting the Bank achieve its mandate of ensuring monetary and price stability, among others.

The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Uba Sani, stated while the committee questioned Obiora.

President Muhammadu Buhari

had a fortnight ago nominated Obiora, as a Deputy Governor of the CBN, and had said the nomination was in accordance with the provision of Section 8(1) (2) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (Establishment) Act 2007.

Subject to the confirmation of the Senate, Obiora will replace Dr. Joseph Okwu Nnanna, who retires from the Bank on February 2, 2020.

Continuing, a statement quoted Uba to have commended the nomination of Obiora as fitting, expressed confidence that the nominee was well suited for the position, bearing in mind the fact that he had been actively involved in the process of monetary policy formulation at both the national and international levels.

WITH DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS …

L-R: Ogun State Commissioner for Finance and Chief Economic Adviser; Mr. Tokunbo Talabi; Secretary to the State Government; Mr. Dapo Okubadejo; National Project Coordinator, Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP), Mr. Salisu Dahiru; Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun; World Bank Task Team Leader, NEWMAP; Dr. Amos Abu; and Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mr. Olaolu Olabimtan, during a working visit of a delegation from NEWMAP to the governor’s office in Abeokuta, Ogun State… yesterday

NYSC Increases Corps Members’ Allowance to N33,000 The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC), Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim, has said that corps members’ monthly allowance has been increased to N33,000.

He said the federal

government approved N33,000 in line with the new national minimum wage.

Previously, the corps members were paid N19,800 as monthly allowance.

According to a statement made available by NYSC on

its Facebook page, the DG disclosed this while speaking to corps members at the NYSC Bauchi State Secretariat during his working visit to the State.

Ibrahim explained that “contrary to the various amounts being circulated on the social

media, the sum of N33,000 had been approved as the new rate.”

He also said provision had been made for the new allowance in the year 2020 Budget, adding that payment would commence as soon as funds are released by the appropriate authorities.

Kano Assembly Approves Dangote Farms Inaugurate N2.8bn Tomato Nursery Ganduje’s Request for N15bn Loan In a bid to make Nigeria Nigerian farmers. tomato seedlings per season consumes about 2.3 million Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano Kano State House of Assembly has approved the request by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje for the 44 local government areas in the state to access N15 billion loan from one of the new generation banks to fund the state’s policy on free and compulsory education.

The Assembly approved the request yesterday during its plenary session presided over by the Speaker, Alhaji Abdulazeez Garba-Gafasa.

The legislators approved the request after the Deputy Majority Leader, Alhaji Kabiru Hassan-Dashi, who supervised the Assembly Committee on

Local Governments presented its report before it.

The committee recommended the approval of the request, saying the fund would be used to construct more classes and rehabilitate some in order to reduce congestion in the schools.

After deliberations by the legislators, the lawmakers adopted the motion and approved the request.

In his request, Ganduje stated that each of the 44 local government areas would receive N340 million if approved, adding that the loan was aimed at ensuring the sustainability of the free and compulsory education declared by the state.

BBC Appoints New CEO Big Bottling Company (BBC) Nigeria Limited formally AJEAST NIG LTD (bottlers of BIG beverages) has appointed Mr. Prahlad Gangadharan as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of its operations.

Prahlad brings to his new role, over 27 years’ experience and international exposure as a senior management professional with remarkable track record in the African market. Before his appointment in BBC, Prahlad has worked as General Manager, Business Head and Chief Operating Officer (COO) in blue chip

companies across the world.

He is expected to drive and implement best practices within the organisation, enhance efficiency in product development, project management, manufacturing of new products and their successful launch process.

The new CEO for BBC holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA). He also possesses a Bachelor of Arts, Corporate Secretaryship, University of Madras with a solid IT Certification and Honours Diploma in Information and Systems Management.

self-sufficient in tomato production, Dangote Tomatoes Processing Limited, owned by the younger brother of Africa’s richest man, Mr. Sani Dangote, has unveiled a N2.8 billion greenhouse nursery in Kano to supply the best quality tomato seedlings to

Speaking on the project in Lagos, Sani Dangote said the nursery is designed to use the automated Pat Moose planting technology, the first of its kind in Nigeria.

