WEDNESDAY 17TH FEBRUARY 2021

At Ehingbeti, Buhari Pledges Support for Lagos’ Economic Growth Okonjo-Iweala, Adesina urge investment in youths Sanwo-Olu unveils 10-year infrastructure plan Segun James and Nume Ekeghe President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday pledged the federal government's support for massive investments in Lagos

State, the nation’s economic capital, to boost its economic potential as one of the world’s fastest growing megacities.

Buhari, in a video goodwill message to the Ehingbeti Lagos Economic Summit,

said his administration recognised Lagos as central to the economic fortunes of Nigeria and had demonstrated commitment to supporting it to attain its full socio-economic potential.

The three-day event with the theme: “Greater Lagos: Setting the Tone for the Next Decade,” is facilitated by the organised private sector in partnership with by the state government.

Also at the event, the newlyelected Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala and the President, African Development Bank, (AfDB), Dr. Akinwunmi

Adesina, called for development in economic infrastructure, investment in youths, and enhanced private sector contribution for Lagos to Continued on page 10

IMF Guides FIRS, Customs on Boosting FG’s Revenue... Page 8 Wednesday 17 February, 2021 Vol 26. No 9446. Price: N250

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Saraki: Jonathan Remains Committed to PDP Chuks Okocha in Abuja

PEACE MISSION..

L-R: Governors Bello Matawalle (Zamfara), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Abubakar Bagudu (Kebbi), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Umar Ganduje (Kano), and Abubakar Sani-Bello (Niger) during a stakeholders meeting on farmers/herders conflict organised by Ogun State government in Abeokuta…yesterday

As part of efforts to reconcile members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and reshape the party ahead of the 2023 general elections, the party’s Reconciliation and Strategy Committee, led by former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, yesterday met with former President Continued on page 10

Stop Trading Blame, Focus on Ending Ethnic Violence, Abdulsalami Urges Nigerians Crisis sponsors will be identified, punished, says Buhari Four northern govs visit Abiodun, back modern ranching Go after criminal herdsmen, Afenifere, ACF, Ohanaeze, PANDEF tell NSA, others Deji Elumoye in Abuja, Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu, John Shiklam in Kaduna, Dipo Laleye in Minna and Kayode Fasua in Abeokuta A former military Head of

State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), has called on Nigerians to stop trading blame and focus on ending the current ethnic clashes, which he described as unfortunate.

Abdulsalami at a press

conference yesterday in Minna, capital of Niger State, expressed concern that the clashes are adding to the challenges of insurgency, banditry and armed robbery in the country.

However, President Muhammadu Buhari reiterated his commitment to working for the continued unity of Nigeria and vowed that crisis sponsors will soon be identified and punished in accordance with

the law.

And in continuation of their efforts to de-escalate the tension arising from the recent ethnic conflict in the South-west, four northern governors yesterday joined

their Ondo State counterpart, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, to visit their Ogun State colleague, Prince Dapo Abiodun, during which they called Continued on page 10

Excitement in EFCC over Bawa's Nomination as Chairman...Page 5

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NEWS Excitement in EFCC over Bawa’s Nomination as Chairman Senate to screen nominee at plenary

Group News Editor Ejiofor Alike

Email Ejiofor.Alike@thisdaylive.com, 08066066268

Deji Elumoye, Kingsley Nwezeh and Udora Orizu in Abuja There was excitement at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja and other zonal offices nationwide yesterday as President Muhammadu Buhari broke with tradition to pick an operative, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, as the next chairman of the commission.

Buhari in a letter addressed to the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, sought legislative approval for the 40-year-old nominee from Kebbi State.

If the Senate ratifies his nomination, Bawa will succeed Mr. Ibrahim Magu, who had been acting as EFCC chairman since November 9, 2015, until his suspension on July 7, 2020.

In the letter to the Senate, the president, in a statement yesterday by his media adviser, Mr. Femi Adesina, said he was acting in accordance with Paragraph 2(3) of Part 1, CAP E1 of EFCC Act 2004.

Bawa is a trained EFCC investigator with vast experience in the investigation and prosecution of Advance Fee Fraud cases, official corruption, bank fraud, money laundering, and other economic crimes.

He has undergone specialised training in different parts of the world, and was one of the pioneer EFCC cadet officers in 2005.

Bawa holds a B.Sc. degree in Economics, and a Masters in International Affairs and Diplomacy.

The nomination of Bawa is a break with the tradition of the reign of police officers as head of the anti-graft agency.

From the first chairman of the agency, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu to Mrs. Farida Waziri, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, Magu, and the present Acting Chairman, Mr. Mohammed Umar, all, except Waziri, a retired assistant inspector-general of police, are senior police officers.

A visit by THISDAY to the Jabi headquarters of the commission in Abuja showed palpable excitement amongst staff of the agency.

Most of them expressed happiness that the "long suspense" was over.

Some pointed to the age of the nominee (40 years) as an indication of a "breath of fresh air" for the agency.

"At least, the long suspense is over. We received the news this morning (yesterday) with excitement because it gives the agency a breath of fresh air.

"Everybody here is happy with the appointment of a substantive chairman for the commission," a staff, who identified himself as Gambo, said.

Another senior staff, who preferred anonymity, said: "Age is on his side and we expect that youthful flavour to drive the agency. He has

a whole lot ahead of him."

Others believed that Bawa's exposure to foreign and local training would be brought to bear on his headship of the commission.

The nomination of Bawa, a certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), ended the era of the headship of the commission by police officers.

Bawa is a product of the EFCC Academy and has worked in the agency since his graduation from the academy in 2005.

Bawa, who was also trained by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Financial Crime Enforcement Network (FINCEN), the World Bank, the United Nations Office of Drug and Crimes (UNDOC), the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Security (DSS), the EFCC Academy and United Kingdom’s Global Training Consulting is expected to deploy his knowledge to give a new bite to the antigraft war.

His exposure to global security agencies and organisations is also expected to give credibility to the government's anti-graft war.

On the expected relationship between the EFCC and the police with regards to the deployment of police operatives to the commission, a police source told THISDAY that it would depend on Bawa's preference.

"It would be his decision.

He will be the one to decide that," he said.

Bawa's academic qualifications include Bachelor of Laws (LLB), University of London-in view; Masters in International Affairs and Diplomacy, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto in 2012; and Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics (Second Class Honours, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto in 2000.

In his curriculum vitae, Bawa said he "supervised the biggest operations zonal office of the EFCC in Lagos, having 604 officers and men and securing 227 convictions despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

"He also supervised the investigation of all cases in Port Harcourt Zonal office in which an unprecedented 215 convictions were secured in eleven months and securing final forfeiture of hundreds of properties to the federal government."

Senate to Screen Nominee at Plenary The Senate has said it will screen Bawa during plenary.

In the letter by the president, which Lawan read at yesterday’s plenary, Buhari requested the Senate for expeditious consideration of the request.

According to the president, the request to screen and confirm Bawa’s appointment as the substantive chairman

of the commission is “in accordance with paragraph 2 subsection 2 of Part 1 CAP E1 of the EFCC Act 2004.”

Lawan, after reading the letter to senators, told them that the screening of the nominee will be done in plenary for thoroughness.

"Distinguished colleagues, screening of the newlyappointed EFCC chairman will be done in plenary in line with our tradition and in particular, for the thoroughness

it requires," he said.

Lawan, however, didn't specify when the screening will be done.

Southern, Middle Belt Leaders Ask Buhari to Probe Corruption Allegations against Bawa Meanwhile, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum

(SMBLF), has called on Buhari to investigate corruption allegations levelled against Bawa.

The group, in a statement jointly signed by Mr. Yinka Odumakin (South-west), Chief Guy Ikoku (South-east), Senator Bassey Henshaw (South-south), and Dr. Isuwa Dogo (Middle Belt), while frowning upon Bawa's nomination, said the anti-graft Continued on page 47

Bawa

LAST RITES...

Former Delta State Governor, Chief James Ibori (left), and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, during the burial of the governor’s father in Owa- Alero…yesterday

Buhari Charges Envoys to Project Nigeria as Indivisible Nation Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday asked ambassadorsdesignate to project Nigeria as a great country and an attractive investment destination in their various places of assignment.

The president, while virtually declaring open an induction programme for the ambassadors-designate told them to be exemplary in their conducts.

He said: “The primary responsibilities of Nigeria in the countries you are posted rests on you. I urge you to go out and serve with uttermost dedication and pride. You must not forget that you have been posted to respective bilateral and multilateral missions, to represent and project Nigeria as a great and indivisible nation and a very attractive investment destination.

“As ambassadors of our country, your comportment, courage, conduct and ability to multi-task must be exemplary.

Humility and firmness are attributes that can earn you and your country respect and recognition. These attributes

must remain with every one of you in fulfilment of your duties.”

Buhari urged them to assist his administration in projecting its nine-point priority areas of building a thriving and sustainable economy, poverty reduction, food security and fight against corruption, among others, to attain sustainable development as well as guide its foreign policy objective.

He charged them to be guided by the priority goals as they represent Nigeria in foreign countries, adding that the government expects them to also protect the interest of Nigerians residing in those countries.

“I therefore urge all of you to be guided by these identified priority goals as well as your various station charters, which highlight specific mandates and guidelines on the government’s expectations. We expect you to fight hard for Nigeria and Nigerians abroad.

“You must strive to promote trade, human capacity development, foreign direct investments and other areas of

cooperation with countries at national and multilateral levels, to support our national growth and development,” he added.

Buhari reiterated how COVID-19 has ravaged the world and the need to tread carefully and embrace the new norm.

“You all are aware that for some time now, national and global resources have continued to shrink, a situation compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.

One event, one virus, has changed the world order. Our world will never be the same again. But we will continue to innovate and cope with the new norm in order to contain the catastrophic consequences of this pandemic," he said.

According to him, the world must commit itself to global concerted actions to fight and defeat COVID-19, adding that Nigeria’s diplomacy must make specific contributions to common global challenges on how the pandemic should be contained and defeated.

The president added that Nigeria is still facing the challenges of terrorism,

violent extremism, climate change, poverty population explosion, cybercrimes, the proliferation of arms and many others, which have negatively impacted the country and other parts of Africa.

He stated that the nation's diplomacy must help address bilaterally as well as multilaterally these challenges.

Buhari also urged the ambassadors-designate to leverage on their goodwill as the country’s principal representatives abroad to help deliver prosperity to Nigerians in the Diaspora.

“You are required to attend to all Nigerian citizens who come to our missions with utmost dignity, respect and promptness; providing necessary assistance with courtesy, commitment and efficiency,” he added.

The president, in January, had directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to post the 95 ambassadors-designate to serve in the country’s missions abroad. They are expected to resume their tour of duty at the end of their induction.

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NEWS

IMF Guides FIRS, Customs on Boosting FG’s Revenue Obinna Chima As part of efforts to strengthen the federal government’s revenue, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has started offering advisory support remotely to some federal government’s revenue generating agencies, THISDAY learnt yesterday.

Among the beneficiaries are the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

The Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mr. Yunusa Abdullahi, confirmed the development while responding to enquiries from THISDAY. Abdullahi, however, said

the IMF officials would not be resident in Nigeria, adding that the development is a standard practice by the multilateral institution.

“There was talk of a residential advisor initially by both the IMF and government, but the IMF team decided to put a temporary hold because of the COVID-19 situation.

“Instead, they are providing advisory support remotely through an appointed team of advisors per agency,” he stated.

According to him, the advisors will provide direction to representatives of the FIRS and the NCS on the various recommendations made by the IMF team and also provide engagement, support and

insights on the implementation plans in their report.

“This is a standard practice by the IMF,” he said.

The IMF in its latest Article IV Consultation on Nigeria, which was released earlier this month, had stressed the need for the federal government to intensify revenue mobilisation in order to reduce fiscal sustainability risks.

The Washington-based institution had advised the

government to rely initially on progressive and efficiencyenhancing measures with higher tax rates, while awaiting a more sustained economic recovery.

It had also highlighted the need for improved social safety nets to cushion potential negative impacts on the poor.

The IMF had stressed “the need for urgent policy adjustment and more fundamental reforms to sustain

macroeconomic stability and lift growth and employment.

“Directors welcomed notable reforms undertaken in the fiscal sector, including removal of the fuel subsidy and steps to implement cost-reflective tariff increases in the power sector.”

Also, the IMF advised the federal government to increase Value Added Tax (VAT) to 10 per cent by 2022, from the 7.5 per cent it is presently, once economic recovery takes root.

It also recommended that VAT in the country should be 15 per cent by 2025.

It stated that Nigeria has one of the lowest revenue levels as a share of GDP worldwide, while a large share of the country’s revenue is spent on public debt service payments, leaving insufficient fiscal space for critical social and infrastructure spending and to cushion an economic downturn.

With Inflation at 16.47%, Analysts List Ways to Curb Trend James Emejo in Abuja Analysts yesterday urged the federal government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to boost current interventions in agriculture and tackle rising insecurity in the country as ways of curbing soaring inflation.

They called on the apex bank to consider increasing foreign exchange supply to bring down exchange rate, especially now that crude oil prices are relatively high.

The calls came amidst increasing inflationary pressures despite the recent reopening of the land borders, as the headline index spiralled to 16.47 per cent in January from 15.75 per cent in December.

The analysts also urged the service chiefs to confront the seemingly intractable security challenges, which has inhibited agricultural production and contributed to the rising food prices in the country.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Consumer Price Index, (CPI), which measures inflation, increased to 16.47 per cent (year-on-year) in January compared to 15.75 per cent in December.

The NBS blamed the 0.71 per centage points increase on higher food and commodity prices.

The CPI report for January released yesterday by the statistical agency showed that the composite food index rose by 20.57 per cent in the period under review compared to 19.56 per cent in the preceding month.

Also, core inflation, which excludes the prices of volatile agricultural produce, stood at 11.85 per cent in January up by 0.48 per cent when compared with 11.37 per cent recorded in December.

The NBS attributed the rise in the food index to increases in prices of bread and cereals,

potatoes, yam and other tubers, meat, fruits, vegetable, fish and oils and fats.

Similarly, highest increases in prices of passenger transport by air, medical services, hospital services, passenger transport by road, pharmaceutical products, paramedical services, repair of furniture, vehicle spare parts, motor cars, miscellaneous services relating to the dwelling, maintenance and repair of personal transport equipment- all contributed to the rise in the core index in the review period.

Urban inflation rate rose to 17.03 per cent (year-on-year) in January from 16.33 per cent in December, while the rural inflation rate increased to 15.92 per cent in January from 15.20 per cent in the preceding month.

However, the analysts, in separate interviews with THISDAY, said monetary authorities would not be able to cage inflation amidst insecurity in almost all the states of the federation, especially the agrarian communities.

Managing Director/Chief Executive, SD&D Capital Management Limited, Mr. Idakolo Gbolade, said concerns around ease of doing business, particularly double taxation and rigorous measures of registering businesses, coupled with inadequate infrastructure, were stifling business and reducing profitability.

He also linked the current inflationary pressures on the CBN's "ill-informed policy on banning or refusal to regulate cryptocurrency operations in Nigeria which has served as a catalyst for capital flight for foreign exchange, thereby weakening our reserves and further leading to the depreciation of the naira."

He added that inadequate measures taken by the federal government on COVID-19 vaccinations and support to Continued on page 47

FAREWELL...

Former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin (left), and his wife, Omobolanle, during the pulling-out parade in honour of the CDS in Abuja…yesterday

Africa Must Produce to Benefit from WTO, Say Soludo, Rewane Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja A former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Charles Soludo, Managing Director, Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Mr Birsmack Rewane, and former Nigerian ambassador to the United States, Mr. Joe Keshi, yesterday opined that Africa must boost its production level to gain from the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The three prominent Nigerians spoke yesterday during separate interviews on “The Morning Show,” a programme on ARISE NEWS Channels, a THISDAY newspaper’s sister media organisation.

They argued that the WTO as a global body will deal with every country and continent according to what they bring to the table during trade negotiations, noting that if Nigeria would benefit from Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s headship of the organisation, it must align with the principles of the WTO. Rewane, a renowned economist, held that Nigeria’s share of global trade still remains very insignificant, explaining that Okonjo-Iweala’s

emergence should be a wakeup call for Nigeria to do away with its restrictive policies like shutting of borders.

He said: “Let’s face it, Nigeria’s share of world trade is about .6 per cent of total global trade and Nigeria’s share of output is about .23 per cent while Africa’s share of world trade is about two per cent and Africa's share of global GDP is about the same thing.

“This is a wake-up call for Africa and for Nigeria in particular to pull its weight by doing the right things. One thing that is noteworthy is that the WTO is a free trade leaning institution which believes in multilateralism and globalisation.”

Rewane maintained that to that extent, the WTO is anti-subsidy, anti-restrictions and anti-prohibition, insisting that Nigeria on the one hand cannot be pushing forward the principles of restrictions and trade prohibitions and on the other hand be a champion of world trade and globalisation.

He argued that as a country, charity must begin at home, saying that the country needs to reform its policies and be more market-oriented because the time for restrictive

practices, subsidies, and market manipulation are over.

He stressed that it was noteworthy that there are currently five institutions that Nigerian professionals are running, either directly or indirectly, including the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), African Development Bank (AfDB), Afreximbank and the WTO, noting that even the deputy secretary general of the United Nations is also a Nigerian.

In his remarks, Soludo said that Nigerians must begin to understand the nature of the WTO, so as to tone down their huge expectations from the newly confirmed WTO Director-General, OkonjoIweala.

He opined that for Africa, there is the feel good factor, especially in today’s world where everyone is talking about women representation, but added that the DG did not get the job because she’s African or a woman.

“She got the job because she was the best qualified among those who showed up for the job. Is she going there to carry out an African agenda, I am not sure that is her remit if you understand

the way the WTO works,” Soludo said.

The former CBN boss posited that Okonjo-Iweala cannot unilaterally take decisions, saying that there are power blocks within the WTO which must come together to take collective decisions.

He stated that there are mechanisms for decision making, but expressed confidence that ultimately the former minister of finance will be able to navigate through the landmines among the global powers.

Soludo said that the new DG came prepared, saying that her first business now is to bring the major power block to the table, especially America and China, with a view to de-escalating tensions.

Keshi, a former ambassador and technocrat also argued in the same vein, asking Nigeria to rise up to the occasion by boosting production levels.

“The only way we can help her to help us is to put something in the market. If we are not getting a fair price for our products, the WTO can intervene to help the African region to get a fair trade. If we are not doing that, there’s very little she can do,” he stated.

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PAGE TEN SARAKI: JONATHAN REMAINS COMMITTED TO PDP Goodluck Jonathan, in Abuja.

The meeting came amid speculations that the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC) is scheming to poach the former president.

THISDAY had reported that the former president had last weekend dismissed insinuations that he was set to leave the PDP for the APC. Saraki told reporters after the meeting that Jonathan assured the committee that he was ready to offer PDP his experience and resources if called upon to do so.

In an apparent reference to the ruling APC, Saraki said the former president was committed to seeing the

PDP bounce back to national reckoning, stressing that he is not ready to go to another party.

He expressed happiness at the turn of events, following reports that the ruling party had been wooing Jonathan.

Saraki said: “We are members of the National Reconciliation and Strategy Committee set up by the party and part of our task is to meet with our former president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

"We are starting off with our former president and we are here to let him know what our plans are and also to hear his own views and advice on what we need to do and

how to do it as well as how we need to strengthen the party and reconcile aggrieved members in order to bring about unity and focus in our party.”

He further stated: “It was a very useful meeting. He gave us his views, and we are very happy. He reassured all of us of his commitment to the PDP and he told us that he is still ready to offer his time, experience and resources to strengthen the party and that is very strong and important for us. Of course, you know there are funny issues going on but we are leaving this place very happy.”

He added that Jonathan

also expressed his readiness to work with the reconciliation committee.

“That is a great step for the party. We have put that behind us - all those people from the other party that would like to come and disturb our leaders. Our leaders are here and they are ready to work for the party,” he stated.

He commended the former president’s readiness to work in furtherance of the cause of the PDP. He said: “We spoke about what role former presidents like him will play and he left us feeling very happy that yes, he will like to play that role

in the PDP and helping our committee to move forward.”

Saraki added that those disturbing the former president to quit the major opposition party should perish the thought as he (Jonathan) remains a PDP man.

The committee was also scheduled yesterday to meet with PDP senators.

As part of the restrategising for 2023, the party's Board of Trustees (BoT), led by Senator Walid Jubrin, is also expected to meet today in Abuja.

The agenda of both meetings, it was gathered, is to rebuild the party ahead of the 2023 general election.

The PDP had last year appointed Saraki to head the committee whose other members include former Senate President, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim; former Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke; former Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Dankwambo; former Katsina State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Shema and a former Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Mulikat Adeola-Akande.

The Saraki committee has a dual mandate of reconciling aggrieved members who have left the party and wooing new members into the party.

Adesina, in his speech at the summit, urged the state government to implement policies that will attract foreign direct investments (FDIs).

He said: “If you think of the potential of Lagos, think of the size of the economy. The GDP of Lagos, estimated at over $80 billion, is far larger than that of Ghana at $60 billion and compares closely to Kenya GDP at $95 billion. If you are looking for a place to invest in Africa, think Lagos. “ Citing a report by the United Nations, he said Lagos would become the third largest consumer market in the world over the next decade with its population projected to reach 36 million people.

“The greater wealth of Lagos in the future would come from the youth and today almost 2/3 of the population is under the age of 30 and that means the focus should be on how to unlock the potential of this demographic and turn it into wealth for Lagos,” he added.

He said the AfDB was developing a youth-focused bank to support entrepreneurs in the continent.

“AfDB is developing the establishment of youth entrepreneurship development investment banks to support.

They would be financial institutions for young people, run by first rate young bankers and financial experts to drive youth wealth creation in Africa.

“The AfDB would put its wealth at risk for the future of the youth of Africa and I can tell you it is a risk worth taking,” he stated.

According to him, the state should also invest in education by turning tertiary institutions to world class.

Adesina stated that the poverty level in Lagos has reduced from 30.3 per cent in 2009 to 4.5 per cent in 2019.

Sanwo-Olu, in his address, said the race to digitise every community in Lagos had begun with the ongoing laying of 6,000-kilometre fibre optic infrastructure across the city.

He added that the smart city agenda of the state government would materialise by 2030 when the entire landscape of Lagos would have been covered by a network of several thousands of kilometres of fibre optic carrying broadband internet into all homes, offices and schools.

The move, the governor said, was to leverage technology to revolutionise business culture in Lagos by energising Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that form the backbone of the state economy.

He said: “I invite every well-meaning Nigerian to join me to look ahead at the next decade, and the possibilities that lie ahead for Lagos. What will Lagos State look like by 2030? There will be a citywide network of colour-coded metro lines, the first two of which – red and blue lines – will move over 34.5 million people monthly, cutting travel time by over 250 per cent. In 2030, Lagos will proudly stand beside every other megacity in the world, in terms of its capacity to transport its people efficiently and responsivesly.”

Sanwo-Olu said water transportation infrastructure being put in place would make waterway transport systems a central element of life in the metropolis.

According to him, the Fourth Mainland Bridge will come to define the cityscape of the 2020s in the same way the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge defined it a decade earlier.

AT EHINGBETI, BUHARI PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR LAGOS’ ECONOMIC GROWTH achieve its vision of becoming a smart city.

The state Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, seized the occasion to unfold his agenda for fast-tracking the infrastructural development of the state.

The president, in his speech, listed ways his administration has supported Lagos State in both development and meeting the challenges of being a megacity.

He said: ''One of the significant ways in which our support has manifested to Lagos State is in the special federal funding that we approved in 2020 in acknowledgement of the state being an epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic. ''The challenges of Lagos must therefore be very clearly seen as part of the challenges of Nigeria, and the federal government will support Lagos to overcome its challenges and to thrive socially and economically.”

Buhari stated that the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) is investing in the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway while the Apapa-OshodiOworonshoki Expressway is a flagship project of the federal government’s Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme. ''It was also this administration which granted approval to the Lagos State Government to rebuild the International Airport Road, a major road that links the busiest airport in Sub-Saharan Africa to the continent’s fifth largest economy,” Buhari added.

Buhari listed other projects the federal government is executing in the state to include the completion of the

standard gauge railway line that will link Lagos to Ibadan.

The rail line is to be extended to connect Abuja and Kano in a bid to ease movements and ensure efficiency in Nigeria’s busiest transportation corridor. ''Just last month, this new rail line achieved a milestone extension into the port complex in Apapa, setting the stage for a long overdue decongestion in that area,'' he added.

On the investment plan to revamp the National Theatre, the president told the participants that his government had approved the temporary transfer of the iconic federal asset on the Lagos landscape, to the Bankers' Committee, which will invest in upgrading it and developing it into a world-class creative hub.

Buhari expressed confidence that enterprising young people in Lagos will be the biggest beneficiaries of the National Theatre's renovation. ''Speaking of young people, we are aware of just how central they are to the Lagos economy, and to Nigeria as a whole. ''In the creative arts, culture and technology sectors, we are determined to continue to open up opportunities by which they can achieve their dreams and aspirations; as well as thrive in a safe, secure and increasingly prosperous country,'' he said.

The president highlighted various other initiatives of the federal government being implemented in Lagos to include the National Social Investment Programme, the Energising Economies Programme and the Economic Sustainability Plan.

Commending the Lagos State Government for its partnership and collaboration

with the federal government on human development programmes, Buhari stressed the importance of understanding between national and subnational governments.

He lauded the state government for working to create a Lagos that can keep up with its growing population in terms of housing, education, healthcare, security and jobs, and a state that is innovative and productive.

On her part, Okonjo-Iweala urged Lagos State to create an enabling environment to attract investments into its pharmaceutical manufacturing as well as other sectors, considering the opportunities in the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

According to her, Africa still imports 90 per cent of its pharmaceutical needs, and investment in manufacturing of pharmaceuticals will be a major boost to the economy.

She said: “We have a population of 1.3 billion people, which is equivalent to China or India. And with AfCTA, it means that Lagos should take advantage of such a big market to make Nigeria not just a consumer centre, but a big manufacturing centre that sells goods to other countries.

“Also, services industry is something to focus on in terms of job creation as well as emphasis on investing in healthcare. We have to ask ourselves the big question of how we can industrialise Africa and Lagos.”

Responding to question from Sanwo-Olu on what Lagos should do to become more prosperous, OkonjoIweala said: “One of the most important things a successful Africa should look at is the demographics of Africa.

“When you have 60 per

cent of your population at 30 years and younger, then you have to worry about job creation. A successful Africa is Africa that is able to create jobs for its citizens. That is the biggest issue Africa has to face and also this applies to Lagos State too.”

She stressed the need for the creation of modern jobs for the people, adding that there is a great opportunity to do that.

“What is difficult for the continent and Nigeria and Lagos State is the fact that we are still mainly a raw material-based economy.

“I know Lagos is our manufacturing hub, but if you look at the whole of Africa, we are still mainly exporting primary products, whether it is fossil fuels or its minerals or agriculture.

“So we have to get to a position of where we are exporting raw materials to one where are adding more value and processing,” she explained.

She urged the state government to invest in broadband infrastructure, citing it as a necessity to an increasing youth demographic.

Okonjo-Iweala said apart from construction of roads, Lagos should invest in technology such as broadband for every household, embrace artificial Intelligence and digital economy, ensure steady and sustainable supply of electricity and renewable energy/green to remain competitive in the next decade.

She added that the state should harness the youths by providing employment and to also move away from importing raw materials to exporting primary raw products to value and processing, to industrialise Africa.

STOP TRADING BLAME, FOCUS ON ENDING ETHNIC VIOLENCE, ABDULSALAMI URGES NIGERIANS on the federal government to transform herders into modern cattle merchants by investing in ranching.

Also, the pan-Yoruba sociocultural group, Afenifere; the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF); the apex Igbo sociopolitical group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo; and the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) have urged the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno, and other security chiefs to go after criminal herdsmen terrorising the country rather than tour the country in search of an elusive peace.

Abdulsalami, who is the Chairman of the National Peace Committee, called for calm in these difficult times.

He said: “As if the continued insurgency in the

country, the kidnap and armed robbery is not cup full, the recent happenings in some parts of the country of ethnic attacks are unfortunate and are adding to the problems.

“These times demand that we all join hands together to resolve our challenges so as to keep our country united.

We do not have the luxury of trading blame.”

He appealed to Nigerians who have borne so much pain and suffering to remain resilient and patient, while also pleading with governors to sheathe their swords, tone down their rhetoric and take full responsibility for managing the divergent voices and frustrations in their states.

Abdulsalami also pleaded with traditional institutions, religious leaders as well as

NGOs to mobilise Nigerians towards living in peace with one another.

“It is true that we are all in a state of fear and collective anxiety, however, the last thing we need is for the enemy to sense a lack of unity on our part or a break in our ranks,” he added.

He commended security agents for their sacrifices and appealed to the new service chiefs and the InspectorGeneral of Police (IG) to rise to the urgent demands of the moment by rallying their troops and designing the best strategy for ending the insecurity in the country.

“We hope that based on their field experiences in this war, they can draw up a well-coordinated programme to ensure that all our resources

are deployed to achieve the much-needed victory in this avoidable war.

“Let us continue to pray for our country because we believe that God will continue to give us the strength to overcome these difficulties,” he stated.

Sponsors of Crisis will be Identified, Punished, Says Buhari Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday expressed his determination to continue to work for the continued unity of Nigeria with an assurance that crisis sponsors will soon be identified and punished.

He said the stability of the country is important

to him and that the federal government will continue to work towards it despite the actions of a few people.

Buhari, while hosting a delegation of Borno/Yobe Elders Forum at the State House, said: “We need this country. We will continue to work for its stability. I feel that whatever happens, we will continue to make it and will keep on praying to God so that for those who feel that they don’t need Nigeria, we will succeed over their intentions and actions.”

He attributed the upheavals in some parts of the country to a few people with resources and influence, adding that they will be identified and dealt with.

Continued on page 47

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COMMENT

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

OKONJO-IWEALA’S VICTORY AND LESSONS FOR NIGERIA C. Don Adinuba writes that the appointment of Okonjo-Iweala as DG of WTO is a triumph of diplomacy

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ike the rest of humankind, the government and people of Anambra State are delighted that Nigeria’s former Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who has also been the Foreign Minister as well as the World Bank Managing Director, has finally emerged the Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It is remarkable that Dr Okonjo-Iweala is the first African and the first female to lead this important organization with 164 members and 24 observer governments which was formed on January 1, 1995, to regulate international trade.

Her triumph shows Nigeria’s foreign policy is regaining the dynamism of the past decades, as Governor Willie Obiano stated in three separate letters last October 30 to President Muhammadu Buhari, Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama as well as Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed.

The Buhari administration has done three remarkable things since last year which show Nigeria is returning to the global stage with regained self-confidence and strategy.

It stood up to Ghana when it was maltreating thousands of Nigerian businessmen and women and pumped sense into the heads of the Ghanaian authorities. The only offence by the Nigerians in Ghana was that they were far more competitive than their Ghanaian counterparts in the globalized world marked by acute competition. Ever since the Buhari administration demonstrated to the Ghanaian government that “enough is enough”, the harassment of Nigerian businessmen and women and the imposition of discriminatory levies against them have ceased. Protection of its citizen everywhere in the world and the defence of their well-being and interests are the primary purpose of every government.

The Buhari administration also scored a bull’s eye when it refused to kowtow to the Donald Trump’s intimidating excesses and rather insisted on Dr Akinwumi Adesina’s reelection as President of the African Development Bank (AfDB). Trump’s government had made all manner of allegations against Dr Adesina which were completely false. Trump probably has something against Africans on international assignments. He accused the World Health Organization Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom of Ethiopia of being a China puppet without evidence and even went on to pull the United States out of the WHO in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Of course, the administration was vehemently opposed to Dr Okonjo-Iweala’s leadership of the WTO, in spite of the massive support she enjoyed from WTO member states.

That Nigeria triumphed over Trump’s America in having Dr Adesina reelected as the AfDB chief executive and in having Dr Okonjo-Iweala as the new WTO DG shows that President Buhari and his foreign policy team have a good understanding of diplomatic charm. Rather than capitulate to the United States on each occasion, they continued to lobby the critical stakeholders.

The second lesson is the need to always put our best candidates forward on the international scene. The credentials, knowledge, skills, personal integrity and other

IT IS WHEN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR COUNTRY IS MADE THE CORNER STONE OF OUR FOREIGN POLICY THAT NIGERIA CAN BENEFIT MAXIMALLY FROM HAVING OUR CITIZENS LIKE DR OKONJO-IWEALA AS THE WTO DIRECTOR GENERAL AND DR ADESINA AS THE AFDB PRESIDENT

leadership attributes exhibited by both Dr Adesina and Dr Okonjo-Iweala are unimpeachable. If Nigeria’s candidate for the International Court of Justice at The Hague last year had been solid like Dr Okonjo-Iweala or Dr Adesina, Nigeria would have had a judge at the ICJ now. It is noteworthy that an eminently qualified Nigerian, The Honorable Justice Chile Eboe-Osuji, is the current President of the International Criminal Court of Justice at The Hague. Any country which wants to win the World Cup must assemble the best players, and not the second eleven.

The third lesson is that even in domestic matters meritocracy is the way to go. Neither Dr Okonjo-Iweala nor Dr Adesina earned global respect as a result of primordial considerations. Each won international acclaim purely on merit. Each was the best candidate at any point. Countries like Singapore, which have no mineral deposits –including drinking water-- have today become development miracles because they run merit-based systems.

The fourth lesson from Okonjo-Iweala’s victory is the imperative to have a development driven foreign policy. For decades after independence in 1960, Nigerian foreign policy was afrocentric. Fighting racism and apartheid and helping African nations under foreign occupation to gain freedom were the fulcrum of our foreign policy. We thus made no economic gain from being a frontline nation in the struggle for the independence of Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, Angola and Mozambique while foreign powers, including those we fought gallantly at a huge cost, became the beneficiaries of the new order in each of these countries. Nigeria can learn from such countries as Malaysia whose foreign policy in over three decades has been preoccupied with how to use its relations with the rest of the world to benefit its citizens and organizations in economic terms. This strategy may be called development diplomacy.

It is when the development of our country is made the corner stone of our foreign policy that Nigeria can benefit maximally from having our citizens like Dr Okonjo-Iweala as the WTO Director General and Dr Adesina as the AfDB President. Given the acute development challenges facing our nation, we need to embrace development diplomacy as a matter of urgency.

To conclude, the government and people of Anambra State rejoice with the rest of Africa on the emergence of a great pan Africanist as the WTO DG, in spite of all odds. We commend Dr Okonjo-Iweala for her steadfastness and focus.

We laud President Buhari for standing by her every step of the way. Governor Obiano and his administration supported her unabashedly because we were convinced she would do a brilliant job if given the opportunity. We, therefore, commend Foreign Minister Onyeama and the Trade Minister Niyi Adebayo for being proactive in the campaign for Okonjo-Iweala. There is nothing Nigerians cannot achieve in the world when we work as a team and as a united people.

