FRIDAY 25TH FEBRUARY 2022

In First Major Post-PIA Deal, Seplat Acquires Mobil Producing Oil Assets in Nigeria Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Seplat Energy yesterday announced its acquisition of

oil and gas assets belonging to Mobil Oil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPNU), in a deal seen as the first

since the signing of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA)

by President Muhammadu Buhari in August last year.

The deal is however subject Ministerial Consent and other required regulatory approvals.

Seplat Energy Plc, a leading Nigerian energy company listed on the Nigerian Exchange Limited

(NGX) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE), was Continued on page 48

Nigeria’s Oil Royalty, Taxes from Shell Fell by $3.7bn in 2020...

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Why Buhari Settled for Adamu as Consensus Candidate for APC Chair INAUGURATION OF NEW CBN BUILDING IN LAFIA...

L-R: Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele; Nassarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule and President Muhammadu Buhari, during the inauguration of the CBN Branch Building in Lafia, Nassarawa State ... yesterday

Iyobosa Uwugiaren, Chuks Okocha, Adedayo Akinwale and Juliet Akoje in Abuja Reports that President Muhammadu Buhari might Continued on page 51

Global Order in Peril As Russia Invades Ukraine Biden: Attack was premeditated, brutal assault Clinton: This was unjustified George W. Bush: Invasion ‘unprovoked and unjustified’ Johnson: ‘Our worst fears have come true', imposes full asset freeze on Russia, Belarus G-7 leaders: Putin 'has put himself on the wrong side of history'

Emmanuel Addeh, Udora

by Russia on major cities and Orizu, Peter Uzoho and Bayo infrastructure in Ukraine, with Akinloye with agency report the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Global outrage followed Continued on page 5 yesterday’s attacks launched

L-R: Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki; Director General, Governors' Forum, Asishana Okauru and EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, during the governor's anti-cybercrime advocacy visit to EFCC's head office in Abuja...recently

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PAGE FIVE G LO B A L O R D E R I N P E R I L AS R U S S I A I N VA D E S U K R A I N E and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), among others, describing it as an unprovoked aggression, and imposing a series of sanctions on Russia.

Russian media had quoted President Vladimir Putin as saying he had given approval for the operation in the Donbas region of Ukraine, where Moscow earlier recognised rebel-held territories in Luhansk and Donetsk, and said they had asked for “help”.

Owing to the attack, oil prices jumped yesterday, with Brent rising above $105 a barrel for the first time since 2014, after the attack exacerbated concerns about disruptions to global energy supply. On the other hand, global markets plunged.

According to the BBC, the invasion by land, air, and sea began after a pre-dawn TV address, where the Russian President demanded that Ukraine's military lay down their arms. Initial reports of casualties included Ukrainian civilians and soldiers, and Russian troops.

The Ukraine's leader had said his country "won't give up its freedom.”

"Russia has embarked on a path of evil, but Ukraine is defending itself," President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted.

Ukraine declared martial law and severed all diplomatic relations with Russia. It said weapons would be given to anyone who wanted them.

The Russian attack began around 4:30 am in Ukraine yesterday, with a barrage of over 100 ballistic, cruise and surface-to-air missiles, and included 75 medium and heavy bombers. Experts said the invasion was the largest in Europe since World War II. The fighting, described as an initial phase, could potentially become very bloody and very costly, they added.

Explosions were heard in major cities, including the capital, Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odessa. Oleksii Arestovich, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said at least 40 people had been killed and dozens others wounded in the attack so far.

Ukrainian authorities said Russian forces had hit military assets and other defence facilities, while footage shared

by Ukrainian border guards showed Russian military vehicles moving across the border from Crimea.

Zelenskyy had announced that Ukraine had cut diplomatic ties with Russia, declaring martial law and offering to issue weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country. Despite pleas to stay home, people in Kyiv were jamming roads to leave.

But as global outrage swelled, Putin met with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan yesterday. The prime minister's office posted a video to Twitter of the two leaders shaking hands and said the pair would discuss "the entire gamut of Pakistan-Russia bilateral cooperation, and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest."

U.S Reaction President Joe Biden yesterday forcefully condemned Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, calling it a premeditated attack and a brutal assault “without provocation, without justification, without necessity.

“Vladimir Putin has been planning this for months.”

Biden announced new sanctions that included banning exports to Russia.

“We have purposely designed these sanctions to maximise a long-term impact on Russia and to minimise impact on the United States and our allies,” Biden said.

Biden used his strongest language to date about Putin, saying the U.S. and allies will make sure he becomes “pariah on the international stage.”

Biden met earlier yesterday morning with his national security team and world leaders, hours after Putin ordered the attack on Ukraine in the predawn darkness.

The U.S. already has about 90,000 troops in Europe and has deployed more to the continent as tensions simmered in the weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier this month, about 5,000 US-based forces were sent to Europe and US military personnel already there had been shifting to help bolster NATO’s eastern flank.

Biden said members of the European Union, including France, Germany, Italy, as well as the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and others had joined a global coalition to amplify a united response. He also said G-7 leaders agreed to limit Russia's ability to do business in dollars, euros, pounds and yen. The president said the US would block four more major banks in addition to the sanctions imposed on VTB and Russia's military bank.

Biden said the United States was taking steps to defend NATO allies.

The organisation will convene a summit today, which would “bring together the leaders of 30 allied nations and close partners to affirm our solidarity and to map out the next steps we will take to further strengthen all aspects of our NATO Alliance,” Biden said.

“This aggression cannot go unanswered. America stands up to bullies. We stand up for freedom,” he added.

Biden said his administration was going to use “every tool” to protect Americans and businesses from rising gas prices.

He called on American oil and gas companies to “not exploit this moment to hike their prices to raise profits.”

The US president said, “Our sanctions package is specifically designed to allow energy payments to continue. We are closely monitoring energy supplies for any disruption.”

The White House sounded the alarm last week to prepare the country for potential cyber-attacks on US companies or key parts of U.S. critical infrastructure, including pipelines, banks, commercial aviation, and hospitals.

Clinton Condemns ‘Unprovoked and Unjustified' Russian attack on Ukraine Former US President Bill Clinton yesterday condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, joining world leaders, past and present, in rebuking Putin.

“Putin’s war of choice has unravelled 30 years of diplomacy, with the potential for mass civilian casualties and huge displacements both within Ukraine’s borders and

beyond,” Clinton said in a prepared statement posted to his Twitter account.

He called the invasion “unprovoked and unjustified” and a “brazen violation of international law.”

“The world will hold Russia and Russia alone accountable, both economically and politically,” he said.

this war for eight years,” she said. “They just need to wake up and stop Putin now,” the Associated Press quoted her as saying.

UK’s Johnson Outlines Severe Sanctions against Russia, Belarus

NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “deliberate, cold-blooded and long-planned,” accusing Putin of “using force to rewrite history.”

Speaking in Brussels, Stoltenberg called for a summit of NATO alliance leaders on Friday to address Moscow’s military incursion into neighbouring Ukraine and said the military alliance would be bolstering its land, sea and air forces on its eastern flank. Stoltenberg confirmed NATO did not have any troops inside Ukraine and did not plan to send any, but said the alliance was still committed to providing Kyiv with military and technical support.

Ukraine is not a member of NATO but other countries close to the theatre of conflict, including Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Lithuania, are.

Under Article 4 of the NATO treaty, all are entitled to direct military support if their “territorial integrity, political independence or security” is threatened.

In his address today, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson acknowledged a “vast invasion” is underway and said the world “cannot allow that freedom” of Ukraine to be “snuffed out”.

He assured the UK will “do what more we can in the days ahead”, including agreeing a “massive package of economic sanctions”.

Johnson continued, “Our mission is clear: diplomatically, politically, economically and, eventually, militarily, this hideous and barbaric venture of Putin must end in failure.”

The prime minister addressed the people of Russia, Ukraine and Britain separately in his address, telling those in Russia that he “cannot believe” the invasion has been launched “in your name”.

He assured Ukrainians the UK was “on [their] side”, and told Brits the government “will do everything to keep our country safe”, including working with allies for “however long it takes” to ensure the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine was restored.

Johnson said the United Kingdom was imposing “the largest and most severe package of economic sanctions that Russia has ever seen” and that sanctions would also apply to Belarus for its role in Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

In coordination with the US, Johnson said the United Kingdom was imposing a “full asset freeze” on the Russianowned bank VTB that will effectively exclude Russian banks from UK’s financial system.

“I’m pleased to tell the House that the United States is taking similar measures,” Johnson told the House of Commons.

He said the UK would implement new trade and export restrictions similar to what the US would also impose The prime minister said Russian companies, both private and state-owned, would be prohibited from raising funds in the UK, taking loans out of the UK, and making securities transactions in the UK “This includes all the major manufacturers that support Putin’s war machine,” Johnson said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters yesterday gathered in London to urge Britain and other democracies to step up action against Russia.

Ukrainians living in the UK and activists gathered outside the prime minister’s Downing Street office singing the Ukrainian national anthem.

Natalia Ravlyuk, who helped organise the protest, said they wanted the “toughest sanctions and total isolation of Russia now.”

“We feel betrayed by democratic states because we have been talking about

NATO chief: Russia's Ukraine invasion 'cold-blooded' and 'long-planned'

G-7 leaders: Putin Has Put Himself on Wrong Side of History' Following a virtual meeting yesterday morning, leaders of the G-7 issued a joint statement announcing they would bring forward "severe and coordinated economic and financial sanctions" and calling on the global community to condemn the attack in the strongest terms possible.

The leaders of the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada, along with the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, and NATO Secretary-General called the unfolding conflict "a serious threat to the rulesbased international order, with ramifications well beyond Europe."

The leaders called on Moscow to end the bloodshed and condemned Belarus' involvement in Russia's aggression in Ukraine.

"This has fundamentally changed the Euro-Atlantic security situation," the statement read. "President Putin has re-introduced war to the European continent. He has put himself on the wrong side of history."

George Bush: Invasion Unprovoked, Unjustified’ In a similar vein, former US President George W. Bush condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine as “the gravest security crisis on the European continent since World War II.” The invasion was “unprovoked and unjustified,” Bush said in a statement.

Bush, who once described Putin as “very straightforward and trustworthy," said the US government and the American people must stand in solidarity with Ukraine and its people

as they sought freedom “and the right to choose their own future.

“We cannot tolerate the authoritarian bullying and danger that Putin poses.”

He said, “Ukraine is our friend and democratic ally and deserves our full support during this most difficult time."

Oil Prices Hit $105 Per Barrel Oil prices jumped yesterday with Brent rising above $105 a barrel for the first time since 2014, after Russia's attack on Ukraine exacerbated concerns about disruptions to global energy supply.

Senior oil market analyst at Rystad Energy, Louise Dickson, told Reuters, "Oil prices are soaring with no end in sight as the news of Russia’s full-scale military incursion of Ukraine, immediately putting at risk up to 1 million bpd (barrels per day) of Russian crude oil exports transitioning through Ukraine and the Black Sea," At least three major buyers of Russian oil were unable to open letters of credit from Western banks to cover purchases on Thursday, sources told Reuters.

Global benchmark Brent crude rose $6.61, or 6.8 per cent, to $103.45, after touching a high of $105.79.

Also, US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude jumped $4.78, or 5.2 per cent, to $96.88 a barrel, after earlier rising to $100.54. Brent and WTI hit their highest since August and July 2014, respectively.

"Russia is the third-largest oil producer and second-largest oil exporter. Given low inventories and dwindling spare capacity, the oil market cannot afford large supply disruptions," UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said.

"Supply concerns may also spur oil stockpiling activity, which supports prices."

Russia is also the largest provider of natural gas to Europe, providing about 35 per cent of its supply.

China warned of the impact of tensions on the stability of the energy market.

"All countries that are truly responsible should take responsible actions to jointly maintain global energy security," a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said.

Globally, oil supplies remain tight as demand recovers from pandemic lows.

Reflecting the tightness, the premium on Brent contracts for loading in one month over contracts for loadings in six months, a metric closely watched by traders, hit a record high at $11.55 a barrel.

Analysts said Brent was likely to remain above $100 a barrel until significant alternative supplies become available from US shale or Iran, for example.

The United States and Iran have been engaged in indirect nuclear talks in Vienna that could lead to the removal of sanctions on Iranian oil sales.

Analysts are warning of inflationary pressure on the global economy from $100 oil, especially for Asia, which imports most of its energy needs.

"Asia's Achilles heel remains its vast import needs for energy, with surging oil prices bound to take a hefty bite out of income and growth over the coming year," said HSBC economist Frederic Neumann.

House Seeks Immediate Evacuation of Nigerians in Ukraine As the conflict worsens, the House of Representatives has directed its leader, Hon. Ado Doguwa, and Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hon. Yakub Buba, to liaise with the Foreign Affairs Ministry, National Intelligence Agency, and Ukrainian embassy to see that Nigerian students in Ukraine were immediately evacuated.

Moving a motion of urgent national importance at the plenary yesterday, Hon. Ahmed Munir lamented that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine was deteriorating by the hour.

Munir pointed out that Nigeria had a significant number of undergraduate and graduate students currently studying in Ukraine, with a good number of them under government scholarships. This, he said, included a number of Nigerian diplomats and their families in the Kiev Embassy and Nigerian expatriates across Ukraine.

He expressed concern that if a strategic plan was not put in place to secure and provide safe passage for Nigerian citizens, they may be trapped or worse, harmed.

The lawmaker urged his colleagues to mandate its Committees on Foreign Affairs and diaspora, in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to ascertain the exact figures of Nigerians affected by this conflict and put in place a comprehensive monitoring, evaluation and evaluation mechanism.

Contributing, the Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, amended the prayer calling for an interface with the ministry, NIA and embassy for immediate evacuation of Nigerians in Ukraine.

Gbajabiamila said since a state of emergency had been declared on the conflict, urgent action needed to be taken to ensure safety of the citizens.

The Speaker told the lawmakers that if nothing positive came out of their meeting with the stakeholders today, then they should immediately contact the chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, regardless of the cost and head to Ukraine tomorrow (Friday) and evacuate the students on Monday.

Gbajabiamila said, "This is a very important motion that we discussed. Time is of the essence. A state of emergency has been declared, I listened to the news yesterday, even America said it’s not going to be bloodless. We should be more proactive and I think it’s better late than never. It’s important that at this point to forget all the bureaucratic bottlenecks, and look out for our citizens, especially students.

"Action needs to be taken now and my thought is that leader of the House Hon. Ado Doguwa, and Chairman, Foreign Affairs, Hon. Buba Yakub, should liaise with the ministry foreign affairs, NIA and embassy in Ukraine and if nothing positive comes out of it, then we should liaise with chairman Air Peace.

Whatever it’s going to cost the House, you need to leave this country latest tomorrow and come back on Monday with many of our students."

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NEWS

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

PUBLIC PRESENTATION OF FAYEMI'S BOOK TITLED, UNFINISHED GREATNESS...

L-R: Deputy Governor Edo State, Mr. Phillip Shuaibu; Ogun State Governor, Mr. Dapo Abiodun; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-olu; Keynote Speaker, Prof. Adebayo Olukoshi,, Wife of Ekiti State Governor, Mrs. Bisi Fayemi, Author/Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, and Kabbi State Governor, Mr. Atiku Bagudu, during the public presentation of the book: ‘Unfinished Greatness,’ in Abuja... yesterday

Buhari: I Look Forward to Leaving Office Next Year Says Nigeria's constitution bars him from going beyond two terms as president Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has declared that the nation's constitution statutorily barred him from going beyond two terms as President.

This is just as he said he was looking forward to leaving office

by May 29, 2023.

Speaking yesterday, during a courtesy visit to the palace of Emir of Lafia, retired Justice Sidi Bage Muhammad 1, the President stressed that he has no intention whatsoever to stay beyond the constitutionally recognised two terms of office as leader of Nigeria.

He said: ''The traditional ruler is on a terminal appointment.

Constitutionally, we (elected public office holders) are not. I cannot go beyond two terms and I have sworn by the Holy Quran that I will uphold the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

According to him, leaders who take the oath of office, swearing with the Holy Book, must be careful not to abuse the trust of leadership placed on them by the people and God. ''Politics apart, whenever we are made to swear by the Holy Quran, we have to be very careful.

We must make sure that we do not abuse the trust God has given us as leaders. ''I have seen former Governors here and I am looking forward to

Regardless of Diverse Difficulties, Nigeria Shall Attain Greatness, Gowon, Buhari Say Fayemi: Inflammatory statements by those in authority causing disunity Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari and a former Military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd) have stressed that regardless of the diverse challenges which ranged from economic, religious and even cultural that Nigeria has been grappling with since independence, the country would attain greatness.

Buhari and Gowon stated this yesterday in Abuja, at the public presentation of a book written by the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi titled "Unfinished Greatness: Envisioning a New Nigeria."

Gowon, who was the chairman of the occasion, said as an individual, he believed that Nigeria was a country made for greatness.

He said: "I find the title of the book quite interesting. It treats two major issues that Nigerians are concerned about. First, is the question of why Nigeria, with all her potential has not attained greatness.

“As an individual, I believe

Nigeria is a country made for greatness. That is the reason why I led like-minded individuals and all groups to pray without ceasing for the growth of our land.

"Regardless of the diverse difficulties we have - socio, economic, religious and even cultural - that we have been grappling with since independence, our country shall yet attain the greatness that we all want.

“This is the ideal for which every nation has fared regardless of its position on the development index. The notion of our greatness is evolutionary."

Gowon noted that the second notion addressed by the book was the leadership question.

According to him, “we speak of leadership that seeks to make our unity in diversity work. We speak of leadership with determination to eradicate poverty, disease and ignorance in the land; we speak of leadership that is concerned Continued on page 51

also becoming a former President,'' he said.

Buhari thanked the people of Nasarawa State for the rousing welcome, expressing delight that the north-central state was wearing a new look since his last visit in 2019.

He congratulated the immediate past Governor and Senator representing Nasarawa South Senatorial District, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura and the incumbent, Governor Abdullahi Sule for the laudable initiatives and

accomplishments in the state.

Welcoming the president to the over 200-year old palace, the Emir of Lafia thanked him for ending the problem of insufficient power to Nasarawa State with the provision of 330kVA sub-station.

The Emir, who is also the Chairman, Nasarawa State Council of Chiefs, told the president that the provision of the electricity plant, ''has taken out 80 percent of our problem.'' ''Our people have never had it

so good. Our people are back to their normal life as entrepreneurs, '' he said, adding that the federal government projects that were, ''standing as ghosts'' in the state in the past have now become a reality.

The monarch listed the newly inaugurated CBN Building in Lafia, the Federal Secretariat, UBEC Smart School and completed Ecological projects, just to mention but a few.

On arrival in the capital for a two-day State visit to Nasarawa

state, Buhari inaugurated the Lafia Airport, Vocational and Skills Acquisition Centre, Modern Bus Terminal and the Shinge-Barkini Abdullahi-Kilema road, executed by the State Government.

He also inaugurated CBN Lafia Branch building and a 330kva Akurba Transmission Substation executed by the Federal Government through the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) to boost power supply in the state and its environs.

...Inaugurates CBN Lafia Branch as Emefiele Reassures on Financial Inclusion, Support for Agriculture James Emejo in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday inaugurated the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) new branch office in Lafia, Nasarawa State, as part of efforts to bring the apex bank closer to the people.

The CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, said the move would also help to actualise Buhari’s vision of delivering on agricultural transformation to Nigerians, adding that it would further promote currency and business transactions by government agencies and corporate entities in the state.

Specifically, he noted that the replication of the central bank’s presence in all the states of the federation would further ensure the delivery democracy dividends particularly on the CBN’s Anchor Borrower Programmes (ABP) and its other development finance interventions.

Emefiele, while speaking at the brief ceremony, said the branch offices would ensure that agriculture extension service workers as well as various farmers in the nooks and crannies of the country are reached easily.

He further said the opening of the state-of-the-art edifice was of exceptional significance for the central bank given that it was the first branch of the CBN to be inaugurated by the president.

He expressed appreciation to the president for honouring the invitation amidst his tight schedule – being on a state visit.

The CBN governor said the opening of the new branch was the culmination of several years of hard work, using mainly local content, in line with the administration’s resolve to promote the utilisation of Nigerian resources and services as a way of enhancing the capabilities of indigenous people without having to compromise quality, safety, health or environmental standards.

Additionally, he said the construction of the Lafia branch was in pursuant to the federal government’s statutory requirement for the presence of a CBN in every state of the federation, for currency and business transactions by government agencies and corporate entities in the state.

He pointed out that the building remained a fulfillment of the central bank’s goal of providing a conducive and safe working environment for staff of the bank, adding that following years of careful planning and prudent procurement, the bank had also developed branch buildings in eight other state capital which he listed to include Abakaliki, Ado-Ekiti, Birnin-Kebbi, Dutse, Gusau and Yenagoa.

According to him, that for

Jalingo and Damaturu would be completed soon.

This, he said, would ensure that the CBN structures are replicated in all the states of the federation, stressing that as a people-oriented central bank, its commitment to ensuring financial inclusion remained unwavering.

He said the presence of the bank across state capitals would help support the apex bank’s goal of taking its well-thought central banking services and interventions closer to those at the grassroots.

Furthermore, Emefiele said the desire to deepen financial inclusion prompted the bank to seek and obtain the gracious approval of the president for the launch of the first central bank.