He disclosed that the plant has the capacity to process 350 million tonnes of hybrid

enabling the planting of 12,000 hectares of tomato farm.

The pat moose process takes three weeks before proceeding to the next stage reducing the whole process of growing tomatoes to just 3 months.

He stated that Nigeria

tonnes of tomatoes annually and with the establishment of the nursery, “we have created capacity to triple tomato production, attaining self-sufficiency in tomato production as well as potentially exporting surplus to neighboring countries.

Motorcycle Operators Fault Lagos Govt over Ban Ugo Aliogo A coalition of operators leveraging technology within the motor-taxi industry has faulted the position of the Lagos State Government in its recent ban on commercial motorcycles operating in some routes in the state.

They urged the government to rather commence the regularisation of the sector as

against outright ban.

Speaking yesterday at a press conference jointly addressed by Metro Africa Xpress (MAX.ng) and Gokada, the Co-Founder and CEO of MAX.ng, Mr. Adetayo Bamiduro, noted that they have since inception complied with the Lagos State rules guiding commercial motorbike operations in the state.

“In communicating the

decision to restrict the operations of commercial motorcycles and tricycles in the affected areas, the government spokesperson cited ‘safety and security concerns’ as the primary reasons for the decision.

“The government’s spokesperson relied on the Lagos State transport Sector Reform Law 2018 as the legal backing for this decision.

The referenced law restricts

motorcycles from operating on major highways in the state but however makes an exception for motorcycles with engine capacity above 200cc.

“This has always been a guideline for our operations and investments as we have always operated in compliance with all existing laws and regulations, including compliance with engine capacity requirements,” Bamiduro said.

Hijab: Muslim Women Allege Discrimination Segun James Muslim women across the country have decried the continued discrimination against Hijab wearing in the country as an act against the fundamental human rights of the women and an abuse of the Nigerian constitution, which

guaranteed to every citizen his/her freedom of religion and faith.

The Coalition of Muslim Organisations in Nigeria (CMON) at a press conference held at the Bagauda Kalto Press Centre, Government House, Ikeja, said that they have suffered discrimination

because they chose to dress in accordance to the teachings of their religion.

Speaking during conference meant to enlightenment members of the public on the oncoming 2020 World Hijab Day, the Executive Director, Hijab Right Advocacy Initiative, Mutiat

Balogun, said that the time has come for Nigerians to stop discriminating against women that put on hijab.

She added that women and girls in hijab have proven to the world that their dresses had not deprived them from excelling on the world and national stages.

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FG Warns Politicians against Demarketing Nigeria with Religious Falsehood The federal government has admonished desperate politicians and the political elites with vested interest to desist from spreading the falsehood about religious persecution in Nigeria.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who gave the admonition in London yesterday, said that those who engaged in the act were doing so to demarket the country globally.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the minister is in London to engage with international media organisations and other think-tanks.

“We are aware that some people are demarketing the country and there is no length they have not gone to do this.

“But the honest truth is that there is nothing like religious persecution in Nigeria.

“There is no state in Nigeria that has Muslims without Christians.

“We must be very careful not to demarket our country simply because we have not been able to get what we want,” he said.

The minister fingered desperate politicians as the peddlers of the falsehood, noting that the effect could be dire for the entire country.

“We know what some people did at the run-up to the last general election to ensure that this administration did not succeed.

“Since we won the election, we have called on everybody to come together to support

this administration.

“Any attempt to demarket this country will have dire consequences on everybody; whether you are a Christian

or Muslim.

“It is important for everyone to know that this country will continue to exist, even after 2023.

“Spreading falsehood will

not be in our interest and we all know that religion is a very sensitive issue in Nigeria,” he added.

The minister also called on

world leaders not to withdraw their support to the country in the fight against terrorism based on the falsehood and any other reasons.

Nigeria Records $4.7bn Impact Investment from 2015, Says Report Nigeria recorded $4.7 billion inflow of impact investment from 2015 to date, the Impact Investors Foundation (IIF) said in a new report.

The report, which was contained in a study on “Impact Investing and Policy Landscape Analysis: Nigeria and Ghana,” indicated that Nigeria’s impact investment market of $4.7 billion was 3.9 times the size of Ghana’s $1.2billion since 2015.