Truly, Nigeria is a miracle waiting to happen. rAdinuba is Commissioner for Information & Public Enlightenment, Anambra State

JOE BIDEN’S FAULTY START (2)

Nigeria must continue to vote down pressure from the United States to legalise homosexuality, writes Sonnie Ekwowusi

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onversely, female students who claim that they are males could likewise compete together in sports with male students irrespective of their biological sex.

Also any male or female student can use any bathroom/locker room he or she prefers irrespective of his or her biological sex and even if his or her education records or identity documents indicate otherwise.

Additionally, any male student who considers himself a female irrespective of his biological sex can easily walk into a female bathroom and shower together with the girls there. Conversely, any female student who considers herself a male irrespective of her biological sex can now freely walk into a male bathroaom and shower together with the boys.

Mind you, apart from gender identity called transgender, there are other 112 gender identities recognized in New York City and other cities. For instance, there is the “gender neutral”, that is, persons who are neither male nor female. There is also the “aero gender”, that is, persons who claim that their gender fluctuates with their surroundings. There is also the “gender fluid” or “gender flux”, that is, persons alleging that their gender is in permanent flux. For example, in one month they could claim to be males and in another month they could claim to be females. There is also the “demi gender” that is, persons who claim that they are partially male and partially female. There is also the “adamas gender”, that is, persons who cannot be categorized either as male or female. Right now in Alberta, Canada and in some parts of the West employers of labour are barred from asking their employees to disclose their sex or gender or stating specifically whether they should be addressed as “Mr.” or “Mrs.” or “Miss” or “Ms.” or any other thing. Employers of labour who violate this “human right” of their employees stand

the risk of being dragged to the law court.

There is also the “amica gender”, that is, persons who claim that their gender changes depending on which friend they are with at a particular time.

Is the world finally coming to an end?

How can you rationalize the above anthropological cataclysm? How can you justify the blurring of the natural and scientific differences between a man and a woman?

How can you explain that a President of a country can issue a directive to the effect that male and female students should be bathing together all in the name of eliminating gender discrimination in sporting competition? Yes, Obama did it. As U.S. President, he directed that male and female students in the U.S. should be allowed to shower together. Obama also legalized bestiality among American soldiers. Following the aforesaid Obama legacy, the U.S department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights had ordered a certain all-female-school in the U.S to allow a male student who dressed like a girl to shower together with the female students of the school. However, the Trump-Pence administration revoked the corruptive Obama bathroom policy mainly on ground that Title IX covers sex but not gender identity. But in his first day in office, President Biden quickly reinstated the Obama bathroom policy. Mr. Biden has also appointed Ambassador Samantha Power, a well-known Lesbianism, Gay, Bi-sexualism, Trangenderism, Queer behaviour, Intersex and others (LGBTQ1+) advocate to head the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in other to weaponize U.S. foreign assistance to promote abortion, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) agenda in African countries.

To that effect, Mr. Biden has recently issued a threat to the effect that Nigeria and other countries must legalize LGTBQI+ failure for which they will incur the wrath of the U.S.,

to wit, lose U.S. diplomatic and assistance tools and will suffer U.S. financial sanctions and visa restrictions. This is a violation of Nigeria’s territorial sovereignty under international law. So, Nigeria should just ignore Mr. Biden. By virtue of section 4(1) (2) of the 1999 Constitution, only our National Assembly is empowered to make laws that conform to the aspiration of Nigerians. Biden has no right to interfere in the way we run our country or enact our laws. If the U.S. or any other country is bent on stopping giving us financial assistance simply because we have outlawed LGTBQ1+ in Nigeria, that country can go ahead. But what Nigeria must not do is to legalize LGTBQ1+ simply to please Mr. Biden who appears very confused.

What is unfolding before our eyes is the decline of American civilization. Bill Clinton used the White House to resolve his complex pelvic issues. Obama converted the White House into a Rainbow House. He made June the Gay Pride month. He legalized bestiality or sex with horses (beasts) among American soldiers. For the first time in the history of America, an American gay envoy was appointed and gay office opened for the purpose of homosexualization of the world. As we anticipated, the Biden-Harris administration has continued where Clinton and Obama stopped. Already Biden has reinstated abortion, safe-sex, lesbianism, homosexualism, bestiality, queerism, transgenderism, beast-genderism, bi-sexualism, beast-sexualism, male and female students bathing together as the centre-piece of American foreign policy.

Politics, it is said, is the expression of culture. If democracy must lead to true human flourishing it must transcend political experiment. This is because democracy is more than a political experiment: it is also a moral enterprise - an effort to shape public life by imbibing those communally-binding

ideals made available by culture which, in fact, are religious in nature. So, man is man because he recognizes supernatural realities not because he enjoys favorable U.S. immigration policies or allowed by Mr. Biden to secure a U.S. visa or to travel to the U.S. In his classical essay entitled: Second Thoughts About Humanism, which, in fact, is a literary criticism of Mr. Norman Foerster’s Humanism (against the background of the Humanism of Professor Irving Babbitt), T.S Elliot writes; “If you remove the word ‘human’ and all that the belief in the supernatural has given to man, you can view him finally as no more than an extremely clever, adaptable, and mischievous little animal.” Studies on the rise and fall of civilizations show that most civilizations have fallen owing to combinations of factors which obviously include the collapse of communally-shared moral values which are the superstructures for the building of societal ethos. For example, empires such as Greece under Pericles; Rome under Caesar; France under Napoleon; Germany under Hitler and others had collapsed due to a combination of political and moral corruption. In fact, the Roman Empire collapsed under the weight of moral corruption.

It is obvious that the U.S. is tottering on the brink of collapse under the weight of moral corruption. This is why Nigeria and other African countries must not legalize LGTBQ1+. Nigeria must not jettison her rich social, cultural and religious heritage in preference for immoral foreign lifestyle and sexual perversity. As I earlier said, Nigeria should ignore Mr. Biden. The consensus reached at the various United Nations Conferences, is that all policies and action programs of every country must conform to the diverse social, economic and environmental conditions of the country, with full respect for their religious, cultural backgrounds and philosophical convictions.

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INCREASING POPULATION OF POOR NIGERIANS More Nigerians will be trapped in poverty because of increasing population

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igeria’s uncontrolled population is becoming worrying as the prospects of poverty reduction in the near future is increasingly becoming a mirage. This was underscored last week at the virtual launch of the 2021 Macroeconomic Outlook of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG). The World Bank said at the forum that about 15 million to 20 million more Nigerians would be tipped into poverty by 2022. At present, about 100 million people, half the population of Africa’s THE POPULATION IS biggest economy, GROWING AT 3.2% A YEAR, are already living below the poverty A FIGURE THAT IS HIGHER line.

THAN THE DEVELOPMENT World Bank RATE. MANY HOMES CAN Senior Economist, HARDLY PROVIDE A GOOD Gloria JosephRaji, said that MEAL FOR THE FAMILY the impact of the WHILE MANY OF THE COVID-19 panCHILDREN ARE OUT OF demic on Nigerian economy was hard.

SCHOOL Indeed, the country experienced its second and deepest recession in five years since the 1980s in 2020, evidently a fallout of the catastrophic drop in the prices of oil, the country’s main foreign exchange earner. “We consider Nigeria right now to be at a critical junction,” she said, “in the sense that the achievement of its development goal of lifting 100 million people out of poverty by 2030 was already challenging even before COVID-19 struck, and then COVID-19 has made this even more challenging and more urgent.”

Indeed, it is clear why the country is in dire poverty straits. The unemployment rate is uncomfortably high. According to the latest figure by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), more than 27 per cent of Nigerians are jobless. In spite of this, the population is constantly on the upward swing. The average family size in the country is 5.6 people, but larger in the north where polygamy

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is common. The population is growing at 3.2% a year, a figure that is higher than the development rate. Many homes can hardly provide a good meal for the family while many of the children are out of school. Besides, a large percentage of the urban population lives in slums. But there is even need to worry more: at the present rate of indiscriminate breeding, experts project that the population will balloon to about 402 million or even surpass it by 2050.

As things stand, more Nigerians will be trapped in poverty as the year wanes, in spite of all the noise being made by the government. According to the 2018 World Poverty Clock Report, 85 million people or 45% of Nigeria’s population are extremely poor, meaning that they live on less than $1.90 a day. In 2017 the number was 79 million (43% of population). In 2016, it was 73 million (40%). So what’s the way out? How can Nigerians escape from the cruel fate of poverty starring millions in the eyes?

Both the Chairman of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, Doyin Salami and the World Bank agree that Nigeria needs to implement key reforms to get the economy out of the woods and achieve sustainable, inclusive growth. While admitting that the country had taken some bold decisions in a market-based mechanism for petroleum pricing and a more cost -effective electricity tariffs to free up fiscal resources, Joseph-Raji said more could be done to meet the country’s broad development goals. “There is a need for the government to prioritise certain key policy reforms if Nigeria must turn the corner and recover and rebuild resilient and inclusive growth,” she said.

Salami canvassed the need for more investments in the country to achieve the desired growth, arguing that the country should be in a position where the economy “is growing at about six per cent, and to move in that direction requires significant investments.”

While we hope Salami is assisting government to achieve the lofty goals, it is also safe to say that government must look into issues that trigger population increase: early marriages, high birth rates and lack of family planning access.

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

DANCING NAKED JOYFULLY

ust like the two types of family - nuclear and extended, the nuclear is a small cycle of family while the extended is a big family cycle. It’s very paradoxical that members of the extended family fight with one another over political ambitions, power and resources.

Also Like the popular masquerade culture events somewhere in Nigeria, where masquerades do play on different events, there is one big masquerader that plays only after four years just like the cycle of elections. That masquerader is a certified one by the emirate council; when he is out he vandalizes anything his hands can touch, nobody can snap him neither do women have the chance to watch his play. He speaks only one language, anybody that is in that cycle but cannot speak the big masquerader’s language will be stoned by the masquerader and bleed. As they say, that wound will not heal until another four years. Why do people even wonder to watch his play? Because he is the most decorated masquerader who roams anywhere by foot, without using any modern transport means and he is the senior masquerader in the history of those people. One more thing, he spends seven days in a cave before coming out to play only on Fridays.

Northern Nigeria is an extended family of many tribes, resource persons, wealthy individuals, famous academia, political heroes, and many more promi-

nent people. Members of this seemingly giant family always fight one another as a result of envy, malice and hypocrisy, that’s why those in the nuclear family that is very small, take advantage of the big family and invade it, live in their houses, eat their food, drink their water, sleep with their wives, use their resources and make slave out of them. Imagine a family of six, joined together after invading the other family, exploited their resources and are now killing the members of the extended family living around their houses. And unfortunately, the extended family cannot do anything despite being in the majority to safeguard and protect its members living on the outskirt.

That masquerader that plays after four years is none other than our northern politicians and member of that family, and comes 2023 he will be out to play.

Will his family members and other masquerades attend the play of that big masquerader after knowing you will be stoned and bleed till another four years? Or you will leave him alone, shun and chase him away until he realizes that stoning people and vandalism is causing his family members injury that lasts for years.

Nigeria’s children are dancing nakedly at the market square. And sadly, they are happy. r6TNBO "CEVMMBIJ ,PMJ %FQU PG .BTT $PNNVOJDBUJPO "CVCBLBS 5BUBSJ "MJ 1PMZUFDIOJD

ARE YOU ESSENTIAL?

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he COVID-19 pandemic has shown us who is essential and sometimes it is surprising. The more obvious people are anyone involved with medical services, first responders and food distribution employees. Some of what could be considered second level essential people would include Journalists, public transport, some manufacturing jobs and even liquor sellers but the list in Australia also includes Tennis Players, well at least the professional ones competing in the Australian Open. The only obvious essential component of the Tennis professionals is the financial one with the amount of money that has been paid for TV rights and advertisements. Teachers aren’t really considered essential although as a retired teacher I can say that view preceded the pandemic times.

Really the list should only include those that keep us safe and healthy. r %FOOJT 'JU[HFSBME .FMCPVSOF "VTUSBMia

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MIDWEEKPOLITICS

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

PDP Lawmaker Who Hopes to Change the Political Course in Kwara

With the recent swearing in of the only Peoples Democratic Party member in the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hammed Shittu writes that the party may be rejuvenated to reclaim its pride of place in the state

Shittu

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he race to the 2023 general may have commenced in Kwara state with the recent swearing-in of the only lawmaker of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Hon. Raheem Jimoh Agboola by the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Yakubu Danladi-Salihu.

The lawmaker who has been in legal battle with the state house of assembly for over 14 months now over who will represent Ilorin south state constituency of the state in the house following the Court of Appeal that nullified the election of All Progressives Congress (APC) member in the assembly, Hon.Azeez Elewu got reprieve recently with his being sworn-in as a member of the 9th assembly in the state by the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon.Yakubu Danladi-Salihu Hon. Agboola’s rejection from being swornin despite the appellate court that has affirmed his election according to THISDAY checks might not be unconnected with the power that be in the state to ensure the house was in full control by the members of the APC. It was learnt that, this move would also prevent the opposition, PDP from knowing the state of affairs of the state which hitherto may likely hinder the political calculations of the next general elections in the state.

Prior to the nullification of Hon. Elewu by the appellate court, the election tribunal in the state had declared that Hon. Agboola was the PDP candidate in the March 9, 2019 elections with a view to representing his Ilorin South Constituency in the State House of Assembly.

When the results were later announced during the period by the Independemt National Electoral Commission, Hon. Agboola’s opponent, Abdulazeez Elewu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was declared winner and sworn- in as the duly elected representative of Ilorin South Constituency.

Dissatisfied with the INEC result, Agboola and his party, PDP, filed a petition against the election of Hon.Elewu at the State Election Petition Tribunal to challenge INEC’s verdict .

Agboola challenged the election that produced Abdulazeez Elewu of the APC at the tribunal based on the grounds that the APC candidate returned by INEC as the winner of the election was not qualified to contest the said election.

He also faulted the primary election that produced Hon .Elewu as the APC candidate for that poll in the state.

In the judgment delivered by the tribunal and read by Justice Mariya M. Ismaila, the tribunal nullified the election that produced APC candidate, Hon. Elewu.

The tribunal however ordered for fresh election to be conducted by INEC within three months of the judgment.

It also ordered INEC to withdraw the Certificate of Return already issued in respect of the said election.

But Hon. Elewu, not satisfied with the

Danladi tribunal ruling, he approached the Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin, seeking to upturn the lower court’s ruling.

However, the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the PDP candidate, Hon. Agboola and ordered that the PDP candidate should be issued the Certificate of Return.

The appellate court in its ruling then based its ruling on the controversial primary election that produced the APC candidate, Hon. Elewu .

Justice Hamman Barkar Hkawu, of the appellate court in his ruling, said the court’s decision was based on the disputed APC primary which produced one Suleiman Abdulsalam, but was later replaced with Hon. Elewu.

He said: “The court held that the APC had no valid candidate for the election in the area and thereby declared the PDP candidate with the second highest votes as the winner of the poll.”

The appellate court fined Hon. Elewu the sum of N200,000 and was also directed to return all the salaries and allowances he has collected so far.

The court also ordered that Hon. Agboola of the PDP should be admitted and sworn in as the duly elected member of the House, representing the people of Ilorin South.

The state PDP in its reaction then through a statement by its Chairman, Hon. Kola Shittu, hailed the judgment which it described as a timely ruling against legislative impunity in the state house of assembly.

He said that, “It is a huge lesson to politicians, political parties and government agencies to eschew impunity and always conduct

Agboola themselves in a manner that is in tandem with provisions of the law.”

Despite the appellate court ruling on the issue, the state house of Assembly leadership refused to comply with the ruling and decided not to swear -in PDP candidate, Hon. Agboola.

Even, the PDP lawmaker also filed a contempt of court ruling at the Court of Appeal again so as to make the state house of assemby leadership to obey the ruling of first Courr of Appeal ruling but this also yielded no result.

This was filed since July 2020.

The Court of Appeal ruled that, the house must swear-in the PDP lawmaker.

Inseatd of the ladership of the house to fulfill all righteousness and obey the appellate court ruling, the house again decided to file another suit at the Apex court in Abuja so as to over rule the two rulings of the Courr of Appeal sitting in Ilorin but the Apex court in the country struck out the case for lack of jurisdiction on the issue.

Following this Apex court ruling that affirmed PDP candidate, Hon. Agboola as the duly elected lawmaker for Ilorin south constituency, the supporters and well.wishers of the PDP lawmaker thronged into the state house of Assembly to stage a peaceful protest in May last year but the security agencies at the state house of Assembly prevented the PDP lawmaker and its teeming supporters from getting inside the assembly complex.

Prior to that, Hon. Agboola was issued a Certificate of Return by the INEC in Abuja and asked him to present it to the speaker of the house for his prompt swearing- in but

Despite the appellate court ruling on the issue, the state house of Assembly leadership refused to comply with the ruling and decided not to swear -in PDP candidate, Hon. Agboola. Even, the PDP lawmaker also filed a contempt of court ruling at the Court of Appeal again so as to make the state house of assemby leadership to obey the ruling of first Courr of Appeal ruling but this also yielded no result. This was filed since July 2020. The Court of Appeal ruled that, the house must swear-in the PDP lawmaker. Inseatd of the ladership of the house to fulfill all righteousness and obey the appellate court ruling, the house again decided to file another suit at the Apex court in Abuja so as to over rule the two rulings of the Courr of Appeal sitting in Ilorin but the Apex court in the country struck out the case for lack of jurisdiction on the issue

the assembly also failed to recognise this from the PDP lawmaker.

Agboola who spoke with journalists and his teeming supporters called for calm.adding that, the house would do justice to his case.

He said, “ I am appealing to all Kwarans and people of Ilorin South Constituency is for them to exercise patience as we can always use dialogue to resolve things amicably.

Agboola was later invited from the main entrance of the assembly for a meeting with the speaker of the house, said that, “I have presented my certificate of return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the Speaker and Clerk of the House during the meeting and promised to look into it in due course.”

Sensing inherent danger ahead of the issue, the former lawmakers in the state house of assembly decided to come into the matter so as to ensure the PDP lawmaker was sworn-in as ruled by the two Court of Appeal and Apex court in the country but this intervention too could not yield positive result.

The forum of former state lawmakers from 1979 to 2019 in a statement issued in Ilorin and made available to journalists said that, the leadership of the house should respect the rule of law and comply with the Apex court ruling on the matter.

The statement added: “The Forum noted that Kwara State House of Assembly is one of few states that enjoy financial autonomy backed by relevant laws and therefore frowned at the flagrant disrespect of the Speaker of KWHA, Rt. Hon. Yakub Danladi to the unanimous judgement of the Court of Appeal delivered by Hon. Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam (JCA) that Hon. Jimoh Raheem Agboola should be recognised, accepted and inaugurated as the representative of Ilorin South Constituency at the KWHA from November 2019 when INEC issued the Certificate of Return to him.

“The ruling was further upheld by the Supreme Court in a unanimous judgement delivered by Hon. Justice Mary Ukaego Odili (JSC) in November 2020”.

Also, as part of move to ensure its swearingin as the lawmaker for Ilorin south state constituency, the legal team of the PDP lawmaker decided to place an advertisement on the Appealate court ruling on one of the national newspapers so as to imtimate the members of the public particularly, the Chief Justice of Nigeria and National Judicial Council over the flagrant disobey of the court ruling by the state house of assembly .

The advertisement which was placed on Thursday February 4, 2021 put the state house of assembly, the APC candidate and other stakeholders in a serious tight corner and therefore set a serious danger ahead.

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

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POLITICS

Jandor is Ready to Move If…

GOVERNANCE IN PHOTOS

A young politician within the fold of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State, Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adeniran, better known as Jandor, is giving the powers that be sleepless nights with his insistence on making a profund change in the political affairs of Lagos State with or without his party’s support

From Left: Governor State of Osun, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, Mr Adedeji Ayoade Kolawole and Head of Service, Dr. Olowogboyega Oyebade during the Presentation of Bond Certificates to Retirees on Contributory Pension Scheme at Local Government Service Commisson in Osogbo

Adeniran

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f there are any reservations that the convener of the Lagos4Lagos Movement Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adeniran, better known as, Jandor, would lower his sight on his quest for a Lagos for all, those doubts were probably dispelled at a recent meetingwithjournalists.

Without mincing words, the frontman stated that he is willing to walk away if his current political party, All Progressive Congress (APC) continues to frustrate his efforts. Adediran who applauded the mandatory registration and revalidation exercise of party members as instructed by the Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee, led by Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, said that the Lagos4Lagos Movement is for rebuilding the party and if its intentions are frustrated by others, it will not remain in the party.

“Whatever numbers we have gotten for the party can be taken elsewhere if they are unrepentant to change. Lagos4Lagos is here to give Lagosians a breath of fresh air. If it’s not going to work here, it’s going to work elsewhere,” he said matter-of-factly.

If found on the horns of a dilemma, Adediran easily disclosed that he will rather embrace the devil than swim in the deep blue sea.

“A lot of people criticised us when we read our mobilisation strategy for the APC legislature. But whether we like it or not, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the APC will still be the dominant parties in 2023. But that does not mean that we can’t do something outside these political parties.”

Notwithstanding, Adediran indicated that his organisation was willing to help set things right in the party because “politics is all about structure and that’s what the movement has been doing.

The intra-party exercise is needed and although there are already dissenting voices, we believe we can push out the bad eggs within the party.”

Adediran is particularly happy that the party is embarking on the re-registration and revalidation of party members. It is something that his party has already embarked on before the announcement by the NWC. As at the moment, the Lagos4Lagos Movement has over 50,000 registered members. He also revealed that

the organisation has set up a committee of 852 members across local governments and wards as well as ensuring that there is at least one representative in each polling unit.

“It happens to be one of our prayers to the national body of the party. We are ready to populate the party with young energies.”

He argued that the party needs total overhauling so that “we can ascertain the number of members we have...We are not unmindful that there are some elements within the party trying to frustrate this process but don’t forget you can only complain if you are not benefitting from this exercise.”

He insisted that the APC in Lagos must be one that is for all and not for an individual who dictates who will be the party’s flag bearer irrespective of the popularity of an aspirant.

“We need to rejig this party. We don’t even have primary,” he lamented.

But the possibilities of membership records being rigged is still looming.

However, Adediran would not lose sleep over it. Rigging he said is a product of a controlling leader. One who doesn’t want others to rise because they oppose his cause.

“That’s why you see people printing forms and sharing among themselves, assigning the number of members they can bring to the party. The party that the NWC is proposing with this exercise is the one that everybody is a financial member. Not one that has only a sole sponsor.

“We need a Lagos that the man at the helm of affairs will be allowed to think and have a mind of his own, not one that will rely on somebody’s thinking.”

Jandor had last year made his intention to contest for the number one seat in Lagos state public. Preparations began more than three years ago with sensitisation of wards and local governments.

For the young politician, it is embarrassing that a political aspirant has little or no knowledge of the wards and local governments in his state. His mission is to help whip the ruling party back in shape and eliminate the godfatherism factor choking the emergence of better leaders. How successful his mission would be is yet to be seen.

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State (left) with his Akwa Ibom State counterpart, Governor Udom Emmanuel at the commissioning of the 9.3km Umueje-Osokwa-Omoba Road built by the Ikpeazu administration

Ogun state Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, flanked by the Olu and Paramount ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle (right) and the Commander of 35th Artillery Brigade, Abeokuta, Brig. Gen EJ Amadasun during a consultative meeting with the affected victims of herders/farmer clash at Oja Odan in Yewa North local government areas of the state

Akwa Ibom State Deputy Governor, Mr Moses Ekpo, handing out a plaque from Governor Udom Emmanuel to Mr Brandon Hudspeth (left), Chief of Political and Economic Affairs, US Consulate, Abuja, when Mr Brandon visited Government House, Uyo with a team from the Consulate recently

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FEATURES

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

A Rich Military Tradition Chiemelie Ezeobi writes that the retirement of the immediate past Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, as the 20th indigenous CNS in the long line of Naval Icons, was an ample opportunity for the navy to showcase their long standing tradition in the most colourful parade

Cross section of dignitaries at the pulling/sailing out

The immediate past CNS and wife with his successor and wife

Salute to the 20th indigenous CNS during his pulling out

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f there is any institution which adheres to tradition no matter how long ago it was established, it is the military. Tradition they say never dies and that particularly holds true for the military. The Nigerian Navy, one of the tripod arms of the Nigerian Armed Forces, is not an exception.

For them, instead of tradition being deemed as archaic and outdated, these customs and traditions are seen as an anchor to their past, constantly reminding them of where they have been, where they are now and where they hope to be. It would therefore be safe to say that the very tapestry or fabrics that holds the military together is its customs and traditions.

Even though those traditions might not be understood by civilians, because of what they deem excessive regimentation, for the military, those same traditions are their heritage, even as they seek to align themselves with contemporary modern day structures and practices.

Thus, the observance of the customs and traditions of the military is an integral part of their way of life because a well defined and strong military built on past traditions is germane to its growth. One of such traditions is the pulling/ sailing out ceremony of its Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) to join the long list of past Icons of the Navy.

Past Icons of the Navy Often referred to as Icons of the Navy, the

S. Sa'idu who was appointed in 1993 and removed same year.

Others after this include Rear Admiral AA Madueke from 1993 to 1994; Rear Admiral OM Akhigbe from 1994 to 1998; Vice Admiral J. Ayinla from 1998 to 1999; Vice Admiral VK Ombu from 1999 to 2001; Vice Admiral SO Afoloyan from 2001 to 2005; Vice Admiral GTA Adekeye from 2005 to 2008 and Vice Admiral II Ibrahim from 2008 to 2010.

Ibrahim was succeeded by Vice Admiral OS Ibrahim from 2010 to 2012; Vice Admiral DJ Ezeoba took over in 2012 and handed over to Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin in 2013. In 2015, Vice Admiral Ibok Ette Ibas took over as the 20th indigenous Chief of the Naval Staff and in 2021 handed over to Rear Admiral Awwal Gambo, who would soon be decorated as a Vice Admiral.

Immediate last Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd) and wife, Mrs Theresa Ibas being pulled out of the navy past list of of CNS since the inception of the NN includes Captain FW Skutil, who was CNS from 1956 to 1958 and Commodore AR Kennedy who held the helm of affairs from 1958 to 1964. Others were Vice Commodore JEA Wey from 1964 to 1973; Vice Admira NB Soroh, from 1973 to 1975 and Vice Admiral

MA Adelanwa from 1975 to 1980.

Not left out were Vice Admiral AA Aduwo from 1980 to 1893; Vice Admiral AA Aikhomu from 1984 to 1986; Vice Admiral Patrick Koshini from 1986 to 1990; Vice Admirak Murtala Nyako from 1990 to 1992; Vice Admiral DPE Omotsola from 1992 to 1993; Rear Admiral

Change of Baton Prior to the sailing out, there was a handing and taking over ceremony at the headquarters in Abuja. For Vice Admiral Ibas (Rtd), after spending five and half years at the helm of affairs of the NN, it was time to say goodbye.

The occasion was heralded by a ceremonial quarter guard. Following tradition, the handing and taking over ceremony was observed as well as the valedictory and inaugural speech by the outgone CNS and his predecessor.

The former also adorned the latter with the

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FEATURES

Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Navy, Honourable Yusuf Adamu Gagdi at the event

The pulling out by senior naval officers Admiralty Medal. The Admiral’s Distinguishing Flag tradition was also observed at the end of the handing/taking over ceremony.

Pulling Out Parade So, it was in line with naval traditions, that they recently rolled out the drums and celebrated their own and the immediate past CNS, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (rtd.). In a very traditional pulling/sailing out ceremony, Ibas was retired after having served the nation for five years, six months and 13 days as the 20th indigenous Chief of Naval Staff.

The pulling-out-parade, which is a traditional military ceremony to mark officers’ retirement from service, is often held with pomp and pageantry. This recent one was no different.

Hosted by the new CNS, Rear Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, the former navy chief was pulled out of the NN after he was retired

by President Muhammadu Buhari on January 26, 2021.

At the pulling/sailing out parade proper, the quarter guard was stationed at the gate of the Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC).

Immediately the new CNS drove in, he went on to inspect the quarter guard after taking the salute- another military tradition.

Soon afterwards, Ibas arrived and repeated the same process. Escorted by Gambo and other senior officers, he marched on to mount the Dias at the parade ground, a square piece of ground revered by all since it's supposedly soaked with the blood of the fallen heroes, of NNS QUORRA to take another salute while the navy band piped.

He soon went on to review and inspect the parade mounted in his honour. This soon gave way for the parade march past led by the parade commander. Afterwhich, Ibas went on to read his valedictory speech and say farewell to officers and men of the Nigerian Navy.

He also took out time to appreciate his fellow chiefs (the class of 2015) which includes former Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin; former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai; and former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.

The colourful ceremony was attended by who-is-who in the military-both retired and serving, senior paramilitary personnel, captains of industries, traditional rulers and representatives of governors and some legislators.

In the honour of the past CNS, a compendium was unveiled, containing all the past achievements of Ibas in the last five years.

The new CNS also presented him a telescope.

This segment was rounded off with group photographs.

Valedictory Remarks For a man whose humble beginnings started from dreaming of being a doctor, then a pilot, providence saw him joining the military, where he was recruited to join the navy, Ibas said his emergence was solely by the grace of God whom in His infinite mercies wills and gives power to whom He so desires.

In his valedictory remarks he said expressed gratitude to God for the successful completion of over 40 years of a journey that culminated into this farewell ceremony and pulling out parade.

He said: “Today must without doubt pass as one of the most important days of my life.

But the story of today actually dates back several years ago when fate brought me into an encounter with destiny. I consider my story remarkable because military service was for

The 20th indigenous CNS being sailed out me not even a distant thought as a career; that expectation belonged to my hopes to become a medical doctor, and much later into my teenage years that gave way to the desire to be a pilot.

“However, the pull of destiny won me over when I casually processed the NDA entry and even then, the choice of the navy as the arm of service only came later to replace the continuation of my early love for flying in the NAF. Now, with the benefit of my experience from my initial ambitions, I consider my achievements incredibly unexpected and therefore justifiably gladdening and filled with satisfaction.

“Without bias to the critical role of other services and agencies in the tasks of nation building, I found the navy as my platform of service particularly interesting. There is clearly a sense of honor and feeling of accomplishment in the knowledge that our navy, in which we serve, is proven to be the only arm of service with a directlink with the nation’s economic lifeline, upon which the well-being of the citizens delicately rests.

“The huge dependence of Nigeria on its maritime resources is a fact of our life. Thus, Nigeria’s maritime environment is strategic to her national survival, the prosperity of her people and the maintenance of her superiority in the comity of nations.

“It is however regrettable that several potential threats continue to hinder the peaceful harvest of these resources and the Nigerian State rely on you to fully reinstate order. In this sincere mandate, you have only one true option of full, unwavering, undivided and single-minded commitment, for you to be seen to have performed your duty. In committing to this article of faith with you, the nation on its part has continued to put at its forefront providing for the service.”

Looking back at his achievements as the CNS he said, "Time will not permit me to do justice to the record of support in my tenure alone, but let me at least attempt a highlight in recalling in the area of fleet renewal, the massive procurement of platforms from OPVs, SDB, FPBs, IPCs, RHIBs and RPBs to helicopters,

with a lot more including LST, training ship, survey ship and UAVs either underway to Nigeria for delivery or at advanced stage of building.

“The service also prioritised force protection like never before, by purchasing large quantities of ordnance and seriously strengthened their storage by widespread supply of standard amouries and strict accountability.

“I make bold to also state that some achievements were also recorded in the areas of operational and administrative infrastructure delivery, logistics as well as human resource management and administration. We sustained and expanded maritime domain awareness facility. We also successfully carried out infrastructural development in some of our locations.

“These include upgrade of Naval Shipyard, construction of NNS BEECROFT jetty, completion of a second NN reference hospital, a world-class trauma centre at Calabar and the construction of a standard sports stadium in Navy Town, Ojo. Extensive infrastructural creation for the take-off of the Admiralty University, Ibusa, Delta State was also carried out leading to the licensing of the university and its formal commencement of academic activities, now into the third year running.

“A great number of personnel accommodations was constructed and or renovated, associated facilities refurbished and utilities restored and strengthened across the breath and length of the country. The NN was also able to make a commendable breakthrough in R&D, developing compressed earth bricks to deliver quality houses at unbelievable rates.

“Similarly, a grand plan was created for the effective manning of NN platforms by making bold investments in human capital training to increase its control and quality. In this regard, the training environment was generally upgraded, training content reorganised and several aids including computer simulations were inducted.

“The effective maintenance of these assets was also taken in our consideration, with the expansion of repair capacity, numerous docking and major overhauls and acquisition of

heightened maintenance skills to manufacturer’s levels.

“As it is said “to whom much is given, much is expected” which is why in the last 66 months, together with you, i.e. from the PSOs, Commanders at various levels, officers, men and civilian staff we had committed to this role put before us to take apart the networks of criminalities in the form of piracy, sea robbery, illegal bunkering, crude oil theft, operation of illegal refineries, kidnapping, hijack, injurious trafficking, environmental abuse and several other infringements and infractions in our maritime domain.

“And with the grace of Almighty God, we have apprehended a great number of perpetrators, confiscated the equipment of their dishonourabletrade, saved the nation incalculable losses, ensured reliable prosecution for crimes and in the process drastically reduced the impact of their unpatriotic and ungodly acts.

“Dear colleagues, the returned opinion is that you have done exceedingly well in the past but you can do better. I therefore urge you to rededicate yourselves to your tasks and responsibilities and make exemplary discharge of your service a certainty of your life and a routine. I received widespread support from you all and I encourage you to accord more to our new Chief of the Naval Staff.”

He further expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for his unflinching support and encouragement; legislative leaders, especially the leaders of the Navy committees in the two chambers for their advocacy towards accelerated growth of the navy; Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (Rtd) and other heads of MDAs; immediate past CDS, Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin (Rtd) and other retired service chiefs for their invaluable support and prompt cooperation always and recognise the crucial role of the intelligence community and our international partners to our naval operations.

He also commended the membership of NOWA and NARAWA, officers, ratings and civilian members of the navy family, just as he congratulated Rear Admiral AZ Gambo.

Traditional Pulling Out After this, another important navy tradition took place. It was time to pull Ibas out. Climbing the white and bronze-painted jeep, which has pulled out countless CNS before him, Ibas and wife were pulled using a white thick rope.

The procession which started at NAVTRAC continued at the Western Naval Command and was led by the CNS, Rear Admiral Gambo.

He was followed by representatives of other services, as well as senior naval officers. Lined up on both sides of the road were personnel of the service who saluted Ibas and wife as he was pulled out.

Sailing Out The procession ended at the jetty inside the NNS BEECROFT. Marching on the red-carpet to the jetty, Ibas entertained few questions from journalists before he then boarded the vessel with his wife. Thus he was sailed out of the NN. With that tradition was kept and adhered to.

Although Ibas has gone as the 20th indigenous CNS, the navy marches on. It's a given that soon after the tenure of the new 21st indigenous CNS, tradition would be adhered to again during the pulling out. For the military, and the navy inclusive, tradition has indeed come to stay.