He also said the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), known as the eNaira, would in the coming days, ensure that Nigerians in remote areas conduct financial activities using digital platforms. The CBN governors urged Nigerians to embrace the eNaira to foster greater financial inclusion.

Emefiele also said the CBN remained committed to the objective of providing a conducive environment to enable individuals and corporates harness their true potential to contribute to the overall development of the Nigerian economy.

He added that the apex bank had an unflinching belief that every Nigerian deserves an opportunity to contribute their quota to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a position which he said necessitated its development of initiatives including the ABP, the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund (MSMEDF); the Agri-Business/ Small and Medium Enterprise Investment Scheme (AgSMEIS); the Tertiary Institutions’ Entrepreneurship Scheme (TIES) and lately, the 100 for 100 Policy on Production and Productivity and the Race to $200 Billion FX Repatriation (RT200) among others.

Emefiele, nonetheless, commended the roles played by stakeholders on the branch project, notably, the Government of Nasarawa State, which he said gave the necessary support to complete structure as well as project consultants, contractors, and the CBN in-house team for their effort towards making the project a reality.

He said the complex comprised of the main and ancillary buildings spread out with parking lots, fuel dump and security posts, water storage and treatment plants among others - positioned as appropriate and approved by the Nasarawa State Building Regulatory Authorities.

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NEWS

STILL CONSULTING ON HIS LIFELONG AMBITION...

Former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu (left) with Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, when Tinubu visited the Royal father in continuation of his consultations/engagements on his ambition to be president in 2023, at Ile-Ife… yesterday

Nigeria’s Oil Royalty, Taxes from Shell Fell by $3.7bn in 2020 Oil company allays fears of exit from Nigeria Peter Uzoho Nigeria suffered a drop of $3.7 billion in taxes and royalties from Shell Companies in the country as the oil major paid just $900 million in 2020, down from $4.6 billion it paid in 2019.

Shell also allayed fear of its purported exit from Nigeria, pledging that it would remain in the country for the long haul.

It also revealed that it was considering strengthening its

offshore operations in the country.

The taxes and royalties’ figures were contained in the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) transactions and operations published by the oil major in its 2021 Briefing Notes officially presented to journalists in Lagos.

Presenting the briefing notes, Country Head, Corporate Relations and Director, SPDC, Mr. Igo Weli, said the company experienced reduction in its taxes

VFD Group Acquires 5% Stake in Nigerian Exchange Group In alignment with its strategic vision of building Africa’s first diverse business ecosystem, industry-agnostic investment company, VFD Group Plc, has acquired a five per cent stake in the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX).

According to a statement yesterday, the investment makes VFD Group one of the NGX’s majority shareholders.

The NGX Group is a leading integrated market infrastructure in Africa, that services the largest economy in Africa and is strengthening the competitiveness of African economies to achieve global prosperity.

As a key player in the continent’s financial markets, NGX plays an active role in shaping the future of the markets through its investment in business innovation and technology.

It provides a wide range of services including listing and trading securities, licensing, market data solutions, ancillary technology, regulation, real estate, and more through its wholly-owned subsidiaries – NGX Exchange, NGX REGCO, and NGX RELCO. According to the Group Managing Director of VFD Group, Nonso Okpala, “our investment in the pioneer exchange company of Nigeria is a strategic play in our ecosystem build, that ensures we are driving global prosperity by investing in businesses that have potential, helping them maximise their potential and supporting the platform that can help portray

them to the world.

“Our investment in the NGX Group as the exchange company of choice is due to the wide range of services offered and how they are positioned for growth.

“Our interest in the NGX, is borne out of our desire to be a key player within the exchange business in Nigeria, contribute to the deepening of the Nigerian capital market and be a catalyst for capital formation within the Nigerian economy.

“With over a decade of operations, VFD Group has carved a niche for itself with over N50 billion in equities invested in over 40 businesses without bias for sector or geography and we believe that our stake in the NGX will improve investor confidence in our country, drive capital appreciation and diversify our asset class.” he said.

Founded in 2009, VFD Group’s business model allows it to operate in major sectors of the economy through its portfolio businesses, providing Financial Advisory, Asset Management, Real Estate, Technology, Debt and Private Funds Management Services, Hospitality, Insurance Brokerage, and Media, identifying solution-driven, consumer-centric businesses with growth and economic potential.

It also goes a step further by providing investee companies with the required resources and guidance needed to maximise potential.

and royalty payment into the Nigerian government’s coffers due majorly to the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.

“COVID-19 was responsible for the change you noticed in our reports. We all know how the pandemic affected the oil industry as it was noticed in the crash in demand for crude oil and how the price also fell to a level never seen in modern history.

“In 2019, our taxes and royalty stood at $4.6 billion but as you could, see this figure came down to $900 million in 2020. This has improved in the 2021 report and when the report is made available, you will be able to see this improvement,” Weli said.

Shell also disclosed that it spent $800 million on contracts to Nigerian companies in 2020, explaining that this was also a

reduction from spending on the same variable in the previous year.

The company said it also paid $2.8 billion from 2000 to 2021, adding that another part of its socio-economic system was the over 2000 members of staff in its operations with majority of them as Nigerians.

The Shell's spokesman, however stated that the oil major was in Nigeria for the long haul, adding

that the company was instead looking at strengthening its offshore operations in the country, dispelling rumours about Shell's planned exit from Nigeria.

“We’ve heard some people say we are going to leave Nigeria.

No, that is not true. There is no way we are going to leave Nigeria. We are instead, looking at strenghtening our offshore operations," Weli stated.

NLC, CBN, CEOs Give Reasons Why Banks’ Staff Cannot Declare Assets Juliet Akoje in Abuja.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have said it would not be feasible for workers in the banking sector to declare their assets.

The committee of bank chief executive officers (CEOs) also held same position.

They spoke at a public hearing on a bill seeking to amend the Bank Employees (declaration of assets) Act 2004 conducted by the House of Representatives Committee on Financial Crimes.

Represented by its Head of Research, Dr.Onoho'Omhen Ebhohimhen at the hearing, the NLC said workers in the banks were not public officers.

He added: "Employees in the banking and other financial institutions are not public officers.

It is important to say that workers do not own banks and are not directors of banks. Workers in the bank labour and in return, they are paid wages.

“Therefore, we say that Clause 3 that seeks to bring workers in the financial institutions including banks as if they are public officers need to be corrected because those workers are not public officers and cannot be classified as pubic officers. They are not elected; they are not appointed.

"From the explanatory note, it appears that what you are targeting is acts of money

laundering, corruption and others. If that is the intent, we suggest that the bill is made categorically clear on who this piece of legislation is directed at and not an omnibus legislation.

“We are concerned about that because most of our members in the banks don't even have the money to put in the bank.

"Therefore, we are asking this committee to use the instrumentality of the law to protect the workers in the banking sector who are subject to all manner of exploitation.

“They are not the people who should be captured as money launderers and people who should be prevented from owning bank accounts abroad. Therefore, we submit that only Directors and owners of banks can be captured in the law while workers need to be saved from that malfeasance in the banking industry.

“They are victims of such practices in the banking sector and victims should not be denied their rights."

Also, the CBN which was represented by its Acting Director, Banking Supervisions, Abubakar Shebe, agreed that while those in the public sector were affected by the provision, those in the private sector cannot be compelled to declare their assets.

"While the bill seeks to remove Customs officers from the definition of bank employee, Section 14 of the Act has not

been amended to remove the management and employees of the CBN from such classification.

“We believe such amendment is necessary considering the fact that the management and employees of the CBN are public officers in the meaning of the constitution and therefore bound by the Code of Conduct Act which places a duty on them to declare their assets to the Code of Conduct Bureau.

"The provision that prevents bank employees from owning personal foreign bank account is not expedient since they are private and not a public sector institution.

“The provision will also discourage Nigerians in the diaspora and foreigners from participating in the management of financial institutions.

“So, we recommend that the provision should be deleted because bank employees are not public officers, but private sector workers," the CBN representative said.

In their own presentation, the chairman of the Legal Advisers in the Banking Industry; representatives of the Body of Banks’ CEOs, Chartered Institute of Bankers in Nigeria; and Head, Legal Services, Union Bank Plc, Sesan Sobowale said it may not be easy for bank staff to identify whether their spouse owned assets or not.

"Our view is that the

amendment should restricted to those bank employees alone as it may not be feasible to them to know his or her spouse’s assets for various reasons.

“He or she may not even know that the spouse has acquired an asset.

“We are also aware that spouses can have investment that are not known to their better half and since these declarations are going to be made on oath, it means that it is be made at the risk of criminal sanction.

"We acknowledge the rationale for this provisions which is that it is possible that bank employees transfer assets to their spouses. But there is already a provision in the principal act which confers power on the appropriate authority to investigate the assets of such spouse, parents and associates.

“In view of this, the new provision may not be necessary after all because existing provision allow for the investigation of assets of those spouses,” they added.

In his contribution, Chief of Staff to Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, who was represented

by Hadiza Gamawa Zubairu, said, "we do adopt part of the submissions made by the central bank where it highlighted the area of changing the title of the bill from ‘bank employees’ to ‘financial institutions employees.’

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COMMENT

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

PRESIDENTIAL DITHERING ON ELECTORAL BILL There is no rational basis for Buhari’s hesitation to sign the electoral bill, writes Bolaji Adebiyi

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peculations were rife yesterday that President Muhammadu Buhari would assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2022. The media quoted presidency sources just like THISDAY was assured on Sunday that the president would sign on Monday. That did not happen. If it happens today, the president would have done a noble and honourable thing as he would have left a strong legacy of queuing behind the forces that fought for cleaner electoral processes for the country.

Though coming a little bit late, it would still be better late than never.

He would now be seen to have bowed to public pressure. Something uncommon with his stubborn character. Only last Tuesday in Abuja, a coalition of civil society organisations protested his dithering to sign the bill. Coming before the president the sixth time, having declined assent on five previous occasions, the CSOs thought the president needed to act with urgency particularly because further delays would affect the Independent National Electoral Commission’s timetable for the 2023 general elections.

The president had characteristically ignored them and their concerns.

The only seeming response was that of Femi Adesina, a presidential media aide, who said his boss might sign within the time frame provided by the 1999 Constitution as altered. That would lapse on Monday, the proposed legislation having been transmitted to the president on 31 January 2022.

The presidential hesitation to assent confirms social policy critics’ position that the reason given by the president for his fifth veto of the bill was a smokescreen and that the real purpose was to block the enormous possibilities for electoral fidelity that the proposed legislation promised.

Despite the many fine points of the amendment bill, including the introduction of electronic technology into the electoral process, which many analysts said would minimise manipulations, Buhari refused assent on the ground that a single clause, 87, denied political parties of choices, offended individual rights and would be expensive to implement. Although there were plausible arguments against these complaints, many Nigerians prevailed on the National Assembly to rework the bill in accordance with the wish of the president, not because he was right but in order to save the overall advantages of the proposed legislation.

Now, 27 days after the recommitted bill was transmitted, the president had neither signed nor returned it for further legislative consideration. What is more, there had been no official communication on the reason for this dithering safe for the speculation that the president might be uncomfortable with clause 84 of the bill, which bars political appointees from vying for elective office or being delegates to party primaries. This is unfortunate and it shows more than ever before the president’s habitual lousy and lackadaisical approach to public policy.

Assuming that was the president’s objection, why would he not raise it for public debate and timely rework by the legislature given that time was running out for a change in the electoral law that would guide the 2023 general elections? In any case, what does the clause say?

“No political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be

REJECTING THE BILL A SIXTH TIME WOULD AMOUNT TO EXCESSIVE USE OF EXECUTIVE POWER OF VETO, WHICH WOULD DEFEAT THE CONCEPT OF BALANCE OF POWER THAT IS THE BASIS OF THE PREVAILING PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT

voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election,” it says.

The president, it was said, believed that this would circumscribe the constitutional right of political appointees and make them ineligible for elective offices.

Obviously, the president’s thinking appears to have been influenced by persons around him who, though they hold political appointments, are interested in contesting elective offices shortly. This kind of enlightened self-interest and undue influence peddling is precisely the mischief that the proposed provision intends to cure. And if the president had adverted his mind to this, he would have found that his objection had no ground to stand on either on point of the constitution or legal precedent.

On point of principle, the clause complained of is not new. It is similar to the existing section 87 (8) of Electoral Act 2010, which states: “A political appointee at any level shall not be an automatic voting delegate at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of nomination of candidates for any election, except where such a political appointee is also an officer of a political party.”

Looking at the mischief that this provision intends to cure, the president is wrong on at least three counts. Individual rights are not absolute as the constitution prescribes that they could be abridged by a reasonably justifiable law of the legislature; law-making is the constitutional function of the legislature; and rejecting the bill a sixth time would amount to excessive use of executive power of veto, which would defeat the concept of balance of power that is the basis of the prevailing presidential system of government.

Although some political analysts have complained that the clause amounts to interfering in the internal processes of political parties, this critique fails to appreciate the practical reality that forced the legislature to opt for this concept. The entire section 87, which prescribes the processes for the selection of candidates for elective offices was introduced in 2010 when it became obvious that the executive at all levels had hijacked the internal processes of the parties to the exclusion of other stakeholders.

Taking advantage of the provision of their parties’ constitutions, which allowed the executive’s (the president and the governors) political appointees to be automatic delegates to the special congresses and national conventions for the purpose of electing candidates for political offices, that arm of government became so overbearing that it completely overwhelmed all the other stakeholders. In some cases, governors bloated delegates list with over a thousand appointees appointed on the eve of congresses.

Confronted by these executive excesses, the legislature decided to use its law-making function as a political tool to balance the equation by introducing section 87 that streamlined the indirect primaries (delegates) mode of selection of candidates, which says only elected persons could be delegates to the congresses and national conventions of parties. This was also the reasoning behind the contentious clause 84 that has now been redrafted.

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

UKRAINE: US, NATO MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE Soyombo Opeyemi blames the turmoil in Ukraine at the doorstep of Washington

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or weeks, from CNN through BBC to Al Jazeera, we are fed the same diet on a daily basis. We run the risk of being victims of intellectual kwashiorkor. Hence some of us have to cry out!

This exercise is not in defence of President Vladimir Putin, a dictator of no mean measure. I reject fascism, communism, Nazism, militarism, sit-tightism and all forms of tyranny.

Putin epitomises monocracy. I like democracy of the Westminster model. The United States presidential system of government is fascinating. When it comes to the rule of law, freedom and right to dissent, I belong to the West (the US). I reject the strangulating, despotic governments in China and Russia.

They are open sore on our humanity. The Kim Dynasty in North Korea must fall. Everything must be done to bring down autocracy everywhere in the world. The world must stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Myanmar (Burma), Chad, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, etc., and take all legitimate measures, including use of force, to remove the unconstitutional governments and usurpers of political power.

However, I reject the month-long mobilisation of mass hysteria against Russia through the agencies of instant communication - the Cable News Network (CNN), British Broadcasting Corporation and Al Jazeera. I refuse to be hypnotised. The Ukraine crisis (now developing into a full-scale war), which has claimed over 14,000 lives, is deplorable. The blame for the deadly turmoil rests squarely at the doorstep of Washington. The United States, through the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), is obsessed stealthily with the ambition to emerge the only super power in the globe. The

notion of ‘balance of power’ is anathema to the American establishment. The European Union, United Kingdom and other allies in NATO are mere pawns on the power chessboard of America.

The US is neurotically against a bi-polar world.

After using the so-called allies to achieve a unipolar world of its dream, it will dispense with their services. Did America not stab France, a major ally, in the back recently by undercutting it through the Australia-UK-US pact on nuclear-powered submarine in Australia? The uppercut delivered by Washington to Paris was so devastating that France had to withdraw its ambassador to the United States! Looks surreal; looks impossible! “Yea, you’re dispensable; you’re our ally only on our own terms” - the import of the US message to France.

The European member states had better open their eyes before it is too late. Recall the infamous statement of ex-Prime Minister of UK, Tony Blair - “I will be with you, whatever!” Yes, UK, France and others went everywhere with the then President George Bush blindfolded. By the time President Joe Biden withdrew American troops from Afghanistan, he practically didn’t remember any ally for consultation!

What is the purpose of NATO after the dissolution of Warsaw Pact? NATO should have dissolved after the fall of communism, disintegration of Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and fall of Berlin Wall. How can you have military bases all over the world, if there are no ulterior motives? The US once mooted the idea of having another military base in the Gulf of Guinea, in the backyard of Nigeria. In a strident article, this writer reacted against it.

In the current face-off with the West (the US), we must align with Russia in order to ensure a

bi-polar world, where there is balance of power.

Personally, I do not want to look back from my grave and observe my future generation in chains of political, legal and economic servitude. I do not wish to watch them at the beck and call of aliens or governed by whims and caprices of their contemporaries in distant Washington D.C. I am not sure there is any leader that is worth his salt either in Russia, China, Nigeria or France that will allow his nation to be surrounded by machinery of annihilation without appropriate and commensurate response. Ever since the dissolution of Warsaw Pact, the US has been moving machinery of force to Eastern Europe through NATO enlargement, cunningly to encircle Russia, another super power.

Hence, Russia is fighting back. The only profound regret is that this battle is not on a diplomatic front but involves blood-letting, which is comprehensibly inadmissible. There is no justified war. Had US abandoned its sly intention to hem in or surround Russia militarily in order to emerge the only super power, there would have been no war in Georgia and currently in Ukraine.

In 1989, the torchbearer of world’s communist ideology made a volte-face and renounced a dogma that had polarized the world. The US establishment/ ultra-nationalists felt supremely elated. Before a stupefied world, President Mikhail Gorbachev declared in February 1990, “We should abandon the ideological dogmatism that became ingrained during the past decades” and followed up the ‘sacrilege’ with an elaborate visit to the United States, where he submitted, “The Cold War is now behind us. Let us not wrangle over who won it.”

Apparently, the Soviet President deluded himself with that submission. The War had been won and

lost. The US wasted no time in sending the message of a new empire or a new world order. Warsaw Pact may die as it was bound to but not NATO; in fact, unified Germany must be a member of NATO; and US-controlled NATO must reap in full the spoils of war through expansion and occupation of the ‘defeated territories’ in Eastern Europe. To achieve this, the US continued to massage the ego of Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin and their successors while pushing the apparatus of death to their doorstep under different guises in order to realize its dream of a unipolar world. The American establishment nurtures mortal fear for an unreined Russia. With her long-range nuclear missile arsenals, air and sea-launched cruise missiles, intercontinental ballistic missiles with chemical weapons not yet fully dismantled and a host of weather-beaten Cold War generals still in the force, Russia may have lost the ideological battle of communism to the US capitalism but it is not yet drowned militarily. Of course, America is not in a hurry in its strategy of containment of the former arch foe - it took some five decades for communism to be defeated - but the process of achieving the American Empire must be jump-started under different guises (a process which the US no less regards as supremely adroit). Russia can see through the slyness, camouflage, hence his counter actions, which have rattled the US and will surely return CIA, Pentagon and the military-industrial complex to the drawing board. Russia’s counter actions in Georgia must be viewed in the context of an effective riposte to the US manoeuvres in some countries close to its borders.

Soyombo, media practitioner and public affairs analyst, sent this contribution from Abeokuta via densityshow@yahoo.com

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EDITORIAL DEATH OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS The culprits should be prosecuted to serve as a lesson

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he Delta State government has shut down a nursery and primary school in Asaba after a teacher allegedly flogged a 19-month-old pupil to death. Some two days before the incident, another two-year-old pupil was allegedly brutalised by a teacher in a private nursery and primary school in the Mazamaza area of Lagos.

Earlier in January, Hanifa Abubakar, a five-year-old pupil of Nobel Kids School at Kwanar Dakata in the Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano State, was kidnapped and killed by the proprietor of the school she was attending. All these raise pertinent questions: How do we entrust children to these beasts? What can be done to stop the malaise?

The crisis of our educational sector becomes more perplexing when parents can no longer send their children or wards THE ASABA INCIDENT IS to school without A CASE OF CRUELTY AND the fear that they CHILD ABUSE. A 19-MONTH- could be beaten CHILD IS STILL A BABY. to death by those THERE IS NO DEFINITION OF who owe them a DISCIPLINE THAT ENTITLES duty of care. The A TEACHER TO ADMINISTER Asaba incident SUCH PRIMITIVE ABUSE AND is, for instance, a case of cruelty EXTREME CRUELTY TO A and child abuse. A TODDLER 19-month-child is still a baby. There is no definition of discipline that entitles a teacher to administer such primitive abuse and extreme cruelty to a toddler. The culprits not only deserve the fullest punishment available to law for abusive homicide, but this case ought also to compel the Delta State Education authorities to carry out a thorough audit of all private pre-school, primary and related institutions.

There needs to be a recertification of these schools and the closure of all sub-standard ones. To assist the prosecution of this case, the state judiciary needs to invoke the full force of all existing child rights legislations.

However, this is a national problem. The challenge

Letters to the Editor

at hand has more to do with the near absence of any regulatory framework for the registration of schools in many of the 36 states where substandard facilities are being allowed to operate as pre-school and primary schools. The basic requirement of fit and proper persons does not seem to mean anything to the concerned authorities. The result is the series of deadly child abuse cases that have recently come to light.