According to the study conducted by IIF with support from Ford Foundation and Dalberg, the number of impact investors active in the two countries increased markedly with 50 additional players since 2015.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that impact investing refers to investments into companies, organisations and funds with the intention

to generate beneficial social or environmental impact alongside a financial return.

As at 2015, Nigeria and Ghana represented more than half (54 per cent) of impact investing capital in the region, with Nigeria receiving 29 per cent and Ghana receiving 25 per cent of the capital deployed.

According to the report, Development Finance Institutions (DFI) continue to dominate the impact investment space, representing 97 per cent of the market and an average transaction size of $56.9 million, while non-DFI transaction sizes increased moderately from $2.2 million to $2.6 million.

Presenting the report in Lagos, IIF Chairman, Mr. Afolabi Oladele, said the report was written to address the lack of information on the impact investing sector.

Security Agents Rescue Sacked LG Chairman Abducted in Oyo Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan The lingering local government crisis in Oyo State yesterday took another dimension as the sacked Chairman of Afijio Local Government Area of the state, Hon. Samuel Aderemi, was kidnapped by scores of rampaging thugs who stormed the council, in an attempt to prevent him and councillors under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) from resuming to their offices.

THISDAY learnt that Aderemi, after being beaten to stupor, was whisked away in a bus to an unknown destination, but later rescued after two hours by security agents.

Oyo State Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Prince Ayodeji Abass Aleshinloye, who confirmed the incident, said Aderemi is presently recuperating in an undisclosed hospital.

THISDAY gathered that similar scenarios also played out in some councils that include Ibadan North, Ibadan Northeast local government areas

and Omi Apata Local Council Development Authority (LCDA), where thugs had a field day, causing mayhem while security agents, comprising of the police and civil defence men were on ground to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

Injuries were inflicted on party members of the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who engaged in a free for all.

Trouble began on Monday when the sacked chairmen and councillors make good their threat to resume into their various offices within the 68 local government and LCDA secretariats.

It would be recalled that Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, shortly after his inauguration in May last year, dissolved the chairmen and asked them to hand over to the most senior career officer in their respective councils. The sacked officials then resorted to a court of law to protect their mandate.

The council chairmen were elected on May 12, 2018 in local government election conducted by former Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

ECONOMY ON THEIR MINDS …

L-R: Chief Economist, PWC, Dr. Andrew Nevin; Chief Executive Officer, Economic Associates, Dr. Ayo Teriba; Chairman, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Mr. Asue Ighodalo; Country Manager, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Mrs. Eme Essien Lore; former Chairman, NESG, Mr. Foluso Phillips; and Chief Executive Officer, NESG, Mr. Laoye Jaiyeola, at the launch of NESG macroeconomic outlook ETOP UKUTT report for 2020 in Lagos… yesterday

JAMB Hands over 38 Operators to Law Enforcement Agencies for Cyber Crime Kuni Tyessi in Abuja Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) yesterday handed over 38 operators of various Computer Based Test (CBT) centres drawn from the six geopolitical zones to law enforcement officers for alleged cyber crime using the Virtual Private Network (VPN).

VPN extends a private network across a public network and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their

computing services were directly connected to the private network.

The operators were accused of extending the VPN to illegal outposts to register some candidates for the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and those seeking admission through Direct Entry (DE).

During a one-on-one engagement between the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, and the arrested CBT operators at the board’s headquarters in Bwari, revealed that some

registered fictitious names and National Identity Numbers (NIN) with JAMB as staff of the CBT centres.

By implication, the fate of all UTME/DE candidates who knowingly or ignorantly registered at the illegal registration centres is presently unknown as there’s no clear indication if they would be allowed to sit for this year’s examinations or other arrangements would be put in place to capture them.

“An average parent does not want the child to queue even

for 10 minutes. They will prefer that they will go and pay this people extra money and they will claim to have done it for them not knowing the incalculable damage that they are doing to their own children.

“Even if we have destroyed our own generation, let the incoming generations have the opportunity of building a better tomorrow for us and that’s our position. As far as we are concerned, a prima facie case of cyber crime has been established against them.