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WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2021 •T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ ͯ͵˜ 2021

BUSINESSWORLD

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

ͯ Ͱ ˜ Ͱ ͮ Ͱ ͯ MONEY MARKET OVERNIGHT OBB

REPO 4.75 4.50

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

6 7.50 9.50

S & P INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY MONTH-TO-DATE

574.05% - 0.51% - 3.72%

S & P INDEX 1/4 TO DATE YEAR TO DATE

- 14.36% - 14.36%

EXCHANGE RATE N379/1US DOLLAR* ̩

Quick Takes MTN Commits to Zero Emissions

STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIP

Managing Director / CEO of NOVA Merchant Bank, Mr. Nath Ude (right), with Chairman / Founder of MIKANO Nigeria Limited, Mr. Mofid Nidal Karameh, at the official unveiling of vehicles assembled in Nigeria by MIKANO in Lagos...recently

Operators Identify Factors Discouraging Foreign Investors from Stock Market Goddy Egene Foreign investors’ low patronage of the Nigerian stock market has been attributed to scarcity of foreign exchange (FX) as well as concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

Transactions in the local bourse used to be dominated by foreign investors until 2019, when the domestic investors took over the lead.

Market analysts and operators told THISDAY that lack of access to FX by foreign investors to repatriate their funds after selling their shares or receiving their dividends, has made them to stay away from the market.

Hence, the market is currently

CAPITAL MARKET being dominated by domestic investors, especially institutional ones who exited the fixed income market when yields hit low levels last year.

A breakdown of the transactions on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) between domestic and foreign investors showed that in 2018 foreign investors accounted for N1.219 trillion while domestic traded N1.183 trillion. In 2019 domestic took over, transacting N985 billion, while foreign investors staked N943 billion. The gap widened further in 2020 as domestic investors accounted for N1.439 trillion,

while foreign investors traded N729 billion.

A frontline investment banker and founding partner of Cardinalstone Partners Limited, Mohammed Garuba, said the primary reason why foreign investor are not dominant is lack of liquidity in the FX market.

According to him, instead of thinking of returning, more foreign investors are selling.

Garuba explained that even though stocks prices have been attracting investors around the world, they continue to exit Nigeria.

“Foreign investors have started going back to Ghana and other countries but they have started coming to Nigeria because of the

FX illiquidity. So most foreign investors are scared to come because it is very difficult for them to exit,” he said.

In his comments, another leading operator and Chief Executive Officer of Dunn Loren Merrified (DLM), Mr. Sonnie Ayere, said foreign investors apathy to Nigerian securities declined amid foreign exchange control and other macroeconomic risks, which he explained had made Nigeria less attractive to foreign investors.

“In addition, the widespread between exchange rates at the parallel market and the I&E window also suggests a mispricing Continued on page 26

FG Urged to Tackle Poverty through Financial Inclusion Dike Onwuamaeze The federal government has been advised to promote financial inclusion, equitable distribution of resources and infrastructural development as tools to drive Nigeria’s post COVID-19 economic recovery and to reduce poverty in the country.

The advice was given by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a global management consultancy firm, in its report that was titled: “How to Forge an Inclusive Post-COVID-19 Recovery in Nigeria.”

The report, which was authored by a Partner at the BCG, Mr. Tolu Oyekan, stated that the tools would stave off the COVID-19 induced economic contraction that could further compound the poverty situation in the country.

Oyekan also posited that

ECONOMY financial inclusion through infrastructural intervention projects would reduce the percentage of Nigerians that are living below the poverty line and have positive multiplier effect on the economy.

He listed the electrification of rural households through a pay-as-you-go (PAYGo) solar service and cashless transactions via telecom propelled mobile money platforms as examples of infrastructural intervention projects that could be used to tackle poverty in Nigeria.

The report stated that those with existing mobile money account would have a higher chance of accessing new home solar power systems and minigrids the federal government is targeting to install for over five million low-income households by the end of 2023.

Oyekan said: “Our analysis shows that a PAYGo loan would make solar kits affordable for about half of the 31 million households that do not have reliable electricity and may also considered being in the low-income bracket.

“What’s more, we found that 3.2 million out of 17 million households currently using kerosene and candles as their lighting source could afford the monthly PAYGo payments based on their current spending on lighting, plus about 10 per cent of their nonfood budget.”

He highlighted a recent USAID research which estimated that between 15 to 30 per cent of PAYGo solar customers would create a credit history for the first time when they purchase a solar home system with a PAYGo plan, adding that “credit history could, in turn, lead to other loans for large expenses, such as school

fees, which can consume up to 40 percent of a family’s annual income.

“Credit histories are also a critical driver of growth for small-business enterprises and first-time business entrepreneurs.

“We continue to believe that the best course for the government is to accelerate economic policy reforms and investments that accentuate inclusive development and position the country for a stronger post-pandemic economic recovery.”

He, therefore, stated that inclusive approach to economic recovery could protect the most vulnerable populations in the short term and improve their prospects in the long term.

Commenting on the probable economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, Oyekan made a strong case for Continued on page 26

As the impacts of climate change become increasingly visible around the world, MTN has expressed its believe in the benefits of a healthy planet.Owingtothis,thetelcohaspledgeditscommitmenttoachieve net zero emissions by 2040.

According to a statement, with global warming on the rise and impacting countries, communities and people everywhere, MTN has set science-based targets to achieve a 47 per cent average reduction in absolute emissions (tCO_2e) for scope 1, 2 and 3 by 2030.

“As we build and operate the telecommunications infrastructure to drive greater digital and financial inclusion, we believe that our growth and success should not come at the expense of the future of our planet,” MTN Group President and Chief Executive Officer, Ralph Mupita said.

“Wemustkeepaddressingtheneedsandchallengesofsociety,which include playing our part in mitigating the effects of climate change.”

It noted that GHG emission-reduction target-setting, like that adopted by MTN, was in line with an ICT sectoral target-setting approach recently developed through a collaboration between the Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), the GSM Association (GSMA), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).

These targets, it stated, support the Paris Agreement’s central aim of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change.

“To realise its targets, MTN has launched its Project Zero programme to leverage the latest technologies and service partners to enable business sustainability via greater energy efficiencies, low carbon emissions, risk reduction and cost control.

“The programme prioritises renewable solutions, efficient emerging technologies and energy storage,” it added.

Stakeholders Chart Energy Roadmap

The Future Energy Series: Africa (FESA) summit will convene senior African public and private sector energy stakeholders in CapeTown this November.The summit’s aim is to drive investment into African energy projects and set out a continental roadmap for securing a sustainable energy mix which supports development whilst achieving low-carbon goals.

The delegate pool will include: Government leaders – including FESA patrons Hon. Gwede Mantashe, South Africa’s Minister of Mineral Resources & Energy and H.E. Arthur Peter Mutharika, Former President of Malawi; CEOs of National Utilities and Regulators; CEOs, Directors, VPs and Heads from IPPs, technology, distribution and generation companies; among others.

It also includes leaders from the global finance sector, including banks, private equity and asset managers The summit will set out blueprints for overcoming challenges to sustainable energy access through public-private sector discussion.

It is also expected to address as a priority, the issue of boosting capital flow into African energy projects.

“IPPs and innovators providing bespoke power solutions will present a first look at bankable energy projects about to come to market to investors and developers.

“Governments will also showcase their country’s energy policy landscape and planned energy projects ripe for investment,” a statement explained.

ICD, Partner Seal Deal

The Chief Executive Officer of the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), the private sector arm of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDBG), Mr. Ayman Amin Sejiny and the Chairman of the Management Board of Turonbank, Mr. Chori Sadibakosovich Mirzaev, have signed an Advisory Services Agreement in relation to launching of an Islamic window at the bank.

TheintendedIslamicwindowwillcreateanopportunityforTuronbank to be one of the foremost wholly profit-sharing Islamic Windows, offering Islamic products and services in Uzbekistan. As a result, the bank will diversify its products, funding sources and increase its profits.

“The cost of fixing the refineries as we are told, runs into about $1.8 billion or thereabouts. We are businessmen. So, if the federal government were to engage PETROAN”, National President, PETROAN,

Dr. Billy Gillis-Harry

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BUSINESSWORLD OPERATORS IDENTIFY FACTORS DISCOURAGING FOREIGN INVESTORS FROM STOCK MARKET of the currency, which makes foreign investors reluctant to invest in Nigeria financial assets,” he said.

He explained that the naira had experienced a lot of volatility, due to weak FX earnings, persistent concerns about the impact of the coronavirus, among others.

The pressure on the naira, he added, exacerbated after crude oil prices fell below $30 per barrel at the international oil market.

According to Ayere, in response to Nigeria’s weakening external buffers, the CBN in March 2020 repriced the naira exchange rate at the official window to N360/$1 from N307/$1 representing a 15 per ent devaluation and therefore narrowing the spread between the official rate and the rates in other FX market segments.

“Elsewhere, exchange rate at the Investors and Exporters (I&E) foreign exchange window was also moved, from N360/$1 to N380/$1and Bureau de Change (BDC) from N358/$1 to N378/$1.

FG URGED TO TACKLE POVERTY THROUGH FINANCIAL INCLUSION

financial inclusion via enhanced electronic payment system as way to ameliorate poverty that is currently ravaging almost 83 million Nigerians (about 40 per cent of its population) that still live below the country’s poverty line of $381.75 per household, per year, according to the 2018–2019 living standards survey by the country’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

“Specifically, the government should focus on expanding mobile smartphone service, digital financial services, and home-based solar electricity for low-income households.

“We expect that the scaling up of mobile money accounts, along with home solar power kits financed with installment loans, will have a sustained economic impact on low-income populations well beyond any 2021 recovery.

NEWS

Minister Laments Delay in Implementing UNDP Programme James Emejo and Folalumi Alaran in Abuja The Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Mariam Katagum has lamented the delay in the kick-off of the Nigeria-United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Country Programme (CP) 2018-2022.

But she noted that though a lot of time had been lost prior to the commencement, the federal government would work to ensure that the desired results are still achieved within the project stipulated period.

Speaking during the inauguration of the Steering and Programme Coordinating Committees for the project, Katagum, who chairs the body said it would move fast in ensuring timely and effective implementation as enshrined in the country programme.

She therefore urged members to put in their best to enable Nigeria derive maximum benefit from the programme, particularly in areas where it has competitive and comparative advantages, in line with the diversification agenda of the federal government.

The minister, in a statement issued by the ministry’s Assistant Director of Information, Mr.

Oluwakemi Ogunmakinwa, also thanked the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Niyi Adebayo, for the confidence reposed in the committee to deliver on the project.

Katagum, further vowed that the committees will bring their wealth of experience and technical expertise to bear on the national

assignment which is expected to positively impact on Nigerians now and in the future.

She said: “We, as a committee, will move fast to ensure timely implementation of the programs and projects, as enshrined in the Country Programme.

“Let me at this point congratulate other members of

the steering and programme coordinating committees and assure them of my leadership and cooperation, in the effective implementation of the Nigeria UNIDO Country Programme 2018 – 2022”.

The minister pointed out that the expectations of the ministry in the programme are enormous

and understandable, especially in terms of technical cooperation, as well as enhancing industrial competitiveness, market access, innovation and investment promotion.

He urged UNIDO to come up with an action plan for each of the thematic groupings, with assigned responsibilities.

REWARDING CUSTOMER LOYALTY

R-L: Western Lotto agent, Mr. Tunde Temidayo; Winner of N8.6 million prize on Western Lotto’s platform, Mr. Moses Okwudi; and Mr Henry Yakubu, at the cheque presentation to the winner in Lagos...recently ETOP UKUTT

FG, States Brainstorm on Review of Social Protection Policy James Emejo and Folalumi Alaran in Abuja The federal and state governments have commenced critical engagement towards the review of the existing social protection policy. Speaking at a workshop in Illori, Kwara State, with representatives of various states in the North Central zone of the country, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Olusola Idowu, said the consultation sought to harvest state-level input on social protection issues, gaps and challenges to

ensure a robust and all- inclusive policy going forward.

Represented by the ministry’s Director, Department of Administration, Mr. Lanre Adekanye, Idowu, however, commended the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNICEF and other key development partners for their faith and buy-in for the programme.

She said the programme acceptance had been demonstrated by their attendance at the workshop despite obvious challenges.

In a statement by the ministry’s Information Officer, Mrs. Imaobong Udoh, the perm sec

further urged participants to ensure domestication of the policy in their various states in order to ensure effective implementation and sustainability.

Also, speaking at the workshop, the Director, Department of Social Development, Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Mr. Abdulkadir Sa’adu, pointed out that the zonal consultations on the policy was important for a comprehensive national social protection framework that would convey the needs of Nigerians.

He was represented by Deputy Director, Social Development, Dr. Sanjo Faniran. Also, the

representative of Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster management and Social Development, who is also the Coordinator of National Safety Net Programme, Alhaji Kabir Abdullahi, enjoined participants to make implementable contributions in order to provide the basis for institutionalising the policy in their states. He also tasked participants to strive to ensure legislation of the policy as this would guarantee appropriate budgeting provision and cash backing. According to the statement, representatives of UNDP and UNICEF jointly maintained

that social protection policy would boost human capital development, adding that it remained a key aspect of human rights.

The development partners also maintained that all levels of government needed to contribute to the programme.

They commended the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning for coordinating the workshop, stressing that it would offer states opportunity to understand the importance of social protection in the country while identifying challenges peculiar to their various states as well as proffering appropriate solutions.

Adegbite: Nigeria’s Gold Export Royalty among World’s Lowest Peter Uzoho

Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji Asst. Editor, Money Market Nume Ekeghe Senior Correspondent

ËÒÏÏ× ÕÓØÑÌÙÖß (Advertising) Correspondents

Chinedu Eze (Aviation) ÜÙ×ÙÝÏÖÏ ÌÓÙÎßØ (Maritime) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafor (Energy) Emmanuel Addeh (Energy) Reporters

ÙÝË ÖÏÕÒßÙÑÓÏ (ICT) Peter Uzoho (Energy)

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr. Olamilekan Adegbite, has stated that Nigeria has one of the lowest gold export royalty in the world.

Adegbite explained that the royalty fee accruable to government from gold export was merely three per cent of the value of the export, adding that the low rate was to encourage growth in the gold mining sector.

A statement by the minister’s

Special Assistant, Mr. Ayodeji Adeyemi, stated that the minister disclosed this in Lagos recently at the ‘Lagos Love Gold’ event organised by Kian Smith Refinery in collaboration with the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development.

The minister added that the process of exporting gold had been streamlined, pointing out that one of the first things he did when he assumed office was to publish a pamphlet about the right way to export gold.

“It is perfectly legal for people to export gold out of the country.

However, it must be done in the right way.

“You pay a royalty and our royalty rate is about the lowest all over the world. It’s just three percent of the value of the gold you want to take. After you have fulfilled all the requirements, you would be given an export certificate which allows you to sell it anywhere in the world at the ongoing market rate,” Adegbite said.

The minister, however, stated that those who refused to pay royalty were cheating both themselves and the government, adding: “You cannot have export certificate if you don’t pay royalty and because you don’t have the certificate, you would be exploited by the foreign buyers who would buy it at a very low rate.”

He also reiterated the federal government’s resolve to diversify the economy through the mining sector, noting that the

government had implemented policies that had developed the sector and made it more business friendly.

He said Nigeria as a country was blessed with so many minerals but that the country’s economy had been largely dependent on oil and gas.

According to him, Nigeria is coming to a situation where it needs to diversify the economy away from oil and gas which is what the ministry was doing through the mining sector.

NSIA, InfraCo Set to Enhance Nigeria’s Infrastructure Nume Ekeghe and Peter Uzoho The Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) has said it will collaborate with the newly-established infrastructure company (infraCo) to support the development of Nigeria’s infrastructure.

President Muhammadu

Buhari recently approved the establishment of the infraCo, a public-private partnership (PPP)-styled infrastructure company with an initial seed capital of N1 trillion to help address Nigeria’s huge infrastructure deficit.

Speaking on the sidelines of a seminar for journalists, organised

by The Whistler Newspaper,

the Head of Corporate Communications, NSIA, Mr. Titilope Olubiyi, said at the appropriate time, the agency would partner and provide its expert advice to infraCo to enable it succeed.

The seminar entitled: “COVID-19 and Journalist: Effective Reporting of the NNPC, PenCom and NSIA”, had the Senior Lecturer, Mass

Communication Department, University of Lagos, Dr. Tayo Popoola; and a former Correspondent at Bloomberg, Mr. Vincent Nwanma, as facilitators.

“If you look at all the announcements that were made, our Managing Director will serve on the board of InfraCo. So, we expect that there will be times where NSIA will partner

with InfraCo and perhaps at other times, as the opportunity presents itself, we expect that we will probably advise on projects because we have been in the infrastructure space for quite some time.

“We, are delighted with the development. Indeed, we were part of the process leading up to the announcement”, Olubiyi said.

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Okonjo-Iweala: It Cannot Be Business as Usual at WTO The new Director General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in her maiden interview with journalists on Monday spoke about her plans to transform the organisation.

James Emejo, Nume Ekeghe, Oluchi Chibuzor and Hamid Ayodeji bring the excerpts: Introductory comments ood day to everyone wherever you are around the world. I want to thank you for being here. Let me say that a few minutes ago, the general council of the WTO, agreed on my selection as the seventh director general of this organisation. I am deeply honoured and humbled by the support I have received from WTO members. I will say it’s exciting and daunting at the same time because I take the reins of WTO at a time of great uncertainty and challenge.

We have the twin shocks of the pandemic- the health side and the economic side - which is challenging for many including challenging for livelihoods in many parts of the world and it has formed deep economic devastation in parts of the world. So, the WTO at this time is also facing some of the challenges and it’s clear to me that deep and wide-ranging reforms are needed - and as I said before, it cannot be business as usual at the WTO. We need to look at the priorities and I will speak to them in a moment. We need to modernise our rules, we need to look at what the WTO can contribute to solve the present situation of the pandemic, we need to look at procedures. So much needs to be done and that’s why I talked about wide-ranging reforms. But of course, it will not be easy because we also have the issue of lack of trust among our members which had built up over time among the US and China, US and EU and even between developing and developed countries members and we need to walk through that if we are to achieve the reforms that the WTO needs to achieve in order to be relevant in this modern age.

Trade is very important and trade makes up 60 per cent of GDP and it’s also very important if we are also to come out of this pandemic both in terms of how to make sure there’s a freer flow in supplies to deal with the public health emergency and also for economic revival and sustainability recovery of the globe.

Without trade, it cannot happen. Of course, GDP growth contributes to trade and looking at some trade rules and liberalisation of trade can contributes to faster GDP growth. So, I think trade is very important from all sides.

And when we look at the membership of the WTO, we must be mindful that whatever we do will benefit more members not just big members or middle-sized countries, but also small ones or small island economies and I think this is very important.

Let me speak very quickly to some of the priorities as I see them and as i shared with the General Council. I think first and foremost, we need to focus on the issue of COVID-19 and what can the WTO do to contribute to the solutions; how to accelerate all these organisations that are trying to accelerate supplies and vaccines to poor countries. The WTO can look at export restrictions and prohibitions from members. The international trade center says there’s almost still a 100 members which still have these restrictions and prohibitions. How can we lift them and be very transparent about them, making them temporary so that there’ll be a freer flow of goods? Secondly, how can we also encourage or find what I call a third way in which vaccines can be manufactured in many more countries while taking care that we do the storage, research and innovation which is linked to intellectual property. Then, we have the issue of the dispute settlement system, which people call the jewel in the crown of the WTO. There’s no point really agreeing on more rules, the only place in the world where trade disputes do not work is paralysed. So, it’s a priority to really reform that and take account of inputs of all members to make sure we come up with a dispute settlement system that works. And there’s need to modernise the rules of the WTO to attend to 21st century issues. What do I mean by that- we have to look at the digital economy which has become so prominent during this pandemic. E-commerce is key and it’s going to grow in leaps and bounds as we move on.

Now the WTO does not presently have rules that undertake e-commerce, so how

G

Okonjo-Iweala to put those rules in place to complete the negotiations will be very important. I must mention fishery subsidy negotiations; it speaks to sustainability of our oceans, it helps fulfill one of the SDGs. I forgot, there’s one thing that is very important as a priority to me; it is also the fact that e-commerce will help us women and micro small and medium size enterprises.

Trade is about people and we have to constantly keep that in front of us. And then let me just mention quickly traditional issues like agriculture, issues of industrial subsidies, agricultural subsidies, and there are also procedural issues. I have said in my speech that we need to look at procedures for appointing the director general; issues of how to make sure consensus does not stand in the way of innovation in the organisation. So, there are a lot to do and these are some of the issues I pointed out as priorities. I should also perhaps end by talking about strengthening the secretariat. The secretariat of the WTO has very talented staff and among the best you can find in the world of trade. So, how can you have that to work better and support members. These are some of the things I think we should be looking at.

What can you say about the rejection of your selection last year by former United States President, Donald Trump?

Trade is about people and we have to constantly keep that in front of us. And then let me just mention quickly traditional issues like agriculture, issues of industrial subsidies, agricultural subsidies, and there are also procedural issues

I think I was surprised when that came at the decision making meeting because there had been no indication previously that there was any problem with the US. But, you know that’s the way life works so that when things happen you take them in your strength and move on. And so it was absolutely wonderful when the Biden-Harris administration came and broke that logjams, joined the consensus and gave such a strong endorsement to my candidacy. So that has set a very good stage and to joined other 163 members to endorse the candidacy I think it’s wonderful.

How do you feel about your appointment as DG of the WTO? I feel an additional burden; I can’t lie about that. Being the first African and the first woman means that one really has to perform. I have always said these are wonderful things and groundbreaking. I am grateful to members for electing me, making that history but the bottom-line is that if I really want to make Africa proud, I have to produce results. That’s where my mind is at now- how do we work together with members to produce results?

So, with respect to dispute settlement, i will tell you that every member agrees that the dispute settlement system needs reform- from developing to developed countries - the United States to China to India to the EU, everyone agrees. But they have various opinions about what types of reforms are needed. So how we set about it is to first try to work with member-states to on the main issues with respect to the dispute settlement system. What are those reforms, what are the challenges they see and what are the reforms they’ll like to see? So I will flesh out the reforms and put them together, get members to agree on this and once they agree that these are the set of reforms, we put together one by one to implement these reforms.

And I hope we can take this to the ministerial meeting which is estimated to take place by the end of the year. So they have like eight months to try to work this out. I think it will take some time to really put it all out but at least we should get a good start.

What should Africa expect from your leadership at the WTO to advance AfCFTA

which commenced this year?

Of course, as the DG for all members, I must work to advance the interest of every single member. But that being said, Africa is at unique juncture where it is implementing one of the largest free trade agreements in the world. The WTO is working on facilitating the agreement.

We are pushing that out and we are trying to see how we can get investment into the continent.

It would be very important and we would do absolutely do everything to try and facilitate that. The continent must also do its part to make conditions more suitable for investments to come in. For example, if you look at the area of pharmaceutical products, we import more than 90 per cent of the pharmaceuticals we use on the continent. So, how can we help facilitate investments so that the continent can have the ability to manufacture more of their medical products and commodities? And the WTO is looking at what we can do on the investment side and it would be very important working with organisations in partnerships like the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World bank and so on.

What would be your first call to action as you assume duties as WTO DG and how do you plan to use the political momentum of your appointment in the near term?

As soon as I get to Geneva in a couple of weeks, my first action would absolute be to speak with all the ambassadors, start meeting with them because if we are going to move fishery subsidies, I need to talk to Ambassador Santiago Wells to find out what are the sticky point and which delegation needs to be talked too and where I can help to move that forward.

So, I would meet with the ambassadors to flesh out what is blocking some of the issues.

In fact, there is also the possibility to get an agreement on accepting the world food program for instance from export restrictions. So, my main priority is to make those political visits and of course I want to speak to the staff and I would like to have a town hall at some stage to thank the deputy director generals who have been doing a great job in running the place.

I would have a transition meeting with them so that whilst they are still there, they can CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

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OKONJO-IWEALA: IT CANNOT BE BUSINESS AS USUAL AT WTO help me with some of the important things at the secretariat. So that would be my first call to action.

You mentioned in your statement and I want you to elaborate on that, when you said the COVID-19 can also be an opportunity for WTO to prove its relevance to the current realities. You were the Chair of GAVI and I wonder if you have any plans on how the WTO would contribute to the fight against the pandemic in a proactive way especially on distribution of vaccines?

I actually think that the COVID-19 is an opportunity for the WTO to have a success and show what we can do both in the short and long-term. And in the short term, I want to look, with staff, at the monitoring functions and see how many countries still have export restrictions and prohibitions that impact on medical commodities and look at those and see how the rules at WTO that apply to opening restrictions and how they have to be transparent and the period you phase them out because it can only be temporary. This would be a top priority to see how we can encourage lifting of those by looking at what the monitoring functions is showing us and then encouraging countries to do that, and that would mean a freer flow of those commodities.

Secondly, with respect to vaccines, I have said that vaccine nationalism does not pay. I have been in politics in my country being a minister, so when this kind of thing happens, it is very natural for leaders and politicians to want to take care of their own population and there is nothing wrong with that. The problem we have is that the pandemic is a global problem; so taking care of your population and being nationalistic with respect to vaccines won’t work this time. Because even if you get all of your population vaccinated and there is a country down the road that hasn’t done that, it would come back in the way of variants.

So, one of the things one would like to do is to work very hard to see what the WTO can use all the flexibilities possible to allow countries to manufacture available vaccines so that there can be more for poor countries quickly. And this would be a great support to the COVAX facility which Gavi and the WTO had put together. Actually, the World Health Organisation (WHO), Gavi and Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR) put together what is called the active accelerator which I mentioned in my speech which is designed to speed up the availability of vaccines to poor countries. So, how can the WTO support that by exercising its flexibilities and we have seen an example. AstraZeneca is already licenced to make its production of vaccines all around the world in many development countries and it has the biggest facility in India. The Serum institute of India can produce a billion cases of vaccines. So, more of these approaches which I call the third wave is what we need to focus on.

Some people think you don’t have experience in international trade, what would you say to them and secondly, many countries are now focusing on regional trade, so what would be the role of WTO? With regard to the worry and issue of trade experience, I don’t think we should spend a long time on that. 162 countries prior to the blockage from the Trump administration felt I had enough experience to win a consensus and I think that is the key. My background speaks for itself. I have been working in the area of trade as a minister of finance, trade facilitations and customs reported to me. I was coordinating minister of the economy in Nigeria as well as minister of finance and I coordinated all the economic ministries including trade.

So, I think somewhere perhaps, someone got the wrong impression and that is not an issue for me. If it is about trade negotiation, I am not a negotiator but I don’t think that is what the WTO needs right now. If it were just skills for trade negotiations only, all our problems would have been solved, because Geneva has no shortage of those skills either within the secretariat or among our ambassadors. They have been there and the problems have not been solved. So, I think those who are saying these need to look at the situation, the problem and what it needs. What it needs is someone who has the capability to drive reforms, who knows trade and does not want to see business

Okonjo-Iweala as usual and that is me. On the issue of WTO not working so well and the regional trade agreements, you are right that the rule of the WTO is not keeping up to date, regional trade agreements and bilateral trade agreements have proliferated and actually some of them have more innovations than we have at WTO. But there is one important thing, the WTO is a moving multilateral vehicle where every member can come together and it is far more cost-effective because the economies of scale are there in having multilateral agreement than bilateral and regional agreement. I am not saying those are not important, they are. But I think the WTO and the monitory function is very important so you can monitor not just a group of countries but all countries. Multilateral negotiations are very important just that the WTO has not been able to have any and we are going to have the fishery subsidies as one that would hoping commence. And the WTO is the only place where members can bring their trade disputes.

So, it is the only place in the world and that is a very potent function and that is why we need to reform the dispute settlement mechanism.

So, all in all, the WTO has been of upmost benefit to its members including the big and rich countries over time because it has ensured fair and transparent rules of the game and a level playing fields for the multilateral trading system. That is still needed today and that is why the WTO is extremely open to underpin that fair, balanced transparent trading system.

What do you see as the path for the Appellate Body?

The reforms at the appellate body is not going to be an easy one, but there have been specific criticism of the appellate body and it

The problem we have is that the pandemic is a global problem; so taking care of your population and being nationalistic with respect to vaccines won’t work this time.

Because even if you get all of your population vaccinated and there is a country down the road that hasn’t done that, it would come back in the way of variants

looks to me like the work done by Ambassador Walker shows that the majority of members would like to see the dispute and settlement mechanism and keep the appellate body. But we need to talk to all the members to make sure this is still the case. There were specific criticism of the appellate body overreaching the mandate that was agreed to by members and kind of going to jurisprudence. The entire timeline to reach agreements was supposed to be 90 days and now you have some cases that are ongoing for two years and so all. To be fair, cases today are much more complex than they were in the past so that may account for some of the reason it has been taking so much more time. But we would need to look at that and there is no reason why we cannot come to a situation where the we can go back to the 90-day period and render these cases, solutions and agreements solved faster. Finally, we need to have an appellate body that has the confidence of all.

What will be your priorities for the first 100 days?

The priorities will be one: working on solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic. The WTO has to work extensively about the way it can help solve that, not only on the outside but also the economic side. I mean looking at trade and how to get trade help the world economy to recover.

So it can play a role. I would also like to see a longer term framework set up for response to pandemics; so it is not just solving this immediate problem. If we are going to have more pandemic in the future, I think the WTO should get other international organisations like WHO even the World Bank, IMF and all those multilaterals to try to set the rules so that next time we would not spend time trying to figure out respond, it will just be to trigger a set of actions. So, that is really a top priority, following that I will like us to work on the fisheries subsidies negotiation. I think there is a strong chance to complete them which has been going on for 20 years and this is far too long. We need to be accountable to end these negotiations and end them well because they are very important for the poor and improve sustainability for our fisheries in our oceans, that is very I think third will then be focusing on the dispute settlement mechanism and trying to set forward a world programme - a set of reforms that can be agreed and push forward. Then, let me add that the digital economy and the e-commerce negotiations are very dear to my heart. I just see the blossoming of SMEs using online platforms to trade and to improve their lives and so I want us to see if we can make progress in that area.

What are the low hanging fruits for

you in the first 100 days?

I think the low hanging fruits are one: To prepare a very successful Ministerial Conference 12, that will come out with outcomes, within that completing the fisheries subsidies. The low hanging fruit I think is for us to agree on that and another low hanging fruit is the dealing with the pandemic. I think we can make some agreement on that and take that off. The third one is agreeing on the world programme for solving the dispute settlement mechanism.

I think we need to get back to some of the areas in revamping negotiations and trading of environmental goods and services and trying to work with poor countries.

Then I think the issues of the logistics of trade, I come back to that; how can we encourage low carbon emissions, transportation of goods and services we need to take a look at that but also the issues of high carbon emitting goods themselves and how can we look at the issue of carbon taxes.

For instance, I have argued in the past, that for many countries, this is also a source of revenue.

I think you can make it more attractive to finance ministers by saying this will kill two birds with one stone particularly in developing countries.

It will help you discipline high carbon emissions but also bring in revenues into the purse. So, there are several actions that we need to look at that will be quite beneficial I believe are good. Do not forget fisheries subsidies, is also about sustainability and the environment.

So, if we deliver that, that is another thing that adds to the whole environmental area.

But on climate change, am very keen. I just want to state that as we do this we must make sure we do not come up with disciplines that make developing countries feels that barriers are been put against trading of their products and I believe we can handle this in a way that does not do that Under no circumstances should there be licensing agreements that lead to developing countries paying more than developed countries.

The point of having this is to see to the increased volume of manufacturing in order to generate more affordable rates and accessibility. Thus, we need to ensure the manufacturers of those commodities do not allow such to occur. I see how Astrazeneca has been able to do this and it is also talking to many countries across Latin America and Asia about this licensing.

Johnson and Johnson is doing some contract manufacturing in South Africa and are interested in this issue of licensing, whilst being aware that the objective is not to penalise developing countries by charging them more. Rather it is to ensure that they have access to them as there is a shortage of vaccines all over the world. There is a huge challenge with the production capacity of the firms to cater for the high demand of the commodities by the world. We feel agreements can be made which are favourable to developing countries.

Agriculture is a sector that is essentially focused on sustainable development of economy. However, the issues facing the sector are not easy, like the issue of access to market and domestic support which we hope the ministerial can look into as well as the export restrictions because this is very important to a lot of countries.

I think the advantage is that there is a fresh pair of hands and ears which seems to be what is needed in order to solve economic problems, rather than repeating the same methods that have been over used over the years. Border adjustment measures is also something that is essential towards the development of global trade and peace. Hence, it is something that we need to reflect upon effectively. Although, it is not easy as it is practical and poses issues as, accurate and justifiable measurements, how they are set, and how they are monitored.

These are practical issues that need to be addressed and applied in ways that are not inconvenient to other neighboring countries and continents in respect to their trade.

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Aguele-Trimnel: Female Business Owners Repay Loans Better than Men The Group Head, W Initiative, Access Bank, Mrs. Ayona Aguele-Trimnell, in this interview speaks about the bank’s commitment towards supporting female-owned businesses by further offering discounted loans at 10 per cent in partnership with the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund. Nume Ekeghe brings the excerpts: Can you speak about the Access Bank and LSETF partnership?

I feel very excited about this partnership as it has been ongoing for a few months and it took a little time to put it together so that it would be beneficial, not just to the bank, but to Lagos state as well as our beneficiaries. The W initiative is home to over 10 million female customers in Nigeria and probably the largest portfolio for female customers as well as female entrepreneurs. Since 2016 when we launched the W initiative, it was basically for it to be a non-stop shop for women entrepreneurs and so what we have tried to do over the last six years is to ensure that we actually serve three different categories of women.

We have women professionals, women in business and women at home. Specifically, we are talking about women entrepreneurs and so what we have tried to do is not only funding but capacity building over the last 6 years and we have spent billions of naira in doing so. One of the reasons it was attractive and was approached by Lagos state and what is so exciting about this is that as much as they are giving billions out to women, we found a gap and the gap was that start up like one-year old companies find it a little bit difficult to come up with documentation required for getting funding.

The second thing we found out was that the very small businesses were not able to access funding and so it was absolutely fantastic when we teamed up with Lagos state to see how we can serve women better. We all know that women businesses in Nigeria are 50 per cent of all the entrepreneurs we have in Nigeria. And this is a huge group but most of them sit slightly lower in micro and small businesses. What this LSETF initiative does is that we are able to provide funding and capacity building to companies run by women and are 1-5 years old and they can take loans as low as N500,000 – N1 million.

So it is not only about the people asking for N20 million or N30 million, we are going all the way down. And in some cases, LSETF provides funding for amounts lower than N500,000. With Access Bank, we offer funding from between N500,000 to N5 million.

Can you highlight some of the features that differentiate between the existing W-Power loan and this new partnership with the LSETF. Is there a discount in interest rate?

This product has no col-

Aguele-Trimnell

lateral as we do not need any house or land to get the money and it is even further discounted. The W loan offers women funding at 15 per cent and with the LSETF, we are going lower to 10 per cent, so that they can grow their businesses. I think it is a fantastic offering and there are obviously some other conditions where the women have to own 50 per cent ownership of their

business and they must have been in business from one to five years. And before now, this has never happened in the financial industry in Nigeria and so we are really trying to cater for all aspects of women in every level be it micro, small, medium or large, basically, what Access Bank is doing through its different partners is being able to offer women loans at any point of their business journey.