M T H I S D AY EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU DEPUTY EDITORS WALE OLALEYE, OBINNA CHIMA MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR ISRAEL IWEGBU CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN MANAGING EDITOR BOLAJI ADEBIYI THE OMBUDSMAN KAYODE KOMOLAFE

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

any questions beg for answers. How do we protect children from the excesses of abusive persons masquerading as teachers and child caregivers operating in substandard facilities? Do we conduct necessary checks (criminal record checks) on the teachers in whose care the children are placed? Do we conduct routine health checks to ascertain the mental state of those recruited to teach our children? Where is the place of education inspectors? Even when inspections are done, are the report made public/online to guide parents in the choice of schools for their wards? How involved are the Parents Teachers Association (PTAs) in the administration of these schools?

Of particular concern is that many of the cases of abuse of pupils by their teachers occur in states that have domesticated the Child Rights Act to protect these minors. This growing brutality therefore requires a compelling national response. The mental state of the handlers of these innocent children can no longer be taken for granted. In addition to testing their technical competences, structures should be put in place at all levels to approve and monitor the psychological integrity of teachers in nursery, primary and secondary schools.

Meanwhile, prompt, and adequate prosecution of suspects in recent cases would surely help in stemming the evil tide. We must not wait for this sadism to become an epidemic before taking potent preventive and punitive actions. There is also a need for parents to be more circumspect. They have an obligation to discreetly vet the kind of schools and teachers they entrust their children to safeguard them from being harmed.

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.

THIRD FORCE OR THIRD FARCE?

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ith the wind of the 2023 general elections forcefully blowing through the country, fanning the flames of succession and causing phoney predictions to hurtle around, Nigerians know they are in for exciting rides in thoroughly exciting times.

The reasons for these are myriad indeed.

Whatever the last seven years of the eight-year long presidency of Mr. Muhammadu Buhari have been, Nigerians could have foreseen going by well-known antecedents, but did not foresee. Hope had been brightly kindled when Nigerians summoned a political will that many had put beyond them to send the presidency of Mr. Goodluck Jonathan packing from Aso Rock.

President Muhammadu Buhari came in promising to do so much. But the promise which especially stood out was the vow that corruption would be fought to a standstill. When the President admitted shortly after his assumption of office that he was shocked at the sheer enormity of Nigeria`s problems, many suspected that all along, in their frenzy to unseat the PDP and Mr. Goodluck Jonathan, the President and the APC had not paid enough attention to the depredations the Giant of Africa had gone through for many years. In a country of spotted hyenas, perhaps, it had become almost impossible to tell the difference between the hyena and the leopard.

Now, seven years down the line, a battle royale is seemingly

afoot between the PDP and the APC over the leadership of a country that has known unspeakable plunder at the hands of the same men who populate both parties. While the PDP will be out to show that its historic defeat in 2015 was a mere slip, the APC will be out to show that its victory was no fluke.

Decidedly, the APC and the PDP will fight as two elephants, but sufferance will be reserved for the Nigerian electorate who already cannot bear the thought of being led by those rumored to be the leading contenders to clinch the tickets of the two powerhouse parties.

But there may yet be another twist in the tale, another player to whip yet more excitement. On Tuesday, February 22, 2022, some prominent politicians who included former governor of Kano State Rabiu Kwankwaso, Senator Suleiman Hunkunyi of Kaduna State, ex-minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung; Alhaji Buba Galadima gathered to form what they called a third force to wrestle power from All Progressives Congress, (APC), in the 2023 general elections. The group gathered under the aegis of The National Movement which they said would help rally Nigerians to forge a common front to save the country from collapse. Also in attendance at the occasion were other prominent Nigerians like Tanko Yakassai; Senator Grace Bent; Senator Umale Shittu; Ibrahim Ringim; Rufai Hanga ,among others.

At the occasion, it was Kwankwaso who clearly stated that the aim of the group was to rescue and redeem Nigeria from

a difficult situation. He also stated that plans were in place to register the group as a political party.

Now, only very few Nigerians would argue that their beloved country is not on the brink. Fewer still would argue that it is not in need of rescue. There is no doubt that the country is in need of a change, the changed and changers.

With the APC which strongly promised change in 2015 struggling so much to do all it promised, Nigerians should be wary of another party promising change in the country.

Nigerian politicians sure know how to reinvent themselves and stay relevant no matter the season. This is the reason Nigeria has so many politicians who plunder the country in one party only to move to another party to escape prosecution and to stay relevant.

There is no doubt that with the stakes in the 2023 general elections as high as they have been in years, there would be politicians who would attempt to pull themselves out of political obscurity by joining existing political parties or forming new alliances so as to share in the bazaar that politics and elections have unfortunately become in Nigeria.

What the country needs is leaders who are themselves changed and are ready to change things in the country for good. What Nigeria needs is not new political parties but politicians with new hearts. Until then, farce would continue to trump any force for good.

Kene Obiezu, keneobiezu@gmail.com

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POLITICS

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

The Completion Agenda and Exit Strategy of Governor Emmanuel Linus Effiong insists that the choice of Pastor Umo Eno as the favoured governorship candidate of Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State is an informed choice

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overnance is defined as a system by which a state or an organization operates, or is controlled and the mechanism by which it, and its people, are held to account. Since its creation about 35 years ago, Akwa Ibom state has passed through the leadership of 10 Administrators with different styles of governance aimed at developing the state. Suffice it to say that each of these administrations came out with policies and programmes which successive administrations built on. When the incumbent Governor Udom Emmanuel was elected into office in 2015, he left no one in doubt about his intention to govern the state with integrity, prudence and the fear of God. One of the early projects he initiated was the ‘’ Dakkada’’ philosophy, which is all about standing up for the cause the people of the state represent. The mantra is a clarion call to all Akwa Ibomites to realize their potential, and wake up to the fact that everything can be achieved through unity, love, hard work, dedication and honesty. Governor Udom Emmanuel did not mince words in telling the people that the initiative was not about any political party, himself or his predecessors. It is heart-warming to see that the Udom administration has lived up to this mantra by embarking on various development programmes under what can rightly be described as his completion agenda. Right from outset, Governor Udom Emmanuel had his eyes on attracting investments to the state. The state industrial revolution programme he introduced has led to the establishment of many industries that have generated employment opportunities for the teeming population of youths in the state.

Never in the history of Akwa Ibom state, has one administration been able to attract so many industries within such a short time.

Akwa Ibom state now boasts of a syringe manufacturing factory, said to be the largest in Africa, a meter manufacturing company and a fertilizer plant. Another significant investment in the state is the flour mill in Onna, which has the capacity to produce 500- tons of flour per day. In all, there are more than 10 large and small scale industries, including a fertilizer blending plant in Abak, an international market in Eket and a coconut refinery in Mkpat- Enin. Already, arrangements have reached an advanced stage for the reactivation of the moribund Akwa Oil Palm Plantation which has the capacity of making Nigeria a leading Oil Palm exporting country.

This is in addition to the existence of other oil palm processing mills, palm kernel processing plants, integrated farms, a starch manufacturing facility, a rice mill and other agro-allied factories in different parts of the state. The Udom administration has also made some progress on the 4.2billion- dollar Ibom Deep Seaport Project which will be of great economic benefits, not only to the state government, but also the federal government. It is worthy to note that most of these projects are Foreign Direct Investments, which amounted to 18.361 billion dollars in the 1st quarter of 2017.

Economic experts attribute the high inflow of investments in the state to the ingenuity and focus of Governor Udom Emmanuel and the provision of infrastructure like good roads, independent power plant, a 5-star hotel and an airport by previous administrations. The provision of an airport was an added impetus for the UDOM administration to launch the Ibom Air project, which has made tremendous impact in the Nation’s aviation industry. Today, Ibom Air has almost become a National Carrier with excellent services to the flying public. The recent debut of Ibom Microfinance Limited is a critical complement to the seamless and ongoing Akwa Ibom socio-economic rebirth. To achieve all these, Governor Udom Emmanuel created an ad-hoc committee on Foreign Direct Investment and separated it from politics and civil service bureaucracy. The result of this noble action is what is seen on the ground now which led to the National Bureau for Statistics declaring Akwa Ibom state as the second investment-friendly

state in Nigeria in 2017, after Lagos state. It must however be pointed out that all these would not have been possible, if the state was still engulfed in crisis and violence as was the case in the previous administration.

No state or country achieves meaningful

development in a situation where cultists and criminally minded people walk freely on the streets and unleash mayhem on innocent citizens.

The restoration of peace in the state is one major achievement for which the Udom administration deserves tremendous commendation. Governor

The Nigeria Agenda’s Unity Crusade Ahead 2023 Segun Awofadeji reports on the launch of the advocacy group, The Nigeria Agenda in North-east states, using Bauchi as a base

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auchi State stood still on Wednesday February 9, 2022, as the North-east zone of The Nigeria Agenda, an advocacy group with intent at orchestrating the new spirit of Nigerianess devoid of tribal, religious and regional inclinations. The launch event was witnessed by members of the National Prosperity Movement and about 50 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Students, Women Groups, religious leaders and other stakeholders.

Earlier on Tuesday, 8 February, 2022, members of the TNA led by the Chief Convener/Chief Executive, Hon. Ahmed Sajoh paid an advocacy visit to one of Nigeria’s renowned Islamic Scholar, Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi in his house along Bauchi - Gombe road to a warm reception, ahead of their meeting the following day.

The Scholar who stressed the need for Nigerians to put sentiments aside and see to the success of the Nigeria Project, equally enjoined Nigerians to come together towards ensuring a strong, virile and united nation.

Dahiru Bauchi emphasized that without peace and unity no meaningful progress can be made, he therefore prayed for peace and unity so that one Nigeria will continue to exist.

The ceremony proper, which attracted stakeholders from across the North-east sub- region, was full of splendour, pomp and ceremony, was held at the prestigious Command Guest House, Bauchi. Different speakers on the occasion expressed their desire and interest to engender a new Nigeria that will bring enhanced security, unity and development. All the speakers were very emphatic in their call for new leadership that will ensure inclusiveness and transparency in government come 2023.

The Special Guest of Honour, an elder statesman, Alhaji Yerima Aliyu Giade, stressed the need for leaders with excep-

tional character and skills as critical to Nigeria’s development.

According to him, “We want continuity and a person with a good agenda, so the project is timely. We want an agenda with an actor who is serious.”

Giade supports The Nigeria Agenda mission, adding the programme would translate well in the choice of leadership.

He further called on Nigerians not to focus on political parties during the 2023 general elections but on the candidates the political parties are fielding saying that it is the elected person that will be held accountable for any failure, not the political parties.

He emphasized that political pressure groups in the country like ‘The Nigeria Agenda’ should go round the country to sensitize the citizens on the need for them to set aside ethno-religious biases and sectionalism in the choice of candidates in the 2023 General elections.

He expressed optimism that if such was properly done, the 2023 General elections will produce the kind of leaders who will move the country forward, positively.

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

Udom Emmanuel has succeeded in rescuing the state from the grips of cultists and kidnappers and returned it to God. The spate of kidnappings and murders that were the order of the day has drastically reduced. Nevertheless, with less than two years to the expiration of Udom Emmanuel two- term tenure, there are many projects that are either at their early implementation stage or nearing completion. This has raised concerns on continuity at the end of the tenure of the incumbent Governor.

At this juncture, the issue of the choice of the next person that will conduct the affairs of the state after Governor Udom Emmanuel becomes very crucial, as this can make or mar the progress so far recorded. As always the case in politics, there are divergent opinions on this issue. Many aspirants within the dominant party in the state, the PDP, and the opposition parties have indicated their interest to occupy the Government House in Uyo come 2023. In the PDP, Governor Udom Emmanuel, after wide consultations with most of the stakeholders in the Akwa Ibom Project, has endorsed the current Commissioner for Lands and Water Resources, Pastor Umo Eno as his preferred aspirant to succeed him. Pastor Umo Eno is a familiar name in both the private and public sectors.

As an entrepreneur in wealth creation and innovative managerial acumen, he was the Gurvnor/ Chief Executive Officer of Royalty Group, a company he founded in 1997 with business interest in hospitality, manufacturing and in the Oil/ Gas sector, providing employment for over 500 direct people across the country.

He began his career in 1982 when he joined the banking industry, working with Union Bank, and ventured into private business with Bertola Machine Tools between 1985 and 1990. He later joined Norman Holdings Limited from 1990 to 1997 where he left as Group General Manager, Commercial Services to establish Royalty Hotels and Recreations Limited in 1997, where he serves as Gurvnor and Chief Executive Officer until his resignation to serve in the current state executive council. He has a Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of Uyo and is currently pursuing a Ph.D Programme in the same university. Pastor Umo Eno has held many appointments, including Chairman, Akwa Ibom state Hotels and Tourism Board from 2004-2007.

An alumnus of Pan-African University’s Lagos Business School and a recipient of the National Productivity Award, the PDP Governorship aspirant is also a recipient of a Fellow of Nigerian Catering & Hotel Institute. As the 2 Star Paul Haris Fellow of Rotary Club of Eket District 9140, Pastor Umo Eno has received several awards for his unending public spirited lifestyle. A clergyman, politician, businessman, founder of Royalty Group and Commissioner, Pastor Umo Eno is endowed in pedigree, humility and reform mindedness to administer a richly endowed state as Akwa Ibom. Akwa Ibom state is in dire need of a design thinker, God fearing and a bipartisan development driver as a Governor who will not turn back the hand of the clock. A man who will be able to distinguish between politics and governance, a man who can stand his word side by side with the spirit of the constitution and the oath of office, a man who can consolidate on the progress so far made since the creation of the state.

These are the qualities Governor Udom Emmanuel himself an adept in human asset management must have seen in Pastor Umo Eno, having served in his cabinet as the Commissioner for Lands and Water Resources, before endorsing him as his preferred successor. The good thing about the endorsement of Pastor Umo Eno is that he was NOT just hand-picked by the Governor, but was done with the consent of most of stakeholders in the state. It is now left for other aspirants within the party and the people of Akwa Ibom State in general, to place the interest of the state above all personal interests, in choosing who will be their Governor come 2023. Pastor Umo Eno, a carpenter of ideas seems befitting of the accord.

-Effiong is the spokesperson, Akwa Ibom State Youth Caucus

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2022

21

PERSPECTIVE

Igbokwe Lied About my Position on 2023 Presidential Poll, Says Ajulo

Biden versus Putin, and Some Trump Chido Nwangwu can’t hold back his surprise by the open approval from former American President Donald Trump at Russia’s attack on Ukraine

O

ne of the unwritten protocols and standard of conduct expected of former Presidents of the United States of America is not to offer any form of aid, support or succor to any of the foes and antagonists of the U.S. More so, in the critical unfolding of an anti-democratic, punitive and brazen seizure of the parts of another country (Ukraine) on false assertions and quests to reconstitute whatever is possible of the defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Recall that in its days of extraordinary dominance of the Eurasia region of the world, from its formidable and tough existence from 1922 until its collapse in 1991, the Soviet Union was a counter superpower to the United States! It’s now smaller yet powerful as simply Russia!

The impunity of Putin’s moves against Ukraine and disregard for the global reaction, evidently, became more worrisome for Biden that he asked at his own news event at the White House on February 22, 2022: “Who in the Lord’s name does Putin think gives him

the right to declare new so-called countries on territory that belonged to his neighbours?

This is a flagrant violation of international law and demands a firm response from the international community.”

While President Joe Biden announced new sanctions against Russia following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unilaterally declaring parts of the country of Ukraine (a part of the defunct USSR) “independent” with an Orwellian promise he would send in “peace keeping” troops and “military assistance” to the two Russian-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine.

Biden argued that Putin is merely “setting up a rationale to take more territory by force.”

He made the case that “This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, as he indicated and asked permission to be able to do from his Duma.”

Biden noted. “So I’m going to begin to impose sanctions in response -- far beyond the steps we and our allies and partners implemented in 2014…. If Russia goes further with this invasion, we stand prepared to go further as with sanctions.”

Here’s part of the problem; while Biden has coordinated an effective NATO coalition against Putin’s pugnacity in and around Ukraine, former President Donald J. Trump is praising Putin’s actions as simply “genius”!

-Dr. Nwangwu serves as Founder and Publisher of the first African-owned, U.S-based newspaper on the internet, USAfricaonline. com established USAfrica in 1992 in Houston

Popular Abuja-based lawyer, Dr. Kayode Ajulo disagrees with a statement that disparages President Muhammadu Buhari and Senator Bola Tinubu, which was credited to him

C

onstitutional lawyer and Coordinator, Progressive Lawyers for Osinbajo (PYO), Kayode Ajulo has described the comments credited to him by Mr. Joe Igbokwe, Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Drainage and Water Resources, as falsehood.

Ajulo said the interpretation of his statements by Igbokwe on his social media page is untrue and do not represent the content and context of his TV interview.

He stated this on in a statement personally signed by him in Abuja.

“Apparently, Pa. Igbokwe must have watched another version of interview to have warranted such erroneous misrepresentation of my stances which were simple and clear enough to understand,’ he said.

Igbokwe, had reacted to a national television’s popular political programme interview of Ajulo where he analysed governance under the present administration and the chances of the APC in 2023 presidential election.

According to a thread of posts on Igbokwe’s Facebook page, he claimed that Ajulo mocked President Muhammadu Buhari and a chieftain of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in his interview.

Some of the posts on Igbokwe’s Facebook page were also targeted at the person of the human rights lawyer.

Ajulo, who disregarded these claims, said the clip of his live interview on Politics Today is still on the television’s website for whoever that seeks clarity.

“I am disappointed at how it is very comfortable for somebody in the rank of Pa. Joe Igbokwe to deliberately distort facts for whatever reasons best known to him. I challenge him to present where I made these statements in the interview.

“Asiwaju is a well respected leader across party lines and I even acknowledged his benevolence towards me in that interview but it’s unfortunate that did not interest Pa Igbokwe.

“I’m a known defender of President Buhari both in Court of Law and in public space.

“My reference to Mr. President’s health was on the basis of his own statements that

his age tells on his performance, that he could have even performed more than he has done.

“How does referencing age and having personal preference for a younger and more competent person to become the next president of Nigeria translate to insults?

“And if I had quoted the many important responsibilities on the desk of the Vice President as part of reasons he has not officially declared to run for president, how does it mean to saying another person is jobless.

“This is simply a matter of perceptive of priority for Prof. Osinbajo as at this time period.

“Therefore, Joe Igbokwe should be bold enough to vent his thoughts and stand by them.

“He cannot stylishly hang his hidden thoughts on my open and harmless statements. For me, this puts a question tag on Baba Igbokwe’s loyalty to his mind and even his principal,” Ajulo said.

-Dr. Ajulo is the Principal Partner at the Castle of Law, Abuja NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

Impeachment of Zamfara Dep. Gov. Affront on Democracy, Power Shift Isn’t the Answer Rule of Law NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko argues that previous attempt’s to fashion a constitution that will serve all Nigerians have not Muhammed Kadade Suleiman threatens to mobilize been successful, because the country needs fundamental Nigerians youths to protest against the recent impeachment of the Deputy Governor of Zamfara State restructuring

T

he ongoing unholy conspiracies, greed for central power and unbridled arrogance being displayed by politicos who did not in any way contribute to the pressure that made power shift possible, might cost my region and the entire country the most of this golden opportunity.

We may wish to remind ourselves that the cry for justice, equity, sense of belonging, fairness and level playing field for all, inspired the now-agreed power shift. That lack or absence of equal opportunities and fair treatment for all, resulting to disaffection and loss of faith, led to bitterness and agitations.

That the unjust unitary structure deliberately skewed against certain people and region, provided ammunition powering lack of interest in the system and then, agitations.

That the brutal and unkind response and erroneous strategy of containment applied by the authorities, only deepened and convoluted the crisis to the point that the land began to hemorrhage, resulting to economic paralysis and sparks of violence leading to killings, arson and shutdowns.

That the now-disappeared brutal brigandage of ruthless armed herdsmen, contributed greatly to the apprehension and fears that led to the emergence of armed militias all over the land, that stole peace away from the land, creating sharp divisions and deepening the crisis.

It is also important for all to remember that the cry for a restructuring of the country has been on for decades.

The refusal to restructure the country before

now, created over half of our problems.

That the patriots, NADECO, eminent citizens, Afenifere and other regional bodies have been consistent in their plea for a peaceful and consensual reorganisation of the country’s unkind and unhealthy unitary structure foisted on the country by military regimes. That this unresolved structural issues will not be resolved by power shift.

That from the Aburi Accord, the Abacha political conference, the Obasanjo National Conference, to the Jonathan CONFAB, the nation has been yearning for a holistic and wholesome reconstruction to true federalism and devolution of power, consensually agreed in order to move the country forward.

That the consensual restructuring of the country would enthrone stability, peace and harmony, giving every section a sense of belonging, granting political progress and economic growth.

The understanding that the task ahead is grave and delicate would help remove selfcentered excitement that breeds conspiracy of power, greed and hubris.

May this opportunity not be mishandled as usual.

By allowing greed for power, arrogance and conspiracies to becloud our senses and make the mistake of forgetting the onerous and sensitive task ahead in rejuvenating and rebuilding our country, we may be bungling this unique opportunity. God forbid.

-Ugochukwu-Uko is the Founder, Igbo Youth Movement

W

e are all witness to the heinous act of lawlessness on the part of the government in Zamfara State. In total disregard to the pending suit instituted by the Deputy Governor, Barrister Mahdi Aliyu Gusau against moves to commence impeachment. The Governor, Bello Matawalle, who ironically was one of the biggest beneficiaries of a free and fair judiciary, went against reason and common sense to wage a war of aggression against the Deputy Governor and Nigerian youths in general. What is even more condemnable is the manner in which the three arms of government left important issues of insecurity bedeviling innocent indigenes of the state to focus on a personal vendetta. If only such decisiveness was used to address more important issues in the State.