Lassa Fever: Death Toll Rises to 20 in Ondo James Sowole in Akure An epidemiologist in Ondo State, Dr. Stephen Fagbemi, yesterday said death toll from Lassa fever has risen to 20.

The casualty figure was also corroborated by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Wahab Adegbenro.

A total of 112 confirmed cases were said to have been recorded in the state so far just as five local government areas of the

state were said to have been hit by the disease.

The affected council areas include: Akoko South-west, Ose, Owo, Akure South and Ondo West local government areas, while the victims were transferred to the Federal Medical Centre, Owo and a treatment centre in Akure.

The state government had last week revealed that 16 deaths had been recorded from the disease out of the 100 cases that were

confirmed.

Adegbenro said the figure of the victims rose as a result of the influx of some victims from the neighbouring states to Ondo due to free treatment in the state.

“We are having the high figure because Ondo State is the only state that the treatment of Lassa fever is free of charge. I think we are having people coming from other areas to access the free treatment,” he said.

The commissioner, who addressed journalists on the World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day, held on January 20, said the state has been mapped for the various Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Some of the neglected tropical diseases, he said, include onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, leishmaniasis, soil transmitted helminths, schistosomiasis and human African trypanosomiasis.

EFCC Arraigns Former Punch Director, Ishekwene, Others for Alleged N350m Fraud Akinwale Akintunde Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) yesterday arraigned former Executive Director of the Punch Newspaper, Azubike Ishekwene, and Olalekan Abdul before an Ikeja Special Offences Court over fraud allegations.

Azubuike was charged alongside Abdul, Adeyinka Adewale (absent) and

Morakinyo Bolanle (now at large).

The duo were arraigned before Justice Mojisola Dada on an amended 15-count charge, bordering on forgery, conspiracy to forge, using false documents, making documents without authority and obtaining money by false pretence.

Muiz Banire (SAN) appeared for Abdul, 1st defendant, while Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika

(SAN) appeared for Ishekwene, 2nd defendant and third defendant, Adewale. The EFCC prosecutor, Muhammad Idris, told the court that the defendants used a false document titled: “Board Resolution of Cleanserve Integrated Energy Solution Limited” dated 27th day of September, 2010 to open an account with Keystone Bank Plc formerly known has Bank PHB as genuine.

The prosecutor alleged that the defendants with intent to defraud and obtain credit facility for Cleanserve Integrated Energy Solution in the sum of N350,000,000.00 by false pretence from Wema Bank by falsely representing to them that the “Board Resolution of Cleanserve Integrated Energy Solution” dated 14th December, 2010 as genuine which representations they knew to be false.

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Ë&#x153; ͝͸Ë&#x153; ͺ͸ͺ͸ Ëž T H I S D AY

THURSDAYSPORTS AFN: Abuja Court Rejects Gusauâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restraining order

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The motion for a restraining order by sacked President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Ibrahim Shehu Gusau against the

Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, was on Wednesday rejected.

Gasau, who in December last year, was removed by the board of AFN had approached Justice Oti Agabaza of the FCT

Akpeyi Seals New Twoyear Deal at Kaizer Chief Super Eagles goalkeeper, Daniel Akpeyi, has sealed a new two-year contract with South Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ABSA Premiership club, Kaizer Chiefs.

The Nigerian international who switched from Chippa United to Chiefs January last year is supposed to end his current deal on June 30 but the Amakhosi have now moved to ensure he remain at the club by offering him a new two-year contract to run until June 2022.

The 33-year-old has been a pivotal part of Amakhosiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s run that has them topping the ABSA Premiership table with a 10-point lead after 19 games. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are pleased to announce that goalkeeper

High Court, in Jabi, Abuja for the restraining order against the ministry and other parties.

But Justice Agabaza outrightly declined to entertain his motion.

Rather, the court adjourned until March 4, 2020when the preliminary objection raised by the Ministry would be heard.

The Ministryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s application is seeking dismissal of Gusauâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s case by challenging the courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jurisdiction in a case he filed against respondents, including, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare; the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development; Acting AFN President, Olamide George;

and Secretary, Adisa Beyioku.