Can your existing customers in W-Power loan switch from refinancing their existing loans at 15 percent to 10 percent or this for new customer?

We have over 250,000 women businesses with the W power loan and a lot of them have been with the bank for years. And a lot of the capacity training that is being offered both to them and the LSETF loan is basically the

same and is top class quality.

You probably cannot cancel your W power loan and run off to get a LSEFT initiative.

There are criteria, but again I cannot say if you have W power loan you cannot apply for LSETF. Obviously, it would depend on the capacity of your business or the capacity to pay back because it is not at the end of the day, free money.

Continued on page 30

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As BUA Cement Sustains Profitability BUA Cement Plc has reported an increase of 16 per cent in its profit after tax for the year ended December 31, 2020, reflecting the company’s resilience and efficient management in the face of challenging operating environment, writes Goddy Egene

W

hen investors stake their funds on companies, their ultimate aim is to reap returns on their investments.

The returns can be in form dividend or capital appreciation. Hence, investors ensure they invest in companies that have track record of strong performance and good future prospects.

They want to ensure that no matter the challenging operating environment, they trust the board and management of such companies to deploy their managerial abilities in order to deliver good results and dividend at the end of the year.

In this respect, one company that has been investors’ preference in the stock market is BUA Cement Plc. The company last year rewarded its shareholders with a dividend of 175 kobo per share for 2019 financial year.

And despite COVID-19 pandemic, which impacted negatively on business in 2020 financial year, BUA Cement Plc is set to still reward shareholders with another handsome dividend following improved bottom-line it has posted.

BUA Cement, which is Nigeria’s second largest cement company, announced an impressive performance, showing growth in performance indicators. BUA Cement posted a revenue of N209 billion for the year ended December 31, 2020, indicating an increase of 19 per cent above N175.518 billion recorded in 2019.

Cost of sales was impacted by the general rise in the cost of doing business to be at N114 billion, compared with N93.1 billion in 2019.

Selling and distribution expenses equally pointed north, rising from N11.845 billion to N12.706 billion in 2020.

Administrative expenses reduced from N10.516 billion to N9.472 billion. Also, BUA Cement Plc’s excellent cost management led to a decline of 33 per cent in net financing cost to N3.438 billion in 2020, from N5.192 billion in 2019. In the same vein, the company’s focus on efficiency, a strong management team and newer technologically advanced plants resulted in an improved its bottom-line with profit before tax (PBT) growing to N79.066 billion in 2020, up from N66.273 billion, while profit after tax (PAT) rose from N60.61 billion to N70.518 billion in 2020.

Total assets soared from N470.566 billion to N793.852 billion, while earnings per share (EPS) improved from 179 kobo to 208 kobo in 2020.

The higher EPS has given more headroom for the company to increase dividend payout to shareholders.

Analysts said the performance consolidates BUA Cement’s position as one of Nigeria’s most profitable companies – a position it is expected to strengthen further with the inauguration of its new three million metric tonnes Sokoto Cement Plant in 2021 and the addition of three new lines of 9 million metric tonnes total capacity in Adamawa, Edo and Sokoto States by 2023.

Commenting, the Managing Director, BUA Cement Plc, Yusuf Binji, said that exceptional

Rabiu performance in the 2020 financial year, was a reflection of the continued value and strength of the BUA Cement brand and product offerings as well as a nod to the excellent implementation of the company’s Business Continuity Plan which ensured that the company was able to withstand the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic throughout 2020.

Binji had said that despite the prevailing economic conditions in 2020, BUA Cement remained quite optimistic about the future because it afforded it not only with the opportunity to further evolve its business model but also provided an opportunity for accelerated development.

BUA Cement in 2020 entered strategic alliances for the supply of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) at its Kalambaina Plant, Sokoto State, and for the management of its mining operations. These are deliberate and strategic choices other cost management efforts that are expected to ensure that BUA Cement will continue to combine development and innovation into its offerings and activities to drive efficiency, reduce operating costs and maximize profits.

Meanwhile, Chairman of BUA Cement Plc, Abdul Samad Rabiu, has said that despite the strides made in the Nigerian cement industry in the past few years, there was still room for immense growth.

According to him, Nigeria with its population of about 200 million people was still greatly underserved by the cement industry with current consumption levels at about 130 kilogrammes per head compared to smaller

African countries with consumption levels at about 170 to 180kilograms per head.

“Nigeria’s cement consumption is expected to increase to about 200kilograms per head in coming years which is one of the reasons why BUA Cement is ramping up its investments in new plants to be able to meet this potential demand as well as take advantage of regional export opportunities through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement which came into effect in 2021,” he said.

Apparently in preparations for the opportunities ahead, BUA Cement signed an agreement with Sinoma CBMI of China for the construction of the three new cement plants of three million tonnes each per annum in Edo, Sokoto and Adamawa states of Nigeria to be completed by the end of 2022.

Upon completion, this will bring BUA Cement’s total capacity to 20 million metric tonnes by 2022. At 9.0 million tonnes combined capacity, this is the single largest contract ever awarded in the Nigerian cement industry for the construction of new cement plants at the same time and by a single company, in Nigeria.

“Nigeria and the surrounding region is still home to huge opportunities in construction, housing, infrastructure, and allied industries.

Despite these opportunities, there is no doubt that there is still a huge deficit in supply whilst demand continues to increase in Nigeria.

“This situation has led to an increase in the retail prices of cement despite ex-factory prices

remaining partially unchanged. To bridge this huge deficit gap in Nigeria and in the absence of new major investments in the industry, we have taken this decision to invest and build these new plants at a total project cost of $1.05 billion which will be completed by the end of 2022,” Rabiu said.

Commenting on the agreement, the Chairman of Simona CBMI, Mr. Tong Laigou, praised the longstanding partnership between BUA and CBMI. According to him, Sinoma CBMI is pleased to work with BUA on this huge project and help BUA in its aspiration to be the best cement manufacturer in Africa.

He further added that CBMI would bring their expertise and wealth of experience working in this environment to bring the project to completion on schedule.

From the funding angle, BUA Cement is very likely to deliver the project on schedule as the company had already raised N115 billion bond.

BUA Cement’s bond has become the largest ever corporate bond issued in the Nigerian debt capital markets (DCM) and signposted growing investor confidence in Nigeria’s second largest cement company.

The N100 billion Series 1, 7-years 7.5 per cent Fixed Rate Bond, due in 2027 was subscribed to the tune of N137.82billion. But in accordance with Rule 323(21) of the SEC Rules and Regulations, 2013, the Board approved the absorption of excess funds, not exceeding 15 per cent of the offer of N100 billion, which translates to N15billion and N115billion in its entirety.

According to Rabiu, the company made a strategic decision as a proudly Nigerian company to list on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

“This was in line with our core strategy to continue seeking out viable investment and growth opportunities within Nigeria.

This bond issuance, a first by BUA Cement, demonstrates our confidence in Nigeria’s debt capital markets as well as continued investor confidence in the BUA Cement business model, our management team, and long-term strategy, all supported by strong credit ratings. We remain committed to unlocking opportunities within the industry for Nigeria.”

In his comment, Binji, said that the success of the first series in the BUA Cement Bond Issuance Programme underscored the strength of the company’s brand.

“The transaction, being the largest corporate bond issuance in the history of Nigeria’s DCM reiterates the strength and acceptance of the BUA Cement brand and the trust placed by stakeholders in the company’s strong cash generation capacity, credit profile and strategy driven by a well experienced management team.

Diversifying and extending the duration of our funding sources with the inclusion of this bond, at a competitive rate, will further enable us to achieve our strategic objectives and vision,” he said.

AGUELE-TRIMNEL: FEMALE BUSINESS OWNERS REPAY LOANS BETTER THAN MEN It is possible for also get another loan through LSETF if all the criteria are met.

Since inception, how has loan recovery been for women under this initiative?

Women pay back their loans and because we have been in this business long enough, we know that with women loan comes mandatory training and financial learning because you cannot run a business without knowing your profit, loss and what is coming in and out. So, if you are granted a loan, it comes with mandatory training because we know that if women get properly trained, the chances of them paying back are much higher. So, if you have loaned N500,000 and in one year you have repaid the loan, we would grant you more loans to grow and scale your business. It not a case where we just want to collect their money, we want the business to grow. Statistics have shown that most small businesses are the biggest employers of our youth

in Nigeria. So, we have to make sure we get these companies to a position where they are sustainable. So, for us, capacity training is very critical to this program. Women pay back their loans better than men. Our non-performing loans is about two per cent. This is really good for female customers and that is why we are stepping forward to give these women more access to finance because they pay back.

They know that their survival depends on the businesses they run. So, we have been very fortunate in initiative that one of the areas we don’t worry about is payback. The default is very low.

Also, in our W academy, we work with the women and we have a very close relationship with our customer. We are constantly involved in what they are doing. We are constantly offering them programs and financial training and anything to help grow their business. In some cases, we help with taxation, marketing and

whatever would help them to not only grow their business but also pay back their loans. So, the default rate is pretty low and I think we have been very fortunate and we have had a very successful program.

How much loans have been given to women businesses through the W initiative?

In the last six years, we have given out over N500 billion to women businesses in Nigeria.

The portfolio is always growing and is a moving part. So far, we have given these loans to about 250,000 women beneficiaries.

Is Access Bank looking at a possibility of extending this form of initiative outside Lagos?

This is a pilot project for Access bank and we want to do this in every state because Access Bank is one of the largest in Africa and we do not only serve in Lagos state, we serve in other

communities and we have millions of branches across the country. Lagos state is one of the largest in the country and also an economic viable state and so we want to try it out here first and get it to work. We know it would work and I think it is something we want to replicate in other states. We know that other states are interested but for us, let’s do it right here first and then we can see how we would replicate it.

How much capital is Access bank and LSFET injecting to women businesses in this pilot phase?

We had matching fund. Initially, the matching funds was to be N2 billion from Access bank and N2 billion from Lagos state. But currently because we are just starting about a month ago, we have matching funds of N1 billion from Access bank and N1 billion from Lagos state government which is N2 billion accessible funds for female entrepreneurs at the moment

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BUSINESSWORLD

ANALYSIS

Examining DPR’s Regulatory Role The Department of Petroleum Resources has always prided itself as a business enabler, beside its primary function of monitoring and ensuring standards in the oil and gas industry. In this report, Emmanuel Addeh analyses the several roles played by the government agency as well as how well these functions have helped spur the Nigerian economy by generating revenues for the government

A

lthough not as complex and robust as it is now, since the discovery of oil and gas in the country, several attempts had been made by the authorities to establish or set up agencies to ensure compliance with the country’s petroleum laws.

Before the establishment of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), which has also evolved over the years, matters were handled by the Hydrocarbon Section of the Ministry of Lagos Affairs, which reported directly to the Governor-General at the time.

The Unit kept records on matters relating to exploration, and importation of petroleum products and enforced safety and other regulations on matters which were then mostly products importation and distribution.

But as the activities of the petroleum industry expanded, the unit was upgraded to a petroleum division within the ministry of mines and power.

In 1971, a new body – The Nigerian National Oil Corporation (NNOC) - was created to handle direct commercial operational activities in the oil industry on behalf of the federal government, while the department of petroleum resources in the federal ministry of mines and power continued to exercise statutory supervision and control of the industry.

This was the situation till 1975, when the department was upgraded to a ministry and named the ministry of petroleum and energy which was later renamed the ministry of petroleum resources.

By a decree in 1977, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the NNOC was merged to form the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as well as the creation of the petroleum inspectorate as an integral part of the NNPC to regulate the petroleum industry.

In a re-organisation in 1988, the petroleum inspectorate was excised from the NNPC and transferred to the ministry as the technical arm and renamed the DPR. And that marked the formal birth of the DPR which has the statutory responsibility of ensuring compliance to petroleum laws, regulations and guidelines in the oil and gas industry.

In discharging this responsibility, the DPR engages in monitoring of operations at drilling sites, producing wells, production platforms and flow stations, crude oil export terminals and refineries.

It also monitors storage depots, pump stations, retail outlets, any other locations where petroleum is either stored or sold as well as all pipelines carrying crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products.

Added to that, it supervises all petroleum industry operations being carried out under licences and leases in the country, monitors issues relating to flare down and domestic gas supply obligations, ensuring that health, safety and environment regulations conform with national and international best oilfield practices.

Maintaining records on petroleum industry operations, particularly on matters relating to petroleum reserves, processing industry applications for leases, licences and permits and ensuring timely and accurate payments of rents, royalties and other revenues due to the government, are among some other functions of the organisation.

The important role that the DPR plays in the economy is further underscored by the spread of its regulation, including overseeing adherence to the rules in the country’s hydrocarbon endeavours of about 323 developed fields, spanning both onshore and offshore platforms.

Essentially, these fields contain crude oil, condensates as well as natural gas reservoirs and connected to 265 production processing stations, and exported through 31 export terminals.

As part of its core functions, the DPR ensures crude process review for smooth operations in Nigeria’s upstream sector.

Indeed, the fact that Nigeria relies almost solely on crude receipts for its forex income and to fund its national budget, makes it even

Auwalu more critical to enable the government maximise revenue and be able to meet its responsibilities to Nigerians.

While fields are drilled based on oil equivalents - oil, gas, condensates and water, upon distillation, the products are separated and actual quantities are then determined, another highly regulated process.

It also underscores why crude oil cannot be stolen except the pipelines are compromised, because the process of transporting the crude from well heads to terminals are highly technical and strictly regulated by the DPR. Because the process of transportation is via pipelines owned and operated by private companies, products are pumped from various well heads through these pipelines - Nembe Creek(NCTL), Transnational Pipeline (TNP).

Only the regulator, as the licence issuers for the all facilities involved in the process of crude explosion, transportation and based on approved allocations, can confidently determine who pumped what volume and when.

On this, the DPR recently clarified the process

To ensure transparency, the organisation operates a cashless revenue system which enables all revenue remittances to be paid directly to the federation account in total compliance with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy of government

it uses for accounting for crude production in the country, noting that most incidents relating to oil theft occurs from the land terminals.

Director, DPR, Mr. Sarki Auwalu, while speaking before the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Oil Theft in Abuja, stated that the DPR was the agency of government saddled with the responsibility of monitoring crude oil production and lifting, dismissing the almost impossibility of rumoured huge oil theft from the system, especially offshore.

“The process starts from the well because every crude oil comes from well, and you cannot drill a well without knowing the capacity of that well to produce.

“So, the hydrocarbon accounting in DPR starts from the well. Once you drill a well, you will need to have what we call a maximum efficiency rate (MER) to know the capacity that well will produce. The volume accounting starts from that point.”

According to him, the methodology used in hydrocarbon accounting are static measurement and dynamic measurement, which are highly scientific.

He added: “The static is the volume that went into tank that you can dip and know the volume while the dynamic is the volume that goes across the meter. We have two kinds of meters: we have production meter that you measure the volume of oil produced and we have custody transfer meter where you measure the volume of oil that exchanged hands.

“What we do is to take inventory of all wells producing in every field based on the volume we give, within which that well cannot produce more than that.

“If you under produce, you can kill the reservoir. If you over produce, you can kill the reservoir. All these volume measurements, whether static or dynamic, we take record of them.”

He disclosed that Nigeria has over 30 terminals with five of them being land terminals, saying that thefts coming from land terminals are because they have to use pipelines to transport the crude into the terminals for export.

“In the process, you have a lot of third party interference which results in volumes that are being taken and are stolen. So, most of the discrepancies in production and export, you can easily calculate the theft volume.

“And the theft volume, if not all, come from the land terminals. But the offshore terminals, it is actually practically impossible to steal crude from offshore terminals, since it is from the bottom of the sea,” he said.

Apart from ensuring standards and compliance, the DPR has continued to use its regulatory instruments to enhance revenue collection for the federal government, especially through the collection of oil and gas royalties.

These represent the proportional value of oil and gas production, flare gas penalties, concession rentals paid for grant of oil and gas acreages and miscellaneous oil revenues comprising statutory application fees, licences, and permit fees.

For instance, despite the depressingly negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the oil price crash and the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) plus production cuts, the DPR hit its target for revenue collection in 2020, making over N742 billion for the federal government between January and August last year.

To ensure transparency, the organisation operates a cashless revenue system which enables all revenue remittances to be paid directly to the federation account in total compliance with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy of government.

The DPR boss, Auwalu, said the agency had, therefore, adopted several approaches and streamlined its processes to deepen its influential role as an opportunity house and business enabler for the Industry.

He said the approaches include cost control and management, strategic partnership, vertical integration and diversification and portfolio rationalisation and operational resilience.

In all, while there would always be claims and counter claims by operators, as it is, only the DPR can resolve such disputes amicably based on available data for all parties’ mutual benefits.

Its past audit which is available to members of the public on upstream operations will come in handy in terms of crude losses if any.

It is also pertinent to note that upstream operations are in venture partnerships, therefore, whatever decision/penalty prescribed by the DPR in the process of the dispute resolution is shared by the venture partners according to equity holding.

On the claims over alleged admission of theft of 2 million barrels of crude by Shell in an online publication, the body has also said that is imperative to clarify that what is being referred to as admission of theft is a process and regulatory issue arising from disputes over shared facility.

“A simple analogy is in the telecoms sector where the NCC resolves similar disputes over collocation among network service providers arising from origination and termination of services.

“In conclusion, process reviews or reconciliation of crude volumes is not an admission of theft but the outcome of investigations arising from operational disputes on field reserves and it’s daily output template by operators who share common facilities like pipelines and terminals,” a source with knowledge of goings on within the sector stated.

In addition, as part of its responsibility of ensuring revenues for the government, the organisation generated N1.3 trillion and additional $200 million from legacy indebtedness in 2018 alone into the government coffers.

To ensure that it shores up its revenue, the DPR sometime ago also embarked on reducing approval time for permit certificates which now takes 48 hours to get approval for permits, so that revenue accruable to the federation account comes in as soon as possible .

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IMAGES

L-R: Former President Goodluck Jonathan, Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri and his wife, Dr. Gloria, at a Special Victory/First Anniversary Thanksgiving of the Diri administration held at the Ecumenical Centre, Yenagoa...recently

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Photo Editor ÌÓÙÎßØ ÔËÖË Email ËÌÓÙÎßØ˛ËÔËÖË̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙ×

Secretary to Ogun State Government ,Mr . Olatokunbo Talabi (left) and his wife, Aderinsola displaying their All Progressive’s Congress membership card at Sagun polling Unit of ward 7, in Oru/Awa/Ilaporu of Ijebu North Local Government area of the state...recently

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L-R: Public Relations Manager, Tolaram Group, Omotayo Abiodun; Director, Kings and Queenies Zenith Schools, Mr. Adetona Kingsley Omobolaji; Winner of Kellogg’s superstars Scholarship 2.0, Felix Sarah; Special Adviser to the speaker on Budget and Finance, Mr. Lukman Oyewole Lawal; and Marketing Manager, Kellogg’s Mr. Darlington Igabali during the presentation of cash award to the winners of Kellogg’s superstars in Lagos …recently PHOTO: SUNDAY ADIGUN

L-R: Registrar, Federal University of Otuoke, Yousuo Donald Iruo; Vice Chancellor, Prof. Accra Jaja; Vice Chancellor Designate, Prof. Teddy Adias and Bursar, Dr Uche Agburaga, at the 9th Matriculation ceremony of Federal University Otuoke in Ogbia Local Government Area Bayelsa...recently

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EDUCATION Stamping Out the Scourge of Book Piracy Against the backdrop of the scourge of piracy which has been crippling creativity and intellectual growth of authors, experts in the book industry explained why it is imperative for the Nigerian Copyright Commission to be empowered and proactive so as to make the illicit business unattractive to perpetrators. Funmi Ogundare reports

M

r. Ohi Ojo , is an author who took to writing novels in 2018 because of his passion to impact lives and achieve literary success. He has so far written three books titled, ‘ Ikeke: The Home Return’, ‘Burden of Loyalty’, as well as ‘Boys Will be Boys’.

Being a rookie, he never allowed this to discourage him, still he invested so much effort, time and resources in putting the literary pieces together. Ojo’s first book, ‘Ikeke: The Home Return’, published in 2018, was recently approved for use by the Lagos State Ministry of Education for JSS two students.

For someone in his shoes, his joy knew no bounds when he saw that his book made the 2020/2023 list of those published by the Lagos State Ministry of Education, when selected books are to be used.

The implication is that the book has gone through the ministry’s Curriculum Services Department having found it worthy in content and in line with the national curriculum and Lagos State unified schemes of work.

Now on his fourth book, Ojo’s morale for writing dropped when he learnt of the activities of pirates who have taken over the market, as he may not be able to break even, despite his investment on it.

Investigation by THISDAY revealed that piracy has discouraged authors from writing more books, as their intellectual property are being reproduced by people for economic reasons without prior consent or authorization . Poor quality books are being pushed into the market, thereby resulting in loses for the publishing industry.

Ojo told THISDAY that though he was happy that his book was one of those selected by the ministry of education for use by students for the second term, but when it dawned on him that he needed to produce copies of the book, he felt discouraged learning that piracy would make him incur loses.

According to him, “ I was happy that my very first attempt into writing, was accepted for use by a very competitive state like Lagos. After the initiatial euphoria, it dawned on me that I needed to go further, even among competitors.

With the quality of my work, I asked myself if I could break even with it. The quality of my print was quite different and high, so I can now imagine how much competiting titles will be sold. “ I examined the fact that many students are looking for the cheaper one. I wouldn’t blame them. If you are buying four books at N1,000, why spend that amount for three books? So the challenge for me is that why should I go and incur a loss or why will I bring down the quality of my product because I want to meet the demand of the target audience?”

Ojo who is the Head, Lagos Liaison Office/ Training School, National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), said once the pirates discover that the book is recommended, they just want to help themselves with the finished work.

“That is the kind of news I am hearing and I am discouraged. There should be some forms of financial benefit to encourage me, so that I can keep on writing while marketing and distribution will be done by other people.”

He said authors should get paid as many times as anybody picks up a copy of their books, while expressing concern that piracy kills the morale of writers.

“I was told of a story of an experienced writer who was complaining about some of the titles of books he had seen , now imagine somebody who has tasked himself to write, and he is not getting any financial benefit, he wouldn’t be encouraged.

“Honestly, I am feeling discouraged to write more. Yes the euphoria of writing the book, found okay and listed by the Lagos State Government is a huge achievement, but after that, what next ? It’s discouraging. It’s like I shouldnt take any further steps. The challenge is how would this children learn from what God has endowed one with? Will I keep what I have from reaching these students because I don’t want to lose? It’s a moral burden.I am sure many authors feel the same.”

Pirated books on display Ojo described piracy as a global pandemic, adding that piracy of books, is as bad as those of music titles.

“You go on the street and buy a CD for N100, how would the musician make money? People just buy these things on the street. From just one copy, they make more copies. The Nigerian society is almost lawless, anything goes and creativity is reduced. For the late Prince Nico Mbarga of ‘Sweet Mother’ fame, if that was the only song he did and there is no piracy, no member of that man’s family, will ever be poor because every single time anybody is eulogising their mother, they will play the music. Anytime it’s International Mothers Day, the song will be played.

“Unfortunately, the man died a poor man. I don’t want to be like that . So why would you want to put in so much effort to write or sing when pirates are the ones making all the money!

It is a sad story and its even worse when you are experiencing it, “ he stressed.

The President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) and a Professor of English, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Olu Obafemi affirmed that piracy is inimical to creativity and intellectual growth.

“The fact that you labour hard and write under very hard conditions, published them under hard economic conditions and then somebody takes the benefit even before you have begun to pay the cost of your work, can be very discouraging.

Even at the print or film level, we found out that piracy has been the enemy of intellectual property. It creates despondency and hurts actors and even those of us who are writers.”

He appealed to government to help in stamping out the scourge of piracy while expressing concern that inspite of all the efforts been made by the Nigeria Copyright Commission (NCC), it has not been able to bend the determination of pirates and their syndicates to rob intellectual property workers of the benefits of their work.

“When you go under the bridges of Lagos, you find your books pirated with bad contents. You definitely will have a sense of defeat. Definitely, it has a discouraging impact and creates despondency.

We need to continue to urge government to defeat piracy as we can never give in to pirates. The culture of creativity must continue, “ Obafemi said.

Head, Department of Theatre Arts, University of Africa, Toru-Orua (UAT), Bayelsa State, Nigeria; Professor Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma said the major challenge debilitating authorship in Nigeria is self-publishing , noting that one pays the bill for publishing one’s books and shoulders the burden of distribution.

Pirates cash in on this lacuna, as far as such books sell or are in very high demand. He said two of his plays, ‘Dance on his Grave’ and ‘A

Matter of Honour’, have been in the secondary school syllabus of Literature -in-English in Bayelsa State, for close to 20 years, adding that the Ministry of Education does not out-rightly buy copies to supply to students, as one would have expected.

“Thus, it is difficult for authors like me to meet up the demand; and it creates good business opportunity for the unscrupulous pirates.”

He recalled another experience with his groundbreaking work on the Nigerian film industry, ‘Trends in Nollywood: A Study of Selected Genres’, which was sold on Amazon and African Books Collective.

Ayakoroma who was a former Executive Secretary of NICO said the soft copy of his book, which he did not have, was produced without due negotiations with him, as the author, adding that he is yet to receive royalties for such online sales of print and soft copies.

“I know that many authors are undergoing such bitter experiences. If a book is written by a very important personality, the book will be on high demand; and such a book will definitely be a target for pirates. Also, if a book is on high demand, pirates will cash in on the business opportunity.

A case in point is former President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s ‘My Transition Hours.”

He expressed concern that many Nigerians never bother about the quality, as far as it is a replication of the original work, adding, “on the other hand, the fact is that piracy also increases the circulation of creative works.

The Don stressed the need for the publishing industry to be re-invented and NCC to be empowered and more proactive in making the business of piracy unattractive to the perpetrators.

Most publishers in Nigeria are merely operating like printers, as Ayakoroma said, “Ideally, a publisher should assess the quality of manuscripts, their prospects in the market and come out with marketing plans. Under this arrangement, such authors just receive royalties for their works, according to the actual sales.

“For instance, I have two books that have been in publishing houses since 2020, because I am yet to settle the costs for printing. Of course, we know that this is not the case in advanced publishing culture. The bottom line is that once books are readily available in bookshops and other outlets, piracy will be ameliorated to a large extent.”

THISDAY checks reveal that Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), an agency set up by the government and saddled with the responsibility of monitoring, administering and enforcing copyright laws; and ensuring proper implementation of set out rules and regulations, is already taking a step in the right direction having realised its challenges.

It recently partnered with the Abuja Environ-

mental Protection Board (AEPB) to boost copyright protection through joint enforcement actions in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, to curb street hawking of copyright works like books, CDs, VCDs and DVDs. During a consultative meeting, the management of the commision and the board reiterated that street sales of copyright materials were illegal and would be checked in line with the relevant copyright and environmental laws.

The Director-General of NCC, Mr. John Asein expressed displeasure at the indulgence of persons posing as newspaper vendors, but in actual fact engaged in street sale of pirated books.

“This unwholesome practice of selling copyright works on the streets is an open show of lawlessness which portrays a negative image of the country.

Most of the people engaged in this illegal activity use the sales of newspapers and magazines as a decoy to perpetrate acts of copyright piracy.”

He said with the synergy between two government agencies, the commission would be taking appropriate steps to secure the destruction of the pirated materials already confiscated, adding that this would serve as a model for other Nigerian cities in its renewed effort to clamp down on piracy at every level and bring the needed relief for copyright owners.

The Director-General of AEPB, Dr. Hassan Abubakar said the call for partnership was a renewal of an existing inter-governmental synergy between both government agencies, considering that the AEPB had been clamping down on the activities of book hawkers and sellers of CDs, VCDs and DVDs on the streets of Abuja. He noted that such raids by AEPB operatives had resulted in large seizures while the offenders were being prosecuted for environmental nuisance.

He directed that the board’s enforcement operatives should team up with the commission’s copyright inspectors to embark on immediate and sustained inter-agency enforcement interventions against street trading of copyright protected works.

The Director of Operations, NCC, Mr. Obi Ezeilo confirmed to THISDAY that due to its financial and human resources challenges, the commision has mapped out different strategies in curbing the scourge through collaborations with state governments. “ Because of these, we may not be able to effectively comb the nooks and cranies to take out pirated material. We are also developing relationship with a similar environmental agencies in different states of the nation. Aside that of the street, we are also trying to work with market associations who have taskforce in the states to target markets and bookshops with pirated books. It will be easier because you will reduce the amount of force needed in carrying out the operations.”

He disclosed that the commission just started the online inspection copyright unit because, “we found out that a lot of usage of people’s works have gone online. Due to complaints of copyright, we have set up online police when it comes to copyright infringement.”

Their responsibility, Ezeilo noted, will be to investigate websites, blogs and apps that violate copyright materials. “ We are going to look for the owners of the websites and URL, arrest them and carry out destructive activities. For us, if the website owners are responsible, we are most likely to give them notice to remove those things that were pirated, “ the director said.

To achieve this, he said the commission has also opened collaborations with National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Nigeria Communications Communication(NCC) as the facilities for blocking the websites, do not reside with the commision , but those who manage the internet space, adding that it has commenced training of officers involved.

“There was a training organised by the US department of Justice, last month. There was another training by ISPI, It is not going to be quite easy because it is a new thing we have started. We needed to build their capacity to do this work, “Ezeilo said.

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EDUCATION

Aig-Imoukhuede Institute Commences Leadership Programme for Public Servants The Aig-Imoukhuede Institute and the Africa Initiative for Governance have kicked-off the AIG Public Leaders Programme in partnership with the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government as part of effort to drive public sector transformation.

The Founder and Chairman of the Aig-Imoukhuede Institute, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, said it has been working with the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) to build capacity in the Nigerian public sector.

According to him, “we have leveraged our long-standing relationship with one of the world’s leading schools of government; the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government, they are bringing their expertise to Nigeria, so they can impact vital skills and knowledge on our next generation of public sector leaders. “ He disclosed that the institute was offering 50 academic scholarships worth 11,500 GBP per participant for all Nigerian public servants who are successful in the application process.

Aig-Imoukhuede said interested public servants should visit the Aig-Imoukhuede Institute’s website to download the programme brochure for further information, adding that applications into the programme will close on March, 18.

The AIG public leaders programme affords 50 high potential men and women working in the Nigerian public service a once in a lifetime opportunity to participate in a seven-week world-class leadership programme, run by an accomplished faculty of expert facilitators and teachers from the University of Oxford.

Through blended classes hosted online and in Abuja, programme participants will acquire a range of vital leadership skills, conceptual frameworks and practical tools that will empower them to be more effective as they lead their departments and organisation through the challenges of an increasingly complex and dynamic world.

Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government, Professor Ngaire Woods, expressed delight about its long-standing partnership with the Africa Initiative for Governance and bringing the public leaders programme to Nigeria.

According to him, “we design our executive programmes for public leaders so that participants can learn from world-renowned scholars, outstanding practitioners, and one another. We also take into account the current context for public sector leadership in 2021, this means supporting heads of public organisations in renewing their leadership for the post-pandemic world.”

FUTO Land Matter: Communities Express Anger over VC’s Plot to Manipulate MOU Amby Uneze in Owerri The Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) host communities have expressed anger and distrust over the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Francis Eze on what they described as his plot to manipulate the agreement reached in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between them, the University and the Federal Government through Ministry of Lands as parties.

The Attorney to the host communities, Chief Sam Anokam who Briefed Journalists recently, on the matter, accused the VC of playing tricks with the contents of the MoU by deviating from the clauses of the agreement, thereby shortchanging the host communities from getting what

was approved by the federal government.

He stated that part of the plot adopted by the VC, was to refuse to sign the MoU reached in 2019 as part of the effort by the federal government to resolve the perennial impasse that had brought acrimony over the years between the host communities and FUTO. According to Anokam, who is also a chartered estate surveyor, FUTO has refused to sign her own part of the agreement.

We understand that they are not happy that the federal government decided to give back certain portions of the land presently occupied by FUTO to host communities.

“As a matter of fact, we approached the federal government and a technical committee

known as Ministerial Technical Committee on FUTO Land Matters with the Federal Director of Lands as Chairman, and representatives from FUTO and host communities and others as members was set up. At the end, a memorandum of understanding was reached and as a result of this, the ministry decided to approve about 1,000 hectares of land to the host communities, particularly along the Port Harcourt road axis. FUTO agreed to give back 300 hectares only instead of 1,000 hectares approved by the federal government.

“On this note, the VC formed a clique of the institution’s director of works, and another person and decided to apportion the 300 hectares by themselves directly to some members of

the host communities instead of involving all parties including the host communities’ attorney.

Anokam said if there is any breakdown of law and order and the host communities take the laws in their hands, the VC, should be held responsible. “ I have been restraining my people (host communities) from taking laws into their hands, but if the worst should happen, FUTO VC should be held liable,” he warned.

He however, raised the alarm that over 200 hectares of the 300 hectares agreed to be given back to host communities by FUTO have all been occupied by private developers, warning those who are buying lands at the Port Harcourt road axis to be careful as such parcels of land have no title deeds.

Science: EkoExcel Emphasises Girl-child Some students of Randle Junior Secondary School, Apapa, during the #GoalsProject 2021, held in Lagos...recently Education, Study of Federation of African Engineering Organisation Science EkoExcel recently commemorated the 2021 International Day of Women and Girls in Science, set aside by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), on February 11, to provide the right foundation for girls to pursue science.

Themed, ‘Women Scientists at the Forefront of the Fight Against COVID-19’, the day emphasised how the pandemic has shown the critical role of women researchers in different stages of the fight against COVID-19, from advancing the knowledge on the virus, to developing techniques for testing, and also creating the vaccine against the virus.

It also emphasised the gender disparity in the education system and girls and women participation in science which needed to be addressed by new policies, initiatives and mechanisms to support them.

The Chairman, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Wahab Alawiye-King said the state government places a high premium on the education of children, noting that the board will ensure that no child is left behind in accessing quality education, especially the girl-child being the ‘mother of tomorrow’.

“EkoExcel is proud to be

a paradigm shifting initiative meeting this challenge for Lagos through our curriculum which ensures age appropriate science lessons by providing the right foundation for the girl-child to study Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics( STEM).

He added that EkoExcel provides practical science experiments in class room lessons by enabling pupils to directly engage with the possibilities that science brings, ignite the kind of passions that start the journey of some of great women in science in the country.

Alawiye- King said the states’s EkoExcel educational transformational program is designed to make quality education available to all irrespective of socio-economic status making the education of the girl child more attractive and more accessible.

“The technology enhanced teaching and classroom management of EkoExcel enable teachers to identify and better support pupils including girls with natural STEM acumen.

EkoExcel is proud to provide free quality education to all children in Lagos State, creating a path for girls and women in science which is especially critical for Nigeria’s development,”he said.