Assuming office at the age of 38, the Deputy Governor was no doubt the poster-boy of the Not-Too-Young-To-Run campaign which led to the signing of an Act to lower the age requirements for elective offices in Nigeria. The fact that no allegation was made against his competence or capacity to hold and discharge the activities of the office makes it even more brazen and reckless.

On account of this act of unconstitutional-

ity, we are calling on the legislative arm of government in Zamfara State to reverse this decision and maintain “status quo” as directed by the Court. In the event that the legislature, who seem to be acting in consort with the two other arms to make mockery of the law, fails to act in accordance with Order of the Court, we would be left with no option than to mobilize Nigerian youths and embark on a nationwide protest to challenge this clear attack on the constitution and further chances of our success in politics.

In conclusion, we wish to state to Nigerians and our fellow youths to observe the clear distinction between the PDP and the APC. Whilst the PDP is clearly seeking to maximize and harness the potential of its teeming youth by engaging and providing a platform for the youths to realize their political ambition. The ruling APC is clearly a party with no interest of the youths at heart.

This is not surprising considering the fact that the party is still yet to put its house in order even in the most basic of terms. What is important is for them to however realize that the people are now better informed and the era of politicians taking the youths for granted is in the past.

- Suleiman is the National Youth Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party

22

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2022 •T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022

23

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET

A S

A T

REPO

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

08056356325

F E B R U A R Y

S & P INDEX

2 4 , 2 0 2 2

S & P INDEX

EXCHANGE RATE

OBB

9.00%

CALL

4%

INDEX LEVEL

564.02%

1/4 TO DATE

5.82%

N413.03/ 1 US DOLLAR*

OVERNIGHT

10.75%

1-MONTH

6%

1-DAY

–0.17%

YEAR TO DATE

– 15.85%

*AS AT LAST FRIDAY

3-MONTH

10%

MONTH-TO-DATE

0.19%

With Cannabis, Cocaine Worth $4bn Seized in 10 Years, Nigeria’s Drug Trafficking, Consumption Hit New High 94,261 traffickers arrested Experts attribute spike to quest for illicit wealth

Chinedu Eze Nigeria’s drug trafficking and consumption is spiraling out of control, as it has emerged that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) seized cannabis and cocaine with a street value of $3.8 billion and $68.17 million respectively in the last 10 years.

The price of cocaine varies

depending on numerous factors.

The most important factors are location and purity.

Cocaine comes from coca leaves.

The Coca plant grows in South America, primarily Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru.

Due to shipping costs, the farther a buyer is from South America, the more drug traffickers will charge for cocaine. For example, one kilogram

of cocaine costs about $1800 in Colombia, up to $34,500 in New York City as much as $45,000 in Anchorage, Alaska.

Conversely, cannabis has a street value of $68.4 per gram in Japan for example, $110.0 per gram in the United Arab Emirates and as much as $22.1 per gram in Singapore. 1000 grams = 1 kilo.

Analysis of NDLEA numbers

obtained by THISDAY showed that in the last 10 years, drug trafficking has assumed a new high with more people engaged in the illicit trade.

Documents made available to THISDAY by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency revealed that every year, more drugs are trafficked and more persons got involved in the illegal business.

NDLEA officials who spoke

to THISDAY on the condition of anonymity said the desire to get rich quick and moral decadence occasioned by social media and the Internet has made young boys and girls to use drugs to escape from the drudgeries of the day and then became addicted.

A breakdown of the NDLEA numbers showed that in 2012 the agency seized cannabis worth 228,

794.13 kg, Cocaine, 131.89, Heroin, 211.03, others, 3, 905.45 bringing to a total of 233, 699.6. Those arrested in that year were 7, 510 males and 542 females, making a total of 8052.

In 2013, the agency seized cannabis worth, 205, 373, cocaine, 290.20, heroin, 24.53, others 134, 280.38 and total was 339, 968.11. Those arrested Continued on page 26

Report: Digitalisation of Social Protection, Humanitarian Payments Enhancing Financial Inclusion in Nigeria Eromosele Abiodun A joint report from FSD Africa, Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (EFInA) and the GSMA, and conducted by Strategic Impact Advisors (SIA), has revealed that a gradual transition from physical cash transfers to digital would improve the recipients’ usage.

The report noted that although this transition will not be immediately possible everywhere due to limited network connectivity, low mobile phone ownership levels, and low literacy rates among other barriers, it outlined different opportunities for social protection and humanitarian actors, and the private sector, to work together to

support increased access to digital payments for poor and vulnerable recipients of assistance.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been championing the government’s efforts by designing policies that could enhance the transition from physical cash transfers to digital. The CBN is committed to achieving their 95%

financial inclusion target set for 2024.

The report, “Opportunities and Barriers to Digitising Social Protection and Humanitarian Payments in Nigeria,” highlighted the opportunities within digitisation of cash transfers and presented a roadmap for its actualisation.

The study reinforces the need

to create an ecosystem in which recipients could eventually access cash transfers on a permanent digital wallet through their mobile phones, leading invariably to multi-choice usage, which they can then use to transact to meet all of their needs and help to reduce reliance on physical cash.

Also, the report offers

recommendations to improve Nigeria’s capacity to deliver digital payments to the poor.

It points out the need for humanitarian and social protection organizations to work in partnership with the Government and financial service providers to support an Continued on page 26

M A R K E T D ATA A S AT T H U R S D AY, F E B R U A R Y 2 4 , 2 0 2 2 FGN BONDS DESCRIPTION 12.75 27-APR2023 14.20 14-MAR2024 13.53 23-MAR2025 12.50 22-JAN2026 16.2884 17MAR-2027

Price

Yield

BILLS Change (%)

MATURITY

OTC FX F U T U R E S

Discount Yield

Change (%)

106.80

6.60

-0.01

NTB 10-Mar-22

2.87

2.87

0.00

111.08

8.21

-0.01

NTB 28-Apr-22

3.07

3.08

0.00

112.16

8.92

0.00

NTB 12-May-22 3.13

3.15

0.00

107.71

10.06 0.00

NTB 9-Jun-22

3.24

3.27

10.46 0.00

NTB 14-Jul-22

3.38

3.43

122.43

CONTRACT TENOR (MONTH) 1

Contract

Current Rate ($/₦)

NGUS MAR 30 2022 427.24

2

NGUS APR 27 2022 428.93

3

NGUS MAY 25 2022 430.63

0.00

4

NGUS JUN 29 2022 432.32

0.00

5

NGUS JUL 27 2022

434.02

C Ps MATURITY

Discount Yield

Change (%)

UNCP CP VI 2-MAY-22 NEVE CP I 24MAY-22 DANC CP II 25MAY-22 TRBH CP V 26JUL-22 FSDH CP VI 1-AUG-22

8.76

8.91

0.00

16.25

16.92 0.00

8.67

8.86

11.43

12.00 0.00

8.14

8.44

0.00

0.00

24

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

AIR WATCH

Iwuajoku: Execujet, Caverton Facilities A I R Not Designated for Demolition WATCH Chinedu Eze

It has been confirmed that Executive Maintenance and Repair Organisation (MRO), Execujet and Caverton Helicopters are not part of the facilities designated by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) for demolition to create jet way for the new international terminal at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

This was confirmed by the Chairman and CEO of Quits Aviation Services Limited, Dr Sam Iwuajoku who told THISDAY that these hangar operators are not in any way obstructing the access to the new terminal.

The new terminal which was built with Chinese loan alongside other terminals at the airports in Port Harcourt, Abuja and Kano has not been put into use due to lack of maneuvering space (jet way) and access for aircraft that would board and disembark passengers at the terminal.

THISDAY learnt that the hangars that would be affected are Evergreen and Domino and the Lagos office of Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) but FAAN had secured alternative place for the two operators.

“The new terminal has nothing to do with Execujet, the safety envelope area where plane can move into the place is by Evergreen and Domino.

These are the two areas blocking the entrance to the jet way of the new terminal. It does not affect Caverton and Execujets,” Iwuajoku said.

THISDAY investigation also revealed that the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika had inspected the area and an official of FAAN disclosed that officials from the Ministry of Aviation have started holding talks with the affected companies on how to relocate their operations to the new place.

“What happened was that senior officials from the Ministry came some time ago to relocate Evergreen. When they came, they finally found a place where they are going to put Evergreen, they have given them land; it is just after cargo terminal area. And they also gave Domino a place there. What they have to do is to disassemble what they have here and go and assemble them back there,” FAAN official told THISDAY. THISDAY also learnt that already the federal government has started

servicing the loans borrowed from Chinese Exim bank for the construction of the terminal and the other ones at the aforementioned airports, as the ones at Port Harcourt, Kano and Abuja airports have been put into use The terminal facility in Lagos would have been operational since early last year but for the lack of space for the movement of aircraft in the new infrastructure.

“It is terrible for government to be paying interest on an airport terminal that they are not using.

We have airport facility that is ready but they are not using it because of those two hangars. It is not the fault of the hangar owners; it is the fault of the Minister at that time for not carrying FAAN engineers along in choosing a place where the new terminal would be built. They went and located that terminal at the wrong side of the airport,” a source at the airport told THISDAY. An industry stakeholder advised the Ministry of Aviation to secure presidential order to repossess the areas the two hangars are located for public use, as alternative places have been given to them.

Nigeria Loses 2,038 Passengers to Air Crashes in 53yrs, Says AIB-N

Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

The Accident Investigation Bureau, Nigeria (AIB-N), has hinted that a total of 2,038 (1996 on board passengers and 42 on ground) lives have been lost to air crashes in the country from1969 to 2022.

The agency noted that when an aircraft accident or serious incident occurs, it is always an unexpected and mostly fatal event that causes great distress and loss to the victims and their families.

The Commissioner/CEO, AIB-N, Mr. Akin Olateru, made the disclosure at a press briefing on the International Day for the Commemoration of Air Crash Victims and their Families in Abuja.

Akin, while welcoming aviation stakeholders to the event said: “I offer my deepest sympathy to all the survivors and families of victims of past incidents. I am truly sorry for your losses, and I know that no one can ever adequately compensate you. I want to state unequivocally, that I consider the avoidable loss of life unacceptable.

“May the souls of your departed loved ones continue to rest in peace.

Weunderstand that the aftermath of an Air incident can be devastating to survivors, crash victims and their families, all of whom require support and empathy.”

According to him, “In 1998, during the 32nd Session of the Assembly, ICAO considered and acknowledged the subject of aircraft accident victims

and their families.

“The aim was to ensure that the mental, physical and spiritual well-being of victims involved in civil aviation accidents, and their families, are considered and accommodated

by ICAO and its Member States in accordance with ICAO’s policies and guidelines.”

He reveal that families of victims experience great anguish after an air crash, especially in the absence of effective information channels from the government, or the affected airline operator, to them, stating: “In 2001, ICAO issued the Guidance on Assistance to Aircraft Accident Victims and their Families.

Subsequently, in 2013, the ICAO Policy on Assistance to Aircraft Accident Victims and their Families was published and accompanied by a manual and the family assistance entails the provision of services and information that will address the concerns and needs of the aircraft accident victims and their families.

“The ICAO’s Policy and Manual on the Assistance to Aircraft Accident Victims and their Families is contained in Doc 9998 and Doc 9973, respectively. This detailed information on ICAO’s Family Assistance policies and guidelines are available online.”

He added that poor safety management in aviation not only damages the aircraft involved, but can also cause the avoidable loss of human lives on-board the unfortunate aircraft and, sometimes, on ground.

“This is the reason that we, at AIB-N, are determined to continue to extend the frontiers of safety in the aviation sector, as well as in the other forms of transportation. We will achieve this by aligning ourselves with global best practice in the industry, and by employing the latest technology and the most qualified personnel, to thoroughly investigate past occurrences and make the appropriate recommendations to ensure that they never occur again.”

Continuing, the AIB-N boss, said, “We will ensure that we continue to review and improve our systems processes and procedures to reduce casualties associated with any transportation incidents and provide the information and other support systems necessary to fulfil our mandate.

“With the advancement of technology, it is our aim to achieve even higher safety standards and ensure even fewer fatal incidents in future and I assure you that the industry regulators and relevant authorities are committed to offering significant support but even more so to preventing the recurrence of these incidents.”

Reacting to the current controversy over flight delays, the DG, NCAA , Captain Musah Nuhu, said that National Assembly established a committee to look into the root cause of flight delays and cancellations, remarking that we may be reacting to the symptoms without looking at the main cause of the problem.

NAHCO Secures Airways Contract The Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc, (NAHCO) has secured the contract for the handling of Middle East major carrier, Qatar Airways.

The agreement, which takes effect from March 2022 would run for another five years.

NAHCO’s Group Executive Director, Commercial and Business Development, Prince Saheed Lasisi in announcing the development, described the feat as reward for hard work and commitment on the part of management and staff of NAHCO Plc. He expressed excitement on

the achievement, describing it as a boost for both companies.

“We are committed to maintaining our leadership position in the ground handling business, as such, we will not relent. The support from the Board of Directors has helped in no small measure, as new Ground Support Equipment are being made available to us for ease of operations. We are therefore primed to continue our excellent service delivery to Qatar Airways’’, he said.

NAHCO Plc currently has an all-encompassing contract with the airline in Lagos and Abuja,

providing passenger, cargo, and ramp handling services to Qatar Airways, which also includes the provision of crew transportation and other ancillary services to the respected airliner.

The latest signings for Port Harcourt and Kano have brought the airlines fully under the cover of NAHCO Plc. NAHCO Plc is a Nigerian diversified enterprise with interests in aviation cargo, aircraft handling, passenger facilitation, crew transportation and aviation training and logistics.

Making Case for Victims of Air Accidents Chinedu Eze The saddest part of air crash in Nigeria is the hiccups that follow the process of compensation for the relatives of the victims of accidents. It has not been on record that all the accident victims in the crashes that happened in Nigeria were comprehensively compensated as enshrined in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) policy for the assistance to aircraft accident victims and their families as domesticated in Nigeria and implemented by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

Controversy had trailed the failure of the airlines that failed to compensate the relatives of these victims. Some of the failures were trailed to lack of the insurance of the ill-fated aircraft involved in the crash.

This and many other related issues had promoted ICAO to set aside a day for the commemoration of air crash victims, which is 20th of February of every year.

During the commemoration in Nigeria organised by the Accident Investigation Bureau-Nigeria (AIB-N), the Commissioner and CEO of the agency, Akin Olateru recalled that in 1998, during the 32nd Session of the Assembly, ICAO considered and acknowledged the subject of aircraft accident victims and their families and noted that the aim was to ensure that the mental, physical and spiritual well-being of victims involved in civil aviation accidents, and their families, are considered and accommodated by ICAO and its Member States in accordance with ICAO’s policies and guidelines.

He said that the families of victims experience great anguish after an air crash, especially in the absence of effective information channels from the government, or the affected airline operator, to them.

He also recalled that in 2001, ICAO issued the Guidance on Assistance to Aircraft Accident Victims and their Families.

Subsequently, in 2013, the ICAO Policy on Assistance to Aircraft Accident Victims and their Families was published and accompanied by a manual.

“Family assistance entails the provision of services and information that will address the concerns and needs of the aircraft accident victims and their families.

The ICAO policies and guidelines ensure that the needs of the victims and their families are addressed in a timely manner. Just as with any other emergency plan, it is essential to have a readiness plan to support the involved victims and their families,” he stated.

The Commissioner also said that the victims, survivors and their families should be treated with respect, dignity and empathy.

“It is vital that the government and airline operator render assistance and support to the victims and their families, and not just at the time of the accident or serious incident but afterwards too,” he added.

Olateru stated that the federal government of Nigeria, through the Ministry of Aviation and the Bureau is following the international standards and procedures to ensure that everything is put in place to provide the requisite support for victims of air incidents and their families.

“Under the 2013 National Civil Aviation Policy, the Bureau is charged with the responsibility of rendering Family Assistance to victims and their families at times of aircraft accidents. This is a wraparound service to be provided at the time of an

incident and during investigation.

“It is, however, important to note that aircraft accident investigation is separate from the provision of Family Assistance, and until recently, the enabling legislation did not exist to enable the bureau carry out this mandate. Nonetheless, the Bureau has provided family assistance in the recovery of personal effects of victims, identification of bodies, provision of information on accident investigations, and pathological services, amongst others,” Olateru noted.

He said AIB has also participated in the commemoration of air crash accident anniversaries.

“I believe that irrespective of the scale of an accident, the victims and their families should receive appropriate and timely assistance. Assistance programmes, in support of aircraft accident victims and their families, require cooperative planning and response by the air operator, State of Occurrence, non-governmental organizations, and specialized commercial companies,” he said.

Olateru recommended that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority put in place effective policies and regulations that would mandate airline operators in the country to have Family Assistance Plans as part of their emergency plan or procedure.

He said NCAA should also ensure that such assistance programmes are supervised, exercised and audited appropriately.

The Director General of NCAA, Captain Musa Nuhu said during the commemoration that Nigeria has achieved a milestone in the area of safety. He assured that the industry would strive to maintain and improve on that good record and remarked that so far the regulatory authority has done so much in collaboration with other aviation agencies to ensure that Nigeria maintains safe airspace.

“No country rests on its oars when it comes to air safety. Safety is not about accident alone; it also involves incidents; so incidents have to be reduced to the barest level, but if it is possible to eliminate it would be eliminated,” he said.

Captain Nuhu said that NCAA and AIB-N have been collaborating to ensure that the airspace is safe, disclosing that the regulatory authority ensures the full implementation of AIB-N recommendations.

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Ebenezer Onyeagwu: Positioning Zenith Bank for Greater Profitability Zenith Bank under the leadership of Ebenezer Onyeagwu has continued to combine vision, skillful banking expertise, and cutting-edge technology to create products and services that meet customers’ expectations, writes Dike Onwuamaeze

S

ince he assumed the position of the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank Plc on June 1, 2019, Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu has continued to introduce initiatives to ensure the financial institution retains its leadership position in the industry.

His achievements in the almost three years of being in the saddle showed that he has maintained his commitment towards ensuring that the bank retained its leadership in the industry.

Despite the challenging macroeconomic environment, Onyeagwu has demonstrated that he has a midas touch considering the strong performance the bank has been recording.

Rated on key parameters such as asset quality, profitability and return to investors, Zenith Bank’s track record has been impressive.

In addition, the bank places a premium on its core business strategy anchored on people, technology and service, to create value for its numerous clientele.

This reflected in its share price performance when Zenith Bank Plc and 14 other highly capitalised stocks on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) contributed 90.2 per cent or N20.10 trillion to overall N22.3 trillion market capitalisation in 2021.

Its total market capitalisation stood at N789.622 billion as at December 31, 2021, as it led the banking sector on the NGX. Indeed, Zenith Bank has clearly distinguished itself in the banking industry through superior service quality, unique customer experience, and sound financial indices.

As a testament to its resilience and market leadership, Zenith Bank in its unaudited results for the nine months period ended September 30, 2021, posted a profit before tax (PBT) of N180 billion. This represented a one per cent growth over the N177 billion recorded in the same period the previous year, amidst a challenging macroeconomic environment exacerbated by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The bank grew its total assets and net income by an annual average of 15.7 per cent and 15.5 per cent, respectively, over the last five years, according to a report released by Coronation Merchant Bank.

In recognition of its track record of excellent performance, Zenith Bank emerged the number one bank in Nigeria by tier-1 capital in the 2021 Top 1000 World Banks’ Ranking published by The Banker Magazine, a publication of the Financial Times Group of the United Kingdom.

The bank, with a tier-1 capital of $2.64 billion, retained its ranking as the number one tier-1 bank in Nigeria for the third consecutive year.

In addition, the bank has been making significant progress in its retail banking drive, as evidenced by remarkable growth in transaction volumes and value across its digital platforms and strong growth in customer acquisition. This was part of the reasons why it introduced an Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered Chatbot on WhatsApp named ZIVA (Zenith Intelligent Virtual Assistant), which enables customers to perform financial transactions and enjoy real-time customer service from their mobile phones.

With this solution, customers would be able to enroll by simply adding the bank’s verified WhatsApp mobile number 07040004422 on their mobile devices, agree to the legal terms of use and then initiate a conversation.

This product provides the convenience for the bank’s customers to interact and transact on a 24 hours basis on the encrypted WhatsApp platform, it added. The bank further explained that with the capability to respond to chats/queries anchored on the existing WhatsApp platform, customers would be able to open new accounts, receive instant transaction notifications, check their balances on the go, transfer funds and top up airtime. They would also be able to confirm cheques, pay bills, apply for loans, block their accounts, and request mini statements, amongst other banking services.

Commenting on the AI banking solution, Onyeagwu said: “The launch of ZIVA is driven by the need for additional secured channels of communication with our customers as we deepen our retail penetration.”

Speaking further on the WhatsApp chatbot, Onyeagwu noted that, “since the behavioural pattern of the modern customer dictates that they want to engage with brands over the channel of their choice, it was really important for us as a leading financial services institution and a pioneer of several technological innovations in the financial services industry to implement this solution in order to continue to create value for our teeming customers who incidentally were already using WhatsApp as a primary channel of communication.”