Agrrieved AFN board members had at the federationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s General congress forced Gusau to step aside while George acted as president upon conclusion of investigation of sundry allegations on the running of the federation.

Gusauâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fate was later

sealed by a panel of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), which ruled his declaration of autonomy for the AFN from the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development to be out of order and impossible because the ministry is the supervisory authority for National Sport Federations in the country.

Daniel Akpeyi who joined Chiefs in January 2019 has earned himself a two-year contract extension to June 2022. #Amakhosi4Life,â&#x20AC;?reads a tweet on the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Twitter handle.

Akpeyi had a shaky start to his career at Naturena, and his first six months at the club were met with huge criticism as some fans wanted the club to release him.

However, he proved his doubters wrong this term and helped Chiefs top the standings with his fantastic displays in between the sticks.

The lanky shot-stopper has featured 18 times across all competitions for the Glamour Boys thus far, keeping eight clean sheets and conceding 15 goals in the process.

TRANSFER

Nigerian international Daniel Akpeyi has extended his contract with South African team Kaiser Chief by two years

Fernandes: Man Utd Agree Nigerians Pay Tribute to Kobe Bryant at Deal with Sporting Lisbon AFA Sports Headquarters Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon.

United will pay an initial fee of around 55m euros (ÂŁ47m) for the 25-year-old, though add-ons could increase the overall cost to 80m euros (ÂŁ67.6m).

Fernandesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; move is subject to a medical and the agreement of personal terms.

United have been in negotiations with Sporting throughout the transfer window but made a breakthrough on Tuesday amid reports of interest from Barcelona.

NOGIG 2020

Nigerian basketball fans and enthusiasts have continued to pay glowing tributes to legend of the game, Kobe Bryant, his daughter, Gianna and the seven others who died in the helicopter crash that happened on Sunday in Calabasas, California.

At AFA Sports headquarters in Lagos, the sports apparel brand co-owned by former Nigerian NBA agent, Ugo Udezue, the fans paid their

tributes to the great athlete whose life size poster was displayed on their billboard.

Udezue regarded Kobe as an influence to him and his career and therefore counted it worthy to honour him in AFA Sports showroom in Lagos State. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kobe was a great man and had a great impact on the new generation of basketball players. â&#x20AC;&#x153;His grit, dedication and love for the game will continue to live on in the hearts of the

basketball community. He will be greatly missed,â&#x20AC;? stressed the former NBA man.

Udezue stated that the helicopter crash which claimed the lives of the nine people including the legendary athlete and his daughter Gianna left a dent in the community.

Nonetheless, he encourages the basketball community to keep Kobeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legacy alive and emulate his spirit of service.

Basketball enthusiasts all over

the world were plunged into mourning as they grieved the loss of an icon.

Nigeria, a country booming with a basketball culture and federation, likewise suffered the loss of an inspiration to the community.

The Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF) was amongst the earliest group of persons to pay tribute to the former NBA Star fondly called the Black Mamba.

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

with sportswriters on the level of preparations for the event.

He said that the participating schools are going to compete in 12 games. The rector said that, among the games that will feature at the event include volleyball, table tennis, scrabble, hockey, handball, tennis, basketball, chess badminton, taekwondo and football.

Mohammed added that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the facilities to be used for the games have been put in proper shape

so as to make the participants feels at home during the eventâ&#x20AC;?.

He also said that, all security arrangement have been putting on ground so as to make the event a hitch free programme in the institution.

While stating further that, the programme is being organised to foster unity among the participating institutions, the rector stressed that, it would also encourage discipline and enhance physical fitness of the

participants.

The rector who solicited the support of all and sundry during the event especially the heads of various communities around the polytechnic. He said that the gesture would assist the guests to have a happy stay during the event.

He therefore appealed to the students and staffers of the polytechnic to come out enmasse to give the event a good outing.

NNPC Sets up Sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;final Clash against ExxonMobil 51 Polytechnics for 20th Edition of NIPOGA at Kwara Poly It was another thrilling day at the ongoing preliminaries of the football event of the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Games (NOGIG) as semifinalists emerged following the conclusion of procedings on Match Day 3 at the Legacy Pitch, National Stadium, Lagos.