Honours Edo Varsity Iyamho VC

Aluyor The Vice-Chancellor, Edo University Iyamho, Professor Emmanuel Aluyor has been honoured for his outstanding excellence in engineering education, by the Federation of African Engineering Organisations (FAEO).

The honour was bestowed on him at the 2020 General Assembly and Investiture award ceremony of the organisation held virtually from Ghana recently, owing to the covid-19 pandemic.

The award was aimed at promoting greatness in the engineering profession, chart

a positive direction towards the growth of the African Engineering organisations, create a platform for members to celebrate distinguished fellows, engineers across the globe who are friends of Africa for their immense contributions and efforts towards advancing engineering education in Africa, as well as the recognition of past presidents and leaders of the association.

Speaker after speaker at the online interactive session, applauded the roles and efforts of the participants, who included the President of the World Federation of

Engineering Organisations, industry specialists, academic and vice-chancellors of universities, among others, for taking the organisation to an enviable height. The award, presented to Professor. Emmanuel Aluyor, was in recognition for his tireless efforts and commitment to excellence in Engineering education in Nigeria, as well as his distinguished service to FAEO and the larger engineering profession in Africa.

In his remarks, President of the organisation, Martin Manuhwa, commended Aluyor and the Vice- Chancellor, Harare Institute of Technology, Zimbabwe for particularly making Africa proud in actualising their academic curriculum without interruptions, even in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic.

According to him, “The engineering education category was particularly touching as these two universities were very prominent in the covid-19 interventions, in terms of modern teaching, pedagogy as well as manufacturing of intervention equipment; we must recognise these famous VCs, who took the challenge and went into research to assist Africa and indeed their countries to solve the problems that we faced in the pandemic.”

While congratulating friends of Africa for their services over the years, Manuhwa also applauded the Commonwealth Engineering Council, led by Professor Paul Jowitt from the United Kingdom for attracting myriads of projects through the African catalysts projects in Africa, which has prompted changes in the livelihood of engineering.

A female engineer, Trudy Morgan from Sierra Leone, in her goodwill, assured the organisation of the commitment of female engineers in joining forces with them to make Africa great. Ahmed Hamdy from Egypt, expresed confidence that the leadership of the federation has earned enough confidence that has attracted the contributions to engineering development in Africa while Carlos Mineiro Aires, Chair of the Portuguese Engineering Association, described his affinity with Africa as the greatest gift to him and called for the strengthening of the friendship and togetherness.

There were other award recipients, who got recognitions in other categories, including a Nigerian, M.B Shehu who was a former president of the organisation and Chairman of the 2020 awards committee.

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T H I S D AY ˾ FEBRUARY 17, 2021

EDUCATION

UNIABUJA: Students’ Protest Highly Regrettable, Won’t Re-occur, Says VC Kuni Tyessi in Abuja Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja (UniAbuja), Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, has described the events that led to a recent protest within the campus as regrettable, pledging that it will never reoccur.

He said an investigation has began to unravel the remote causes of the student uprising, just as he assured that nothing would derail the reform measures being instituted in the university.

Na’Allah who mad this known when celebrating the Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Administration, Professor Sani Muhammed Adam, who recently got elevated as Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) by the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LLPC), said it was unfortunate that the students resolved to protest.

Recall that while some of the aggrieved students took to the streets to protest an increase in tuition fees, military and police person-

nel were reported to have come hard on the students, using tear-gas and canisters to disperse them.

Immediately they succeeded in dispersing the protesters, heavy presence of armed policemen and internal security operatives have been a regular feature at the institution, especially the main gate into the university.

According to the Vice Chancellor, his resolve to take the university to greater heights, where it can compete favourably with its peers abroad has not waned.

“It is unfortunate that the students resolved to stage a protest. The truth is that this university is on its way forward and not backward. It is a university where before now; some people do not register throughout the year, some people graduate even without registration.

“It is a university where a lot of students did not understand that we have a

deadline. We as a university, are responsible for training people so that when they become leaders tomorrow, they are matured enough to do the right thing.

“We are going to do research and investigate to know exactly where the problem lies. Whatever has happened will never happen again. My only concern is how to move the university to greater heights. I want to set a standard whereby this university will be able to compete with its counterpart globally.”

While extolling the virtues of Professor Adam, the VC urged him to use his elevation to promote peace and common development of Nigeria.

He said, UniAbuja would remain proud to be an institution that produced a Senior Advocate of Nigeria within the academic community.

“For them to appoint one of us to be equal to that task, is indeed a thing of pride to this university.

We are proud of Adam and I want you to know that wherever you go, bear in mind that you are representing the University of Abuja.

“We have come together to celebrate him because it is an achievement that is exemplary. What he has achieved to become a SAN is an indication of hard work and I want everybody to key into that example.”

In his response, Adam commended the university for organising the party to celebrate him, while decrying the high level of corruption in the nations justice system.

He said there is a need for collaborative efforts to revamp the judiciary.

“I must admit that there is so much corruption in the judiciary and all lawyers must work to revamp the judiciary because if the judiciary is doing what it is supposed to do, there will be a timely dispensation of justice without delay,’’ Adams said.

KEHINDE OMORU www.kayomoru.com

Clear Guidelines Against Sleeping in Class There is absolute need to reiterate the guidelines against the temptation of sleeping in class especially given what COVID-19 has foisted on the world!

The following is a checklist of the ideal things to do at the end of the day. Which ones apply to you?

1) Turning off the television and radio 2) Emptying your bladder and bowels before bed, so you don’t need to get up for the toilet in the night 3) Sleeping on a firm mattress and pillows to avert body aches and pains 4) Dimming the light in your bedroom or turning it off at bedtime 5) Taking a relaxing shower or bath before bed 6) Taking a light warm cup of chocolate drink which some find relaxes them at bedtime 7) Leaving a party early to catch a good night sleep 8) Keeping your surroundings mosquito and rodents-free What would make a teacher constantly drop his/her head on the table in the staff room and sleep off? Worse still what would make you doze off during staff meetings whilst important matters are being discussed? Why are you not addressing the constant humiliation you suffer, when your students catch you sleeping or dozing in class?

A common culprit in this matter is insomnia. Insomnia refers to repeated or recurrent experiences of inadequate sleep.

Sleep is an essential part of good health and wellbeing. A good night’s sleep helps you feel good, look healthy, work effectively and think clearly.

Sleep impacts positively on your mind, body and soul. Your body’s organs and systems are at work, conducting healing and tissue repairs, whilst you are asleep. Your brain and mind re-calibrate whilst you are sleeping and body growths occur whilst you are asleep.

Sleep however is not always easy to come by. If you sometimes or always have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, you are not alone.

Daytime drowsiness is often indicative of a sleep problem that is potentially dangerous to your health, if not treated urgently.

World-wide, there are current statistics showing that nearly a quarter of the population cannot go to, or remain asleep.

Every year, doctors write out millions of prescriptions of sleeping tablets worldwide. Do you have a repeat prescription for insomnia?

Omoru is a freelance writer, education, health and social care advocate

Officials of Daniel Ogechi Akujobi Memorial Foundation (DOAM) with the Head Teacher of Ajiran Community Primary School, Eti-Osa, Mr. Ayuba Saliu Aroundara (middle) and pupils of the school, during the deworming and vitamin supplements exercise, held in Lagos... recently

COVID-19: DOAM Foundation Donates Deworming Tablets, Multivitamin to Public Schools Funmi Ogundare A charity organisation, Daniel Ogechi Akujobi Memorial Foundation (DOAM), weekend, distributed deworming tablets/syrup and multivitamin supplement to pupils of Ilasan Primary School and Ajiran Primary School, both in Eti-Osa, Lekki, Lagos.

The distribution which was supported by Life back Pharmaceuticals Limited, Reals Pharmaceuticals Limited and Niger Biscuit Company, was aimed at promoting routine deworming and vitamin supplement especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Senior Programme Officer, Adaeze Ayanna

expressed concern that a lot of government schools don’t have a system in place where deworming programme is carried out regularly, adding that the foundation saw the need to undertake the initiative.

A registered nurse with the foundation, Mrs. Chinonso Ekwueme said the multivitamin supplement will help in boosting the children’s immune system and protect them against infections.

“Because it is a remote area, most of them find it difficult to take fruits and boost their immune system against infection , so that is why we gave them the syrup and tablets.”

She said the deworming tablets and syrup should be

taken every three months interval, adding that it does not have any adverse effect on the children.

“You need to assure children about what they are taking and why it should be taken the right way. It’s just like taking tetanus toxoid, we usually instruct people to take it five times in a year, but you see some people taking booster dose more than that, so you need to instruct them on the right way to take it which is at every three-month interval, “she said.

The Head teacher of Ajiran Community Primary School, Eti-Osa, Mr. Ayuba Saliu Aroundara expressed excitement about the deworming exercise saying that it would be beneficial

to the health of his pupils.

“It is not all the parents that would be able to afford the drugs. You could imagine that some of them in the last one or two years had not been dewormed.

The initiative will go a long way in ensuring that our pupils are healthy and safe especially during this Covid-19 period.”

He addded that the multivitamins will also go a long way in boosting the immune system of the children against any infection. “It is a way of helping the children to guide against any infection,” he said.

He applauded the foundation’s initiative saying that they could still come and do more to ensure that the children are healthy.

Akwa Ibom Govt Denies Stopping Free, Compulsory Education Okon Bassey in Uyo Akwa Ibom State Government has debunked insinuations that the free and compulsory education for primary and secondary school, in the state have been stopped.

The State Commissioner for Information and Strategy comrade Ini Ememobong said the government is still fully committed to the sustenance of the free and compulsory education policy currently in force.

According to him,”Government does not receive and has not indicated any interest to receive money from pupils and students or their parents. However, where parents, groups or communities, in response to the clarion call for contributory development of education in the state, choose to voluntarily support schools, government shall not be opposed to it.

The 10- year educational development plan proposed by the education think tank, he said, is being vigorously

pursued by the government, adding that the entire education machinery of government under the ministry of education and boards have been reinvigorated to deliver on the targets set by the proposal.

Ememobong said in line with the declaration of a state of emergency in the education sector by Governor Udom Emmanuel’s administration , the entire ministerial jobs for the year 2021 has been allocated to the education sector.

“Currently, there are more than 300 projects ongoing in different schools across the local government areas in furtherance of the emergency declaration of the state government.

“We urge all citizens to continue to support the government’s drive to ensure qualitative education at all levels. Parents, guardians, responsible companies and community leaders are encouraged to contribute and participate in the development of education in the state,” the commissioner stressed.

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Oyeweso, Distinguished Historian Ascends the Sixth Floor Tunde Akanni

I

ncontrovertibly one of the most intellectually engaging historians of our time, Professor Abdul Gafar Siyan Oyeweso, manifests by the day in several discourses on account of his selfless services. I had just been part of a radio programme on Friday, January 8, 2021 when one of the promoters of the online broadcaster, Spirit of Nigeria, Dotun Atilade, called me. In rounding off his appreciation to me he reminded me that most people from my birthplace of Ede, Osun State, are selfless. Thus began quite a sweet recall of a most ubiquitous example in the person of our darling Siyan Oyeweso. That Prof will go far, very far, even as he is already one of the most accomplished living historians in Nigeria today. Can you imagine somebody willfully turning down legitimately deserved remuneration, choosing a path of honour in the form of personal sacrifice in a series of activities he used his clout to drive to a resounding success? A friend of Abioye Oyewusi, son of late Oba Tijani Oyewusi, the immediate past Timi of Ede, Dotun, had been part of the setting up of the foundation in honour of our late monarch.

According to him the process suddenly gained acceleration immediately Professor Oyeweso got involved. He, it was who spoke to big donors like SOB Babalola father of Lanre Babalola, former Minister of Power. Within a short space of time, right within Ede community, some humongous amount of money was raised on account of his intervention and personal solicitations. It’s sure that he will ultimately be celebrated too. Dotun was just being obvious.

Enter the birthday anniversary of a media veteran, Alhaji Olumide of the lengendary Lawal family of Ailaka Compound. A couple of hours after yours sincerely exchanged anniversary pleasantries with the big boss, I started receiving Whatsapp notifications from unusual sources.

Most prominent perhaps was that of Mrs. Tope Oguntokun, the Corporate Affairs Director of International Breweries, Lagos. A thoroughbred media professional herself, Mrs. Oguntokun was most impressed by a documentary on Ede which Africa Magic chose to run as a birthday gift, as I later learnt, to Haji Olumide. So unmistakable among the individuals featured in the land of many intellectuals is the Baapitan of Lagos, the irrepressible world class Siyan, as many of his

folks in LASU, fondly hail him. In that documentary, Baapitan, as if acting out his title, is as avuncular as he is clinically thorough with the facts.

But community service is just one strand in Prof Oyeweso’s rich repertoire of activities. This scholar of unmistakably towering height presents a spectacle far from commonplace competition. Already, no fewer than three festschrifts have been published in his honour as an impactful scholar, each of them drawing high standing contributors from national and foreign based scholars across assorted disciplines. Assorted disciplines, because my ever amiable and inimitable benefactor and teacher has impacted on scholars and professionals with obvious and not so obvious connection with our ogas specialization of History and amazing research skills.

The task master is however not one to leave his house vulnerable to the attack of ignorant and directionless political jobbers at the level of policy making or elsewhere nauseatingly betraying lack of knowledge of history in their pronouncements and conduct. When he chose to, in 2006, inaugurated his respected professorial chair dating back to 2004, he promptly resorted to a foundational focus, so strikingly sharp enough to be noticed by any functional being. It was titled ‘The Undertakers, the Pythons Eye and Footsteps of the Ant: The Historians Burden’. Delivered at a time History had been dropped from the curriculum of some schools in the country, the grandmaster asserted that we are all bound to make recourse to history denouncing being an undertaker and instead asserting that he bonds with the genre of people who would not want the past to disappear from our consciousness merely because it is past. Not done, the uncommonly insightful scholar went on to register the thesis that the concern of all patriots today, the failing health of the Nigerian state, derived from what he christened unholy trinity, comprising: lack of knowledge of its history; a lack of understanding of that history and a lack of application of the examples and lessons of history. Reinforcing the view of earlier scholars (Carr, 1961; Einstein, 1955) the Baapitan of Lagos thus logically submitted further that, because the past and present are forged organically and in an engaging and interlocking manner the law of physicsare time symmetric, they just run as well backwards as forward and therefore the future already exists and that it can be known

Prof. Oyeweso

in advance. Simply put, the historian, unknown to many, is uniquely endowed to have a better understanding of not only the past but the present and the future.

Throughout the nearly forty years of his career path till date, Baba Oyee has exhibited in meticulous details, the acclaimed unique endowments of the historian.

Oyee, as we fondly hailed the small tisha in Ilorin way back in 1982 had apparently taken time to study the Unilorin History team. Only the

best was best for the best or so it seemed. The young scholar became the assistant of the globally renowned historian and archaeologist, Ade Obayemi, who later became the Director-General of Nigerian Museum. After understudying Obayemi for a few weeks, the Ede born eagle had done well perfecting his teaching art and was ready to fly only higher and higher as he does till date. It didnt take long before all the students began to fall head over heels in very deep appreciation of the

young mans expertise dispensed with utmost relish.

Undoubtedly, Oyeweso must have headed for LASU, glowingly recommended in addition to being robustly credentialed for appointment as an academic. In and out of classroom Siyan almost became a standard for conduct. Magisterial presentations cultivated from Unilorin readily endeared him to his students till date. Oyee of Unilorin promptly transformed to Baba Oyee. His name featured

during considerations for virtually all university key offices. With his peerless sartorial taste (who can beat power dresser endowed with ajilala oso spirit?), Oyeweso took the position of the university orator to an unprecedentedly glamourous height that may remain a model for long for those lucky to witness the performative excellence consistently on display throughout his tenure. Far from being a petty, exhibitionist character, Oyeweso has also been a thoroughbred university administrator, indeed waiting to be optimally appreciated and engaged. He was, at various times, during his sojourn at LASU, a member of the University Council; Court of Governors of the LASU College of Medicine; Dean Faculty of Arts; Head, Department of History as well as being Director of the University’s External System in its glorious years.

Baba Oyee in his consistently strong commitment to all his adopted causes has been an inestimable human asset, of perhaps a dynamo standing, all the way to institutions and individuals including yours sincerely, making him earn abundant goodwill worldwide.

A most resounding happy 60th birthday to the teacher of teachers and uncommon leader never in want of warmth.

To echo your customized pleasantry sir, Ma jaye o ri e!

-Tunde Akanni, PhD, is a media scholar and development enthusiast based at the LASU School of Communication.

LSUBEB Hosts Top Management of AOCOED The Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LSUBEB), recently, hosted delegates from Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED) at its Boardroom, Maryland.

The visit was aimed at fostering synergy between the board and the college.

Chairman of the board, Wahab Alawiye-King who addressed the AOCOED delegation, said the college is recognised as one of the pioneer colleges of education

in Nigeria, adding that the board is ready to cooperate and collaborate with the institution in its optimum educational service delivery.

He applauded the quality of graduates trained by the institution which contributes to the pool of resourceful and sound teachers in the Lagos state workforce, saying, “they are massively contributing to the development in the basic education sector.’

He stated that, the major

focus of the present board, is transforming the education system in infrastructural renewal and maintenance, teacher’s capacity development, figital transformation, among others.

“For us to have a collective impact there must be a collective vision, shared goals which is what we are doing today, we are ready to work with you and learn from you.”

The team lead, and Provost of AOCOED, Professor Bilikis

Bidemi Lafiaji - Okuneye, commended the board for recognising the institution and also aligning with it vision and mandate.

She stated that the purpose of the visit is to foster continued synergy between the AOCOED and the board as a critical stakeholder, particularly in the areas of continous capacity development of teachers for effective teaching and learning outcomes in the state.

Kwara TESCOM: 56,924 Apply for 4,701 Teaching Jobs Hammed Shittu in Ilorin No fewer than 56,924 persons have submitted applications for 4,701 teaching positions in Kwara State.

The Chief Press Secretary of the governor, Mr..Rafiu Ajakaye in a statement issued in Ilorin, recently and made available to journalists said a total of 22,953 applied for the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) vacancies, 33,971 put in for the State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB) jobs.

He said the government plans to recruit a total of 4,701 teachers for the two categories.

The statement read in part, “Of the 56,924 total applicants, 35,709 have/are been/being invited for the examination after a thorough online verification.

“This examination will be Computer Based Test (CBT).

The remaining 21,215 applicants were not shortlisted for examination either for incomplete applications, incomplete results (not having credit passes in five subjects including English and

Mathematics), or they applied for subject areas not advertised.

All applicants are advised to visit the portals to know their status from February 12,, 2021.

“The examination for applicants has been scheduled for between Monday 22 February, 2021 and Thursday 25 February, 2021.

Those who succeed in the examination, he noted, are to have their interviews between March 8 and March 20. Each applicant will get a text message to know the

specifics of their examination and interview.

The government urged all applicants to constantly visit the portals for updates on the process.

Ajakaye also urge invited applicants for the examination to print their examination slips which will contain their passport photograph, registration number, local government, barcode and other details for biometric exercise that will admit them into the examination hall.

38

T H I S D AY ˾ ͯ͵˜ ͰͮͰͯ

CITYSTRINGS

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Olaiya Flyover: Should We Spill More Blood?

Prototype of the proposed Olaiya Flyover

Photo: GOOGLE

Funke Egbemode

I

t was supposed to be a quick errand.

He was supposed to be back in a jiffy because it was an emergency. But it ended badly, in tears, pains, sorrow and tragic end. If he had ended in the emergency ward, maybe he would have had a chance. But it was not his day.

Indeed, his days were over.

Waheed (real name held back because the family will be mourning for a long time) woke up that morning hoping the day would be better than the previous one. His wife was ill, and not getting any better. Another round of injections and the nurse who had been their care-giver called Waheed to go get a new drug at the pharmacy.

Waheed scrambled into his trousers, slipped into the nearest pair of slippers and dashed out.

He lived in Alekuwodo area of Osun state capital, Osogbo. About five minutes walk from the proposed Olaiya Flyover.

“I’ll be back in no time”, he promised.

True, he got the drug, but fate had another journey planned for him. He must have thought he had looked left, right and left again before he crossed the road. At Olaiya Intersection. Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. The last thing he heard was a loud bang that threw him into the air, screams of people who watched the sad scene, and then silence.

Good Samaritans rushed Waheed to the hospital hoping for a miracle. The drug he had gone to buy for his sick wife lay on the road, useless in Waheed’s blood on the asphalt. At Olaiya Junction.

The nurse, neighbours, Waheed’s wife waited at home for Waheed, and the drug he'd gone to buy. Impatient at first, then they got angry, exasperated and then desperate. Fear set in, as the sun went down, and Waheed was still nowhere to be found. But Waheed was gone forever, cold and stiff in the mortuary. The needed drug was at the accident scene. Waheed's wife became a member of the widow’s club because of another accident at the Olaiya Intersection.

You have heard of many such sad stories coming from the famous Olaiya Intersection, right? Some of us have even watched

Governor Oyetola gory sights, scenes that we still live with till date.

Tragic things have happened at Olaiya.

Things that we can do something about; something like a Flyover to keep our people safe, and even safer.

So, why are some people angry that Governor Adegboyega Oyetola wants to keep Osun people safer, and stop the regular bloodshed at the Junction? Are they being plainly mischievous or they just love seeing blood at “Orita Olaiya”? I don’t even want to think it’s the latter. It’s safer to stick with the ‘mischief’ angle. Osun people are not like that. They don’t like bloodshed or blood spill, inadvertently or intentionally.

So, I ask again, why do those saying “Objection, Mr. Governor” saying it?

Because it’s an expensive project? Ah, try telling that to those who are in wheelchairs or their loved ones who have to bear the burdens of care for a man who once was a

bread-winner. Try telling a young widow, a grieving mother, a bewildered 10-year-old, that a Flyover would have saved them the pain they cannot explain, the tragedy they would have paid anything to avert.

Try telling a man whose ‘okada’, his only source of livelihood that he got on hirepurchase, was destroyed beyond repair at Olaiya Junction. And we can compare notes after they’ve bloodied your nose or knocked your jaw out of shape. Only those whom fate has forced to wear the painful shoes of tragedy can best describe how much it hurts.

What good thing is cheap? What lasting structures are built with coins? Flyovers are expensive because they are built to last and last. There’s a difference between costume jewelry and gold. There is a huge, unbridgeable gap between synthetic wig and authentic Brazilian weave.

Guys, ask your main chicks, or better still, your side chicks. You know how

much you part with to make us, your investments, happy.

Again, there are those whose logic I have spent weeks trying to decipher. They said Olaiya Flyover is not priority. Wow! There’s God ooo!

When will it be priority? When fire trucks cannot get to burning buildings?

When pregnant women in labour die in traffic jams? When ambulances cannot get to accident victims or cannot get accident victims to the hospital because they are stuck in gridlock, sweating and cursing, frustrated but impotent?

These ‘not a priority’ crooners, have they missed major interview appointments before? Have they lost loved ones because the doctor got stuck in traffic for hours?

Have they watched their wives deliver in traffic and then watch the babies die slowly because they couldn’t get through traffic gridlock?

These ones, have they been to Lagos or Port Harcourt before? Do they know what it is like to miss an important flight, or a connecting flight, the plane taking off while you are begging at the check-in counter?

Oh yes, they think it won’t happen in Osun. How? Osogbo, the state capital will suddenly stop growing so this will not to happen, right? The vehicular density will simply disappear?

I simply do not understand people who don’t make plans for tomorrow. Or what kind of father refuses to send his children to school because “it’s not priority”, and would rather wait until Chevron and CBN are recruiting before dragging his 30-yearold illiterate son to school?

To some, there's not enough traffic jam in Osogbo to warrant an investment in a Flyover but that's why we elect good governors, to look out for us. And Osun is blessed with a governor who wants to fix tomorrow's problems today.

Smart men plan. Great leaders look ahead. Visionaries make provisions for the future. That is why Governor Adegboyega Oyetola is getting ahead of the problem.

That’s why the Olaiya Flyover will be built.

Guys, let’s do this. ... Egbemode is the Osun State Commissioner for Information and Orientation.

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2021 • T H I S D AY

39

40

T H I S D AY ˾ ͯ͵˜ 2021

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Private Sector Operators Hail New WTO DG Dike Onwuamaeze Members of the organised private sector have hailed the confirmation of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the director general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

They also urged her to initiate reforms that would enhance the participation of third world countries in international trade.

A congratulatory message that was signed by the National President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Mrs. Saratu Iya Aliyu, stated that Okonjo-Iweala’s emergence reaffirmed the confidence of the global community in her ability to deliver.

Aliyu said: “We have confidence in the experience and ability of Okonjo-Iweala

to achieve the much needed reform at the WTO, especially for developing countries which have been calling for a level playing field in the field of international trade and access for their products to markets in the developed world.”

Also, the Director General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr. Muda Yusuf, said it was a delight to have her elight for being the first female and the first African to head the WTO. Yusuf noted that OkonjoIweala emerged at a time the global trading system was faced with numerous challenges including supply chain disruptions that were precipitated

by COVID-19 pandemic, rising protectionism and growing economic nationalism among nations and urged Nigeria to

build capacity for international competitiveness and undertake reforms of its, “tariff policy in accordance with the principles of comparative advantage, which would enable the country to optimise opportunities in the global trade arena.”

He emphasised the need to manage expectations around the outcomes of her confirmation for the Nigerian economy that grapples with competitiveness’ challenges. Similarly, the Director General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr. Segun Ajayi-Kadir, described the confirmation of OkonjoIweala as a moment of great excitement, a plus for Nigeria in the international community and a welcome development for Africa especially now the continent is launching its own free trade area.

FirstBank’s CEO Pledges Support for SMEs Nume Ekeghe The Chief Executive Officer, FirstBank Nigeria Limited, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, has reiterated the commitment to the bank towards empowering small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs).

Adeduntan assured Nigerians that the bank would continue to support small businesses with access to finance, saying it is presently the largest lender and would continue to empower SMEs with capacity building and basic tools to help grow their businesses.

He said this yesterday at the Lagos State economic summit ‘Ehigbeti 2021’ where an array of international and business leaders gathered to discuss the theme:

‘For a Greater Lagos: Setting the Tone for the Next Decade.’

He said: “SMEs are very important aspect of what we do not just for us as bank but because of the importance to the overall growth and development of the economy. “As a bank, FirstBank, we have always been the largest lender to the SME sector and we have a dedicated portal that we call SME connect, where we basically support SME providing them with what I call advisory services.

“Also, by ensuring that we up their skills and capabilities either in the areas of preparing basic account statement, assisting them with choice for technology and basically just supporting them to work through the cheque.”

Speaking further on its support, he said FirstBank is a pioneer of specailised support towards SMEs. “I am also aware that the number of banks do have similar system, the SME connect platform is something that we have had in the bank for the past 6 to 7 years and it’s something that we are continuously refine, we refine it regularly, updating it regularly.”

He said: “Our portfolio of SMEs facilities of portfolio is quite sizable and that is quite understandable given the history of First Bank and Nigeria.

And have been very active in terms of providing whether it is overdraft, term loan and all types of structure debt instrument to our SME customers.”

Meters Must Be Installed for Customers at No Cost, Jos Disco Warns Seriki Adinoyi ÓØ ÙÝ In addition to the 20,000 customers metered so far under the National Mass Metering Programme, the Jos Electricity Distribution Plc has assured that 100,000 customers would be metered in the next six months.

This was disclosed during a three-day Strategy Retreat organised by the Management for Divisional and Departmental Heads, alongside Regional Managers.

At the retreat with the theme ‘Turning the Tide for Improved Performance’, the Managing Director, Engr. Hashim Bakori,

said the company would provide 20 more operational vehicles to enable the field staff discharge their work more effectively.

He disclosed that an additional 500 Maximum Demand meters would be procured and installed for customers before July ending.

He cautioned that on no account should Regional Managers allow the meters to lie fallow, saying all meters supplied must be installed for customers at no cost. The Managing Director also directed the Regional to ensure that all prepaid meters in their domains are pole-mounted with immediate effect.

He said in order to ease the work of the field workers, its

management has procured 50 ladders, Toolboxes, Pliers, Led phases testers, Operating rods, Safety belts, Boots, Hats and Jackets for usage. He added that network consumables such as fuses, cross arms, sockets, ferrules, aluminium conductors, disc/pot insulators, transformer oils amongst others have been procured and distributed with the aim to stabilising and solidifying the network.

Bakori said the company under his leadership would embark on aggressive rehabilitation of lines and feeders so as to enable the company deliver stable, reliable and durable quality energy to her customers.

MitsubishiCorporation,FateFoundationtoEmpowerEntrepreneurs FATE Foundation with the support of Mitsubishi Corporation have announced an expanded program to support 1,000 Nigerian entrepreneurs in 2021.

This support by Mitsubishi Corporation was enabled by grant from the 2020 Mitsubishi International Contributions programme which FATE Foundation has secured for a second year running.

The overarching theme for this programme is “Realising an Inclusive Society,” with the objective to aid income generation for the selected young and female Nigerian

entrepreneurs while also facilitating their development of agribusiness products/ services which address societal challenges (like food safety, nutrition and post-harvest loss).

According to a statement, in light of the current pandemic, the programme support would be focused on MSMEs to help them build resilience during and beyond this period.

In 2019, Mitsubishi Corporation supported FATE Foundation in enabling 40 aspiring young entrepreneurs in the agribusiness to get business knowledge and growth

support services which also included increasing their capacity to access funding and also registering/formalising their businesses.

The statement quoted one of the graduates from that programme, Ante Joseph, an entrepreneur who owns Lagos based Maatalous Nasah had this to have said about his experience: “My Business was able to survive last year due to the knowledge and support we received from FATE Foundation and Mitsubishi Corporation for the Aspiring Entrepreneurs Agribusiness programme.

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

JULY 2020 Money Supply (M3)

36,822,751.47

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

3,476,121.25

Money Supply (M2)

33,346,630.22

-- Quasi Money

120,764,479.02

-- Narrow Money (M1)

12,582,151.19

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,002,026.89

---- Demand Deposits

10,580,124.31

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,637,137.23

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

29,185,614.24

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

39,711,115.95

---- Credit to Government (Net)

19,521,851.08

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

0.00

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

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

-130,189,264.87

--Other Assets Net

3,472,017.70

Reserve Money (Base Money

13,421,827.07

--Currency in Circulation

2,395,917.03

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

11,025,910.04 317,234.17

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

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

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT MONDAY, 15 FEBRUARY 2021

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $62.60 a barrel on Monday, compared with $60.77 the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), Zafiro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), 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

41

T H I S D AY ˾ ͯ͵˜ ͰͮͰͯ

NSE All-Share Index Sheds 0.19% as Bears Return Goddy Egene The bears returned to the local bourse yesterday pulling, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index (ASI) down by 0.19 per cent to close at 40,494.35. The market had opened for the week on positive note after two weeks of decline, raising hopes that the bargain hunting could be sustained.

However, sell-offs in Stanbic

IBTC Holdings Plc, Nigerian Breweries Plc and Zenith Bank Plc, FBN Holdings Plc, Access Bank Plc, among others led to a negative close. A total of 20 stocks depreciated as against 22 stocks that appreciated.

The top of the gainers’ table was dominated by insurance stocks led by Cornerstone Insurance Plc shed 10 per cent. Consolidated Hallmark Insurance Plc trailed with 9.5 per cent, just as Prestige

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

Assurance Plc and Coronation Insurance Plc went down by 8.5 per cent and 8.3 per cent respectively.

Despite announcing an improved profit for 2020 financial year, Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc declined by 6.5 per cent yesterday. Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc last week reported a profit before tax of N5.114 billion for the year ended December 31, 2020, showing an increase of 35 per

S E C U R I T I E S

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

cent compared with N3.772 billion recorded in 2019. The underwriting firm posted gross premium written of N20.194 billion in 2020, compared with N18.698 billion in 2019. Net underwritten income stood at N16.7 billion, while profit after tax printed at N4.548 billion as against N3.612 billion.

Another insurance company, Linkage Assurance Plc was also among the price losers, shedding 5.08 per cent just as

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

Stanbic IBTC depreciated by 4.4 per cent.

Ecobank Transnational Incorporation Plc and Nigerian Breweries Plc lost 4.3 per cent and 3.2 per cent in that order, just as Honeywell Flour Mills Plc and UACN Property Development Company Plc dipped by 3.1 per cent and 2.3 per cent respectively.

On the positive side, Ardova Plc led the price gainers with 9.06 per cent, trailed by Multi-

O F

verse Mining with 8.3 per cent.

Wema Bank Plc added 7.6 per cent, just as Guinness Nigeria Plc and Tripple Gee chalked up 7.3 per cent and 6.6 per cent respectively.

Other top price gainers included: AIICO Insurance Plc (5.9 per cent); UAC of Nigeria Plc (5.7 per cent); CAP Plc (5.5 per cent ); Courtville Business Solutions Plc (5.0 per cent) and African Prudential Plc (4.5 per cent).

1 6 / 0 2 / 2 0 2 1 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

42

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17 , 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

SCOA Nigeria Full Year’s Profit Falls 90% to N32m Goddy Egene

SCOA Nigeria Plc has released its unaudited financial results for the year

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

ended December 31, 2020, showing a decline of 90 per cent in profit after tax

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 15Feb-2021, unless otherwise stated.

(PAT). The company grew it revenue by 62 per cent to N6.426 billion, from

N4.034 billion. But a jump in cost of sales, cost of finance, among others

impacted the profit to fall to N32 million in 2020, from N312 million in 2019.