Clearly, Zenith Bank has continued to distinguish itself in the Nigerian financial services industry

Onyeagwu through superior service offerings, unique customer experience and sound financial indices The bank has remained a clear leader in the digital space with several firsts in the deployment of innovative products, solutions and an assortment of alternative channels that ensure convenience, speed and safety of transactions.

The bank’s commitment to world-class service standards has led to several product innovations, including the Zenith Timeless Account”, which allows Nigerians aged 60 years and above bank for free, the “Zenith Save4me a high-interest target savings account and the deployment of contactless payments and QR on ATM points, amongst others.

Zenith Bank’s outlook, according to its management remains positive, with anticipation of a declining inflationary trend, expected increase in foreign exchange inflows, and improving oil production.

“The Group remains focused on increasing its retail market share, consolidating its leadership position in the corporate segment and maintaining a robust balance sheet,” it stated.

In recognition of its track record of excellent performance, Zenith Bank was voted as Best Commercial Bank in Nigeria in the World Finance Banking Awards 2021, Bank of the Year (Nigeria) in The Banker’s Bank of the Year Awards 2020, Best Bank in Nigeria in the Global Finance World’s Best Banks Awards 2020 and 2021, and Best in Corporate Governance ‘Financial Services’ Africa 2020 and 2021 by the Ethical Boardroom.

Also, Onyeagwu, emerged ‘CEO of the Year’ for a second consecutive year at the Sustainability, Enterprise and Responsibility (SERAS) CSR Africa Awards held in 2021.

According to the judges, Onyeagwu was selected for a number of reasons, including engendering a culture that promotes the continued investment in social initiatives in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Under his leadership, the Zenith Bank’s social investments totalled N3.285 billion in 2020, representing nearly two per cent of the bank’s profit after tax. The judges found Onyeagwu worthy for his commitment to promoting sustainability and responsible business practices in Nigeria, through his frontal leadership of sustainability in Zenith Bank, thereby enabling best industry practices in the banking sector. They also chose him for his passion for reducing carbon emissions in the bank’s operations.

Zenith Bank also emerged winner in four other categories at the SERAS CSR Africa Awards, carting home the awards for “Best Company in Reporting and Transparency”, “Best Company in Infrastructure Development”, “Best Company in Gender Equality and Women Empowerment”, and the coveted “Most

Responsible Organisation in Africa”.

The bank was adjudged the “Most Responsible Organisation in Africa,” winning the overall best sustainability award, for its continued commitment to the tenets of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility within its immediate community and in the society at large.

In addition, the bank emerged as winner in

the category for Reporting and Transparency for its consistency in disclosing and communicating its sustainability journey and progress annually vis-a-vis environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals, in line with the guidelines and protocols set by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Nigeria Sustainable Banking Principles (NSBP), Nigerian Exchange (NGX), United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), and United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI).

The bank also ensures the assurance of its sustainability report by reputable independent third parties. In 2021, the bank’s 2020 sustainability report was assured by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and disseminated through the Bank’s website for the public and sent to all relevant stakeholders, including the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). In the infrastructure development category, the bank was voted winner for its nation-building initiatives and investments, including supporting efforts towards establishing basic services and functional security, governance, and economic and infrastructure systems, especially in Nigeria.

As a testament to this and in demonstration of its commitment to the development (often referred to as reform, restructuring and rebuilding) of the Nigeria Police Force for the preservation of law and order, protection of life and property, and law enforcement in Nigeria, the bank supported the Lagos State Security Trust Fund with N500, 000,000 for the provision of security-enhancing facilities and infrastructure. This was in addition to contributions to other state security trust funds.

Clearly, the Onyeagwu-led Zenith Bank has distinguished itself in the Nigerian financial services industry through superior service offerings, unique customer experience, and sound economic indices.

The bank remains a leader in the digital space with several firsts in deploying innovative products, solutions, and an assortment of alternative channels that ensure convenience, speed, and safety of transactions.

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PERSPECTIVE

Edible Oils and How They Affect You Kingsley Okon

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hat would be your response to the question, “How edible oil savvy are you?” In other words, how much do you know about the content of the edible oil you are currently cooking with?

Generally, making informed decisions on your choice of any product would require knowledge of its composition, value and benefits. These benefits which should be applied when making a choice of the type of edible oil to cook with.

The edible oils section in our local market and neighbourhood store seemingly grows by the day with a variety that includes Palm Olein, popularly referred to as Vegetable oil, Olive Oil, Canola Oil, Soya Bean Oil, Avocado Oil as well as Red Palm Oil. While the edible oils on the shelf might appeal to you, distinguishing between all of them can also be confusing and challenging. Knowing which oils are healthy or the best to cook with is the first step and we will try to throw more light on it.

Firstly, it is important to note that edible oils are important sources of dietary fat and these fats play an essential role in the body.

Secondly, all edible oils are composed of mainly three types of fat content: Saturated fatty acids, Monounsaturated fatty acids and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids. Thirdly, recommendations of the best type of edible

oil requires getting the right balance of the different types of fats that will help keep your cholesterol and triglycerides levels low and your heart healthy.

For years, we have been told that eating fat will add inches to our waistlines, raise cholesterol level, and cause a myriad of health problems. But while it may have some truths, we also know that not all fats are built the same. Saturated fats, classified as “bad” fat, are guilty of the unhealthy things all fats have been blamed for, i.e. weight gain, clogged arteries, high cholesterol and an increased risk of heart diseases. But “good” fats such as unsaturated fats (Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated), need not have same effects. As a matter of fact, they do help with bodily functions.

Saturated fats are considered “bad” fats because they can raise low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and too much of it can negatively impact heart health, so it is best consumed in moderation.

On the other hand, monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are known as “good fats” because they are less harmful for one’s heart and cholesterol level thus have a positive effect on one’s overall health. These fats can help to lower the risk of heart disease and stroke, lower “bad” LDL cholesterol levels, increase

“good” high-density lipoprotein (HDL), lower triglycerides associated with heart disease, fight inflammation as well as prevent atherosclerosis (hardening and narrowing of the arteries).

According to Dr. Nnenna Ezeigwe, a former National Coordinator for Non Communicable Diseases in the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), “Cardiovascular Disease is a significant public health concern responsible for 11% of over 2 million NonCommunicable disease deaths in Nigeria annually. It is also responsible for a high burden of morbidity and disability. Most people with cardiovascular diseases are not aware until catastrophes like stroke, heart attack or death occur.”

While there is no need to cut out all saturated fat from your diet, most nutrition experts recommend limiting its consumption. Coconut Oil, Palm Oil and Palm Olein, which have been the mostly used cooking oil in Nigeria for decades, contain high amounts of unhealthy saturated fats thereby putting the larger population at risk.

Looking closely, Soybean oil is primarily comprised of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) as it is 12-15% saturated fat, 22-30 per cent monounsaturated fat (oleic acid) and 55-58% PUFA, which makes it one of the highest sources of “good” fat from

edible oil. Omega-3 and Omega-6 which are also types of PUFA are well known for reducing inflammation in the body hence reaffirming how important PUFA is. The commonly consumed vegetable oil in Nigeria has less than 15 per cent of PUFA, clearly Soya Oil has 4x more PUFA. Omega-3a are a family of essential fatty acids that play important roles in the body and may provide several health benefits. The three most important types are alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

They are key to the structure of every cell wall in the human body. They are also an energy source and help keep the heart, lungs, blood vessels, and immune system working the way they should.

On the other hand, Omega-6 fatty acids play a crucial role in reducing the risk of heart disease, lowering “bad” cholesterol levels, raising “good” cholesterol levels, and reducing cancer risk.

Hence, choosing right means choosing a tested and trusted brand like Golden Terra Soya Oil. It is 100% pure soya bean oil, safe, proudly Nigerian as well as the option for every Nigerian meal.

So, when next you choose a heart-friendly oil, be sure it is really a “Heart-Friendly and Healthy Option.” t 0LPO /VUSJUJPOJTU XSPUF GSPN -BHPT

WITH CANNABIS, COCAINE WORTH $4BN SEIZED IN 10 YEARS, NIGERIA’S DRUG TRAFFICKING, CONSUMPTION HIT NEW HIGH were 8, 324 males and 519 females, making a total of 8,843.

In 2014 NDLEA seized 53,878, 194.63 of cannabis, cocaine, 226.04, heroine, 7, 562.49, totaling 53, 886, 039.5.

In 2015, NDLEA seized 871,490.32 of cannabis, 260.46 of cocaine, 30.9 of heroin and others, 31, 442. 86, total, 903, 624.56 and persons arrested during the period include 8143 males and 635 females totaling 8, 778.

In 2016, NDLEA seized cannabis worth 187, 394, Cocaine, 305.17, heroine, 66. 29; others, 79, 827.04 with total of 267, 592.49. Suspects arrested 7, 720 males and 538 with total, 8, 257.

In 2017, 191, 084. 19, cocaine, 92.

26, Heroine, 86.36, others , 117, 143.

20, total, 309, 357. 31; male: 9,387; 622, totaling, 10, O09.

In 2018 also NDLEA 273, 249.08, Cocaine, 124. 86, Heroine, 59.62, others, 44, 331.29, total, 317, 764.85.

Persons arrested, 9, 129 males and 702, totaling, 9, 831. In 2019, the agency seized 608, 654.49 cannabis, 113.00, heroine, 23.89, others 10, 112.10; total, 612,903.48. Males,!8535, females, 909,

total, 9, 444.

In 2020, NDLEA seized 124,473.3 cannabis, 105, 65 cocaine, heroine, 7.55 and others, 20209. 27, total, 144, 795.67; 9181 males and 734 females, total, 9915.

In 2021, the agency also seized 469, 246.4 cannabis, 325.05 cocaine, 122.55 Heroine; others, 110435.5, total: 580, 130.5. It arrested, 11314 males and 992 females.

So during the period, the agency seized a total of 57, 031, 943 cannabis, 1, 975.59 cocaine, 687. 35 heroine, others, 559, 248.6, totaling, 57, 595, 874. The number of arrests include 87, 575 males and 6, 686 females, amounting to 95, 261 in all.

During the period, NDLEA had 1720 convictions in 2012, 1865 in 2013, 2054 in 2014, 1670 in 2015, 2256 in 2016, 1621 in 2017 and 1220 in 2018.

Others were 1120 in 2019, 887 in 2020 and 1367 in 2021, totaling 15, 800.

An NDLEA official who spoke to THISDAY said that although the agency is doing a lot to curb drug trafficking, the progressive increase in the volume of drugs and the number of persons arrested seem as if the

agency is not doing enough.

“These figures are supposed to be decreasing but indications show that more people get involved in the illegal business. It is a reflection of moral decay in our society. These figures are supposed to be going down but those involved in the illegal business keep on increasing, which means that the drug market is expanding, ”the official volunteered.

He attributed the high figures of drug trafficking and illicit drugs to internal decay in NDLEA and said that there is low capacity in terms of personnel adding, “so few people are doing the work more people ought to do.”

The official also said that there is discrimination in the arrest of suspects of drug traffickers because the children of highly placed individuals are let off the hook when they are arrested by the agency.

“Truth is that we are weak. The government is weak. They are not funding the agency well and this is tempting because every day the NDLEA officials come across the drug traffickers. It is usually highly

REPORT: DIGITALISATION OF SOCIAL PROTECTION, HUMANITARIAN PAYMENTS ENHANCING FINANCIAL INCLUSION IN NIGERIA enabling environment to reach last mile recipients, the importance of coordination to promote a more cohesive use of cash transfers wherever appropriate, and efforts to better inform the development and extension of relevant services by payment providers wherever feasible.

The report noted that there are pockets of digital transaction-ready recipients who could support the development of digital payment ecosystems and help to advance financial inclusion. Although digital payments will not be enough to bridge the financial inclusion gap in Nigeria, access to digital payments is an integral component

and this report charts out practical next steps.

Commenting on the report, Director - Digital Economy at FSD Africa, Juliet Munro said: “Cash transfers are a vital source of income for many underserved households. We are delighted about the ongoing conversations with our partners on the existing possibilities to digitise cash payments. Once the systems are in place, the targeted households will be able to access the much-needed aid faster and more efficiently.”

CEO at EFInA, Ashley Immanuel said: “Fintech Innovation is a key driver of financial inclusion and very

useful in providing access to financial services, especially for the underserved. Digitising cash transfers will help reduce the burden for cash disbursement and support recipients’ application of healthy financial habits like saving.”

On his part, Development Director at FCDO Nigeria, Chris Pycroft, said: “Really encouraged to see this report highlight principled and important opportunities for development actors to support increased access to payments among the poor, lay the foundations for financial inclusion, and harness Nigeria’s growing Fintech scene.”

EMTECH, InfoSwift Set to Drive Innovation for Financial Inclusion Emma Okonji To further drive financial inclusion initiative among African countries, Nigeria inclusive, EMTECH and Global InfoSwift Consulting (GIC) are set to bridge the existing knowledge gap in the financial technology space, with the launch of a novel solution called ‘FINREG Learn’.

The solution which is expected to bridge the existing knowledge

gap in the payment industry and enhance financial inclusion, is a capacity-building program, designed to empower financial regulators and financial services providers (FSPs) in navigating the Fintech and financial inclusion efforts that are currently booming across the African continent.

Announcing the solution at a press conference in Lagos recently, EMTECH and GIC said the ‘FINREG Learn’ will deliver

rich content on very relevant and dynamic topics of financial services in Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), Regulatory Sandbox and OpenBanking.

According to the organisers, FINREG Learn, is a capacity-building event that would come in three core and interrelated areas such as Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), Regulatory Sandbox Framework, and API & Open Banking, to be held virtually from 14 to 18 March 2022.

tempting when you are offered something because the whole thing is a matter of survival. So the leadership of the agency should find a way to give incentives to the personnel of the agency,” he said.

The official also spoke about interference and said that often some drug trafficking suspects are arrested but, “a power from above would order them to the

released.”

However, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Buba Marwa said recently that the problem of drug trafficking and abuse in Nigeria would soon be under control.

“We plan to go to local governments for sensitisation; we are constrained at this moment with the size of our workforce but with the approval of the President, we have recruited more

personnel,” he said.

He also stated, “We have recruited more personnel to increase our size to enable us go into the local governments so that each local government will eventually have its own special command. We also have special command at the sea ports, international airports and we are in the process of setting up engagement in the railway stations,” he added.

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& R E ASO

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WEEKLY MAGAZINE

NEWS METRO THISLIFE ART WEEKEND ENTERTAINMENT Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com 07010510430

Oluremi AkintolaSamuel: Changing the Face of Traditional Wedding Compere

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͳ, ͰͮͰͰ

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Oluremi Akintola-Samuel: Changing the Face of Traditional Wedding Compere Oluremi Akintola-Samuel is a traditional wedding compere known as Alaga in Yoruba language. Rebecca Ejifoma reports that given her quest to empower women who are passionate about compering traditional weddings but are oblivious on how to, she established the Strictly Weddings Academy. Since its inception, over 100 women within Nigeria and across the globe have received tutelage in the Alaga business

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assionate about raising and empowering women who will become remarkably significant in the traditional wedding compere industry known as Alaga in Yoruba, Oluremi Akintola-Samuel, the CEO of Strictly Weddings Academy has trained over 100 women within Nigeria and across the globe in the alaga business.

The words of Caroline Ghose, “The difference between skill and talent: A skill is something you learn. Talent is what you can’t help doing”, has come into play in this situation. It tells the perfect tale of the traditional wedding compere, AkintolaSamuel.

With this unusual 21st century talent, she has willfully mentored women in various industries through her annual programme, The Complete Woman Conference.

Her background in filmmaking as an alumni of the Pencil Film Institute (PEFTI) gives her an edge. Hence, she has been able to take the business of hosting engagements to the next level. In an interview with her, Akintola-Samuel spoke about the pros and cons of the compere industry and the hurdles encountered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

First, she pleasantly gushed about her life growing up in Lagos and how it has positively contributed to her career in Traditional wedding compere.

Akintola-Samuel acknowledged that Lagos is the place where a lot of parties happen on weekdays. “One of the major lessons I learnt in my journey is that I needed to be focused on what I wanted to do. I wasn’t distracted with the fact that I didn’t get any support from people.

“I keep training and disciplining myself. I keep learning everyday; learning new songs and dialects in line with my profession. One of the new things that is required in this Alaga profession is emotional intelligence.

“This intelligence is strongly required now in dealing with your clients and staff.

I make sure I am not stereotyped and I keep learning, unlearning and relearning.”

With her quest to empower women, the

“One of the major lessons I learnt in my journey is that I needed to be focused on what I wanted to do. I wasn’t distracted with the fact that I didn’t get any support from people.I keep training and disciplining mys elf. I keep learning everyday; learning new songs and dialects in line with my profession”

Akintola-Samuel entrepreneur soon discovered that a handful of women including educated ones are passionate about compering traditional weddings but are oblivious on how to.

“All that was needed was tutelage, which was how the Strictly Weddings Academy initiative started.”

To reverse the perception that the industry was designed for older people, Akintola-Samuel fashioned a space for younger women, too. She went ahead to vacillate the narrative of traditional wedding involuntarily perceived as mundane by the younger generation.

Owing to the fact that little things are significant, the young Alaga spiced up the feel of traditional weddings with more hands on her side.

“I decided to kick off the training

by empowering five women. Then we increase to 10. Now that the academy is also online, we have students home and abroad.”

Driven by her endless passion for expressiveness and thorough anchoring of activities, the Lagos-born Ogun State indigene dived into the industry professionally having seen the gap absence of young compere.

Today, she prides about having younger people in the industry doing ‘Alaga iduro’ (compere from the groom side) and ‘Alaga ijoko’ (compere from the bride side).

She, however, listed some of the hurdles faced in the industry including time, chosen venue, couple families rivalry.

Time, she emphasised, is a major challenge.

“My protégés outside the country charge per hour. But here, time is almost of no value. Unfortunately, after delaying the start of the event, clients will tell you to hasten up. And that is another major barrier.”

Akintola-Samuel is an innovative compere.

She employs technology to suit today’s world as COVID-19 persisted. “We initiated the intimate (smaller guest) wedding last May, but picking it up wasn’t so easy because a lot of people were scared. It wasn’t even the virus itself that scared people; they didn’t want to have hiccups with the government who would abruptly stop their ceremony halfway through.

“So, one of the things we did during the lockdown was to empower women in the industry who are single mothers and widows.’

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Duchess Hospital, Marriot Hotel Partner to Launch Wellness, Lifestyle Screening Programme Stories by Mary Nnah Lagos-based international health and hospitality brands, Duchess International Hospital and the Lagos Marriot Hotel have come together to pioneer the first-ever three-day comprehensive medical screening and disease prevention services in Nigeria.

Known as the Duchess Royal Medical Check-Up, it is a premium executive health check programme aimed at promoting affordable access to health and preventing the onset of chronic diseases.

Speaking at the launch of the programme in Lagos at the weekend, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Duchess International Hospital Dr. Adetokunbo Shitta-Bey, said Nigerians travel all over the world to countries such as Ger-

many, the United States, and major cities such as Dubai in search of comprehensive health screening, disease prevention services and treatments for a variety of long-term (chronic) diseases, all of which are offered exclusively at the Duchess International Hospital.

He noted further that the hospital’s mission is to reverse medical tourism by delivering the highest standards of care, using the most advanced technology and treatments “to give our clients the fastest, most convenient access to the best medical expertise available anywhere in the world”.

According to Shitta-Bey, the Duchess Royal Check-up programme comprises of a threeday American/European-style full-body medical assessment and complete clinical evaluation focused on early detection of disease and prevention of

long-term ill health in both men and women.

“It uses the most advanced testing technology and specialised medical expertise to deliver the best clinical outcomes on behalf of our clients based on their lifestyle, age, and complete medical history,” he said.

Dr. Shitta-Bey who described programme as a wellness and lifestyle screening noted that people don’t have to be sick before coming for screening.

He explained further that the Royal Medical check-up screening programme is very affordable with the basic ones starting from N50,000 while the cost for high-end screening is based on peculiar medical needs and budget.

Managing Director, MacFolly Hospitality Limited, owners of Lagos Marriot Hotel, Mr.Chike Ogeah explained that the Duchess Royal Medical

Check-Up which is delivered in collaboration with the Lagos Marriott Hotel is carefully designed to address the needs and circumstances of individuals and busy executives residing in metropolitan cities across Nigeria and West Africa.

He noted further that it provides a high level of service comparable to standards observed in tourist destinations such as Dubai, Europe, and the United States, and offers the significant economic advantage of conserving muchneeded foreign exchange.

According to him, providence has brought the two brands together as they are sited a few metres from each other on Joel Ogunnaike , GRA, Ikeja hence the synergy to give Nigerians the best of services from the two organisations.

HREA INTERNATIONAL WORK FESTIVAL HOLDS IN LAGOS As part of efforts to tackle digitalisation hitches in the workplace especially as it regards human resources globally, the Human Resource Expo Africa (HREA) organisers of industry-leading conferences, exhibitions, and training is set to hold its 2022 international work festival in Lagos, Nigeria, and Kigali, Rwanda between April 5th and 7th in Lagos, Nigeria, and Kigali, Rwanda.

The in-person event billed to hold at the Landmark Events Center, Victoria Island, Lagos and Serena Hotel, Kigali, Rwanda will host over 500 companies across the African countries.

Speaking on the event at a virtual press conference, the founder of HREA, Erefa Coker, said the desire to flourish is a universal human concern which makes it important for managers, team leads, policymakers, and employees to discuss how best to succeed in a technology-changing world.