Today is rest day.

Team DPR who were 6-1 winners over SEPLAT on Tuesday, booked their place in the semi finals after another dominant display against PTI in the last match played yesterday. DPR won 3-1 as captain of PTI saw red after he brought down a DPR striker near the vital area.

His dismissal weakened the PTI defence line as DPR players soon took advantage of their numerical superiority to score two quick goals. PTI pulled one back but the overwhelming display of the DPR players resulted in a collapse of their defence. They conceded the

third goal just before the final whitsle to end the encounter 3-1 in favour of DPR. Earlier, TOTAL showed class as they anihilated EROTON 11-0 in their encounter. It was a game to forget for the EROTON players who were described by a spectator as tourists.

The massive score ensured they booked their place among the last four who will contest for semi-final spot against DPR on Friday.

Tournament giants, NNPC ensured nothing distracted them from their target of lifting the trophy this term as they crushed 2018 finalists, CHEVRON 5-0 to set up a semi-final pairing against the defending champion, ExxonMobil who recorded a hard-earned 1-0 victory over NAOC yesterday.

Hostilities will resume Friday with the two semi-final matches taking the centre stage.

No fewer than 51 polytechnics in the country would be participating in the forthcoming 20th edition of Nigeria Polytechnics Games (NIPOGA) slated for between February 5and 16 at the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin.

The Rector of the polytechnic, Dr. Abdul Jimoh Mohammed stated this in Ilorin on Wednesday while speaking

NOC Inaugurates Four Commissions Four Commissions were Wednesday inaugurated by the President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Habu Gumel at the media centre situated inside the National Stadium Complex, Lagos as Nigeria begin the count down to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

The four commissions inaugurated include; Technical

& Development, Marketing and Sponsorship, Athletes and Olympic Education & Culture. This brings to six numbers of commissions of the Olympic movement already inaugurated.

Speaking during the inauguration, Gumel described the event as another landmark in the annals of the Olympic Movement history in Nigeria.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Although we had at one point in time inaugurated two of these Commissions â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Medical and Scientific Commission and the Women Commission, these additions will make the task of governing the movement easy.

The NOC President said there is no doubt the grand convergence of all the remaining nine Commissions

for a formal inauguration. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The creation of NOC Commissions is in line with the provisions of the International Olympic Charter and NOC Statutes, as these subsidiary governing bodies are not only advisory but equally essential in the promotion of Olympic values and the effective implementation of Olympic Movement objectives.â&#x20AC;?

THURSDAY JANUARY 30, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢ T H I S D AY

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Thursday, January 30, 2020

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Price: N250

MISSILE Atiku Abubakar to FG

â&#x20AC;&#x153;A society with a derelict justice system is a fertile land for misconduct, according to a popular Africa adage. To be sure that we are one step ahead of criminals who pose existential threats to our internal security, it is important that we empower our justice system with the belief that when stiďŹ&#x20AC; punishments are handed down on these criminals, there will be a deterrence for a repeat of this nature of crimeâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Former VP on the general insecurity in Nigeria.

OLUSEGUNADENIYI GoG and Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Growing Troubles THE VERDICT

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

I

f there is anything that points to the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari may not be getting a full brief on the security situation in the country, it was his expression of shock on Tuesday regarding the level of criminality across Nigeria. Incidentally, the president spoke 24 hours after President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, made his own lamentation about the growing lawlessness that pervades the entire country. But while it is encouraging that those in authority are finally coming to terms with the general climate of insecurity, any effort to address the situation must be holistic if it is to be meaningful. Such efforts must take into account what is happening within the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) that is strategic to our national security.

Aside Nigeria, countries in this maritime area include CĂ´te dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome, Gabon, Congo Brazzaville and the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as Liberia, Angola and Sierra Leone. Landlocked nations including Chad, Niger Republic, Burkina Faso, Mali and Central African Republic also depend on the GoG. Data quoting the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs from a report, says 90 percent of trade to West Africa is through the GoG. Sadly, piracy and other criminal activities have combined to render this maritime area very dangerous. Last year, the Director of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), Pottengal Mukundan said there are more attacks against ships and crews on the Nigerian waters than anywhere in the world.