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

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

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

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 159.63 161.23 7.77% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 3.06% Nigeria International Debt Fund 362.66 362.66 -9.12% Afrinvest Dollar Fund 115.24 115.24 0.99% 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 N/A N/A N/A ACAP Income Funds N/A N/A N/A 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 0.30% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.46 3.62 -2.65% ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@anchoriaam.com Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 0.52% Anchoria Equity Fund 134.16 134.95 0.31% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.13 1.19 -14.39% 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 N/A N/A N/A ARM Discovery Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Ethical Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Eurobond Fund ($) N/A N/A N/A ARM Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 129.29 130.20 2.47% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 1.55% CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 2.04 2.04 -41.82% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.12 2.16 -17.67% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.92% Paramount Equity Fund 16.57 16.26 1.70% Women's Investment Fund 133.90 135.43 0.61% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.27% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 130.89 131.78 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 N/A N/A Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 108.95 108.95 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 1.27% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.17 1.18 -2.48% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.51 1.51 -4.78% 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 1.19% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 1.08% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,166.30 1,168.46 -2.84% FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Balanced Fund 185.53 186.90 -1.14% FBN Halal Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.26% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 123.49 123.49 2.34% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 123.63 123.63 2.34% FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund 151.94 153.90 0.51% 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 1.11% Legacy Debt Fund 3.89 3.89 0.47% Legacy Equity Fund 1.60 1.64 5.45% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.14 1.14 0.57% 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 3,845.25 3,893.76 2.36% Coral Income Fund 3,326.00 3,326.00 1.83% FSDH Treasury Bills Fund 100.00 100.00 1.71% 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 0.72% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 128.31 128.84 18.87%

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 0.32% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.71 2.77 18.02% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 4.50% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 156.17 156.68 0.50% Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End 1.08 1.08 5.48% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund N/A N/A N/A Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 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 1.62 1.65 7.35% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.19 12.31 -0.40% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 1.50% PACAM Equity Fund 1.58 1.60 0.31% PACAM EuroBond Fund 109.09 111.69 -0.32% 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 128.87 131.64 10.37% 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 1.01 1.01 0.84% 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 -1.86% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 210.33 210.33 0.62% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.88 0.89 -0.42% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 273.87 273.95 0.57% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 154.92 156.64 -1.16% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.19% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,674.15 7,756.30 -3.67% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.24 1.24 0.78% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 111.59 111.59 0.46% 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 1.38 1.40 1.15% United Capital Bond Fund 1.91 1.91 0.76% United Capital Equity Fund 0.87 0.89 1.01% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 1.25% United Capital Eurobond Fund 117.96 117.96 0.75% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.08 1.10 -0.49% United capital Sukuk Fund 1.02 1.02 1.97% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +2349031100041 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 12.28 12.41 3.58% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.58 13.70 11.16% Zenith Income Fund 24.15 24.15 0.74% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 1.71%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

121.42 52.63

0.56% 0.44%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

13.36 121.82 97.11

13.46 121.82 98.94

1.05% 0.07% -2.27%

Fund Name 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 Money Market 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

3.90 5.84 17.47 1.00 19.12 179.79

3.94 5.92 17.57 1.00 19.32 181.79

3.07% 2.69% 6.77% 0.91% -6.79% -18.69%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

108.05

13.11%

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.

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2021 •T H I S D AY

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WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

46

INTERNATIONAL

South Africa Offers AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine to AU South Africa said Tuesday it would offer its doses of Oxford/ AstraZeneca Covid vaccine to the African Union (AU) after scrapping their use due to efficacy concerns.

The country suspended its vaccine rollout — meant to begin with the AstraZeneca shots earlier

this month — after a study found the jab failed to prevent mild and moderate illness caused by a variant found in South Africa.

“The doses we purchased have been offered to the African Union to distribute to those countries who have already expressed interest in acquiring the stock,”

At Least 60 Drowned after Boat Capsizes in Congo At least 60 people have drowned after a boat capsized in the Democratic Republic of Congo, officials say.

Some 300 people have been rescued but as many as 200 others are unaccounted for following the accident on the Congo River, officials added.

Locals said the boat hit a rock east of the capital, Kinshasa, while travelling at night, which is prohibited.

Many people use boats to travel long distances in DR Congo because of its poor road network.

DR Congo’s humanitarian affairs minister Steve Mbikayi told the BBC that he had received reports that the boat was overloaded and had been carrying passengers at night in breach of the law.

“These are the reasons that caused this wreck with over 60 dead. We have managed to rescue 300 survivors while search and rescue operations are on-going,” he added.

The boat was making a journey of about 700km (435

miles) from the capital, Kinshasa, to Mbandaka city when it ran into trouble near the village of Longola Ekoti in the province of Mai-Ndombe, AFP news agency reported.

Provincial government spokesman Charles Mbutamuntu said the boat capsized at around 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT) on Sunday.

“Residents told us that bodies are floating in the water,” Mr Mbutamuntu was quoted by AFP as saying.

Deadly boat accidents are common in DR Congo where boats are frequently overcrowded with passengers who are rarely given safety jackets and often cannot swim.

In April, at least 167 people died in two boat accidents on Lake Kivu.

This prompted President Félix Tshisekedi to make it mandatory for passengers to wear life jackets.

But it is not clear whether any of those on the boat that sank on Sunday were wearing them.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize told parliament.

“There will be no wasteful and fruitless expenditure.”

The continent’s hardest-hit country by the pandemic had acquired a million doses of Covishield, a copy of the vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India, and was set to receive an additional 500,000.

The AU, through its African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT), has secured some 270 million doses of anti-Covid vaccine for the continent and last week said it would not “walk

away” from the AstraZeneca formula.

It recommended countries where the South African variant has not been detected to proceed with the rollout.

Already, Malawi said it will forge ahead with its purchase of the jabs although the delivery dates are not yet confirmed.

South Africa has now settled for the yet-to-be-approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine, securing nine million doses, including 80,000 expected to be delivered this week.

Vaccination will begin with

healthcare workers as part of an implementation study, Mkhize said.

Tulio de Oliveira, a South Africa-based professor of virology who helped identify the new variant, was optimistic the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine would prove a success in the country.

“It doesn’t need the high levels of refrigeration, so a little bit easier to administer,” he told AFP. Those vaccines will be supplemented by 20 million doses of the Pfizer formula as South Africa embarks on

an ambitious aim to inoculate around 40 million people — 67 percent of the population — by the end of the year.

More doses will be secured through the World Health Organization-backed Covax facility and the AU. The country has recently emerged from its second wave of infections, seeing the number of daily cases drop from highs of 20,000 in early January to just over 1,000 on Monday.

It has counted close to 1.5 million infections of which more than 48,000 have been fatal.

PLANNING AHEAD...

L-R: Deputy Secretary General, United Nations, Hajiya Amina Mohammed; former President of Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa; Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya; Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami; and Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba; during the unveiling of the Gombe State 10-year Development Plan in Gombe…yesterday

Aung San Suu Kyi in Good Dubai Princess, Latifa Narrates Ordeal in Captivity daughter of Dubai’s ruler woman” after meeting her in The videos were recorded shut, and guarded by police Health, Says Military Junta The who tried to flee the country 2018, now said she was “horribly over several months on a phone Latifa’s account of her capture Myanmar’s deposed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is at a “safer place” and “in good health”, according to military spokesman Zaw Min Tun. “It’s not like they were arrested — they are staying at their houses,” the general, who became the country’s vice information minister after the coup, said during a press conference Tuesday.

“We are keeping Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and (president) U Win Myint at a safer place for their security. They are in good health.”

Suu Kyi’s lawyer and her National League for Democracy party have said they have not been able to make direct contact with her, though they believe she is under house arrest in her Naypyidaw residence.

France Commits to Sahel Operation President Emmanuel Macron says France has no immediate plans to reduce the number of troops deployed in West Africa’s Sahel region to counter the threat from Islamist militants.

He was speaking to leaders of a regional security summit via a video link.

More than 5,000 French troops are based in the region working alongside soldiers from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.

The French military operation has been in west Africa for eight years, is very expensive and has seen 55 soldiers killed.

It seems Emmanuel Macron would like an exit strategy but he’s just ruled out a large troop

withdrawal - at least for the next few months.

The French president talked of imminent success and even used phrases like “consolidating military victory”.

But given that the jihadist attacks are spreading there’s little room for optimism.

Mr Macron shared a video on Twitter highlighting the joint operation between French and West African forces.

The armies of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger do not control all their territory.

The Islamist militants are able to exploit local grievances and are relatively free to roam across borders to carry out their attacks.

in 2018 later sent secret video messages to friends accusing her father of holding her “hostage” as she feared for her life.

In footage shared with BBC Panorama, Princess Latifa Al Maktoum said commandos drugged her as she fled by boat and flew her back to detention.

The secret messages have stopped - and friends are urging the UN to step in.

Dubai and the UAE have previously said she is safe in the care of family.

Ex-UN rights envoy Mary Robinson, who had described Latifa as a “troubled young

tricked” by the princess’s family.

The former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and president of Ireland has joined calls for international action to establish Latifa’s current condition and whereabouts.

“I continue to be very worried about Latifa. Things have moved on. And so I think it should be investigated,” she said.

Latifa’s father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is one of the richest heads of state in the world, the ruler of Dubai and vicepresident of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Latifa was secretly given about a year after her capture and return to Dubai. She recorded them in a bathroom as it had the only door she could lock.

In the messages, she detailed how she fought back against the soldiers taking her off the boat, “kicking and fighting” and biting one Emirati commando’s arm until he screamed; after being tranquillised she lost consciousness as she was being carried on to a private jet, and didn’t wake up until it landed in Dubai; she was being held alone without access to medical or legal help in a villa with windows and doors barred

and detention was revealed to Panorama by her close friend Tiina Jauhiainen, maternal cousin Marcus Essabri and campaigner David Haigh, who are all behind the Free Latifa campaign.

They say they have taken the difficult decision to release the messages now out of concern for Latifa’s safety.

It was they who managed to establish contact with Latifa as she was held in a Dubai “villa”, which she said had barred windows and police guards.

Panorama has independently verified the details of where Latifa was held.

Independent Commission to Investigate Capitol Riots US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, has said Congress will establish an “outside, independent” commission to investigate the January 6 attack on the US Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump.

In a letter to lawmakers, she said the commission would be modelled on the inquiry into the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and the Pentagon.

“We must get to the truth of how this happened,” she said.

Former President Trump was acquitted by the Senate of inciting the violence.

But Democrats and some

Republicans have backed an independent investigation into the riots, which left five people dead.

Mrs Pelosi said that retired US Army Lt Gen Russel Honoré had, over the past few weeks, been assessing the security needs of the Capitol in light of the attack.

The commission, she said, “would investigate and report on the facts and causes” of the attack; “the interference with the peaceful transfer of power”; and the “preparedness and response” of both the Capitol police and other branches of

law enforcement.

She also said that, based on Lt Gen Honoré’s initial findings, Congress needed to allocate additional funding to “provide for the safety of members and the security of the Capitol”.

A group of House Republicans wrote to Mrs Pelosi on Monday complaining that their party had not been consulted about the general’s security review.

In the letter, they also demanded to know what Mrs Pelosi knew and the instructions she gave to secure the Capitol ahead of 6 January.

House Republican Adam

Kinzinger, who called for Mr Trump’s removal after the riots, was condemned by 11 members of his family in a handwritten letter, in which they said he was in cahoots with “the devil’s army”.

“Oh my, what a disappointment you are to us and to God!” they wrote to the Illinois representative, who was one of 10 Republicans to vote to impeach Mr Trump last month, denouncing his “horrible, rude accusations of President Trump”, the New York Times reports.

WEDNESDAY, ͹Ϳ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

47

NEWS

Encomiums as Okowa’s Father is Laid to Rest

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

The remains of Sir Arthur Okorie Okowa, father of Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, were yesterday laid to rest at Owa-Alero, Ika North-East Local Government Area of the state.

A renowned educationist and community leader, Okowa died at 88 on January 28, 2021, after a brief illness.

His remains were amidst encomiums interred at a

private funeral in deference to the wishes of the family.

Beside family members, the ceremony was witnessed by a handful of dignitaries, including the Archbishop of Bendel Province, Anglican Communion, Archbishop Cyril Odutemu; Deputy Governor of Delta State, Mr. Kingsley Otuaro; former governor of the state, Chief James Ibori; and a former deputy governor of the state, Mr. Benjamin Elue.

Others included Chief Jide Omokore; Senator James

Manager; House Minority Leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu; Chief Judge of Delta, Justice Marshall Umukoro and Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori.

In his speech during the funeral service, Okowa thanked Nigerians for their show of love, saying that because he had announced that the ceremony would be private for the family, "Those who came are truly family members."

He said as a teacher, his

late father fought for the ordinary man and suffered victimisation for daring to stand for the truth.

Okowa said: "He had been a strong pillar in my life and obviously we wished he had lived longer, but it pleased God to call him at this time.

"Our father was a good man who fought for the church, the children and the ordinary man, especially as a teacher and suffered consequences for standing by the truth and in the end, God vindicated him.

"We thank God that he played his role in the community. He was very passionate about the development of Owa-Alero and I am glad that he saw all we did for the community.”

Okowa stated that his late father did not compromise his faith even as an Okpara-Uku of his quarter, adding that his children can attest to this claim.

"For those who couldn't come, I apologise, there is still a time to celebrate his life and times and that will be August 21, his birthday,

and we will all be there by the grace of God." In a homily, Bishop of Ika Diocese, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Rt. Rev. Godfrey Ekpenisi, said the late Okowa contributed to the growth of the church and education in Ika nation.

With biblical references, the bishop urged Christians to fear God and keep His commandments, saying: "This is the whole duty of man."

He added that the deceased served God and humanity while alive.

STOP TRADING BLAME, FOCUS ON ENDING ETHNIC VIOLENCE, ABDULSALAMI URGES NIGERIANS “I am confident that we will eventually convince the small number of people with resource and influence that are a nuisance to this great country. God willing, we will identify them, and deal with them. I am extremely concerned about your constituency like the rest of the country,” he stated.

Buhari noted the request for the upgrade and development of infrastructure in the states and assured his visitors that while he would do his best in acceding to their requests, he would, however, prioritise development in education.

“We are aware of the infrastructure deficit. Our priorities will be education because all our citizens know that children within a certain age must receive it otherwise if they miss it, the future is destroyed,” he said.

He expressed appreciation to the leaders for coming to terms with the positive improvement that has occurred in the states since the inception of the administration.

In his remarks, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum said the leaders were in Abuja to thank the president for the improvement in their states and to intimate him with some of the prevailing socio-economic conditions.

Four Northern Govs Visit Abiodun, Back Modern Ranching Four Northern governorsAbdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Sani Bello (Niger), Bello Matawalle (Zamfara) and Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi)

yesterday joined their Ondo State counterpart, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, to visit the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, as part of efforts to douse tension arising from the ethnic conflicts in the South-west.

The governors called on the federal government to invest in modern ranching.

They also agreed that open grazing is not sustainable.

In a presentation at a stakeholders' parley on farmers/ herders' conflict, hosted by Abiodun, in Abeokuta, Ganduje, said the Fulani herdsmen's problem "is an old story."

The parley was prompted by the massive attacks on residents of Yewa area of Ogun State by suspected Fulani herdsmen, in which no fewer than 10 persons were killed in separate attacks.

He said: "Those who are advocating that Fulani should leave the southern part don't know history. The Fulani herdsmen are everywhere.

"They migrate right from Futa Jalon in Mali, through the Niger Republic, because of climate change.

"The farmers too are angry because of the destruction brought to their economic trees.

"Initially, they were carrying weapons to protect themselves against cattle rustlers before things degenerated to confrontations with farmers.

"So, putting sentiment aside, the solution to the problem is for the federal government to convert traditional herdsmanship to modern animal husbandry."

Bello, in his submission said: "What we are grappling

with today is criminality and banditry and the time has come for the federal government to invest in the herdsmen.

"They (the federal government) have invested a lot in farmers and the time has come for investment in the herdsmen."

But Akeredolu challenged Miyetti Allah, the umbrella body of the herdsmen, to expose the criminals in their ranks.

"In Ondo State, we won't tolerate kidnappers and killers disguising as herdsmen in our forests," he said.

He stressed the need for the federal government to eliminate open grazing by empowering the herders to embrace modern animal husbandry.

Ganduje and Bello said Buhari had been upset by cases of bloodshed and destructions linked to Fulani herdsmen.

Olu of Ilaro, who is also the paramount ruler in Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, expressed anger over what he described as incitement from the Miyetti Allah.

“I have a letter from the Miyetti Allah threatening to deal with my people," he added.

But the National President of Miyetti Allah, Alhaji Muhammed Kirowa, said the association had always been peaceful and that those infiltrating it were criminals.

Abiodun said: "We must use the opportunity of this parley to tell ourselves the truth, not necessarily by apportioning blame, but definitely, we must come up with more practical and viable recommendations that will further cement the

peaceful coexistence that we have always had in Ogun State.

"Those fomenting the crisis are said to be non-residents in our state. Unfortunately, the crisis has been exacerbated by some undesirable elements within and outside the state that whipped up ethnic sentiments.

"They sneak in at night, wreak havoc and retreat after their evil acts.

"In whatever form, colour or ethnic group, a criminal is a criminal. We condemn all forms of crimes and criminality, regardless of the ethnicity of the perpetrators."

blamed foreigners but did nothing to curtail their deadly expeditions,” Yawe said.

Afenifere faulted the zonal meeting, describing it as diversionary.

Its spokesman, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, told THISDAY that the government knew what ought to be done to address the security challenges facing the nation but preferred doing other things like the zonal meetings being held with state governments and traditional institutions.

He said: "They know where the problem is and what is to be done but we will cease to be Nigeria if they don't engage in this perambulator."

PANDEF wondered why despite the security problems facing Nigeria, holding another round of zonal meetings is the priority of the security chiefs.

The National Publicity Secretary of PANDEF, Hon Ken Robinson, told THISDAY that what is needed at this time is drastic and dispassionate actions, by security agencies, against the criminal herders and bandits endangering Nigeria's corporate existence.

According to him, the zonal meeting has become the new stratagem by the government to divert citizens’ attention from pressing state matters.

He added that anytime citizens begin to speak out and take actions against abnormalities in the country, the federal government comes up with one meeting, consultation, or the other.

The group said last October, after the government suppressed the #EndSARS protests, a presidential delegation went to each geo-

political zone and met with the governors, traditional rulers and other key stakeholders.

"PANDEF is yet to see responses by the federal government, in terms of tangible actions, to some of the fundamental issues raised at those meetings," he said.

The group added that solutions to the security challenges facing the nation had been well articulated in the past through meetings and conferences.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo, however, welcomed the zonal meeting between the NSA and other stakeholders, saying the meeting will afford them another opportunity to “hear that the causes of insecurity vary from one geopolitical zone to the other, but the most threatening security challenge across the country is the menace of the Fulani herdsmen.”

National Publicity Secretary, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Chiedozie Ogbonnia, told THISDAY that the discoveries from the town hall meetings will be mind-boggling.

He said the NSA and other stakeholders would also hear that “the rural dwellers in the South-east are scared of going to the farm because of the AK-47 wielding Fulani herdsmen. They will also hear that people are resorting to self-help because all complaints, petitions, protests, lamentations and cries to the relevant authorities have fallen on deaf ears.”

According to him, by the time the meetings are held across the six geopolitical zones, the initiators will realise why the nation is drifting towards a state of anarchy.

and import market regimes as evidenced from a prolonged border closure.

Onoja explained that the situation has been compounded by poor harvests from the farms, low prices of oil, erratic macroeconomic policies and diminishing production capacity utilisation in the various economic sectors.

He said the way out of the economic quagmire was to support the Micro,

Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) with conducive environment, particularly infrastructure development and credit, attraction of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), restructuring the foreign exchange regime and investment in COVID-19 vaccines and restrictive monetary policies.

He said:"With respect to fiscal policies, the Nigerian government should concentrate on national

projects that are capable of creating job opportunities and increasing access to social protection schemes."

Onoja also identified the poor management of the foreign exchange regime, poor capacity utilisation in the real sectors and increase in several consumption items and services like petroleum products, VAT increase, electricity tariff rise amidst rising unemployment as major drivers of inflation.

Academy in Abuja.

But the EFCC spokesman, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, in a statement, said Bawa was never arrested or detained over the sale of any assets.

‘As Zonal Head of the Port Harcourt Office of the Commission in 2019, Bawa’s responsibilities did not include the sale of assets as the commission has a full-fledged Directorate of Assets Forfeiture and Recovery Management, in which remit such matters

reside,” said the statement titled, ‘Abdulrasheed Bawa has no corruption record – EFCC.’ The anti-graft agency explained that the disposal of the forfeited trucks in the Port Harcourt Zonal Office through public auction was conducted after the exit of Bawa as the zonal head.

“It is, therefore, illogical for him to have been indicted over an auction that was not superintended by him,” the commission stated.

The statement read, “The auction of trucks at the Port Harcourt Office was among the issues examined by the Justice Ayo Salami Panel, leading to the suspension of some officers of the commission.

“The commission, therefore, enjoins the public to disregard the false publication, which is believed to be sponsored by mischief-makers to impugn the integrity of the EFCC chairman-designate.”

Go after Criminal Herdsmen, Afenifere, ACF, Ohanaeze, PANDEF Tell NSA, Others In a related development, Afenifere; ACF; Ohanaeze Ndigbo and PANDEF have urged the NSA and other security chiefs to go after criminal herdsmen terrorising the country.

Reacting to the Monday’s meeting between the Northwest governors, security chiefs and other stakeholders in Kaduna, the ACF’s spokesman, Mr. Emmanuel Yawe, told THISDAY that he agreed with those who blamed foreign herdsmen for some of the security challenges.

He stated that the security agencies should go after the foreign herdsmen.

"I agree with the people who hold such views. When the attacks happened in Benue a few years ago, the government

WITH INFLATION AT 16.47%, ANALYSTS LIST WAYS TO CURB TREND businesses affected by the pandemic could also lead to a spike in inflation.

Also, President, Capital Market Academics of Nigeria, Prof. Uche Uwaleke, told THISDAY that the inflationary pressure emanated largely from the food component.

He said this reflected the lingering effects of increases in Value Added Tax (VAT), pump price of fuel and electricity tariffs as well as insecurity and transport

bottlenecks.

He stated that inflationary pressure had refused to abate despite border reopening and reduction in levy on imported cars.

Uwaleke, therefore, urged the government to scale-up interventions in agriculture, boost forex supply as well as tackle the growing insecurity in the country.

Also, responding to the uptick in inflation, an economist and Associate

Professor of Agricultural Economics at University of Port Harcourt, Anthony Onoja, said the January inflation was a reflection of the regressive trend of Nigerian economy between 2020 and 2021 "whose recovery time appears indeterminate."

He said 2021 carried over challenges of last year which came with unusual developments such as COVID-19 pandemic, insecurity, restricted export

EXCITEMENT IN EFCC OVER BAWA’S NOMINATION AS CHAIRMAN war had suffered so much mismanagement under the Buhari administration.

The forum lamented that despite a probe of Bawa's alleged theft of confiscated proceeds of ill-gotten loot at his previous appointment in Port Harcourt, the president still chose him as Magu's replacement.

The leaders also alleged that the investigation into Bawa’s alleged corruption and a crackdown on Magu

and other ex-senior officials of the EFCC were yet to be concluded when he was nominated for the top job in Lagos.

EFCC: Bawa Not Involved in Fraud But the EFCC last night denied reports that Bawa illegally sold forfeited trucks to proxies in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The agency was reacting to a publication by an online

news medium, Peoples Gazette, alleging that Bawa was arrested and detained by the agency under the former acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, over illegal sale of 244 forfeited trucks.

The report claimed that the illegal sale was uncovered by the suspended Secretary to the Commission, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, who alerted Magu, leading to Bawa’s detention and subsequent redeployment to the EFCC

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Bandits Kill 10, Kidnap 24 Others in Niger Communities Laleye Dipo in Minna

In what observers described as a daring raid, bandits in broad daylight killed 10 persons and abducted 24 others in an attack carried out yesterday on communities in Niger State.

This is coming as the state government has confirmed the killing by bandits of the village head of Kusherki in Rafi Local Government Area, Alhaji Masud Abubakar and the abduction of his wife.

Five of the 10 victims were said to be men of the local vigilante while the others were young boys who were said to be supporting the vigilante people.

The raid according to eyewitnesses started at about 12.30pm and continued untill around 2.00pm.

According to the report, the bandits numbering over 50 rode on motorcycles and operated with sophisticated weapons, including AK-47 rifles.

The eye witnesses said the bandits started from Kasuwe village and moved from there to other villages, killing and maiming innocent villagers “They (bandits ) also dispossessed the villagers of food items and other valuables,” said a source.

It was gathered that while the invasion was ongoing a helicopter hovered in the air without attacking the bandits.

Another set of bandits according to sources, also blocked the major highway leading to Minna from Sarkin Pawa, leaving motorists to scamper for their safety.

Secretary to the Rafi LG Council, Mr. James Isaac Jagaba when contacted, confirmed the incident but said “ I cannot give you details “My vigilante members are still battling with the bandits; I am yet to get a report from them,” Jagaba said.

A state government statement which confirmed the Kusherki incident, did not say when it happened but lamented that the increasing activities of kidnappers

Azman Flight with over 100 Passengers Bursts Tyre on Landing at MMIA Chinedu Eze Major accident was averted yesterday when Azman Air flight coming from Abuja landed and bursted one of its tyres at the 18L runway of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

No casualty was recorded among the over 100 passengers on board the flight, as they were quickly evacuated.

The aircraft could not move from the runway after the incident, forcing subsequent flights to be delayed and later diverted to the international runway, known as 18R. The incident involved a Boeing 737-500 with registration number

5N-SYS, named Sani Yunusa Sarina.

Eyewitness account said the busted tyre, which was “in tatters,” forced complete closure of the domestic runway and delay of flights, as airlines waited to be rescheduled to the use of Runway 18R by the Air Traffic Controllers.

THISDAY learnt that fire service men of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) were on ground to immediately evacuate the passengers to protect them from possible fire eruption in the aircraft.

Efforts to contact the Chairman of Azman Air, Alhaji Abdulmunaf Yunusa, were not successful as he did not respond to the calls.

Lagos to Shut Third Mainland Bridge for 48 Hours from Friday The Lagos State Government has announced plans to shut the Third Mainland Bridge from midnight, Friday, February 19 to the midnight of Sunday, 21, 2021 for final rehabilitation works.

The bridge, which has been under repairs for the past six months will be shut to allow the contractor to cast the final rehabilitated expansion joint before it will be finally reopened for traffic end of February.

The state Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, who announced this yesterday, in a statement in affirmation to an earlier statement by the Federal Controller of Works, Mr. Kayode Popoola, stated that the bridge will be shut off completely from vehicular movement to enable the contractor set the expansion joint concrete without vibrations caused by vehicular movement to achieve the desired strength of the concrete.

Oladeinde said that the concrete would require between three to four days to set in before the final preparations to finally re-open

the entire bridge to traffic.

He added that the casting was also slated during that weekend to reduce traffic congestion along the axis for motorists.

He, therefore, urged motorists from Ogudu, Alapere and Gbagada to ply Ikorodu Road, Jibowu and Yaba as alternative routes, while Iyana Oworoshokibound traffic from Lagos-Island, Iddo, Oyingbo, Adekunle and Yaba should ply Herbert Macaulay Way, Jibowu and Ikorodu Road as alternative routes.

Oladeinde however, assured that traffic management personnel have been deployed along the affected routes to minimise and address any traffic impediments during the closure.

“The State Government commends Lagos residents for their constant support and cooperation towards developing the state, their understanding should not wane as the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration is working assiduously to actualize the Smart City vision,” Oladeinde assured.

and bandits in the state are becoming a nightmare to the people.

The statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mary Noel Berje described the situation “as callous and regrettable,” adding that “the murder of the traditional title holder is a challenge to the

security agencies to intensify their search to ‘fish-out’ and ensure that the perpetrators of such heinous acts are brought to justice “The situation, particularly in the last 72 hours, has become regrettably alarming! While efforts are ongoing to secure the release

of the abducted NSTA passengers, we heard that of Kusherki and other areas. We are witnessing these attacks now, almost, on daily basis and it is worrisome,” the statement added.

The statement requested for more federal government’s

intervention to tackle the rampaging menace noting that “banditry is becoming a situation of war in the state,” hence the need for a fresh, sustainable and multidimensional strategy that will neutralise both the bandits and their informants.

STRATEGISING AHEAD OF 2023…

L-R: Former governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke; ex-governor of Katsina State, Mr. Ibrahim Shema; former President Goodluck Jonathan; former President of the Senate, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki; former Leader of House of Representatives, Hon. Mulikat Akande; ex-governor of Gombe State, Mr. Ibrahim Dankwanbo; ex-President of the Senate, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, and Secretary of the PDP Reconciliation and Strategy Committee, Hon. Linus Okere, during the meeting of the PDP committee with Jonathan in Maitama, Abuja…yesterday

OPC Accuses Buhari of Backing Foreign Herdsmen on ‘Fulanisation’ Agenda Mourns Jakande Segun James The Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of supporting foreigners to slaughter Nigerians as part of a Fulanisation agenda, warning that it would defend Yoruba land against invaders from outside who had made the country unsafe for living, livelihood and travelling.

Speaking after a meeting of the group’s leaders at Century Hotel, Okota, Lagos, yesterday, Otunba Wasiu Afolabi alias “Askari,” Deputy President to the late OPC Founder, Dr. Frederick Fasehun, alleged that the government had shown that it preferred to defend Fulani from outside Nigeria instead of protecting the country’s citizens and indigenes.

OPC seized the opportunity

to mourn the death of the first civilian governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, describing him as the most resourceful, the most credible and the most selfless governor the country ever produced.

“Baba Kekere is the undisputed Father of Modern Lagos. Baba Jakande was a first-class administrator who implemented a great deal of welfarist and people-oriented programmes, many of which are still yielding benefits to citizens 38 years after he left office.

“On behalf of all the OPC members at home and abroad, we hereby commiserate with the wife and family of Alhaji Lateef Jakande as well as the entire government and people of Lagos State on the passage

of this great and unparalleled Elder Statesman.”

According to Afolabi, utterances from the Presidency and Bauchi State’s Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed in support of herdsmen bearing AK-47 arms exposed a deliberate Fulanisation agenda in which armed Fulani foreigners entered the country on a mission of conquering the Middle Belt, the South and other minority tribes in the North in order to provide a homeland for Fulani everywhere.

“God forbid. We will not allow this Fulanisation agenda to succeed. Nobody will remove us from this land that is our Godgiven heritage and replace us with cows,” Afolabi warned.

OPC noted that the Buhari government had made no effort to curtail the killings by killer herdsmen.

“It is informative that the government has not deemed it necessary to mandate the police and the Army to launch operations into the forests where kidnappers are operating without hindrance,” Afolabi’s statement read. “The highways are no longer safe because these criminals shoot at travelling vehicles and force them to stop before marching passengers into the bush to demand ransom.

They rape women and slaughter people with impunity.”

OPC warned that if government fails to roll out the security forces and the army against these foreign Fulani invaders, it will be forced to mobilise every physical and spiritual weapon at its disposal to defend Yoruba land and people as well as all law-abiding Nigerian citizens living in South-west.

Court Rejects Request to Stop Adamu from Parading Himself as IG The Federal High Court Abuja yesterday rejected an application to restrain Mohammed Adamu, from parading himself as the Inspector-General Police.

Adamu attained the maximum 35 years in service on February 1, but got a three-month extension of his tenure by President Muhammadu on February 3.

Maxwell Opara, who filed a suit to have the extension cancelled had on February 11 filed an ex parte application for an order to stop Adamu from functioning as the IG. The court, meanwhile, was

looking into the broader question of the validity of the three-month tenure extension.

The judge, Ahmed Mohammed, heard and dismissed the ex parte application yesterday.

After listening to Opara’s lawyer, Ugochukwu Ezekiel, the judge ruled that it would be unfair to grant such application ”when Mr. Adamu and other respondents had already been served and were still within time to respond to the suit”.

Mohammed noted that the respondents had 30 days from the date they were served to

respond to the suit.

He, therefore, ruled that granting such interim order sought by the plaintiff while the respondents were trying to reply to the main suit would be contrary to the provision of the law.

“Prayer for an order of interim injunction is hereby refused,” the judge ruled and adjourned the hearing in the main suit till February 24.

While Adamu was represented by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Alex Izinyon, yesterday’s proceedings, the other defendants were not represented.

But because it was an ex parte hearing, Adamu’s lawyer did not make a submission on the merit of the plaintiff’s application.

The court, however, ruled in favour of the IG. Opara contends in his main suit that by virtue of section 215 of the Nigerian Constitution and section 7 of the Nigeria Police Act, 2020, Adamu cannot validly continue to function as the IG having retired a serving member of the Nigeria Police Force as from midnight of February 1, 2021.

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Insecurity: House Cautions Govs against Inflammatory Statements Udora Orizu in Abuja The House of Representatives at the plenary yesterday cautioned

Nigerian governors and other public officials against making inflammatory, divisive statements or actions that can cause unrest

INEC Receives 9,777 Requests for Additional Polling Units John Shiklam in Kaduna The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has disclosed that the commission received 9,777 requests for additional polling units across the country.

Speaking when he visited the National Secretariat of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) yesterday in Kaduna, he said requests for additional polling units increased from 5,700 in 2020 to 9,777.

Yakubu said the commission had not created polling units in the past 25 years since the establishment of 119,973 polling units in 1996.

According to him, “Since 1999, Nigeria had conducted six general election using the same polling units. The growing demand by

Nigerians for additional polling units is increasing by the day.

“We did not ask them to forward their request, but they did that unsolicited. In fact, there is one request we received from a person requesting for about 800 polling units in his area.

“As of yesterday (February 15), we had received 9,777 additional requests for polling units.”

The INEC boss further stated that the agitation for the creation of additional polling units was not confined to a particular section of the country, “rather every section of the country is asking for more polling units.”

He explained that the ongoing consultations by the commission with critical stakeholders are to ensure that Nigerians understand why it has become necessary to have additional units.

House Asks Commission to Create More State Constituencies Udora Orizu in Abuja The House of Representatives has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to commence the process of reviewing upward the number of state constituencies by creating additional state constituencies across the country.

The resolution followed the unanimous adoption of an amendment to the prayer of a motion, titled, ‘’Need for the Independent National Electoral Commission to Review Upward the Number of State Constituencies in Oyo State,’’ sponsored by the Oyo State caucus of the House.

Moving the motion on behalf of the caucus, Hon. Ajibola Muraina noted that Section 112 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) provides that the INEC

shall divide every state in the Federation into such number of state constituencies as is equal to three or four times the number of federal constituencies within the state.

He expressed concerns that since the inception of the present democratic dispensation on 29 May 1999, INEC has failed to review the number of state constituencies in Oyo State as prescribed by the Constitution.

He said the House is aware that the discharge of this constitutional duty by INEC is subject to the consequential approval of the National Assembly, hence, the process should be commenced and concluded before the statutory periods prescribed for the conduct of the next general election in Nigeria, which may hold in the first quarter of 2023.

Over N50bn Spent on Electricity Subsidy Monthly, Says FG Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The federal government yesterday disclosed that it is still paying over N50 billion in electricity tariff subsidy, despite the recent hike in prices paid for power by Nigerians and incessant complaints by consumers over periodic increases.

Describing the raise in the tariffs as “unavoidable”, the government explained that the funds are provided to augment the shortfall by the Distribution Companies (Discos) which it argued have failed to defray the cost of bulk electricity supplied to them by the Generating Companies (Gencos).

Speaking when he received members of the Hausa Guild

of Actors and Film Producers, otherwise known as Kannywood, the Minister of Power, Mr. Sale Mamman, however stated that following a minor increase in the tariff, the subsidy had decreased, but still constitutes a serious drain on the nation’s coffers.

A statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Communications to the minister, Mr. Aaron Artimas, said that Mamman expressed serious concern over the failure of the Discos to stabilise their operations to meet their financial obligations to other players in the sector.

The minister also argued that the power sector was in its present state because when it was being privatised, the distribution assets were sold to government officials and their cronies.

in the country, urging them to channel their focus on possible solution to addressing insecurity in Nigeria.

The House also resolved to interface with Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), insisting that most of these statements are coming from the governors.

The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance, sponsored by Hon. Dachung Bagos.

Moving the motion, Bagos made reference to the statement

by the Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed who had last week justified the illegal bearing of firearms by Fulani herdsmen, which caused national outrage.

The lawmaker opined that a public official who speaks on the insecurity problems in the country needs to be careful.