With the theme, “The Future of Work in A TechnologyDriven World (Work-Humans)”, Erefa stated, “Human Resource is the department that constantly has a seat at the table because it drives organisations and no matter where you function, if you have a supportive HR department, you will get to the peak of your career and even the bottom line of the organisation will grow because the person driving the seat understands the terrain and the future of the business.

“The biggest driver of digital transformation has been COVID-19 because, before March 2020, it was difficult to see people working from home. When we bring speakers from across the world, it is to come and tell us their experience and how they are succeeding, so that we can begin to practice it within our culture.

“We cannot talk about the future of work enough because it keeps changing. The future of work is changing and we need to learn how we prepare ourselves for this,” she said.

“Our virtual sessions will be hosted via a dedicated AI-powered, a multi-room virtual hub designed to deliver a truly absorbing work festival experience.

Work Festival 2022 is designed to answer questions, create solutions and ignite new ideas for change. In her contribution, financial expert, Taiwo Dayo-Abatan, one of the speakers for the event said, “Managers and professionals have struggled with the imbalance between technology and people; this is more apparent than ever in our rapidly changing world”, she noted adding that, “The festival will focus on ways to accelerate the future of work in a technology-driven world through resilient leadership and sustainability, people engagement, financial inclusion, technology, digital, human capital management, better wellbeing, workforce upskilling, and result-oriented styles for a successful workplace.

Also, Dr. John Opute acknowledged that the event has become an avenue for managers, human resources experts, employees of labour, and entrepreneurs among others to network, adding that there is a lot to offer at the forthcoming event.

KREIFISH KITCHEN, CONNECTS LOVERS, FOOD ENTHUSIASTS L-R: Mr. Chike Ogeah of the Lagos Marriott Hotel; Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, Deputy Governor, Lagos State; Ms. Zouera Youssoufou, Managing Director, Aliko Dangote Foundation and Dr. Adetokunbo Shitta-Bey, Chief Executive Officer, Duchess International Hospital Ikeja, Lagos, at the launch of Duchess Royal Medical Check-up and Wellness programme in Lagos

Solar Firm Bags Best Company Award JRB Solar Investment Limited, an Abuja solar investment brand has bagged the best solar company of the year award following its immense contribution to renewable energy.

Speaking while presenting the award at the corporate headquarters of JRB company in Abuja, the national presi-

dent of Youth for Peace and Development in Niger Delta ( YPDND), a non-government organisation ( NGO) that promotes peace and development, Comrade Opuama Joseph noted that the NGO has had an independent assessment of the solar company amongst other private companies in Nigeria.

He stressed that the position of the organisation is in recognition of the unprecedented reforms JRB has made in the area of renewable energy in the country, which according to him has reduced the negative impact of power supply to a large extent.

This is as he also noted that the company was cho-

sen even for its philanthropic activities towards improving lives of the common man in the society.

On their part, the management of JRB lauded the NGO for their kind gesture even as they promised to improve on efficient & effective service delivery to their clients and the government in particular.

Lion Tasks Nigerians on Charity, Feeds over 500 Persons at IDP Camp The Lions Club International, District 404B2, Lagos Mainland Legacy Lions Club has reached out to over 500 internal displaced persons at IDP camp Oko-Oba, with food and other palliative measures to cushion the present economic hardship during a one-day programme tag “Feeding the Hungry”.

The President of the club, Lion Rukky Origho-Nwoye, while appealing to Nigerians to cultivate the habit of providing succour to the downtrodden,

urged Nigerians to see charity as a way of life.

“The nation is faced with the issue of finance, probably because of the prevailing economic challenges but we should try to remember them and show a little kindness.

“Most of our revenue comes from membership. So, we do this with the resources available, we need others to support the vision, they need more than food, children’s education fees, clothing, medical care, and other things to make life

bearable a bit for them.

“I encourage kindhearted Nigerians to join us to expand our area of coverage and expand our service or even, on their own, give helping hand to these persons - they are vulnerable. It is a call to service to all Nigerians, regardless of whether they are Lions or not,” she added.

The President disclosed further that the project was in line with Lions Club International 5 Global Causes, adding that the project is aimed at actualising

her promise at the commencement of the Lion year last July and during her installation as President of Lagos Mainland Legacy Lions Club.

“I promised to reach out to vulnerable of underprivileged to feed the hungry and increased their living conditions. Today that dream is being actualised”, she added.

She expressed profound gratitude to God and members of the club have committed all their resources to ensure that the event was a huge success.

Love was made easy for Nigerians as Kreifish, innovative food tech, and Logistics Company, delivered on its promise of linking lovers to the finest and renowned chefs to provide a memorable culinary experience with their loved ones.

Serving as a synergy between chefs and food lovers, Kreifish leverages the existing customer database to connect chefs to customers on a wider scale.

With a carefully curated number of chefs, food options including homemade, traditional African, and Caribbean meals, listed on the app, users of the app were assured of getting quality spicy dishes this valentine season.

In the spirit of love, Kreifish kicked off the #foodislove campaign, which saw the first 100 people who downloaded the app receive an enticing free Valentine package.

Founded in 2019 and launched in 2022 by Elvis Okpaleke, co-founder of the Play Network Africa, the Kreifish app is solidifying its place as a platform “where home cooks and chefs can create and transact business.

Since its launch, influencers and customers alike have attested to the seamless service Kreifish provides.

For aspiring restaurateurs and food entrepreneurs, Kreifish provides a rare opportunity and structure for them to boost or start an online restaurant. Kriefish also promises access and scale to young people with culinary skills.

Discover and explore your local food scene and enjoy your favourite authentic traditional meals prepared by your neighbourhood chefs. Save your favourites to your list. Have them on speed. Effortlessly search by meal or chefs. All these services can be found in one app- Kreifish.

Download Kreifish, the online food delivery service that allows you to order the best home cooking straight to you from the best kitchens in your neighbourhood, anytime, anywhere. Kreifish is available for download on IOS and Android interested persons can also visit www.kreifishapp.com.

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E-TRENDS DRC PRESIDENT APPOINTS AFRIMA LEGEND AWARD WINNER, KOFFI OLOMIDE, CONGO’S AMBASSADOR OF CULTURE

Koffi Olomide and President Felix Tshisekedi

Recently, President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) appointed multiaward-winning music veteran, Koffi Olomide who bagged the Legend Awards at the 2021 All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA), the country’s ambassador of culture.

While hosting the musician at the official residence at Camp Tshatshi Palace, Kinshasa, on Monday, February 14, 2022, the President lavished praise on him, remarking that the award was both a significant achievement for not just the singer, but the entire country.

In recognition of the honour bestowed on him by AFRIMA as well as his work, Tshisekedi also presented the 65-year-old Soukous singer with a diplomatic passport.

Olomide who presented his 24-carat gold-plated AFRIMA plaque to the President promised to maintain a reputation worthy of emulation by African youths.

This appointment would see Olomide, who has been active in the Congolese music industry for over five decades, help boost DRC’s increasing attempts at repositioning its cultural and creative economy. Last December, The Congolese Rumba was officially added to the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) heritage list, sparking hope for the country’s cultural progression.

The multi-award-winning artist and founder of the Quartier Latin International Orchestra has over 30 studio albums to his credit, and has carved a reputation as one of the fundamental growth pillars of the Congolese, and by extension, African music industry.

MUSIC SHOWBIZ

…Your weekly entertainment delight

Search for The Voice Nigeria Talent Begins Vanessa Obioha

After a riveting and successful outing last year, the Voice Nigeria returns for its fourth season with First Bank and Airtel as headline sponsors.

Auditions have already begun as aspiring and interested music talents are instructed to record a one-minute video singing without a soundtrack, upload and fill the form on the website. Only participants who are 18 years and above and have a government-issued means of identification are eligible for the singing competition. The number of entries received last year was 15,421. With new sponsors such as JAC Motors, Lush Hair and Zaron Cosmetics coming on board, the producer, UNITY 1 Limited hinted that the bar would be raised for this season. Although offering little details, the show’s reward for the ultimate winner will be higher than last season’s.

The winner of the third season Esther Benyeogo who recently got married, took home N10 million cash prize, a car and a recording contract with Universal Music Nigeria. One of the milestones achieved last year was the full production of the competition in Nigeria for the first time. As such, the executive producer Akin Salami excitedly told the press at a recent parley to unveil sponsors that The Voice Nigeria now has its premises in Nigeria. This, in a way, will help reduce cost and enable seamless production.

“We are beyond excited to draw open the curtain of a new season,” enthused Salami. “The third season of the show was produced in Nigeria for the first time since the inception of the show. It was definitely an outstanding show from all the local and international feedback we received. This season

Esther Wins The Voice Nigeria S3

is coming with new and exciting twists and turns especially in a time when the Nigerian music industry continues to grow in leaps and bounds. Our aim is to

continually provide a platform with international relevance for more talents and prepare them for the global stage. We are set to deliver a season like never seen before.”

This year’s episodes would be fully produced by UNITY 1 Limited in collaboration with FAME TV while also partnering with ITV and YouTube.

‘Lost in Lagos’ Magazine Marks Fifth Anniversary

IHENSEKHIEN, JAMIKA ENTERTAINMENT WIN ENTERTAINMENTENTREPRENEUR, BEST MUSIC LABEL AWARDS ATTNMA Sunday Okobi

WAZOBIAFMTAKESSUYA TO GRASSROOT IN NEW CAMPAIGN Popular indigenous radio station Wazobia FM recently announced plans to celebrate the resilience of Lagosians through its grassroots initiative tagged ‘Wazobia Suya’.

This, it said, is to strengthen the spirit of communal relationship across the grassroots population of Lagos while also creating a platform for them to air their opinions on issues that deal with the country’s overall socio-economic development.

Deploying the popular barbecue meat, the station seeks to entertain people with ‘suya’ at diverse entertainment spots across Lagos while they engage in discussions around national issues alongside the presenters of the ‘Evening Oyoyo Show’ Expensive and Solid AC. “Wazobia Suya” is an initiative that seeks to provide an entertaining platform aimed at fostering social inclusion among the grassroots population of the country, particularly in Lagos,” said the General Manager of Corporate Communication for Wazobia FM, Femi Obong-Daniels.

NOLLYWOOD

BlaqBonez performing for the teeming crowd

Iyke Bede Recently, art and lifestyle enthusiasts convened in the vast space of the Geely Centre located on Adeola Odeku, Victoria Island, Lagos, to mark the fifth anniversary of the Lagos compass magazine ‘Lost in Lagos’.

The soirée that received a sizable number of guests culminated in a Photo of the Month competition, a monthly programme that showcased the most striking photos in each month’s edition. To mark the fifth anniversary, the programme was expanded to showcase all winning photos from every edition published to date. The photos ranged from scenic landmarks of Lagos (Cathedral Church of Christ, Civic Towers), inspiring portraits of people, outstanding events (Lekki protest), to colourful foods and fabulous lifestyles unique to Lagos.

Founded by Tannaz Bahnam,

the magazine, which is distributed to the public for free, was born out of a need to help people —foreigners and natives alike— explore and easily discover the authentic Lagos culture.

“I think the best way to talk about something… anything, is to picture it.” explained Bahnam “We are visual people and we respond well to imagery, to pictures. And the way that people have captured Lagos in different ways, I think tonight each of the pictures shows a different side to Lagos. “Lagos is an amazing city that is growing and developing, yet there is a very authentic cultural side to it that exists, and it is growing alongside these developments. That is what these pictures capture.”

Having spent 14 years in Lagos, the Iranian national only fully conceptualised the idea of ‘Lost in Lagos’, three years after she moved to Nigeria. But it would take a while to start the magazine.

“When I first moved to Lagos, I

felt lost, and I had to find my way around, and I felt that I can’t be the only one. There are also other people who feel that Lagos is such a big city that we can get lost in.” Bahnam said of her inspiration to start the magazine.

“Lagos’ story is multifaceted; there are so many sides to it, and every person has a different experience of Lagos, and I think that’s what’s beautiful about it. There is no one story, there is no one experience, there are so many. There is the art world, there is the music world, entertainment, retail, fashion, the food, there are so many different worlds, and you can choose to be part of all of it or part of one of it.

There is so much to discover that your options are quite endless,” she concluded. Acknowledging the complex nature of the city, Bahnam continually works with a dynamic team of creatives who translate these rich cultural aspects of the city into unique themes each month.

One of the big winners of the eighth edition of the Top Naija Music Awards (TNMA) for 2021 is Mr. Stanley Ihensekhien, the head of operations of Jamika Entertainment, the fast emerging entertainment powerhouse and music label in Africa.

Also, Jamika Entertainment won the ‘Best Music Label’ in that category.

The music awards, which took place recently, has come and gone with many fast rising musical talents and entertainment practitioners taking home the prized trophies as a testament to their growth, and establishing themselves as the next rising stars in the Nigerian music and entertainment industry.

Ihensekhien won the award for the ‘Best Young Entertainment Entrepreneur’ of the year for his major work in promoting talents under his management and making big advancement in the music industry.

While reacting to the feat, he expressed joy at being recognised for his achievement in the industry He told THISDAY that: “being nominated for an award like this and then winning it makes me feel that the label, Jamika Entertainment, and I are finally being noticed for the hard work we are putting in the Nigerian music scene.

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ART WEEKEND

…For pure art enthusiasts

For Fastlane Music, Bobby Josh is A Real Deal Fastlane Music is set to rev up the music career of the Afro-fusion artist, Bobby Josh as he was signed as a new talent last weekend at Mavaro House, a nightclub tucked inside Lekki Peninsula Scheme II, Ajah, Lagos. Yinka Olatunbosun reports

B

obby Josh, born Udoh Joshua was in the company of his friends when he made an appearance at a talent hunt organised

by Fastlane Music. The venue was in his neighborhood, Anifowose, Ikeja.

His audition time was as brief as the shorts that he wore-thigh high- but then, he made a huge impression on Victor Mafa Omoluabi, the Chief Operating Officer for the recording company within those 30 seconds.

A multi-talented singer-songwriter, Bobby Josh finally got the right icing on his cake with a recording deal last weekend.

While waiting to sign the contract, he spoke exclusively to THISDAY on his journey into music alongside other talents.

“My dad calls me Bobby,’’ he began with a hint of a smile. Aside from writing songs, he writes stories and poems and plays football.

“Music has always been a thing in my family. My dad is a chairman for a cultural group in Akwa Ibom.

I am from Akwa Ibom state and my mom loves singing too as a chorister.

Growing up, I was always singing at church and in school,’’ he said.

In the background was the seductive sound of his song, ‘Gwan.’ The track had some trap elements as he would later affirm.

“Trap is a genre of music that I like and enjoy. I also do other genres of music. For me, it is more like the fusion of everything: afro, soul, fuji, R&B. I call it Afrofusion. The song ‘Gwan’ is freestyle. It is calming. Like something for me and my girlfriend when spending time together,’’ said the 25-year old singer.

At 10, he was always beating the table in his father’s house and disturbing everyone with his amateurish compositions while recruiting his siblings as co-performers. But all that changed during his undergraduate years at the University of Benin as he decided to record his songs.

As African music breaks charts and streaming platforms, the reality has buoyed up his confidence to become

Yinka Olatunbosun COO, Fastlane Music, Victor Mafa Omoluabi in handshake with the new artist, Bobby Josh during the recording contract signing event in Lagos

a music artist despite his initial apprehension.

“Yes, there is a bit of fear because it is my first time doing something like this. Fear aside, it is a platform for me to work better and be able to hone my craft. It is a four-year contract. I am expected to record songs.

The goal is to have an album.

Personally, I won’t want to do so much collaborations on my first album because I just want to bring my stuff. I don’t want to be distracted,’’ he said.

Bobby Josh’s brother, DJ Sparks was bemused by the whole story despite being the first DJ to play the brother’s songs at parties and events.

“I have always been proud of him. First time I heard him was in 2015. We were just in a room when he dropped ‘Gratitude.’ I was overwhelmed. I would like to see

him go places,’’ the hype DJ said.

James Jimmy aka Jay, who is Bobby Josh’s close friend also recalled the eureka moment for his friend.

“It felt like a dream. After the audition, we left. But after some minutes, we were called and we went back there for a second audition. That’s how we got here today,’’ he said.

Other songs in his repertoire include ‘Wonderful’ and the dance track with an addictive hook ‘Omo Anifowose.’

The lawyer mediating for the recording company and the artist, Francis Chukwuemeka Anyia observed that the interest of both parties are protected in the contract.

“I did everything possible to make the agreement fair and equitable to both parties. In this one, there is a clause that a party can opt out. The agreement is not

slavish. It is fair,’’ he assured.

Victor Mafa Omoluabi, the COO, Fastlane Music said he worked in collaboration with Ofuname lucky Oloriegbe the CEO of Fastlane Music to make the music contract with Bobby Josh a reality.

“I have the responsibility of scouting for young African talents, he goes ahead to try and see how relevant they can be globally not just in Africa.

Anifowose was a place I stayed for a long time after I graduated from school. I stayed in Anifowose. I lived with a friend. That was where I started my media career so I knew there were raw talents inAnifowose. When Bobby Josh sang he wasn’t just singing what he wrote, he was singing from the heart. He has soul in his trap. I knew he was the one we needed. He had less than one minute to perform and he did it. Everybody applauded. Even his competitors applauded him,’’ he revealed.

Retelling Nigerian Stories through Creative, Theatrical Lenses Yinka Olatunbosun Professionals in the Nigerian theatre have continued to re-tell Nigerian history creatively through drama, dance, and music while celebrating the nation’s varied yet unique cultures. Through stage plays, these artistic professionals have projected Nigerian stories to a mass audience within and outside the Nigerian shores.

Recently, MTN Nigeria through its Foundation partnered with three theatre professionals to produce three stage plays; ‘Death and the King’s Horseman,’ ‘Ufok Ibaan,’ and ‘Osamede the Play.’

‘Death and the King’s Horseman,’ the classic tragedy by Prof Wole Soyinka, was produced in partnership with Bolanle Austen-Peters. The play, based on true life events, captured the event that took place in the ancient town of Oyo during World War II, when Nigeria was a British colony.

The king has died and Elesin Oba, the chief horseman, sets on the traditional ritual that is deemed essential to the smooth transition of the late king to the world beyond. The story takes a dramatic turn for the king’s horseman and his family when the British

Akunyili’s Daughter Honours Mother’s Heroism, Releases Anticipated Book

MTN Theatre 2: A scene from Death and The King’s Horseman

colonial officer attempts to stop the ritual from happening.

Whilst reflecting on the play, the producer, Bolanle Austen-Peters, remarked that the play is about culture clash.

“The story is deep, now I understand why Prof. Soyinka got the Nobel

Prize for Literature. I also went deep.

I became Elesin Oba! I had to get into Elesin’s head,” said Austen-Peters.

Another production, ‘Ufok Ibaan’ produced in partnership with the Duke of Shomolu Productions was staged in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State.

It is a dramatic account of the Ikot

Abasi Women’s Uprising that led to the cringe-worthy massacre of 500 women under colonial rule in 1929.

The producer, Joseph Edgar, observed that the play “positioned Nigerian women as notable forces to be reckoned with during the Nigerian colonial era.”

“This play focuses on the experiences of the IkotAbasi women led by Madam Adiaha Edem Abia. Through music, dancesanddramaticsequences,itbrings to life the brave actions of women who stood against financial oppression albeit with tragic consequences. The play is a heartfelt celebration of Ufok Ibaan – the collective strength of women,” Edgar added.

Senator Udo Udoma, whose grandmother, MadamAdiaha Idem was said to have led the protest and was killed in the uprising, was present at the play and he recapped the story as told to him by his father (late sir Udo Udoma).

‘Osamede’ was produced in partnership with Lilian Olubi of Lillygates Productions. Drawn from the Benin language, the title `Osamede’ means ‘who the King has crowned.’ It is the story of an orphan girl who went from obscurity to the palace and risked her life to redeem the people of her community from a life of oppression

To honour the inspirational life of Dora Akunyili whose life and legacy inspired others in the fight against corruption in Nigeria, her daughter, Chidiogo Akunyili-Parr has released an intimate memoir titled, ‘I Am Because We Are: An African Mother’s Fight for the Soul of a Nation.’

Released in January 2022, it hit the bookstores nationwide on Friday, February 4 under the title ‘I Am Because We Are: The Story of Dora Akunyili.’

The story is told through the personal lens of Akunyili-Parr who was also influenced largely by the African philosophy of Ubuntu.

The philosophy, which guided the late Akunyili’s approach to public service, places the importance of community over the individual.

The book, which is the author’s first, offers an in-depth view of how late Akunyili took on fraudulent drug manufacturers whose products killed millions, including her sister.

It explores how the writer’s mother became the nation’s matriarch, a woman in a man’s world, a fearless cabinet minister, who survived political maneuverings, death threats, and an assassination attempt for defending the voiceless.

In the author’s words in describing the book, “while the world saw Dora Akunyili at the peak of her strength — a warrior with a gap-toothed smile whose lightskinned oval face was crowned with a colourful head-tie that doubled as armour against incessant attacks against her values and also her life — I saw the complexity that was hidden from sight. This is the story of her multiplicity: the story of my mother.”

“I have spent much of the last four years dedicated to bringing her story to life in this memoir — each step in researching and writing her story has allowed an unwrapping of her — the girl, the daughter, the dreamer, the wife, mother, warrior — her motivations, her struggles, and celebrations,’’ she said.