In 2018, the United Nations (UN) Security Council disclosed that Nigeria was losing approximately $1.5 billion a month due to piracy, armed robbery at sea, smuggling and fuel supply fraud. According to the IMBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Piracy Reporting Centre figures, the GoG accounted for 29 incidents in the first quarter of 2018, more than 40% of the global total. Of the 114 seafarers captured worldwide that year, all but one was within Nigerian waters, the report also noted. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The absence of an effective maritime governance system, in particular, hampers freedom of movement in the region, disrupts trade and economic growth, and facilitates environmental crimes,â&#x20AC;?

Ambassador Michele J. Sison, the United Statesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Deputy Representative to the UN, said at the time. She identified ineffective governance structures, weak rule of law, precarious legal frameworks and inadequate naval, coast guard, and maritime law enforcement as reasons for the challenge.

Last September, the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas, confirmed that Nigeria loses billions of dollars annually to this menace. He also said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The maritime domain has been under threat by piracy, sea robbery, illicit trafficking, illegal unreported and unregulated fishing and marine pollution.

Now we have emerging security threats within the Nigerian maritime domain that stem largely from non-military causes such as socio-economic agitations and a large army of unemployed and under-employed youths in the coastal communities, whose activities manifest through attacks on shipping.â&#x20AC;?

It is therefore no surprise that the IMB has characterised Nigerian waters as â&#x20AC;&#x153;one of the most dangerous shipping routes in the world.â&#x20AC;?

Between October 2019 and last week, there were

Dakuku Peterside...NIMASA Boss eleven recorded attacks on the Nigerian waters and this may not even reflect the complete picture. On 23rd September 2019, a 244-metre product tanker, named ELKA ATHINA, was attacked in the Lagos area. Pirates actually boarded the vessel in a cargo-stealing attempt.

Similarly, on 5th October 2019, a 182-metre produce tanker named UACC MIDIF, was attacked by pirates in another cargo-stealing attempt. In a more daring attack on 6th October 2019, eight-armed men in two wooden boats attacked a 195-metre vessel named USMA around the Lagos port.

On 3rd December 2019, a vessel named NAVE CONSTELLATION, was attacked at Bonny, Rivers State by pirates who hijacked the 330-metre crude oil tanker and kidnapped the 19 crew members. On 15th December 2019, a 140-metre product tanker named DUKE, was attacked. No fewer than 20 crew members were abducted. A week later, on 24th December 2019, an attempt was made on a 274-metre long vessel named ISTANBUL. The vessel reportedly conducted evasive maneuverers causing the attack to fail. Another failed attempt was made four days later on 28th December 2019. The 288-metre long LNG tanker named KNG LOKOJA was attacked at a location described as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;joint regime of Nigeria and Sao Tomeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

The attempted hijack on 30th December 2019 in the Lagos waters of VINALINES MIGHTY and in Bonny, a 200 metre bulk carrier named DROGBA, were foiled because security personnel on board the two vessels fought back. But in one of the most violent attacks on the second day of this year, four crew members were kidnapped and four armed guards killed on an 84-metre vessel named AMBIKA. Another 155-metre vessel named MSC GRACE, was also attacked on 21st January 2020 by armed pirates. The attack was foiled by 13 armed personnel on a speed boat who opened fire.

Incidentally, six of the vessels involved in these attacks were classified as â&#x20AC;&#x153;suspiciousâ&#x20AC;? which means they could have in fact been carrying stolen crude. When I sought the opinion of the NNPC Group Managing Director, Mr Mele Kyari on the implications of heightened piracy in the GoG, he minced no words: â&#x20AC;&#x153;It means increase in the premium on risk cover, delays

in accepting Nigerian crude oil cargoes in the international market, adverse impact on the market pricing of Nigerian crude related to cargo delivery uncertainty and overall adverse impact on the revenues to the federation account.â&#x20AC;?