He said the House is aware that the constitution does not grant any individual or group of people the right to bare sophisticated arms but only a licensed specified

shooting range to that effect from the Inspector-General of the Nigeria Police Force (IG); He explained that even if the IG were to grant licenses, his power cannot contravene the provisions of chapter F28 LFN 004 Fire Arms Act which classifies the arms (AK-47) carried by herdsmen as ascribed by the governor as illegal and prohibited.

Bagos expressed worry that the inflammatory and divisive statement by the governor, will lead to the erroneous belief that the

government supports the crimes of carrying prohibited firearms. ‘’This situation can easily lead to armed conflict as other groups such as farmers and defenceless citizens will consider it as a threat to their safety and opt to arm themselves with AK-47.

If all public officials regardless their position or status are not cautioned against inciting or provoking the general public, the already tense situation in the country will lead to open hostilities,’’ he said

WALKING FOR GREATER LAGOS…

L-R: Lagos State Head of Service, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola; Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba; and Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Samuel Egube, during the opening of the Ehingbeti Lagos Economic Summit 2021, in Lagos…yesterday

ACF Wants INEC to ConvertVoting Points, Settlements to Polling Units Chuks Okocha in Abuja The pan-northern socio-cultural organisation, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to convert existing voting points and voting point settlements into polling units (PUs) as an immediate measure to decongest and expand voters’ access to polling units.

But the INEC Chairman, Prof.

Mahmoud Yakubu, said though the commission has powers to create new polling stations, it

must not be by administrative fiat.

He explained that in a democracy, there is always need to carry everybody along through consultations, stating that it is in carrying everyone along that controversies are avoided.

The Secretary-General of the ACF, Murtala Aliyu (Mutawallen Gombe), made this known yesterday following a presentation by the INEC chairman.

The ACF members were unanimous that the commission should use its powers in Section 42 of the Electoral Act (as amended)

to create polling units.

Yakubu, while disagreeing to create polling units through administrative fiat, pointed out that even though the National Assembly has the power to make laws, it still holds public hearings.

He argued that creating polling units in the past by fiat and without sufficient consultations resulted in crisis and controversies which the commission wants to avoid.

According to the INEC chairman, “This is a democracy.

And there is a place for

consultation in a democracy.”

Yakubu disclosed that the commission had received more than 9,000 requests across the country by communities for the creation of polling units.

He emphasised, however, that the requests were unsolicited and that they would not form the basis for the creation of PU. The INEC chairman said the commission would hold similar consultations with socio-cultural organisations such as the Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo to get their inputs.

Jonathan, Gbajabiamila, Others Honour Jennifer Etuh Iyobosa Uwugiaren in Abuja Former President, Dr, Goodluck Jonathan; Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, and other personalities yesterday honoured late Jennifer Etuh, as a foundation was established to immortalise the fulfillment of the things that mattered to her while she was alive.

Etuh, a renowned philanthropist, died a year ago after a brief illness, and her charitable works were said to have started 14 years ago.

She had once said: “In case I have gone to be with the Lord, set up a foundation for me and focus on girl-child education and health; whatever I have, convert it and put it in the foundation,’’ Etuh was quoted as saying while

she was struggling between life and death in her hospital bed.

Her son, Emmanuel Etuh, who emotionally spoke to a large audience, who turned up yesterday at the Transcorp Hill Hotel to honour his mother, said it was in fulfillment of her mother’s dream that the family decided to officially launch the foundation, appealing to her friends, well-wishers

and members of the public for support.

Explaining how it started, Jennifer’s husband, Mr. Thomas Etuh, said the issues of the foundation came up when she told him and the children “that in case she goes to be with the Lord, a foundation should be created to take care of girl-child education and health.

Gbajabiamila Swears in Kaduna Lawmaker Udora Orizu in Abuja The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has sworn in a member-elect, Hon. Suleiman Lere (APC, Kaduna), who was recently reinstated by the Appeal Court.

Gbajabiamila, at the plenary yesterday, supervised the oath-taking conducted for Lere by the Clerk of the House, Chinedu Akubueze.

In 2019, both the tribunal and Court of Appeal sacked Lere from

the House of Representatives, holding that the APC did not field any candidate for Lere federal constituency seat.

The case started when Lere on October 7, 2018, participated in the primary election conducted by the APC for the Lere federal constituency in Kaduna State and emerged the winner.

However, the APC submitted the name of one Ahmed Mohammed Munir to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its candidate for the federal

constituency.

Dissatisfied, Lere went to the state High Court where he filed a suit to challenge the APC and INEC decision.

The state High Court declined jurisdiction on the grounds that the dispute was an internal party affair.

Not satisfied, the lawmaker proceeded to the Court of Appeal which first assumed jurisdiction.

Two days to the 2019 general election, precisely on February 21, 2019, the appellate court in a unanimous judgment, ordered

INEC to recognise, accept and treat him as the candidate of the APC for Lere federal constituency in the election.

The court added that it was not lawful for the APC to recognise and forward the name of any candidate other than the appellant (Lere) to INEC as its candidate for Lere federal constituency. It further held that it was unlawful for the APC to change the result of the primary election in which the appellant emerged winner and was so declared by the party.

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CDS Inaugurates Committee to Reform Armed Forces Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja In a renewed bid to reorganise the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces of Nigeria, the Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (rtd), yesterday inaugurated a 21- man committee to facilitate the reforms of the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN).

Inaugurating the committee at the Ship House, Headquarters of

the Ministry of Defence, Magashi gave a 10-point terms of reference as contained in the convening order.

He told the committee to address the perceived administrative and operational gaps in the military, which he said must be refined and clearly defined in compliance with the current globally acceptable 21st century standards.

The minister further tasked the

NNPC: No Immediate Plan to Increase Fuel Price DPR denies employing presidential aide Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), yesterday reacted to insinuations that it was planning to increase the pump price of petrol, saying that the corporation was not aware of such proposition.

This is coming as the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has distanced itself from a purported letter of appointment said to have been issued to the aide of President Muhammadu Buhari on New Media, Mr. Bashir Ahmad.

The national oil company reacted, as many Nigerians have started complaining of buying the product far above the official N162 per litre.

The concern became more pronounced since last week after the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Timipre Sylva, urged Nigerians to prepare to bear the pains that will arise from the expected hike due to the steady recovery of international crude oil prices.

But Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the NNPC, Dr. Kennie Obateru, said in Abuja that there was no imminent upward review of the petrol price, noting that contrary to statements by some players of increase in ex-depot price, the price remains the same.

“NNPC has not increased its ex-depot price. I am certain that

NNPC is not likely to increase its ex-depot price in February,” Obateru stated.

He added that the NNPC has a stock of petrol that can last over 40 days and allayed fears of impending scarcity of the product.

The NNPC urged the DPR to apprehend any marketer found to be hoarding petrol in contravention of the law.

He added: “We have sufficiency for almost forty something days. If people are hoarding or increasing their prices that one is for the DPR to look into.”

In the meantime, the DPR has distanced itself from a purported letter of appointment said to have been issued to an aide to President Buhari, which has been trending in the social media space.

In a statement signed by Head of the agency’s PublicAffairs Department, Mr. Paul Osu, the DPR described the letterasfake,addingthatthepresidential aide had not been appointed to head any unit in the agency.

Describing the letter as the handiwork of some mischief makers hiding behind the veil of social media to spread fake news and mislead the public, Osu, asked members of the public to disregard the purported letter in its entirety.

Osunotedthatemploymentintothe DPR is carried out in accordance with extantrulesguidingsuchexercisesinthe Nigerian public service, saying that Ahmad had not been employed by the regulatory agency.

committee under the chairmanship of Air Vice Marshal Mohammed Ndatsu Umaru (rtd) to see the assignment as a patriotic call to national service and the need to play their roles in defence of the country’s territorial integrity against the infractions of the insurgents, bandits and kidnappers.

He said President Muhammadu Buhari was “optimistic that the recommendations of the committee at the end of the assignment would drive his campaign promise to return the military to its rightful place in global reckoning”.

In his opening remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Mr. Musa Istifanus,

described the composition of the membership of the committee which has Air Commodore DE Abdullahi (rtd) as secretary as carefully selected and balanced to meet national representation and aspirations capable of delivering on their mandate.

In his speech, the Chairman of the committee, Ndatsu, assured the minister that members would bring their experience and expertise to bear in the discharge of their assigned task.

He said team work, dedication and commitment to the assignment would be the focus within the ambit of national realities.

Members of the reform committee include former Chief of

Defence Staff , Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin (rtd); Lt. Gen. Chikadibia Obiakor (rtd), former Assistant Secretary General, Office of Military Affairs, UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, New York; Alhaji Goni Aji, former Head of Service; Rear Admiral AG Adedeji (rtd); Maj. Gen. AM Jibril (rtd) and Rear Admirals FD Akpan, Special Adviser, Technical to the Minister of Defence; Maj. Gen Ahmed Tijani Jibrin (rtd), and Rear JA Ajani (rtd).

Also in the committee are Brigadier General JN Temlong; Group Captain SG Shehu (rtd); Maj. Gen. OF Azinta as representative of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS); Maj. Gen.

Charles Ofoche representative of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS); Rear Admiral OE Eyo for Chief of Naval Staff (CNS); and AVM IO Ojeyemi as the representative of the Chief of Air Staff (CAS).

Other members of the committee are Professor AS Nwankwo, former Provost of the Nigerian Defence Academy; Director, Joint Services (JSD), Mrs. OM Mustapha and Director Reforms, Mrs. Ochida Ahubi Suzan as representatives of the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

Former Permanent Secretaries of Ministry of Defence who made the list include Alhaji Aliyu Ismaila, and Ambassador Danjuma Sheni.

ALL EYES ON SOLID MINERALS…

L-R: Director, Igo Glass Recyclers, Dr. Nasra Ali; Medical Director, Obisus Medical Services, Dr. Ejiro Kragba-Ogomigo; Group Head, Solid Mineral, Bank of Industry, Mrs. Olayinka Mubarak; Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr. Olamilekan Adegbite; Chairman, Kian Smith Refinery Nigeria, Ms. Nere Emiko; and Director, Ago Concept Nigeria, Ms. Moyo Ogunseinde, during the opening of the Gold Week Africa/Art Exhibition in Lagos...recently ABIODUN AJALA

House Minority Caucus Loses Two Lawmakers to APC Udora Orizu in Abuja Two members of the Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives, Hon. Blessing Onuh and Hon. Yakubu Abdullahi at the plenary yesterday, announced their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

While, Onuh who represents Otukpo/Ohimini Federal Constituency of Benue, joined

the APC from the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Abdullahi who represents Bauchi Federal Constituency, also dumped the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) for the APC. In their separate letters read by the Speaker of the House, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the lawmakers said the reason for their defection was due to the internal crisis in their respective parties.

Onuh, daughter of former Senate President, Senator David Mark, said she was leaving APGA due to leadership crisis at all levels of the party, adding she decided to leave after serious consultation with her people.

She commended national leadership of the APC for making the defection possible.

On his part, Abdullahi said he decided to leave the PRP as

a result of the crisis, which led to emergence of two national chairmen for the party as well as two chairmen in Bauchi state.

He said the crisis in the party in Bauchi state is worrisome as it has led to series of litigations among members of the party.

He also claimed that one of the factions of the party in Bauchi wrote him a letter suspending him from the party

Akeredolu Orders Probe into Former Military Administrator Faults National Security Allegations against Ondo Council Composition Chief Judge “Let me go straight away to He described as unhealthy for Security Lecture Series chaired by OlawaleAjimotokaninAbuja James Sowole in Akure

Ondo State Governor, Mr. Oluwatotimi Akeredolu, yesterday ordered an investigation into the reported remand of one Oluwapelumi Fagboyegun for three years allegedly by the state Chief Judge, Justice Olanrewaju Fagboyegun.

The governor’s action was sequel to a viral video in which Fagboyegun alleged that the state judiciary was being run as a private affair.

Fagboyegun had in the video, called on the Chief Justice of Nigeria to rescue him from the hands of the Ondo State judiciary “that is being run like a family affair, and that if you don’t know anybody, you cannot get justice.”

He alleged that state judiciary and courts were being used by the state Chief Judge to persecute him and keep him in custody for the past three years on trumped up criminal allegation of unlawful entry into his father’s house.

In his reaction through his

Twitter handle, Akeredolu said: “I have instructed my Attorney General to investigate the allegation. We will ensure the investigation is thorough, fair and transparent.”

Acting on the directive of the state governor, the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Charles Titiloye, directed the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) to immediately investigate the allegation made against the state Chief Judge.

The attorney general, in a statement signed by his Personal Assistant, Adenike Akinbosade, noted that the investigation into the matter would be thorough, fair and transparent in order to assure the public that the governor is determined to preserve the integrity of the court and the judiciary as well as ensure that it remains the last hope of the common man.

He, therefore, directed that the DPP should report back to him within 24 hours.

Former Military Administrator of Ogun State, Navy Commodore Kayode Olofinmoyin (rtd), has condemned the composition of the National Security Council for being heavily skewed in favour of one particular section of the country.

Olofinmoyin made the explosive remarks yesterday at the Leaders News House Peace, Unity and

former Governor Adamawa State, Mr. Boni Haruna at the ECOWAS main auditorium, Asokoro, Abuja.

Commenting on the theme of the discussion: ‘Sustainable Peace: The Divide of a Growing Nation,’ Olofinmoyin described the make-up of the national security structure as a clear example of political inequality in the country and one of the reasons elevating ethnic tension in the country.

national unity and peace a situation where nine out of the 11 members on the National Security Council are from the Northern part of the country.

“We are practicing the Presidential system of government which promotes equality and the rule of law.

But if you don’t guarantee equality like we don’t in Nigeria, you cannot have peace, you cannot have progress and you cannot develop.

address Mr. President. People have said with the political inequality as it is in Nigeria today, you cannot have peace. I cannot have trust in the government. Let me give you a very good example because security is the first thing. And then people must separate your security infrastructure-the security team,” Olofinmoyin said.

Again, NDLEA Nabs Suspected Fake Military Officers with 234kg Illicit Drugs The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has intercepted two suspected fake military officers in a new VIP edition of Toyota Hilux Jeep loaded with a total of 394 compressed parcels of illicit drugs concealed in different parts of the vehicle.

The suspected fake military officers - Mohammed Nura and Abubakar Dahiru, were

intercepted by vigilant operatives of the Kogi State Command of the NDLEA along Okene-Lokoja expressway on Monday February 15, 2021.

According to the Commander, Kogi State Command of the anti-drug agency, Mr. Adewunmi Alfred, the VIP edition of the Hilux Jeep was properly searched during which 394 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa were discovered

in different compartments of the vehicle.

“Our initial investigations have revealed that the consignment was taken from Lagos and heading to Kano for delivery. Though the two men identified themselves as military officers but that did not sway our men from a thorough search of their vehicle and the result was the discovery of the illicit drugs tucked in every hidden

part of the vehicle. Indeed, we suspect the two men to be fake military officers until proven otherwise,” he stated in a brief to the Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) on Monday.

He added that the vehicle has been impounded, the illicit drugs seized and the suspects detained for further investigations.

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NEWS XTRA

Adio Bows Out as NEITI Executive Secretary Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Mr Waziri Adio, will tomorrow (Thursday) bow out as the head of the organisation, having completed his five-year non-renewable term.

In a series of tweets on his Twitter handle, Adio , a journalist, noted that in his five years as the chief executive of NEITI, he had been able to record some

significant achievements.

He listed some of them as making audit reports timelier and cheaper, reducing report publication time from 29 months to 15 months, releasing 59 per cent of the total of industry audits so far and reducing cost of industry audits by 50 per cent.

Adio added that himself and his team were also able to introduce NEITI policy brief, release 32 distinct publications in five years and undertake financial

modeling, which contributed to the amendment of the PSC Act, projected to bring in additional $1.4 billion revenue per annum.

The outgoing NEITI boss further said that under him, the organisation achieved satisfactory progress in EITI validation, which is the highest level obtainable, only recorded by just 14 per cent of the 55 EITI countries.

In addition, he stated that the NEITI dashboard portal was launched, while the beneficial

ownership register was unveiled.

Adio said that NEITI automated its data gathering component of its reporting process, deployed NEITI Freedom of Information Portal and succeeded in nudging the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to embrace more transparency.

The NEITI under him, he said, also initiated compliance ranking which increased full compliance with audit data submitted by 215 per cent.

He said: “My 5-year, non-renewable tenure as the Executive Secretary of @nigeriaeiti ends in exactly two days. Grateful for the opportunity to serve and to learn. And mighty proud of the few key things the NEITI team has achieved under my watch, some listed below.

“We set out to push the envelope on extractive sector transparency. As I set to depart, I can proudly say NEITI did

move the needle: from adding policy as a new layer of work, through clearing report backlog, saving cost and time, doing more with less, to leveraging technology.”

He said that all the achievements were possible because of the heavy lifting by the team, the guidance of the board, provision by the federal government and its several local and international partners.

Nigeria’s Ex-Senate President, Anyim to Mark 60th Birthday Family members, friends and associates from business and political space will gather in Abuja on February 19, 2021 to celebrate Nigeria’s former Senate President, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim as he joins the league of sexagenarian statesmen in Nigeria.

Anyim was the President of the Nigeria’s upper legislative chamber, the Senate, from 2000–2003 under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

As a lawyer, Anyim first became a Senator at 37, made Senate President at 39, and voluntarily did not seek re-election to the Senate at 41, as he returned to his law practice.

A statement issued by the organisers of the birthday noted that in May, 2011, he was later appointed the Secretary to the Government of Federation under former President Goodluck Jonathan, where he discharged the responsibilities of his office as SGF with uncommon patriotism and diligence before his departure in 2015.

According to the statement, his birth on February 19, 1961 did not elicit much excitement because his mother had six other male children who never lived beyond two years and the young Pius was expected to continue the “ogbanje” circle that was held responsible for the earlier deaths.

He, however, survived to the delight of his parents.

The statement noted that as a Nigerian politician, his early life was fraught with daunting challenges in terms of schooling and fending for himself.

Anyim went through all the challenges, graduating as a law

student, beginning his law practice and subsequently sought the votes of his people for a political office which were given to him and through which he served the nation creditably.

The statement disclosed that Anyim has focused more on his law practice and talked less about political issues since 2015.

However, his reasons will be unveiled in his soon-to-be-unveiled biography, which also depicts his humble beginning, which will send strong message Nigerian youths that the tides and waves of life can be turned to one’s advantage at different points on the stretched spectrum that life can be.

The 60th birthday party, which will be held in strict compliance with COVID-19 protocol, thus, provides opportunities to scelebrate with loved ones and for him to interact with loved ones and exhibit his new principles and beliefs on the Nigerian sociopolitical ecosystem.

“I have every reason to thank God for keeping me till date, having had such as very humble beginning, faced many life challenges and then found my head above the sea level to the point of holding leadership position, where I have contributed my quota, at the highest level of governance, to the soico-economic development of our nation. I owe my Creator all the gratitude for keeping alive till date and thank my loved ones for their support all through these years,” Anyim said ahead of his 60th birthday celebration.

FCT Police Foil Robbery Attack in Abuja Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja In furtherance of its effort to rid the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of criminal elements, the FCT Police Command said it repelled a four-man armed robbery gang at 7th Avenue in Gwarinpa District after attacking and dispossessing victims of their property.

A statement issued by the command said two members of the gang met their death after attempting to escape with the stolen items while the others fled.

It said all the stolen items including computer gadgets, mobile phones and a huge sum of money were recovered by police operatives from Gwarinpa.

In another development, a notorious gang of armed robbers attacked and stole the belongings of a resident at Apo-Dutse along Apo axis of the territory.

“Unfortunately, the daredevils shot the resident dead and left his security guard with a gunshot injury. Thankfully, the security guard is responding to treatment.

“Consequently, the Commissioner of Police has launched a manhunt to arrest and prosecute all the fleeing suspects while commiserating with the families and friends of the deceased”, it said.

The command reiterated its unflinching commitment to the protection of lives and property within the FCT.

IN SEARCH OF SECURITY...

L –R : Director General , DSS , Mr. Yusuf Magaji Bichi ; Chief of Staff to the President , Professor Ibrahim Gambari ; and the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, during the visit of delegates from Yobe and Borno State to the Presidential Villa , Abuja ..yesterday GODWIN OMOIGUI

Malami Advocates Pastoral Commission to End Herdsmen’s Crisis Alex Enumah in Abuja The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, yesterday suggested the establishment of a pastoral commission to address the herdsmen’s crisis in the country.

Malami, who noted that the clashes between farmers and herders have recently dominated the media space, said it is time for all critical stakeholders to come together and proffer lasting solutions.

He was speaking at the 2021 Peace, Unity and Security Lecture Series held in Abuja.

He said, “Nigeria is predominately agricultural in nature and by

geography. To that extent, there is constant mobility of herders across the different belts of Nigeria.

“It is, perhaps, time to consider setting-up a commission for pastoralism regulated by law. This might provide recipes for resolving protracted farmerherder conflicts.”

The AGF, who was represented by his media aide, Dr. Umar Gwandu, stated that the commission may even engage in or facilitate in-depth analytical studies with a view to providing lasting solutions for the benefit of people and the country.

He also suggested revamping of the activities of the Nomadic Education Commission with a

view to complimenting the efforts of government in resolving the herdsmen’s crisis.

He commended the organisers for building the theme of this year’s lecture series around the issue of peaceful co-existence and mutual harmony among interrelated and interdependent communities in the country.

He said as the Chief Law Officer of Nigeria, he believes some of the ways for a peaceful Nigeria include strict adherence to the rule of law, respecting the sanctity of the fundamental human rights in all ramifications, including freedom of movement and the right of citizens to stay at whatever part

of the country they choose to and other provisions as contained in Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“I want to submit that mastering and adopting conflict management strategies, interpersonal and intercommunity tolerance, enhanced public relations techniques, understanding of multiculturalism and diversity, socially responsible and objective media, properly motivated and welltrained security forces with patriotic Nigerians sincerely committed to duty are the recipe for a peaceful Nigeria,” Malami said.

Kidnapping: FG to Install CCTV Cameras on Major Highways The Minister of Police Affairs, Mr. Muhammad Dingyadi yesterday disclosed that the federal government will install Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras on all major highways across the country to curb the rising cases of kidnapping.

Dingyadi who disclosed this in an interview on a live TV programme, said President Muhammadu Buhari had given the approval for the project.

According to him, the federal government had entered into an agreement with NPS Technology Company to re-fix the abandoned CCTV project.

“We are moving forward; like you are aware, the N470 million CCTV project that has been abandoned. Mr President has now given us the go-ahead to resuscitate the project and we have already entered into a concession agreement with NPS technologies.

They are there trying to re-fix the entire system to resuscitate it.

“By the time this system is put in place, we will have a lot of technology to manage this crisis – particularly this issue of kidnapping. We will go a long to ensure that we reduce the number of kidnappings in this country,” the Minister said.

When asked if the CCTV will be in only major cities like Abuja, the minister said, “The CCTV is going

to be on all the major highways in all the states of the Federation, it is everywhere in this country.”

Dingyadi said the company in charge of the CCTV project is already purchasing the needed equipment for the project.

Speaking concerning the challenges, he said they are aware of the challenges involved in achieving the projects and they are tackling them headlong

House Laments Mayhem by Killer Herdsmen, Bandits in Abia LG Udora Orizu in Abuja The House of Representatives at plenary yesterday said killer herdsmen, bandits, and other criminals have taken over all roads leading to Isuikwuato and Umunneochi Local Government Areas of Abia State.

The House, therefore, urged the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed Adamu, to prioritise the security of those local government areas and arrest the criminals terrorising the areas.

It also urged the various security agencies to collaborate for the purpose of ensuring a safe and conducive environment in the areas, while mandating its Committee on Police Affairs to ensure compliance.

The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion titled: ‘Need to Address the Worsening Security Situation in Isuikwuato/ Umunneochi Federal Constituency, Abia State’, sponsored by Deputy Chief Whip, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejiocha.

Moving the motion, Onyejiocha said there was an increasingly disturbing security situation in and around the local government areas, which, unless urgent steps are taken, may degenerate to chaos and lawlessness.

She recalled that on October 6, 2020, the Chairman (Transition Committee) of Isuikwuato Local Government Area and a member representing Isuikwuato Local Government Area in Abia State House of Assembly were attacked on the same road.

The lawmaker said while the state Assembly member was lucky to have escaped unharmed with a bullet-ridden vehicle, the Transition Committee Chairman paid a ransom to regain his freedom from the kidnappers.

The lawmaker lamented that the people in the community no longer go to their farms or engage in other means of gaining livelihood for fear of being abducted, raped or killed by herdsmen and criminals who have taken over their farmlands and roads.

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DMO: No Worries over Chinese Loans NdubuisiFrancis in Abuja The Debt Management Office (DMO) has ruled out any form of concerns over Nigeria’s indebtedness to China, declaring

that Chinese loans are not only project-tied but also configured to be concessional.

The agency has also assured that Nigeria has not defaulted in its debt service obligations, both at

I Left the Military in Competent Hands, Says Olonisakin Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja Immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin (rtd), said yesterday that he left the leadership of the military in competent hands.

Olonisakin, who was formally pulled out of the military at the Mogadishu Cantonment, Abuja, said under his leadership and with the support of government, the military was transformed from being inexperienced in asymmetric warfare to building enormous capacity and gaining valuable experience in fighting asymmetric threats to the nation.

He said his successor, Major General Lucky Irabor, was involved in all operational and other initiatives under his watch as CDS. “I wish to state that I am leaving the Armed Forces of Nigeria in the hands of a competent and experienced successor, who apart from being a former commander

of the Multinational Joint Task Force, a former Commander Operation Lafiya Dole and a former Chief of Defence Training and Operations, have also been fully involved in all our operational and other initiatives of the Defence Headquarters under my watch.

“I urge you all to continue to work with greater commitment and support to the Chief of Defence Staff and the service chiefs in order to achieve the mandate of addressing the spate of insecurity in our dear country”, he said.

He said the military had moved from fighting conventional warfare to acquisition of cyber warfare capability.

“Our current capacity to defend Nigeria has transited from fighting conventional war on land, sea and air alone, to capacity to also contain threats to the nation in the cybersecurity and information domain.

Nigerians Agitated over Growing Tension in Country, Group Tells FG John Shiklam in Kaduna The Arewa Youth Forum (AYF) has urged the federal government to take urgent steps to tackle the growing tension causing fears across the country.

In a statement issued yesterday in Kaduna, the National President of the forum, Mr. Ibrahim Gujungu, said many Nigerians across the country are agitated as a result of the prevailing pathetic situation in Nigeria.

He said the “forum is worried by the prevailing situation and rising tension across the country, precipitated by the quit notice given to Fulani herdsmen by the Ondo state Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and the actions that had trailed that incident.

“Nigeria is fast drifting, and action must be taken immediately to address the issues.”

The forum lamented that the situation in “the country has continued to deteriorate with each region looking within and resorting to self-help as if the federal government does not exist.

“It is in view of this that the AYF is calling on the federal government to immediately act on behalf of Nigerians who voted it to power, to prevent a repeat of civil war in the country.

“This is the time for the government to show leadership, work with other stakeholders to bring hope, peace and unity among Nigerians.

“AYF believes that this can only be achieved if the government make haste in dealing with the underlining issues of insecurity, poverty, deprivation and endemic unemployment ravaging the people.”

Former Chief of Army Staff, Ihejirika Joins APC Former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Azubuike Ihejirika (rtd), yesterday formally joined the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ihejirika, who was the Chief of Army Staff between 2010 and 2014 under former President Goodluck Jonathan, made his declaration to join the APC at Isuikwuato country home in Abia-North senatorial district.

His joining the party has heightened the speculation that he might be running for the governorship seat in the state in 2023 as it is expected that power would be moving to the Abia North in line withAbia Charter of Equity.

Ihejirika registered at Ezere ward 2 under the supervision of the APC ward Chairman, Mr. Iheanyi Chukwu in the presence of stalwarts of the party which include: Senator Orji Uzor Kalu; State Secretary of the party, Mr. Perfect Okorie; Deputy State Women leader of the party, Lady Franca Osuwa; Chairman, Abia APC Registration panel, Ambassador Bala Mohammed Mairiga; Chief Ameobi Ogah; Dr. Lilian Obenwa; Abia-North APC Zonal Chairman, Chief Chris Ajah; Member Abia House of Assembly representing Isuikwuato constituency Hon Barr.

Emeka Okorofor, party faithful and others.

the domestic and external scenes.

In an interview held last night with ARISE NEWS Channel, a sister broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers, the DMO Director General, Ms. Patience Oniha noted that all the loans from China are project-tied and concessional, adding that servicing such loans had not constituted problems.

According to her, the Chinese loans, which amounted at about N3.2 trillion constituted just about 11 per cent of total external debt stock.

She said: “I know that last year, there was a lot in the public space about borrowings from China.

All of the loans we have from China--the stock of bilateral credit (which is where China belongs) is low relative to the total public debt stock.

“Loans from China are about N3.2 trillion which was about 11 per cent of total external debt.

Okay, that was small. But to add, those are all concessional loans.

No reasons to be worried about them. They are all project-tied,

which Nigerians should be happy about.

“You can see all the physical infrastructure - whether it is the airports or the rail lines or the roads; you can see them. So, we don’t see any reasons for concerns, and they are all project-tied and concessional.

“There was a lot of debate in terms of sovereign immunity and all of that, but we did get proper interpretations, both from China and the Ministry of Justice and we also as DMO, we have facts

behind China loans on our website way back in June 2020. So, we are not worried about them. They are all project-tied and are concessional.”

On whether the current public debt of about N33 trillion is sustainable, Oniha noted that in terms of debt-to-GDP, it was sustainable, adding that the challenge was debt service-to-revenue.

Oniha noted that some countries have had problems with servicing their external debt, which has not been the case with Nigeria.

ECONOMY IN FOCUS...

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed (left), and renowned Professor of International Business, Prof.

Sylvester Monye , during the presentation of his book to the minister in Abuja ... yesterday

Court Rejects Ibrahim’s Attempt toVacate Order over Seized Assets Obinna Chima A Federal High Court in Lagos has declined to vacate an interim order through which the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) seized the property of Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim over an alleged N69.4billion debt.

AMCON revealed this in a statement signed by its head of Corporate Communications Department, Mr. Jude Nwauzor.

The agency had taken possession of 12 prime assets belonging to Ibrahim, who is

the chief promoter of Global Fleet Oil and Gas Limited and NICON Investment Limited in Lagos and Abuja over the alleged indebtedness.

The businessman, who is also a lawyer, it was gathered, had asked the court to set aside the order for “non-disclosure and misrepresentation of material facts.”

Ibrahim and co. also asked the court to order AMCON to pay N50 billion indemnity for alleged failure to conduct due diligence before obtaining the said order,

and for misrepresentation and concealment of fact, which the court also brushed aside.

According to the statement, Justice Rilwan Aikawa, in the ruling, upheld the arguments of AMCON’s lawyer, Mr. Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), that the corporation made “full and substantial disclosure of all material facts” at the time of obtaining the orders on November 4, 2020. The presiding Judge, therefore, ruled that the order subsists.

Following the November

4 order, AMCON had taken possession of over 12 property belonging to the businessman and his firms. The property included the NICON Investment Limited building on Plot 242, Muhammadu Buhari Way, Central Business District, Abuja; NICON Hotels Limited building located at Plot 557, Port-Harcourt Crescent off Gimbiya Street, Abuja; and the building of NICON Lekki Limited also at No. 5 Customs Street, Lagos.

ACCI, Capital Market Academics’ President Hail Emergence of Okonjo-Iweala as WTO Boss James Emejo in Abuja

As Nigerians and world leaders continue to celebrate the appointment of former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, as the new Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) yesterday described her as “a shining light” in trade diplomacy.

Also, the President of Capital Market Academics of Nigeria, Prof. Uche Uwaleke, said her emergence would raise the profile of the country in the international community and position Nigeria to play prominent roles in Africa, especially in relation to the AfCFTA and the Africa Agenda 2063, both of which are expected to receive support from the WTO. ACCI President, Alhaji Abubakar Al-Mujtaba, in a statement, said apart from her time

in public office, the development economist had garnered a quarter of a century’s worth of experience at the World Bank where she delivered impeccably, leading her to the top role in 2012.

He said the burden is heavy, but her track record earned her the position of the African Union Special Envoy to mobilise international support for the continent’s efforts at addressing the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Al-Mujtaba expressed confidence in the capability of the new WTO DG to efficiently and creatively steer the affairs of the organisation to greater heights.

According to him, “The appointment is an acknowledgement of excellence, competence and vast experience in multilateral trade diplomacy.

The world agrees that a brilliant Nigerian is needed to reform the WTO and tackle the multiple problems facing world trade.

Absence of EFCC Prosecution Counsel Stalls Jang’s Trial Seriki Adinoyi in Jos The trial of a former Governor of Plateau State, Air Commodore Jonah Jang (rtd) for an alleged misappropriation of public fund amounting to N6.3billion was stalled yesterday due to the absence of the lead prosecution counsel from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN).

Jang is standing trial alongside a former cashier in the office of the Secretary to the Plateau State Government, Mr. Yusuf Pam.

Accused by the anti-graft agency of committing the alleged offences towards the end of his tenure as governor in 2015, the duo were first arraigned in 2018.

But they pleaded not guilty to the offences.

Yesterday’s hearing of the case was to enable the EFCC to present its witnesses in continuation of the case which began afresh in 2020 following the retirement of a former judge, Justice Daniel Longji who was handling the case.

But when the trial resumed yesterday, Oluwatosin Meseh

announced his appearance for Jacobs and pleaded with the court not to go ahead with the case .

According to him, Jacobs had received several notices from the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal counsel, to appear on another special panel and therefore could not be present at the Jos court to continue with the case .

Meseh further told the court that the Senior lawyer had also called Jang’s lead counsel, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) to inform him of the development and that

both counsels agreed that the case be shifted to May 18, 2021 for continuation of hearing.

Ozekhome who was represented by a former Plateau State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Olivia Dazyem did not raise any objection to the EFCC submission.

However, Counsel to the Second Defendant, Sunday Odey expressed displeasure over the way the EFCC was handling the matter involving his client, Yusuf Pam.

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Kwara Community Gives Herdsmen Seven-day Quit Notice Hammed Shittu in Ilorin The people of Oro land in the Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State have issued a seven-day ultimatum to herdsmen

in Okerimi-Oro community to relocate to ensure security in the area.

The community under the aegis of Oro Descendants Union, in a statement titled, ‘We reject

FIVE THESES ON LKJ As one economist puts it, “…the measure of a society is the quality of life at the bottom of the pyramid, not the top.” It is the duty of the government to plan for development and drive the process of creating an inclusive society. That’s the path of progress. It is not a job to be outsourced to the private sector. That’s precisely why some persons are elected into the executive and legislative positions.