The book illuminates the role of kinship, family, and the individual’s place in society, while revealing a life of courage, how community shaped it and the web of humanity that binds us all.

The Nigerian edition of the book is published by Safari Books Ltd, and available on major physical and online platforms across Nigeria.

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Gov Buni: A Man Whose Greatness is Desired

Buni Odimegwu Onwumere

I

t was the legendary William Shakespeare who was credited with the following statement: Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.

As if Shakespeare had the indefatigable Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, born in Buni Yadi, Gujba Local Government Area of the state at heart when he made that statement, the governor has shown rare mettle by surmounting all odds to fix the once dreaded All Progressives Party’s National Convention for February 26.

Before this date was fixed, it was litigation to another by some perceived aggrieved members of the party, since June 2020 that Buni was appointed as the Chairman of APC’s Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC). He however remained steadfast to the duty he was called upon to do through his show of kindness being the essence of greatness.

Men of noble character like Buni do not toy with their fundamental characteristic of kindness.

The brave and born-leader Buni didn’t hinge on his greatness to belittle the political traducers who marshaled out against him (as it was fad that great men often belittle people of low minds), he rather stood his grounds not for his personal ambition but for the life of the APC in a country that has experienced the good, the bad and the ugly in all facets of human and administrative endeavours.

Buni didn’t want to sacrifice the APC for self-aggrandizement, he kept away from shylockick mindset knowing that as he was born great, he can also make his political party that could be gasping for the breathe to be great no matter what marooned minds were up for, for the party.

One thing that has endeared Buni to his followers and political analysts across the world

was his ability to endure critics, who were not criticising him constructively, but with some venoms of deconstructive bile in order to seeing that he bit the dust. Nonetheless, like the phoenix, Buni didn’t bite the dust.

He resurfaced with the February 26 agenda for the party. Ovation has rented the air since this proclamation.

While the APC was seen as a great party by those who believed in its manifesto, it was saddening that resentment characterised the party, not by defined oppositions, but by its members who were not pleased by Buni’s greatness and decisively sense of leadership.

They forgot that the humane Buni had the desire to serve others, by moving on in making sure the party succeeded.

The APC is greater than any member of the party but some folks in the party have proved the contrary, while Buni saw to their glee that they wanted to make sure the party bit the dust, and he created time for greatness to follow his party.

Buni could be better captured in a statement

by Theodore Roosevelt Jr., often referred to as Teddy or his initials T. R., who was an American politician, statesman, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer that served as the 26th president of the United States from 1901 to 1909.

Roosevelt Jr. was credited with the following comments: It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could

have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Buni’s face was marred with sweat and cajoles but he was optimistic and knew he was destined for a task greater than him. And he has been living it without impossibility in his coffer. He understands that to be simple is to be great therefore he kept doing what must be done positively for happiness of souls that trust him and the greatness of what ambition ought to be.

Like Martin Luther King Jr., says in his ‘A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches’, it is very important to align Buni in the evergreen statement that was credited to King Jr., saying: There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.

“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right”

Buni didn’t take the chairman of APC’s caretaker committee position as safe, politics, nor to make him popular, but conscience led him and today, hilarity in towns and villages by those who looked up to him, has worn out people in their quest to celebrate his feat in steering the committee to something better for the party.

Even as a governor, Buni might not be with the calibre of persons Nigerians know that have powerful political connections or great wealth; but like the librarians, his strength lies in not burning the APC down, just as librarians’ strength do not lie in burning books.

The APC has its own proverbially public library of which some of its members fighting Buni nearly burnt down for the lucre of politics and open vendetta against Buni whose patriotism for his party was not hidden and he faced reality.

The behaviours of the political demagogues in the APC could be the reason one Robert Orben said to Americans: “Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the United States.

Ask any Indian.”

While Orben humorously said that the Indian should be investigated as the aliens in the USA., Buni got God to himself in the words of Abraham Lincoln who was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865, saying: My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.

When the history of Governor Mai Mala Buni would be written, his greatness would be exposed to be as a result of his sound moral principle and this has shown as a bet and evidence of his strength, which has been leading him in perpetuity to achieve feats for his APC political party and personal endeavours. No man is great who has not affected the mind of his generation. Buni has. t0EJNFHXV 0OXVNFSF XSJUFT GSPN 3JWFST 4UBUF

35

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POLSCOPE

áÓÞÒ ÎÎã ÎÓàáÜÓ ÏÎÎã˛ÙÎÓàáÜÓ̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙט ͸΀͸ͽ ͻ͸; ΁ͻͽ;

Osun and the Aregbesola Fiasco

Canticles….

The Shifty APC Convention and Other Matters

Tinubu and Aregbesola

ith the drum beats of politics already echoing loud in the horizon, renowned wrestlers are already kitting up and prancing, just as aspiring wrestlers are gathering their kits to test their skills in the market square. That was probably what happened last weekend in Osun State when the All Progressives Congress (APC) held its governorship primaries to select who will be the party’s candidate at the governorship election on July 16, 2022.

A mini wrestler who was merely dressed in the kits of a giant few years ago suddenly wanted to prove that he not only wore the kits of a giant, but that he was indeed a giant. That was what Mr Rauf Aregbesola, the sitting minister of Interior succeeded in doing. He practically, in the words of Chinua Achebe, wanted to challenge his Chi to a wrestling match, after eating a bowl of fufu.

So what happened was that the wrestling match actually took place but Aregbesola who thought he was actually a giant and the star of the show, got into the ring but before long not only got undressed, but sent packing with bruised nostrils and bleeding lips.

He was challenging his chi to a fight.

As somebody succinctly put it, “you don’t attempt to drown your trainer in the stream”.

Although the visible contenders were Alhaji Moshood Adeoti and Adegbooyega Oyetola, they were mere puns in the chess board, representing Rauf Aregbesola and their overall grandmaster, Mr Bola Ahmed Tinubu; respectively. The former was an apprentice in the workshop established and run by the latter. But as they say, he had grown wings and thought he could over-run his master.

He got trounced at the market square.

A week or so before the Open Primaries, Rauf Aregbesola, who prefixes his name with Ogbeni (simply meaning Mr) had burst open his bottled-up anger when he said sundry denigrating things about Bola Tinubu, calling him names with scathing imports. It was clear that whatever that held them together had long fallen apart and the centre was no longer holding and may never hold again.

Days before the election, Aregbesola was reported to have entered Osun State (from Abuja), like a mafia, with “federal might” with men in his convoy firing guns indiscriminately, to herald the arrival of “the new strongman”.

But he forgot that even “area boys” have masters. Till date, they did not deny the reports about the shooting.

The story is that Aregbesola, a former governor of the state wanted to become the godfather of the state and not Tinubu, extending his political lordship all the way from Lagos down to Osun.

W

The story was told of how at the end of Aregbesoila’s governorship, he wanted to “install” somebody different from who Tinubu had in mind. The minister had to be persuaded to allow Oyetola become the governor. Already. the signs of disloyalty was already showing. Reluctantly, Aregbesola conceded. But was said to have been peeved by the “upturn” of his policies and programmes by he Oyetola administration. What were the said policies: that all schools in the state would wear a single type of uniform, that Osun should have an airport, that the distribution of Opon imo tablets be continued in the state etc. Oyetola was not quite home with the policies and he changed them. Aregbesola was not happy with it and swore to give Oyetola the Ambode treatment.

He forgot that he held only the shorter end of a very long knife.

He could hardly cut with it.

Not only was Oyetola backed

by Tinubu, whom sources say is a blood relation, Oyetola indeed had the power of incumbency.

Aregbesola, having been a disciple of Tinubu for years, must be greatly naïve not to know how the Tinubu political machine operates. He was, like Lady Macbeth, drunken with raw ambition, and so ignored the fine dialectics of warfare strategy.

He simply walked into the warfront, poorly kitted, and the staccato of the first volley wrecked his arsenal.

It is on record that two days after Aregbesola vituperated on his master, the House of Representatives, headed by another Tinubu apostle, if not a devotee, Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker, given all the bulwark support by the likes of James Faleke, a fanatical Tibubu fan , began a curious probe into the budget of the Correctional Services (Prisons)….

How very often, the service has been over run by gunmen and brazen criminals…. It was meant to send the signal to Aregbesola that not only do people who live in glass houses not throw stones, he must be clear in his choice of war targets. As the plan would go, Aregbesola has been harangued and the House of Representatives may not progress further on that probe path.

By Sunday, a day after the results of the primaries had been announced, a swathe of hitherto supporters of Aregbesola, in the Alimosho area of Lagos organised a mock funeral for him, carrying a coffin with his name boldly inscribed on it, with banners, placards and posters “mourning his death”. In their belief, the scoreline ( Oyetola:222169, Adeoti:12,921 and

Lasun :460) was a remarkable death sentence for Aregbesola’s political career. But is resurrection impossible?

It was adjudged as an act of utmost bad faith on the part of Aregbesola to have settled down to bite the fingers that fed him.

Until Tinubu became Governor of Lagos State, nobody knew an Aregbesola. But because he was a good talker and controlled a pack of supporters in Alimosho local Government area, one thing led to the other and he was named Commissioner for Works. Now he wants to challenge his Chi. As the then Editorial Page Editor of this paper, I know how many anti-Aregbesola articles I received and either toned down the attacks or altogether saved him from the embarrassments thereof, including being described as “a mere rewire posing as an Engineer”.

As the commissioner for Works in Lagos State, Aregbesola was practically the “CBN governor” of the state. That ministry was the platform by which many things were done in the state. Yes, many things. He was in charge of the contractors, many of whom were mere party men and women who had to be settled. It was Aregbesola’s forte to handle that. That privilege further raised the niche of his importance, so much that he assumed, years later, that the butterfly can now be counted among birds.

His faction of the party in Osun State, the Osun Progressives, have vowed to challenge the outcome of the primaries in court. They allege that many of their members were disenfranchised, even as they complained that Governor Oyetola, as a contestant in the race, ought to have recused himself from the national Caretaker committee of the party before the contest, insisting that being a member of the Caretaker committee conferred on him some undue advantage in the contest. Considerable as the argument may be, does Aregbesola not know the way of the game? Is he hurting now because he is at the receiving end? As the campaign manager of Tinubu, those days, how many such breaches did he supervise and preside over, with the swiftness of a glide? What goes around, comes around.

All said, Tinubu remains Aregbesola’s political mentor. A mentee should ever remain loyal and submissive to his mentor, even in politics. Yes, Tinubu may be overbearing in his quest to have a fisty control of the political firmament under his control, yet, a market square brawl can hardly be the solution.

Gov Mai Mala Buni

D

id you hear the latest on the APC national convention?

What has happened again? Have they said the convention will now hold in 2024?

How can it hold in 2024? Won’t there be election next year? Look, they have shifted it to March 26, just when everybody was ready for the convention tomorrow.

Suddenly, it has been shifted agin. I fear that the party is upto something sinister. I can’t put my finger to it, but the fact that the date has suffered too many changes indicates that there is something to worry about There is nothing sinister and nothing to worry about. Nigerians are too full of suspicion. They even suspect the rising and setting of the sun. That was how the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alleged that the delay in signing the amended Electoral Bill is because President Muhammadu Buhari is planning tenure extension. What kind of talk is that? Can’t you see Mr President is already tired and wants to go back to Daura? Or does the PDP think Buhari is Robert Mugabe?

You are fond of defending the status quo. How can you blame the suspicion of Nigerians? Have they not been taken for a ride by government, too many times? How do you explain the nearly two year tenure of the Interim chairman of the APC, Mai Mala Buni? Or how they keep shifting the date of the National convention? Just after a prolonged process and February 26 was fixed for the convention, it’s been shifted again.

Why are you trying to be more Catholic than the Pope? Are you a member of the APC? Why are you the one complaining for them? They are ok with the shift. They know what they are doing. There is no hidden agenda. And for those who think that Mr President is planning tenure extension because he has not signed the amended Electoral Bill, they will be put to shame today as he signs the Bill into Law, just to prove that he means well to the Nigerian public, no matter what opposition characters will say or think.

Hmmmm, Like Thomas, I will believe only after the National Assembly say that indeed the Bill has been signed. Don’t forget that the signing of the Bill has been

a running subject of speculation in the media.

All I need from you is to spare some thoughta for Mr President. The suspicion is too deep. Everything he does is either smelt as mischief or with the intent to undo Nigeria. Until recently many of you did not even believe that the EFCC is working.

They keep claiming no big man or known name ever gets prosecuted.

But with the conviction of former Water Resources minister, Sarah Ochekpe and jail term of six years plus the interim forfeiture order of ten houses belonging to former Zamfara State governor. Abdulaziz Yari and the increased prosecution tempo against former Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, you can see that gradually and steadily the tempo is changing and those concerned are fast realising that indeed, it is no longer business as usual Don’t be carried away by isolated judicial drama, my brother.

Not much has changed. It is still business as usual. What has changed is the amount of IQ now needed to smartly circumvent the system. Put you ear on the ground and you will not only hear classified information you will see the perfidy called the Nigerian system.

My friend, don’t sound too sanctimonious. There is no system without filth. All hands must be on deck for the war against corruption to be won. To assume that one man will sit in Abuja and fight and win the war against graft and corruption will be like looking for the blood of a snail.

Well, I agree with you, but the party in power must be broadminded enough to apply the same law against APC members and non-APC members. No man should be shielded Nobody is being shielded. If you are caught, you go in for it. The era of join the APC and your sins will be forgiven has gone with its propounder, Adams Oshiomhole. Now it is be caught and be arrainged. You can ask Okorocha or Orji Uzor Kalu or Babachir Lawal. Or are you implying that the likes of Femi Fani-Kayode, the garrulous former Aviation minister who was alleged to have procured fake medical report from General hospital Kubwa, so as to evade being arraigned, should be ignored? Those are the vices that the government is battling. The government needs the support of all.

36

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2022 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2022 • T H I S D AY

37

38

T H I S D AY ˾ , FEBRUARY 25, 2022

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Heifer Expands Crop Insurance, Protects Nigerian Rice Farmers against Bad Harvests Gilbert Ekugbe Heifer International, a nonprofit organisation on a mission to end global hunger and poverty, has introduced the Area Yield Index Insurance (AYII) to Nigerian rice farmers as a solution to mitigate climate change-induced losses and restore investors’ confidence in rice farming.

AYII is used globally to ensure farmers get full returns if insured farmland does not produce the projected quantity of crops.

It guarantees that farmers do not suffer loss, ensuring the sustainability of their agribusinesses and incomes.

The scheme is being implemented in Nigeria by Heifer International in collaboration with three other organisations; PULA, OLAM and Leadway Assurance Limited, to cover the hazard shared by most farmers in the country.

“Constant exposure to unreliable weather conditions, new pests and diseases, cripple farmers’ businesses and discouraged agribusiness financiers and investors, Area Yield Index Insurance provides rice farmers in Nigeria with an affordable way to mitigate the impacts of climate change on their businesses, ” said Rufus Idris, Country Director of Heifer Nigeria.

According to research carried out by PULA in some African countries, AYII has helped smallholder farmers in countries facing climate change risks to increase their resilience to shocks, increase investment in their farms by 16%, improve yields by 56% and increase household savings by up to 170%.

“Most smallholder farmers in Nigeria see insurance as a burden without any benefits.

When farmers are interested, the cost can be prohibitive,

as they have to pay for it at the beginning of the farming season, when their limit funds are needed for inputs and preparing the land.

“We believe insurance is an innovative financial solution that can increase the resilience of smallholder farmers in Nigeria. Designed

by PULA and supported by Heifer International, the scheme will make farmers aware of the benefits of insurance and increase coverage, attracting more financiers to the sector to improve financial resilience for millions of farmers, ”said Idris.

“With climate change and adverse weather conditions playing a crucial role in negatively impacting farmer’s productivity and earnings, there’s never been a more critical time for AYII to create a soft-landing for farmers that need protection against nature’s uncertainty.

L-R : Product Group Manager, Vitafoam Nigeria PLC, Moses Mogbolu, Treasurer; Innovation Committee, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE). Ikeja Branch, Engr. Nimot Muili, General Manager, Vitapur Nigeria Limited, Yemi Mofikoya, Chairman,, NSE, Ikeja Branch, Engineer Abdulganiyu Tramiyu during special visit of NSE Ikeja Innovation Committee Members to Vitapur… Wednesday

MARKET INDICATORS

ACCA Tasks Members on Realising SDGs Dike Onwuamaeze

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Nigeria has tasked its members to take steps that would advance the attainment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) in order to promote an inclusive, fairer, greener and sustainable world.

This task was given by the Head, ACCA Nigeria, Mr. Tom Isibor, during a recent media parley with journalist in Lagos.

Isibor said: “We’re calling on everyone in the ACCA community to make their own personal commitment to the UN SDGs. We’ve collated our resources and learning

materials and linked them to each of the nine SDGs we’ve made our commitment to.”

He said that the steps members of the ACCA could take to realise these SDGs included using their influence to raise awareness of the SDGs in their workplace and professional connections; keeping their skills up to date in order to be able to add value to the world; understanding their role in creating a more sustainable and transparent organisations; helping organisations to find innovative solutions and taking sustainable and ethical decisions and lastly to share the success stories by speaking up and building connections.

The Senior Business Development Manager, ACCA Nigeria, Ms. Aderonke Adebule, said the association’s brand theme, which is ACCA’s way of communicating with one voice across the world, for this quarter is “Rethinking Our World,” and added that members of the ACCA are using their network to realise gender equality by providing access to quality education and good health to vulnerable young girls in Nigeria. The Head of Policy, Africa ACCA, Ms. Jane Ohadike, said that the role of an accountant is beyond number punching. “It is really about looking how to get from Point A to Point B and making sure that money did not get lost and while ensuring that people get what is there due.

Wema Bank Boss Admonishes Accountants on Data Protection The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Wema Bank Plc, Mr Ademola Adebise, has advised accountants to store data safely and protect them against cybersecurity threats and other criminal breaches.

Adebise said this at the 16th Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) Western Accountants Conference themed ‘Digital Economy: Whither the Professional Accountant’ held in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

Adebise who stressed the importance of data storage and security said that accountants in the digital age must be flexible and knowledgeable to save data on storage devices on-premises or in the cloud.

He also noted that in case of loss or data corruption, the 21st-century accountant needs to be conversant with the Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) to mitigate loss.

Adebise explained that, “a large amount of data is sitting on storage. As accountants, we need to safeguard our storage and be versed in data recovery and business continuity planning should there be a loss or corruption of data.

“The accountant must know contemporary issues on cybersecurity – ensuring that digital information is safe and secure, at all times. Going digital exposes you to risk from hackers. So, as an accountant, you need to have an in-depth knowledge of

cybersecurity and must know the various data and information security standards to audit the environment.”

Apart from being security conscious and storing data securely, the MD/CEO further noted that modern accountants should understand the changes taking place in the profession, including the evolution from traditional data collection methods.

He said, “these include using Enterprise Resource Planning systems that are interconnected to process data from production, distribution, marketing, and sales.

The accountant, therefore, needs to be skilled to understand the complexities, transaction flows of the new ways of doing things and understand what data is saying.”

Vitafoam’s Subsidiary, Vitaparts Introduces Oil Filters A subsidiary of Vitafoam Nigeria Plc, Vitaparts Nigeria Limited has emerged the first company in Nigeria to produce oil filters for automobiles.

Vitaparts currently produces two variants of oil-filters for automobiles: Spin-on Vitafilter and Cartridge Vitafilter.

The Company’s Operations Manager, Eghosa Osadolor, explained that the innovative products were customized on the basis of the user’s engine.

According to him, Vitaparts is set to revolutionize the automobile industry with the

manufacturing of oil filters for automobiles.

“The vision which birthed the company stemmed from the need to offer tested and trusted oil filters and other automobile parts that will serve Nigerians and their automobiles. The oil filters are manufactured in different sizes and are produced based on the user’s car engine. The filters are readily available for purchase at the Vitaparts office, various mechanic workshops, and accredited dealers across the country, ”said Osadolor.

Over the years, Vitafoam has carved a niche for itself and transitioned from being just a manufacturer of flexible, reconstituted and rigid foam products to offering complete household furniture solutions to customers seeking comfort and reliability.

In demonstrating that innovative and forward-thinking attributes, the company has recently added to her numerous value-adding products in the automobile industry; the production of oil filters for automobiles.

MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

JANUARY 2021 Money Supply (M3)

38,779,455.43

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

1,039,129.55

Money Supply (M2)

37,740,325.88

-- Quasi Money

21,779,302.69

-- Narrow Money (M1)

15,961,023.19

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,364,871.13

---- Demand Deposits

13,596,152.06

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,414,275.50

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

31,365,179.93

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

42,916,586.63

---- Credit to Government (Net)

12,304,773.44

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

0.00

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

30,611,813.19

--Other Assets Net

3,892,112.74

Reserve Money (Base Money

13,264,585.14

--Currency in Circulation

2,831,167.19

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

10,433,417.96 317,234.17

˾ 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 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7

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).

39

T H I S D AY ˾ , Ͱͳ˜ ͰͮͰͰ

Renewed Interest in Seplat, 14 Others Lifts Stock Market by N35bn Kayode Tokede The stock market of the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) yesterday rebounded from the previous training session’s loss as the benchmark index rose by 0.14 per cent, attributable to Investors’ interest in Seplat Energy and 24 others.