I understand Kyariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s point. The Lloyds market association of the United Kingdom has classified GoG as a war risk area resulting in insurance costs estimated to be triple that of other areas in the world. Vessels are now compelled to insure their crew and mobilize their own armed security guards to accompany every voyage. The same high cost of insurance applies for ships and cargoes. These costs are quite naturally transferred to consumers. A report by â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Oceans Beyond Piracyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; that analysed the cost of this crime estimated that between 50 and 60 seafarers were kidnapped in the last quarter of last year in Nigeria alone and about N600 million was paid as ransom to secure their freedom.

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Director General, Dr Dakuku Peterside, who expressed his concerns about the growing challenge said Nigeria has to do more. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We must pay greater attention to the Gulf of Guinea not only because our economy depends on it but also because of its implications for our national security given the quantum of illicit arms that flow through the region,â&#x20AC;? Peterside told me on Tuesday. He added that the Nigerian Navy has, at various times, â&#x20AC;&#x153;embarked on special operations to tackle piracy and criminality on waterways and the cost of these special operations is enormous.

NIMASA is spending USD195 million to buy more assets plus logistics in terms of retraining of our military forces to fight piracy. These are funds that would have been applied to social services.â&#x20AC;?

The other costs of piracy and criminality on our waterways include stifling of regional trade and food price inflation since deep sea fishing has almost been taken over completely by the Chinese whose vessels are heavily fortified, security wise. Just recently, two key London based shipping associations were about to issue a statement warning their vessels not to venture into Nigerian waters but for the intervention of NIMASA under the Deep Blue project. But I understand that the international shipping community is watching to see what the Nigerian authorities will do to tackle the menace before taking a final decision that could deeply hurt our economy.

Ultimately, the issue boils down to our national security which, even Senate President Ahmed Lawan admitted on Monday, has become endangered. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I believe personally that we should restructure the security architecture.

The present system does not appear to give us the outcome that we need,â&#x20AC;? said Lawan whose focus was on the killings, kidnappings, banditry and associated crimes across the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s landscape. But the situation on the high seas is just as bad, if not worse. To address these problems, it is obvious that the president cannot continue to keep the Service Chiefs who ought to have retired many years ago. Clearly, they have nothing fresh to offer!

For Kwara, an Emblem of Shame News that no fewer than 165 secondary schools in Kwara State have been indicted by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) for widespread cheating during the last examinations is both shocking and embarrassing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Examination malpractice constitutes some of the worst hindrance to a bright future because it negates the time tested principles of hard work, diligence, and thirst for knowledge and excellence,â&#x20AC;? said Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq who has promised to redress the situation.

However, whichever way one looks at the disgraceful development, this is a relapse to the pre-2007 era when the state was one of the hottest destinations for examination malpractices in the country; with the so-called â&#x20AC;&#x153;miracle centresâ&#x20AC;?, mainly in the rural areas. The reform launched by the then commissioner for education in the state, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi (who would later be minister) tackled this menace aggressively. Improving the quality of teaching in schools was at the centre of his reform, appropriately named â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Every Child Countsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. With support from the World Bank and the DFID/ESSPIN programmes, Kwara became a reference point for what was possible, including prosecuting people for examination offences. WAEC recognized these efforts and wrote a letter commending the state government at the time.

Unfortunately, the government that took over in 2011 lacked either the will or the capacity to sustain the efforts of the preceding years, even though they all belonged to the same party. This failure of policy continuity,

among others, is a major governance challenge in Nigeria. The shameful WAEC report is also a direct indicator of everything that has gone wrong with our countryâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the failure of governance and the collapse of our value system.

Meanwhile, although the incident that led to the current decision by WAEC happened under the last administration, the ball is now squarely in the court of Governor AbdulRazaq. Yet available reports on the quality of appointment he has made to the education ministry are, to put it mildly, not encouraging. An inexperienced elementary school teacher who has her own struggles with English language can hardly inspire confidence to lead the necessary reform in a critical sector. The governor should either review this appointment or personally lead the charge.

Parents too have a great role to play. They must be made to understand the connection between examination malpractices and the endemic joblessness among their wards. The 21st century job market does not care so much for certificates as it does for the real skill that the prospective employee brings to the market. Those who obtain certificates through fraudulent means will eventually meet their nemesis when they cannot justify such credentials with actual competence.

For Governor AbdulRasak, the challenge in Kwara State cannot be made clearer.

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