Fourthly, it is important for a governor or president to be armed with a coherent concept of development. Jakande’s government was a negation of the perverted concept of development currently on display in some states. For instance, in a country that is home to the largest number of out -of- school children on earth, some governors could still afford to indulge in the tokenism of setting aside a date to celebrate repainting the walls and replacing the louvres of a handful of classrooms in an exercise called “commissioning.” Since 1999 the development in the education sector in some states has hardly been measured by an exponential increase in school enrolment as Jakande did in the Second Republic.

Fifthly, a political figure should pay attention to what could be defining moments of history.

Fortunately for Jakande, the defining moment of his political career was the period between October 1 1979 and December 31, 1983. The assessment of Jakande’s 14 months as

minister of housing under General Sani Abacha would remain controversial. This is especially because of his failure, along with others, to quit the Abacha government in 1995 as demanded by a group of Yoruba leaders who met in Ibadan at the height of the agitation for the validation of the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by Bashorun Moshood Abiola. But from the tributes to his memory so far, that might not define his place as a historical figure.

Doubtless, the essential Jakande was the one that governed Lagos for only four years and recorded developmental leaps.

Alhaji Jakande was probably conscious of the disappointment of some of his admirers and supporters when he said, in response to Professor Dare’s comment on that period of his career, that: “If I lost my popularity because of this principled and courageous stand, I regard it as part of the price a good leader must be prepared to pay for his deep-seated conviction and for public good. In this respect, I am in good and honourable company.

World History is replete with several inspiring and noble precedents of this experience in the footsteps of the Great Masters. And their reputations have survived their experiences.”

The verdict of history will be kind on LKJ. May his memory continue to inspire people - oriented governance in this land.

Glo Makes NIN Registration Easier with Appointment Manager In a bid to make it much easier and more convenient for members of the public to register for their National Identity Number (NIN), national telecommunication company, Globacom, has launched Appointment Manager, an app that helps them book for the registration online.

Through the app, people desiring to register for NIN will be able to choose a day, time and Gloworld outlet convenient for them to visit for the process.

“The Appointment Manager was unveiled to help our numerous subscribers and Nigerians in general to reduce the stress involved in the NIN registration process”, Globacom said in a statement released in Lagos on Tuesday.

The Company added that,

through the utilization of the app, customers will go through the process hassle-free, which saves them time and also ensures the registration is done in a safe and Covid-19compliant environment, with fewer people in attendance.

The company added that, “Customers will then receive an SMS notification with an ID, Scheduled date and shop to visit which he will present at the shop”.

Globacom which urged its subscribers to make utmost use of the app for the registration, also advised those who are yet to link their NIN with their mobile numbers to text their NIN to 109, adding that they can also dial *109*NIN# to submit their NIN or call 109 to update their NIN via voice call.

unlawful occupation of land in our community by Bororo/ Fulani,’ signed by the National President and National Publicity Secretary of the union, Alhaji Uthman Balogun, and Mr. Kayode Adeyipo, respectively, said that the herdsmen allegedly evicted from Oyo State, had occupied Okerimi-Oro community since the last week of January, 2021.

Oro people are the kinsmen of the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

The people, who alleged that some traditional rulers in nearby communities connived with the herdsmen and purportedly signed an agreement to have them settled in their area, said the traditional rulers

“discreetly brought the herdsmen to Okerimi-Oro land to settle”.

The 11 constituents of Oro kingdom are Okerimi-Oro, Ijomu-Oro, Aafin-Oro, Ido-Oro, Agbeola-Oro, Okeola-Oro, IludunOro, Irebode-Oro, Oro, Sie and Olorunsogo.

“The site where the Bororo/Fulani herdsmen are occupying now is part of Koshoni-Ola Farmland in Okerimi-Oro. Everyone became scared, nervous and agitated, demanding that they should be sent away from our locality because of their reported, evidence-based nefarious activities, which included kidnapping, maiming of innocent citizens, robberies and destruction of farmland. And to our knowledge, it

is not the company that invited them.

“The signed document had with the Aala of Ilala community and Baale of Buari community, the signatures of nine leaders of Bororo/ Fulani, Seriki Fulani in Ajase-Ipo and Chairman of Miyetti Allah in Irepodun Local Government Area.

“The peace pact was witnessed by zonal heads of security agencies, including Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Security and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC),” the group added.

It noted that everything was without the knowledge of the people of Oro land, adding, “We are not party to it and we can’t be a party to any of such arrangements.

Our people are vehemently against it, they had long kicked against it.”

Describing the act as disheartening and disgusting, the union said, “Can a house owner collect rent from anyone and direct the person to another man’s house to be received as tenant after signing tenancy agreement with him (i.e. the payer)? Buhari and Ilala are not part of Oro. “We now implore Buari and Ilala to come and relocate Bororo/Fulani to their own land, which must be far away from our vicinity. And this must be done on or before the expiration of seven (7) days counting from today, Tuesday, February 16, 2021.”

WITH DEVELOPMENT PARTNER…

Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma (left), and the Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu, when the latter paid a working visit to the governor at his office in Owerri…yesterday

African Trade Unions Hail Okonjo-Iweala, Insist Trade Rules Respect Workers’ Rights African trade unionists have tasked the new Director-General of World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to ensure that global trade agreements promote workers’ rights, eradicate poverty and guarantee sustainable industrial development in the world.

In a congratulatory statement signed by the Vice President, Industriall Global Union Africa, Comrade Issa Aremu and Comrade Joseph Montisetse of South Africa’s National Union of Mine Workers (NUM), who is the co- chairman, the African council of the global union said given her impeccable credentials as finance and foreign Minister and record performance at the World Bank, her appointment was earned and deserved, beyond gender.

The continental workers’ movement said it was time for what it calls “alternative trade policies that must take into account the needs of working people around the world, inclusive of economic growth and sustainable development”.

Industriall Global Union advised that the seventh Director General must be guided by the history of WTO in Africa which has “in many respects fostered de-industrialisation and job losses” through “uncritical wholesale dismantling of protection for domestic industries.”

The unionists noted that the emergence of Okonjo-Iweala was “significant and fullest of time” when the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) involving 54 African countries

with a combined population of more than one billion people and combined gross domestic product of more than $3.4 trillion had become a reality.

The global union however added that WTO under the leadership of an African must make a difference by ensuring that trade serves the purpose of wider growth, as well as advance industrialisation and create mass jobs on the basis of respect for workers and their rights.

WTO, it said, must partner International Labour Organisation ( ILO), to ensure the dismantling of institutional constraints against workers exercising their fundamental right to freedom of association and collective bargaining in member countries of WTO.

The organised labour observed that “trade facilitation must go hand in hand with workers’ rights to form free trade unions to represent labour, to collectively bargain on wages and working conditions”.

Meanwhile the African council of the global Industriall Union has also called on the military regime in Myanmar to immediately step down and respect the election results of last year, where NLD won a crushing majority over the military-led Union Solidarity and Development Party’s (USDP).

The union strongly condemned the coup d’etat by the military in Myanmar and the detention of democratically elected leaders of National League for Democracy (NLD) Win Myint and Aung San Suu Kyi.

Justice Has Not Been Served, Says Magu’s Lawyer A counsel to Mr. Ibrahim Magu, the embattled former acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Tosin Ojaomo, yesterday lamented that justice has not been served on Magu’s case.

Ojaomo stated this during an interview on a live television programme monitored yesterday.

The Ayo Salami-led presidential panel was commissioned to investigate the suspended acting chairperson of the anti-graft agency.

He said: “Suddenly, no report came out, and another

appointment was made…

Justice has clearly not been done in this matter, to Magu; we are talking about people’s integrity, reputational damage has been done to people.

“It is not just about Magu alone; there are other people at the commission that have been suspended, all these people, their integrity is now at stake as if their matter is a forgotten matter.

“When it comes to issue of justice, the words of Justice Oputa always come to my mind, who talked about issue of justice, he said justice is a three-way traffic;

justice to the complainant, justice to the accuser and to the society.

“In this matter, justice has not been served to the Nigerian people because everyone was expecting to know the outcome of the investigation. There were lot of news in the media about Magu, and people have now been put on suspense”.

When asked about if the outcome of the report was not in Magu’s favour going by the President’s new nomination, he said it would be speculative to dismiss that the report is not in Magu’s favour.

“It would be speculative to

say the report was not in Magu’s favour; ordinarily, inquiries have been conducted in this country, and report have been released and people have been able to make their own independent judgment from the report of the investigation but in this case, an investigation was conducted, and report was not released, everything was just media reportage that people are relying on.

“At least this is what they call government should be accountable to the people, the government should let us know the reason for this indecision.”

54

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 17, ͺ͸ͺ͹˾ T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor ßÜÙ ÕÒËäßËÑÌÏ Email ÎßÜÙ˛ÓÕÒËäßËÑÌÏ̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙ× ͸΀͹͹ ͹΀͹ ͻ͸΀ͻ

D’Tigers Resume 2021 FIBA Afrobasket Ticket Hunt Femi Solaja D’Tigers will today in Monastir, Tunisia take on South Sudan as the Nigerian senior men’s basketball team continue their quest to book a ticket to the 2021 FIBA Afrobasket Championship to be hosted in Rwanda.

Having started on an impressive note with three straight victories in Group D over South Sudan, Rwanda and Mali,

the team will hope to continue the unbeaten run when they file out this evening in Monastir.

In the first ever meeting between both teams, D’Tigers were the better side with Ike Iroegbu leading the offensive with 13pts, 8 assists, 7 rebounds and a steal while Caleb Agada scored 16pts and 2 assists.

According to team’s Coach, Mfon Udofia who is standing in for Head Coach Mike Brown and

Alex Nwora who are unavoidably absent, D’Tigers are ready to pick up from where they left off when they file out against Sudanese by 5pm.

“We know the importance of qualifying for the 2021 Afrobasket championships and qualifying well. We don’t just want to

qualify; we want to qualify in style as well as ensure that we are on track for the 2020 Olympic Games preparation,” stressed Coach Udofia from Tunisia last night.

The 30-year-old who has been with the team since the 2019 FIBA World Cup has assured basketball

aficionados that the players will step up to the occasion despite the absence of coaches Brown and Nwora.

“The importance of playing well and continuing our winning tradition cannot be overemphasized. Since we opened camp on Sunday, we have been

perfecting our game plans while in close touch with our senior coaches who are unavoidably absent.”

D’Tigers who narrowly lost to host-Tunisia at the finals of the 2017 edition is hoping to qualify as well as win their second ever Afrobasket title.

Pinnick Seeks FG’s Support on FIFA Council Election Olawale Ajimotokanin Abuja Nigeria Football Federation President, Amaju Melvin Pinnick yesterday visited the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, in Abuja to discuss among other things, his intention to fly Nigeria’s flag at next month’s FIFA Council election in Rabat, Morocco.

Pinnick who thanked the Federal Government for all the support since he was first elected NFF President in 2014 pledged to be a good ambassador of Nigeria if elected into the FIFA Council.

A member of CAF executive committee, Pinnick is aware of the task ahead and appreciates

Amaju Pinnick...wants FG’s support in his quest for a FIFA Council seat

the Federal Government for agreeing to support his dream.

He used the ocassion of the visit to also thank the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari and all Nigerians for their unflinching support to Nigerian football under his charge.

The Sports Minister, Mr. Sunday Dare, reiterated the need for Pinnick to use his position and contacts in both CAF and FIFA to help promote and develop Nigeria and Africa football at all levels.

He said he was happy to see Nigerians aspire to be among the very best in the world as that “is the only way the country can have a say in the committee of football playing nations.”

Mr. Dare personally wished Pinnick all the best, while assuring him that Nigerians will support him with their prayers.

At the moment, only one slot is left for the Anglophone speaking nations which is what Pinnick is vying for.

Only two Nigerians have risen to the exalted position of FIFA Council members before. They include Dr. Amos Adamu and the late Etubom Oyo Orok Oyo.

LA LIGA 2

Nigeria’s D’Tigers will begin the hunt for the ticket to the 2021 Afrobasket Championships this evening as they take on South Sudan in Monastir, Tunisia

NWFL Slams Ibom Angels with N1m Fine, Bans Fan for One Year In a bid to curtail violence in women’s football in the country, the Nigeria Women Football League ((NWFL), yesterday announced a N1 million fine on one of its elite side, Ibom Angels Football Club of Uyo. Aside that another one year suspension was also imposed on one of the club’s fans who assaulted the Centre Referee of their Week 5 game played at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium Training Pitch in Uyo. The Chief Operating Officer

of the NWFL, Modupe Shabi, said in a statement yesterday the match report of the clash between Ibom Angels and Rivers Angels clearly indicted the Akwa Ibom State-owned team. “ We are in receipt of the match reports from the Match Commissioner and the Centre Referee of the match number 33 between Ibom Angels FC and Rivers Angels.

“The reports stated that one of Ibom Angels FC fans breached security and made contact with

the centre referee by grabbing her short immediately after the blast of the final whistle before the prompt intervention of security personnel on duty at the match.”

The COO noted that; “This action of one of Ibom Angels FC fans is a violation of article 26.1 of the rules book which is also capable of bringing the game into disrepute.

“In view of the above, the Ibom Angels FC fan is hereby placed on suspension for a period of

one year for the assault on the match official.

“In line with article 26.1 and 27.1.3, Ibom Angels FC is also fined the sum of one million Naira only,” the letter concluded.

The Chairperson of the Nigeria Women Football League, Aisha Falode, said from her base in Lagos, that, it is the belief of the league that this will serve as a deterrent to the club and a warning to all participating teams in the Premier League that there is zero tolerance for violence.

David Alaba has confirmed he will be leaving Bayern Munich at the end of the season after nearly 13 years at the club.

The 28-year-old will depart the Allianz Arena on a free transfer once his contract with the Bundesliga champions has expired in June.

Real Madrid, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have all been linked with signing the defender, but the Austria international remained silent on his next club.

Speaking at an unscheduled press conference, Alaba said: “I have personally made the decision to try something new after this season and to leave the club.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, I’ve been here for 13 years and the club is very important to me.

“I am looking for a new challenge. It wasn’t a financial decision. I still have six to seven years to play football and now I wanted to try something new.

“Of course I took my time, after 13 years it’s not an easy decision. I then decided for myself to try something new.

I have not decided yet where I’m going.”

Alaba added that it was no ‘secret’ that his representatives are in contact with other clubs, but despite remaining coy on links to Barcelona, he added: “My Spanish is not good, but good enough for the pitch.”

Moreover, he stated that “a lot has happened since 2009’ - when he admitted his dream of playing in the Premier League - before adding: “Maybe

I am now placing more value on other criteria.”

The Austrian has played in central defence in more recent times after stints at left-back and central midfield for Bayern Munich.

But he denied that he is seeking a move away because he has been forced into defence, adding: “It (moving to central defence) just happened because we have injuries in midfield.

“But I know that my position is in central defence and I’m trying to help the team there.

The position has played no role in my decision.”

He also confirmed that ‘everyone’ at the club put in work to try to keep him but that he communicated his decision to the club’s hierarchy a few weeks ago.

Alaba has won no fewer than 24 trophies since becoming a Bayern first team-player in 2010 after a couple of years in the club’s academy.

That trophy haul includes nine German top-flight titles, six DFB Pokal crowns as well

as two Champions League and Club World Cup winners medals.

To date, the defender has scored 33 goals in 415 appearances across all competitions for the current Bundesliga, Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup holders.

The Austrian however is now set to be replaced in the squad by Dayot Upamecano, after the club announced the France international’s £38million summer move to the Allianz Arena earlier this week.

Alaba’s next move however has yet to be decided but reports in Spain last week suggested Madrid have made him their No 1 summer target.

The Spanish champions look increasingly likely to lose captain Sergio Ramos on a free transfer in the summer, and view the Austrian as an ideal replacement.

Meanwhile, reports have suggested Chelsea’s success of signing Alaba hinges on their ability to persuade him to lower his £400,000-per-week wage demands.

Omeruo’s Leganes in Tough Duel with Promotion-seeking Alaba Confirms Bayern Exit after 13 at the Bundesliga Club Sadiq Umar’s Almeria CD Leganes defender Kenneth Omeruo has said that he expects a tough face-off against fellow Nigeria forward Sadiq Umar when their Spanish clubs do battle in a midweek clash tonight.

Poor weather forced this La Liga 2 match to be re-arranged for Wednesday.

A win for Sadiq Umar’s UD Almeria in Madrid will see them shoot to the top of the table, while victory for the home team will consolidate their fourth place.

“The game will be a tough one,” Omeruo told SCORENigeriayesterday “We have to recover properly for this game.

“Almeria are enjoying a good run right now, but so are we – we have won our last three games under a new coach.

“We are home and we have to take this opportunity.

“With the new coach, we have somehow found a better way to approach games and it is working for us.

“We are going for a win,” stressed Omeruo.

The top two teams in Segunda Division will automatically win promotion to La Liga, while the teams who placed third to sixth will feature in a playoff.

UD Almería haven’t been in Spain’s top division since the 2014/15 season, but the club from the sourthern city of the same name are serious contenders for promotion in 2020/21.

Kaduna-born Umar Sadiq, 24, is perhaps the most important factor in Almeria’s push, and with 11 LaLiga goals this season has propelled the club into third place in the LaLiga SmartBank.

Sadiq’s presence in Almeria is down to the sporting project laid out by Turki Al-Sheikh, who took over the club in 2019. The club is committed to signing some of the best talent around, no matter whether from Spain or abroad.

David Alaba...leaving Bayern Munich after 13 years

55

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 17, ͺ͸ͺ͹˾ T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAYSPORTS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Ronaldo Returns to Portugal as Juve Battle Porto Cristiano Ronaldo returns to his native Portugal for the first time as a Juventus player as his side face Porto tonight with the Italian giants fighting to keep up with Europe’s most powerful clubs in the UEFA Champions League.

On the field Juve are still finding their feet under novice coach Andrea Pirlo but they crave European glory more than anything having lost five Champions League finals since last winning the trophy in 1996.

Off the pitch, meanwhile, their Chairman Andrea Agnelli is one of the leading figures behind plans to reform the continent’s elite club competition.

Agnelli, also the influential chairman of the European Club Association, has long been one of the main backers of a Champions League which guarantees access to an elite few and makes it harder for other clubs to gain entry.

Amid talk of a breakaway Super League which would undoubtedly feature his club, Italy’s richest and most successful, the 45-year-old has given his backing to an expanded Champions League starting from 2024 onwards, guaranteeing more matches and, ultimately, more money.

“I think it is our duty to

think ahead and guarantee that football remains the best sport in the world,” Agnelli said recently, as he pondered the challenges of trying to ensure Generation Z doesn’t lose interest in the sport.

“Everything should be based on sporting merit, but we should remember where our fans of the future are. It is our strong view that more European matches are welcome.”

Juventus have dominated Serie A for the last decade without managing to win the Champions League. Porto, meanwhile, are the only club from outside the so-called ‘Big Five’ leagues in this season’s last 16. Both are two-time European Cup winners.

For the Turin side, success in Europe this season appears even more important as their domestic domination shows signs of faltering under Pirlo with hopes of a 10th consecutive Scudetto in peril.

A 1-0 defeat at Napoli on Saturday left Juventus eight points adrift of leaders Inter Milan, albeit with a game in hand.

“This defeat will not bring us down,” insisted Ronaldo.

“Let’s raise our heads and think about the Champions League.”

Haaland Urges Dortmund to Shake off Bundesliga Blues against Sevilla Borussia Dortmund go into today’s Champions League last 16, first-leg tie at Sevilla with star striker Erling Braut Haaland urging his teammates to shake off their Bundesliga blues or risk a heavy defeat in Spain.

“We just have to stick to the match plan and try to perform,” Haaland told Sky Sports on Tuesday.

“Sevilla are a strong team.

We just have to find our form again and do our best on the pitch to have a chance.

“If we play like we did in the last few games, we have no chance,” Haaland warned with Dortmund having won just three of their last eight games in all competitions.

The Norwegian striker netted six goals in Dortmund’s first four group games before sitting out the last two European games with injury.

Dortmund’s fortunes have nosedived since Axel Witsel’s strike sealed a 2-1 win at Zenit St Petersburg last December to confirm the Germans as

Erling Haaland...wants Dortmund to put Bundesliga blues behind them as they file out against Sevilla tonigh

winners of their Champions League group.

Joy at reaching the last 16 was dampened four days later when Dortmund’s defensive weaknesses were brutally exposed in a 5-1 thrashing at home to Stuttgart.

Lucien Favre was sacked as head coach the following day.

His assistant, the 38-year-old Edin Terzic, was promoted to interim coach until the end of the season, but results have not improved of late.

On Monday, it was announced that Borussia Moenchengladbach’s highly sought-after coach Marco Rose will take charge at Dortmund next season.

The 44-year-old will be tasked with re-establishing Dortmund as the second power in German football behind Bayern Munich.

Dortmund have picked up only 14 league points from a possible 30 since Terzic replaced Favre.

It took a late Haaland goal, his 23rd in as many games this season, to avert defeat in a 2-2 draw at mid-table Hoffenheim last Saturday.

The result left Dortmund sixth in the Bundesliga table and they are now 16 points behind leaders Bayern Munich. It took another Haaland goal for Dortmund to beat second-division Paderborn 3-2 after extra time in the last 16 of the German Cup earlier this month.

In contrast, Sevilla have won all of their last nine games, including a 2-0 win over Barcelona in the semifinal of the Spanish Cup. “They have scored twice as many goals as they have conceded, they have outstanding players in attack and defence,” warned Terzic.

“If you compare form, Sevilla have a clear advantage, but the next round is our clear goal.”

Porto, meanwhile, have drawn their last four games domestically and are 10 points behind league leaders Sporting Lisbon.

RONALDO V PEPE Juve’s hopes will be on five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo, the Champions League record goal-scorer with 134 goals, signed from Real Madrid in 2018 to deliver them the trophy.

Ronaldo faces a Portuguese team for the first time since 2016 when with Madrid he

beat his former club Sporting 2-1.

But his last Champions League visit to the Estadio do Dragao dates back to a quarterfinal, second leg in April 2009 with Manchester United.

The tie was poised at 2-2 after a tricky first leg at Old Trafford.

But, six minutes in, Ronaldo gathered the ball 35 metres out to unleash a thunderbolt for the only goal of the game and send his side through.

Ronaldo has played 12

European games against Portuguese teams, split between Benfica, Porto and Sporting. He has four goals against them and as many assists.

“I expect to win but we know it’s going to be very tough,” Porto Captain Pepe told UEFA.com.

The 37-year-old played alongside fellow Portuguese international Ronaldo at Madrid where they won three Champions League trophies together.

“In my opinion, they’ve got

the best player in the world in Cristiano Ronaldo,” continued the Brazil-born defender.

“I’ve never played against him. So we’ve got our work cut out for us.

“It will be a special match, more between Porto and Juventus than the one between Pepe and Ronaldo.

“Porto have never yet beaten Juventus. I hope this can be the first time.”

TODAY (9pm) Porto v Juventus Sevilla v Dortmund

Cristiano Ronaldo (right) and Paulo Dybala at training with other Juventus players ahead of tonight’s clash with Porto

Mbappe Stuns Barca with Hat trick, Liverpool Gain Advantage in Budapest Kylian Mbappe scored a stunning hat-trick as Paris St-Germain ripped Barcelona apart in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at the Nou Camp on Tuesday night.

The night did not start well for last year’s runnersup when they fell behind to

Lionel Messi’s 27th-minute penalty.

Messi, regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, was then upstaged on his own turf by France World Cup winner Mbappe as PSG ruthlessly exposed the hosts.

Mbappe danced past Clement Lenglet and smashed in the

equaliser before stroking home from 10 yards to turn the game around.

On-loan Everton striker Moise Kean continued his resurgence by heading in unchallenged at the far post to put the Ligue 1 champions in control of the tie.

With Barca looking to pull a

goal back, they were caught on the counter-attack and Mbappe curled in the goal of the night with his third.

The second leg takes place on 20 March in Paris, by which time PSG hope to have Neymar back from a thigh injury to face his former side.

AU ST R A L I A N O P E N

Serena Sets up S’final Clash with Osaka Serena Williams produced a stunning performance to beat second seed Simona Halep and set up an Australian Open semi-final with Naomi Osaka.

The 39-year-old American, bidding for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title, won 6-3 6-3 against the Romanian.

“I think this is the best match I’ve played this tournament,” said Williams, who moved well and hit 24 winners.

Earlier yesterday, Osaka cruised past Hsieh Su-wei in just 66 minutes to reach the last four.

The Japanese third seed, who won the second of her three Grand Slam titles at Melbourne

Park in 2019, beat the Taiwanese 6-2 6-2.

Now Osaka will face 10th seed Williams - a seven-time champion in Melbourne - on Thursday for a place in Saturday’s final.

It will be the first meeting between the pair since their infamous 2018 US Open final.

That saw Osaka win her maiden major title after Williams accused umpire Carlos Ramos of being a “thief” in some of the most dramatic scenes at a Grand Slam final.

After her victory, Osaka said she would be tuning in to the match between Williams and Halep because she “always”

Serena Williams...in tough semi final duel with Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open

watched the American’s games.

What Osaka will have seen is a player who looks fitter and more focused than she has in recent years. And, on this evidence against reigning Wimbledon champion Halep, will surely offer a stern examination of the Japanese player’s credentials as the tournament favourite.

Williams has lost her past four Grand Slam finals - including the 2018 US Open to Osaka and against Halep at Wimbledon in 2019 - as she attempted to land that elusive 24th major title which would pull her level with Australian Margaret Court.

The beaming smile which greeted victory, along with her excited demeanour in the on-court interview, indicates Williams is in a relaxed mood at Melbourne Park. That could prove dangerous for the rest of the field, says former British number one Laura Robson.

“We’ve seen before she might get stressed or overwhelmed but she looks like a different person.

She is looking like a champion out there,” Robson said in her role as an analyst on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra.

Looking fired up but coolly executing her shots, Williams started quickly with a break of serve to lead 2-0 before Halep showed her trademark resilience

to wipe out the early deficit.

Williams continued to find angles with powerful returning, allowing her to quickly reassert authority and break again for a 4-2 lead before serving out for the opening set.

Whether Williams would be able to maintain such a high level in the second set - against one of the best movers in the game - was the next question.

Initially it looked like she might not be able to.

Williams dipped at the start of the second set, regularly stopping to stare at her strings as unforced errors and a double fault helped Halep break for a 2-0 lead.

But, after the pair exchanged three more breaks, Williams mentally reset to rattle off the final five games and clinch an impressive victory.

“I realised I was making a lot of unforced errors in the games I lost and knew I had an opportunity to play better,” said Williams, who reached the 40th Grand Slam semi-final of her career.

“I stayed in there and kept going.

“I think this is the best match I played this tournament, obviously I had to going against number two in the world. I knew I had to do better, I did and I’m excited.”

Wednesday February 17, 2021

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MISSILE

Akeredolu to Buhari “What we expect from Mr. President is for him to come out and let Nigerians know that he does not support criminality. He once said, if you find anybody with arms without a license, they should be arrested. Security agencies must be at work without rest” – Governor Akeredolu challenging President Buhari to prove to Nigerians that he does not support criminality.

KAYODEKOMOLAFE THE HORIZON

kayode.komolafe@thisdaylive.com

0805 500 1974

Five Theses on LKJ I

t is a statement of fact that the eulogies to the memory of Lateef Kayode Jakande (LKJ) are well-deserved.

The flow of tributes since the death at 91 last Thursday of the eminent journalist and former governor of Lagos state should be distinguished from the Nigerian culture of post-humous canonisation of public figures in the spirit of “you don’t speak ill of the death.”

Indubitably, Jakande earned the sobriquet “Action Governor of Lagos.”

The great story of the truly progressive politician offers immense lessons about the primacy of the common good, the central role of the public sector, a wholistic concept of development, competence in governance, selflessness and the verdict of history.

There have been academic studies conducted and books written about the Jakande days in power.

It is instructive for the present purpose that Jakande himself once gave what could be described as a synopsis of his professional and political career.

In a right of reply to a comment made 22 years ago on his politics by the ace columnist and journalism teacher, Professor Olatunji Dare, Jakande put the matter like this: “I am eternally grateful to my Creator that He used me in these periods to bring joy, relief, even prosperity, to millions of my fellow men through the abolition of the shift system in education, the provision of free education at all levels with free books, the creation of Lagos State University, the establishment of 13 low-cost housing estates, the construction of Lekki Express Road, Osborne Road Estate, the free supply of drugs and medical treatment, the establishment of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, the Nigerian Guild of Editors, the Nigerian Press Organization, the organization of a World Press Freedom Committee, being

Jakande the first and only African President of the International Press Institute, the presidency of the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria,, the establishment of Lagos Television, the launching of an unprecedented Housing Programme with 38, 000 houses under construction in 14 months, the Lagos metroline project, the discovery of Banana Island, the building of the NIgerian Tribune, plus efficient, selfless and uncorrupted administration in each sphere of activity, to mention only few.

“All these in a lifetime.

To Almighty Allah belongs all the Glory.”

It is, of course, left to future historians to do justice to the Jakande legacy.

Meanwhile, the following preliminary theses are attempted here on the Jakande typology

of governance for the rich lessons it offers the contemporary society.

First, in yearning for inspiration a lot could be learnt about people-oriented governance in Nigeria from the reservoir of experiences provided by the history of the country. You don’t have to look in the exogenous direction always to find examples. Jakande offered a remarkable example of what governance should be in a society in which the majority of the people are poor.

Jakande was a proof of the fact that they have been oases in the desert of governance in Nigeria. The dialectical interplay between politics and policy resulted in undeniably positive results in the Jakande government.

He was elected on the platform of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) in 1979 as governor of Lagos state. The party had a clear social democratic platform. The organisation of the party was such that Jakande like his fellow UPN governors ( Olabisi Onabanjo (Ogun); Bola Ige (old Oyo); Adekunle Ajasin (old Ondo) and Ambrose Alli (old Bendel) were duty bound to implement the party programmes. Jakande competently implemented the UPN programmes on healthcare, education, job-creation, rural development, infrastructural revamp etc.

So there was an underlying philosophy of governance. His was not a government run as the execution of random projects developed as business ideas by contract-seeking friends and acquaintances. Jakande’s style was, of course, dictated by the peculiarity of Lagos state. In this respect, Jakande was exceptionally creative and immensely resourceful.

Secondly, in substance and style the purpose of Jakande in government was the relentless pursuit of the common good. The most vulnerable members of society benefit more when the common good is the priority. The trade-offs in policy-making would be determined by this

socio-political choice.

Jakande did not waste his time lamenting lack of resources and mouthing the shibboleths that “government cannot do everything.” Neither did he waste the state resources to fund foreign trips in the name of pursuing the mirage of foreign investments. Jakande made no foreign trip as governor.

Jakande was convinced that government could do a lot about education, healthcare and infrastructure. In fact, during the transition on October 1, 1979 from military to civil rule, Jakande’s military predecessor wondered how the new governor could fund the programmes enunciated his inaugural speech. As it turned out eventually, it was possible to execute policies directed at the basic needs of the poor because the purpose of governance for Jakande was the common good.

Thirdly, the government of Jakande in Lagos demonstrated that the state should drive the development agenda especially in a poverty-ridden environment. In addition, Jakande also proved that the public sector under a committed political leadership could achieve the delivery of public goods in the most competent manner. The poor would be excluded in the development agenda without a strong public sector with an efficient and a well-equipped bureaucracy as the engine. You cannot tackle the manifestations of poverty in the education and heath sectors without accessible quality primary and secondary schools and primary healthcare funded from the public purse. It is an illusion for a poor country such as Nigeria to imagine that the problem of the social sector could be solved by the application of market forces.

Jakande demonstrated that convincingly 40 years ago.

Continued on page 53

Jakande, War Hero in Peacetime Pat Utomi It’s easy to celebrate extraordinary personage.

But what is more important is to flatter them by imitating them appropriately. I am tempted therefore to ask of the politicians pouring encomiums on the late Governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef K. Jaakande, who among them can make the effort to be like him. That is where the rubber meets the road.

I knew Alhaji Jakande. He knew also that I genuinely regarded him highly. When I looked at Nigeria’s broken National Honor system with the many crooks on the Honor roll I thought we should create something young people could model themselves on. The result was the Leader Without Title (LWT) Honor Colloquium Series.

We at CVL, the home of the LWT Tribute Series, were careful to avoid honoring politicians because the flavor of the moment is to celebrate politicians with access to public resources and power to dole out favours. We have been careful to avoid honoring politicians, especially from the brood with little sense of service. But we could not do a good job of setting up role

models for tomorrow’s leaders if we did not erect before them someone like Jakande. So we honored him in the LWT Tribute Colloquium Series. He and Dr. Alex Ekwueme have been held up as the only examples from the political class, for young people, in the 10 years of the LWT Tribute Series.

I thought that useful because as a young person looking for role models from the ranks of statesmen, I found worthy of such from the immediate post-independence era Dr. Michael (MI) Okpara and Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

In many ways, Alhaji Lateef Jakande was the Elisha that followed Elijah Obafemi Awolowo.

I was therefore quite comfortable with the appellation of Babakekere to his name as the Awo heir apparent.

But the time I had for the former Lagos State Governor traversed political life. His simplicity, integrity, and focus may have come through with his use of his personal car, a Toyota Crown for official duties as Governor when his colleagues went for the super-luxury Mercedes Benz models; his continuing to live in his home in Ilupeju instead of moving into Lagos house on Marina; and in clearly recognizing Education,

Housing, and Transportation as the primary needs of Lagosians and pursuing the provision of such with great assiduousness even if with unconventional approaches in some cases.

I was in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia the day the metro rail was launched there in 1997 and I actually wept because Lagos would have been way ahead, had the disruptive military intervention of December 1983 not set us so far back. Worse still I was pained by the fact that it was built by a company that had to leave Nigeria, Taylor Woodrow.

But it was classic visionary Jakande that the government of 1984 set out to rubbish at great cost to the country.

I knew Jakande beyond the Lagos stewardship.

Before he became Governor in 1979 he had served as Government appointed Chairman of IMB, the International Merchant Bank that entered Nigeria as First National Bank of Chicago after the nationalization of banks in 1976.

The Bank Directors of the time who were trying to get their share of the national cake and national enjoyment ensured most board meetings took place abroad. But LKJ kept IMB board meetings in Lagos and sort no pecuniary

benefits, nor harass the management for rent opportunities. That gave room for the Managing Director, Ebitimi Banigo, to build one of the biggest Merchant Banks in Nigeria. My 1995 case study; The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of IMB chronicles the track of this journey of integrity and commitment to the Common Good.

As he had impact in Politics and Corporate Governance so did he in Journalism and the printing and publishing business. Our world is certainly diminished by his loss but the effect of his work assures his name has become a non-perishable item.

The real question is how does a people immortalize such legend and preserve his values for generations not yet born to learn from, especially when they do not teach history.

To make up for this lacuna the CVL last year began the fortnightly Nigeria History Series on Zoom and Instagram. It is a big pity we had yet to have Babakekere as guest on the series before we lost him to the ages r6UPNJ 1PMJUJDBM &DPOPNJTU BOE 1SPGFTTPS PG &OUSFQSFOFVSTIJQ JT GPVOEFS PG UIF $FOUSF GPS 7BMVFT JO -FBEFSTIJQT

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