The NGX All-Share Index (ASI) increased by 64.77 basis

points or 0.14 per cent to close at 47,272.04 basis points. Similarly, the overall market capitalisation size gained renewed N35 billion to close at N25.477 trillion.

Accordingly, the stock market Month-to-Date and Year-to-Date returns increased to +1.4per cent and +10.7per cent, respectively.

Performance across sectors was mixed, as the NGX Oil & Gas added 3.9per cent and NGX

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

Insurance also gained 1.0per cent, while the NGX Consumer Goods dropped by 0.6per cent and NGX Banking declined by 0.3per cent.

Elsewhere, the NGX Industrial Goods index closed flat.

Market sentiment was positive as 25 stocks gained relative to 18 losers. eTranzact International recorded the highest price gain of 10 per cent to close at N2.42, per share. Learn Africa followed

S E C U R I T I E S

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

with a gain 9.92 per cent to close at N2.66, while SCOA Nigeria rose by 9.69 per cent to close at N2.83, per share.

Royal Exchange went up by 9.62 per cent to close at N1.14, while R.T. Briscoe Nigeria appreciated by 8.86 per cent to close at 686 kobo, per share. On the other hand, Multiverse Mining & Exploration led the losers’ chart by 8.00 per cent to close at 23

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

kobo, per share. Japaul Gold and Ventures followed with a decline of 5.00 per cent to close at 38 kobo, while International Breweries shed 4.55 per cent to close at N5.25, per share.

Chams lost 4.35 per cent to close at 22 kobo, while Honey Well Flour Mills shed 3.87 per cent to close at N3.73, per share. The total volume traded increased by 47.7 per cent to

O F

2 4

340.671 million units, valued at N3.858 billion, and exchanged in 5,383 deals. Transactions in the shares of custodian Investment topped the activity chart with 39.167 million shares valued at N282.066 million. Sterling Bank followed with 33.354 million shares worth N53.775 million, while Fidelity Bank traded 22.398 million shares valued at N68.952 million.

/ 2 / 2 0 2 2 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

40

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022

Friday, February 25, 2022 Thisday 40 Index Indexfell rebounds 17bps Thisday Afrinvest Afrinvest 40 by 14bps The The dŚŝƐĚĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ϰϬ ƌĞďŽƵŶĚĞĚ ďLJ ϭϳďƉƐ ƚŽ ϮϬϯϱ͘ϬϬ dŚŝƐĚĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ϰϬ /ŶĚĞdž ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ďLJ ϭϰďƉƐ ƚŽ ƐĞƩůĞ

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 INDEX

index pointspoints spurred interestoninZENITH GTCO (+1.5%), at 1,674.89 duebytobuying sell-pressure (-0.6%), ZENITH (+0.4%).These Together, these WAPCO;нϬ͘ϮйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ FBNH (-1.3%), and UBA (-0.7%). stocks cumula-

Fundamental Performance Metrics for THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 Index

stocks account for 15.5% of the index. ƟǀĞůLJ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ĨŽƌ ϭϯ͘Ϯй͘

Current Price

Ticker

ASI up 11bps as DANGCEM Gains 3.3%

Local Bourse Halts Sell-ŽīƐ͘​͘​͘ ^/ ƵƉ Ϭ͘ϭй WƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ

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(+9.8%), E' D ;нϯ͘ϯйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ & E, (+0.7%) bol-

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stered ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ŽŶ the local bourse as the All-

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index

rose

by

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vanced to 10.7% (previously: 10.5%) while market capi-

proved to -1.8% while ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝƐĂƟŽŶ ƌŽƐĞ ďLJ

ƚĂůŝƐĂƟŽŶ ƌŽƐĞ േϯϰ͘ϵďŶ ƚŽ േϮϱ͘ϱƚŶ͘ dƌĂĚŝŶŐ ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ ŝŵͲ േϮϯ͘ϰďŶ ƚŽ േϮϬ͘ϲƚŶ͘ dƌĂĚŝŶŐ ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ ǁĂƐ ŵŝdžĞĚ ĂƐ ǀŽůƵŵĞ proved volumeďLJ and valueƚŽ traded increased 47.7%value and ƚƌĂĚĞĚ as ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ Ϯϭ͘ϲй ϭϭϬ͘ϴŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ǁŚŝůĞ ϭϬ͘ϰй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ƚŽ ϯϰϬ͘ϳŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ĂŶĚ േϯ͘ϵďŶ͘ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƌŽƐĞ ďLJ ϴϴ͘ϱй ƚŽ േϯ͘ϭďŶ͘ The most traded stocks by volume were dZ E^ KZW ;ϭϭ͘ϵŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ͕ & E, (11.1m

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5 Zenith Bank PLC 6 Dangote Cement PLC 7 Nestle Nigeria PLC

Across sectors under our coverage, performance was

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ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ͕ ϭϴ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ǁŚŝůĞ ϲϲ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ŇĂƚ͘ Today, /ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ^ƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶƐ ǁĞ ĂŶƟĐŝƉĂƚĞ ƉƌŽĮƚ-taking in the market due to the

;ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞͬĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ƌĂƟŽͿ͕ ƐƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶĞĚ͕ ƐĞƩůŝŶŐ Ăƚ 1.6x ĨƌŽŵ ϭ͘ϯdž ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ůĂƐƚ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ĂƐ Ϯϰ stocks advanced while 15 stocks declined. MRS (+9.9%), MAY-

STOCK (-4.8%) led losers. Previous day, we expect the ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ƚŽ ƌĞŵĂŝŶ ŵŝdžĞĚ͕ ĂƐ earnings season gradually winds up.

0.0%

7.8%

1.5%

1.5%

134.7%

14.1%

13.6x

21.0x

70.75

0.0%

6.8%

5.5%

5.5%

19.1%

11.2%

34.0x

6.4x

26.90

1.5%

6.3%

3.5%

3.5%

24.8%

3.9%

4.1x

5.4%

12.3x

16.2%

1.5%

8.1%

5.2%

7.3%

1.0x

11.2%

24.6% 27.3%

2.9%

27.00

0.2%

6.0%

7.4%

7.4%

20.9%

2.8%

3.7x

0.7x

11.1%

273.50

0.0%

4.4%

6.4%

6.4%

40.4%

16.7%

13.6x

5.3x

5.9%

7.4%

1,435.00

0.0%

3.1%

-7.8%

-7.8%

106.8%

15.6%

27.8x

32.8x

4.2%

3.6% 14.7%

26 NEM Insurance PLC 27 Presco PLC

11.50

0.4%

3.2%

0.9%

0.9%

8.4%

0.8%

6.8x

0.6x

3.9%

26.30

0.0%

3.4%

9.8%

9.8%

11.6%

8.4%

9.8x

1.1x

3.8%

10.2%

10.20

-1.0%

2.8%

9.7%

9.7%

17.0%

1.4%

2.9x

0.5x

8.3%

35.0%

8.70

0.6%

2.2%

8.1%

8.1%

19.5%

1.8%

2.2x

0.4x

6.4%

45.7%

34.75

0.0%

1.5%

-3.5%

-3.5%

15.1%

2.1%

7.8x

1.2x

11.8%

12.8% 3.3%

48.00

-0.4%

1.4%

-4.0%

-4.0%

7.6%

2.7%

30.1x

2.2x

3.3%

859.90

7.5%

2.0%

32.3%

32.3%

3.4%

1.9%

19.7x

0.7x

5.2%

11.40

0.0%

1.7%

31.0%

31.0%

2.6x

5.1% 38.1%

5.25

-4.5%

1.1%

6.1%

6.1%

-10.3%

-3.9%

127.80

0.0%

0.9%

-10.0%

-10.0%

36.5%

23.3%

8.7x

2.9x

31.80

-3.6%

1.0%

12.2%

12.2%

15.9%

4.5%

4.9x

0.7x

5.2%

20.5%

1.0x

-10.8% 11.5%

3.05

-1.6%

0.7%

19.6%

19.6%

13.3%

1.3%

2.3x

0.3x

7.1%

43.1%

2.47

0.0%

0.6%

6.5%

6.5%

9.3%

3.0%

7.6x

0.7x

8.9%

13.2%

17.00

-0.3%

0.5%

-2.3%

-2.3%

15.3%

6.3%

11.1x

1.7x

8.8%

9.0%

3.03

1.0%

0.4%

1.3%

1.3%

10.3%

1.1%

0.2x

5.0%

3.1x

10.9%

13.95

-1.4%

0.5%

40.9%

40.9%

70.05

0.0%

0.6%

79.6%

79.6%

13.3%

6.0%

14.8x

1.8x

0.7%

6.8%

1.26

0.0%

0.4%

31.3%

31.3%

11.1%

2.3%

6.7x

0.7x

0.8%

15.0%

35.6%

18.5%

6.2x

1.0x

4.5%

16.0%

2.2x

1.0% 2.8%

4.00

0.0%

0.3%

-11.1%

-11.1%

104.00

0.0%

0.3%

18.5%

18.5%

28 NASCON Allied Industries PLC 29 AIICO Insurance PLC

14.40

0.0%

0.3%

9.1%

9.1%

21.3%

6.9%

13.5x

2.7x

0.69

1.5%

0.2%

-1.4%

-1.4%

7.2%

1.1%

383.3x

0.7x

30 TotalEnergies Marketing Nigeri 31 Custodian and Allied Insurance 32 Vitafoam Nigeria PLC

264.90

0.0%

0.3%

19.4%

19.4%

48.0%

9.5%

5.4x

2.2x

1.5%

18.6%

7.20

-0.7%

0.2%

-8.9%

-8.9%

19.5%

5.5%

4.2x

0.8x

7.6%

23.6%

23.45

2.2%

0.2%

4.2%

4.2%

38.7%

16.0%

6.0x

2.1x

6.6%

16.6%

13.95

0.0%

0.2%

-3.8%

-3.8%

7.8%

4.9%

30.9x

1.2x

26.50

0.0%

0.2%

18.6%

18.6%

18.9%

2.4%

4.0x

0.8x

1.5%

25.0%

4.0%

33 Unilever Nigeria PLC 34 Julius Berger Nigeria PLC 35 Union Bank of Nigeria PLC 36 Oando PLC 37 Wema Bank PLC 38 Sterling Bank PLC 39 Notore Chemical Industries Ltd 40 Transcorp Hotels Plc

6.30

-1.6%

0.1%

6.8%

6.8%

7.1%

0.8%

7.1x

0.7x

4.85

-0.2%

0.0%

9.7%

9.7%

14.5%

2.6%

2.1x

0.3x

T ic k er

SC OA

0.1%

30.6%

30.6%

14.1%

0.8%

4.1x

0.5x

4.3%

24.5%

0.0%

0.1%

7.3%

7.3%

9.4%

0.9%

2.1x

0.3x

3.1%

47.3%

62.50

0.0%

0.1%

0.0%

0.0%

-28.3%

-6.1%

5.38

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

2.4x

-13.8%

0.9x T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V o l u m e Vo lum e

P ric e C hg %

10.0%

C UST OD IA N

39.2

-0.7%

9.9%

ST ER LN B A N K

33.4

0.0%

9.7%

F ID ELIT YB K

22.4

-1.6%

1.14

9.6%

A C C ESS

20.4

-1.0%

0.86

8.9%

UC A P

19.1

-1.4%

18.1

0.0%

15.9

7.2%

2.66 2.83

R OYA LEX

P ric e C hg %

T ic k er

N IGER IN S

0.26

8.3%

T R A N SC OR P

C OR N ER ST

0.65

8.3%

N GXGR OUP M ULT IVER SE

15.8

-8.0%

UB A

14.0

0.6%

C H IP LC

10.8

-1.6%

SEP LA T

859.90

7.5%

N GXGR OUP

26.15

7.2%

M B EN EF IT

0.27

3.8%

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V a l u e

T o p 10 L o s e r s T ic k er M ULT IVER SE

P ric e 0.23

P ric e C hg % -8.0%

J A P A ULGOLD

0.38

-5.0%

IN T B R EW

5.25

-4.5%

CHA M S

0.22

-4.3%

H ON YF LOUR

3.73

-3.9%

F LOUR M ILL

14.1% 47.9%

-3.1%

2.42

LEA R N A F R C A

3.2%

0.94

P ric e

ET R A N Z A C T

7.4% 0.3%

1.62

T o p 10 G a in e r s

BAKER (+9.8%), and HONYFLOUR (+9.8%) led gainers while ABCTRANS (-8.3%), LASACO (-6.7%), and LIVE-

0.8x

200.00

19 Fidelity Bank PLC 20 AXA Mansard Insurance PLC 21 Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC

R T B R ISC OE

ǁĞĂŬĞŶĞĚ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ͘ /ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ͕ ĂƐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ

5.6x

31.9%

16 International Brew eries PLC 17 Okomu Oil Palm PLC 18 Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC

ŽŶǀĞƌƐĞůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚĞdž ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ ůŽŶĞ ŐĂŝŶͲ Outlook er, upƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ͕ ĂƐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ͕ 1.8% driven by price appreciaInvestor

3.5%

Divindend Earnings Yield Yield

P/BV

31.9%

14 SEPLAT Energy PLC 15 Ecobank Transnational Inc

Goods & Gas and Insurance indices BearishĐůŽƐĞĚ ŇĂƚ͘ dŚĞ Oil Sector Performance

15.0%

P/E

38.0%

11 United Bank for Africa PLC 12 Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC 13 Nigerian Brew eries PLC

24 Guinness Nigeria PLC 25 Transnational Corp of Nigeria

9.7% 103.5%

ROA

0.0%

8 FBN Holdings Plc 9 Lafarge Africa PLC 10 Access Bank PLC

ŵŝdžĞĚ ĂƐ ϯ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ŐĂŝŶĞĚ͕ Ϯ ůŽƐƚ ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞ Industrial

0.17%

ROE

1,260.00

3 BUA Cement Plc 4 Guaranty Trust Holding Co PLC

22 FCMB Group Plc 23 United Capital PLC

ŝŶĐŚĞĚ ŚŝŐŚĞƌ ďLJ ϯ͘ϵй ĂŶĚ ϭ͘Ϭй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬ

2035.00

1 Airtel Africa PLC 2 MTN Nigeria Communications PLC

Price Previous Price Current Change Price Change Weighting Index to Change YTD Date

31.80

-3.6%

WEM A B A N K

0.94

-3.1%

UP D C R EIT

3.70

-2.6%

A C A D EM Y

1.96

-2.0%

C H IP LC

0.60

-1.6%

T ic k er

Value

P ric e C hg %

M TNN

588.8

0.0%

N GXGR OUP

404.1

7.2%

SEP LA T

336.6

7.5%

NB

327.4

-0.4%

C UST OD IA N

282.1

-0.7%

UC A P

264.6

-1.4%

A C C ESS

209.7

-1.0%

GT C O

196.4

1.5%

WA P C O

195.7

0.0%

Z EN IT H B A N K

127.5

0.2%

41

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022 • T H I S D AY

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

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

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

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

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

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

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 23Feb-2022, unless otherwise stated.

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

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

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

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Plutus Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria International Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Dollar Fund 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 9.47% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.66 3.83 4.78% 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 7.89% Anchoria Equity Fund 146.87 148.72 5.24% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.20 1.20 5.46% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com info@anchoriaam.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 20.99 21.62 3.49% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 474.22 488.52 5.11% ARM Ethical Fund 39.82 41.02 2.22% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.07 1.07 -0.94% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.02 1.02 0.69% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 8.15% AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com; Tel 08069294653 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 108.9 108.9 7.07% AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Naira 1,080.59 1,080.59 8.06% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 2.08 2.08 9.38% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.28 2.32 28.73% CARDINALSTONE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfunds@cardinalstone.com Web: www.cardinalstoneassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 (1) 710 0433 4 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CardinalStone Fixed Income Alpha Fund 1.02 1.02 1.36% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 8.85% Paramount Equity Fund 18.47 18.80 9.75% Women's Investment Fund 146.25 147.81 5.13% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 8.02% Cordros Milestone Fund 139.87 140.80 5.81% Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 111.20 111.20 0.69% CORONATION ASSETS MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com, Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 6.08% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 6.57% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,147.16 1,151.73 -1.85% EMERGING AFRICA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@emergingafricafroup.com Web:www.emergingafricagroup.com/emerging-africa-asset-management-limited/, Tel: 08039492594 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Emerging Africa Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 8.50% Emerging Africa Bond Fund 1.01 1.01 5.18% Emerging Africa Balanced Diversity Fund 1.05 1.05 14.83% Emerging Africa Eurobond Fund 101.38 101.38 3.33% FBNQUEST ASSETS MANAGEMENT LIMITED invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,417.29 1,417.29 10.86% FBN Balanced Fund 182.47 183.83 4.11% FBN Halal Fund 117.16 117.16 8.86% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 8.61% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Legacy Money Market Fund Legacy Debt Fund Legacy Equity Fund Legacy USD Bond Fund FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Coral Balanced Fund Coral Income Fund Coral Money Market Fund FSDH Dollar Fund

122.80 155.41

122.80 3.91% 157.44 3.09% fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com

Bid Price N/A N/A N/A N/A

Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com

Bid Price 4,010.99 3,500.85 100.00

Offer Price 4,067.67 3,500.85 100.00

1.09

1.09

Yield / T-Rtn 2.99% 0.94% 6.80%

3.43%

INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 6.31% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.92 2.98 2.12% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 4.50% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 142.76 142.81 -8.26% Vantage Equity Income Fund (VEIF) - June Year End 1.28 1.32 1.60% Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End 1.08 1.08 4.12% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.56 1.59 3.41% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,156.37 1,156.37 1.71% 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 12.31 12.38 4.36% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 8.60% NORRENBERGER INVESTMENT AND CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LIMITED enquiries@norrenberger.com Web: www.norrenberger.com, Tel: +234 (0) 908 781 2026 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Norrenberger Islamic Fund (NIF) N/A N/A N/A Norrenberger Money Market Fund (NMMF) 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 N/A N/A N/A PACAM Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM EuroBond Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 131.12 132.74 8.50% 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 1.08 1.08 10.03% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 3,522.22 3,559.31 2.28% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 236.59 236.59 0.36% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.33 1.35 3.08% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 315.74 315.74 0.77% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 244.32 247.89 0.90% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 6.07% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 11,263.50 11,420.37 1.38% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.30 1.30 0.64% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 117.51 117.51 0.46% Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Short-Term Fixed Income Fund 107.70 107.70 UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 01-6317876 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Equity Fund 0.97 0.99 4.21% United Capital Balanced Fund 1.41 1.43 3.57% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.14 1.15 4.42% United Capital Sukuk Fund 1.09 1.09 1.13% United Capital Fixed Income Fund 1.98 1.98 1.05% United Capital Eurobond Fund 123.30 123.30 0.79% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 8.26% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Balanced Strategy Fund 13.38 13.51 1.47% Zenith ESG Impact Fund 15.26 15.43 4.44% Zenith Income Fund 22.28 22.28 1.33% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 6.20%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

124.98 54.65

10.62% 8.10%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

14.10 135.66 106.93 19.84 23.29

14.20 139.05 109.29 19.94 23.39

0.97% 3.07% 3.20% 0.00% 0.00%

Fund Name SFS REIT Union Homes REIT

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund SIAML Pension ETF 40 Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund MERGROWTH ETF MERVALUE ETF

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

4.46 5.84 18.57 1.00 21.21 165.25

4.56 5.94 18.77 1.00 21.41 167.25

18.41% 14.59% 8.05% 7.05% 9.36% 4.71%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.28

10.80%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

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

42

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2022 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2022 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022

ISSUES

Chidiogo Akunyili-Parr: The Facts Speak for Themselves on Jonathan’s Administration

Reno Omokri

I was rather appalled to read comments attributed to Chidiogo Akunyili-Parr, a daughter of Nigeria’s former minister of information, Dr. Dora Akunyili, who in her book, I am because we are’, a biography of her mother, alleged that her late mother described then President Jonathan’s cabinet as a “cabinet of mismatched candidates and portfolios”.

She further said that the Jonathan cabinet “was one of the first signs of the woes that would cripple Goodluck Jonathan’s government.”

Being that I was an offshoot of that cabinet, I am personally defamed by those statements, and would like to set the record straight by examining these particular statements in the light of indisputable facts.

Former President Jonathan’s minister of Finance was Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who got her PhD in regional economics and development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. On Thursday July 19, 2018, Jack Dorsey, the then CEO of Twitter appointed Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to the board of Twitter. She also sat on the boards of Lazard, Gavi and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank after her tenure as Minister of Finance, and Coordinating Minister for the Economy.

On March 1, 2021, Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was appointed as the 7th Director General of the World Jonathan Trade Organisation, and has been described by Forbes Magazine as the most influential Nigerian alive. contact-tracing mechanisms and other protocols Former President Jonathan’s minister of agriculture was that halted the disease in its tracks within three Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, who has a PhD in Agricultural months, and made Nigeria the first country to Economics from Purdue University, and was a fellow overcome the scourge. of the Rockefeller Foundation.

The minister of state for health under former Until his appointment as Minister in 2010, Dr. Akinwumi President Jonathan was Muhammad Ali Pate, who Adesina was Vice President of Policy and Partnerships was in May of 2019 appointed by the World Bank for the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa.

Group as the Global Director of Health, Nutrition After President Jonathan’s tenure, Dr. Akinwumi and Population, and Director, Global Financing Adesina was elected as the 8th President of the African Facility.

Development Bank.

Muhammad Ali Pate was also appointed as And on June 27, 2017, Dr. Akinwumi won the Professor of Public Health Leadership in the prestigious World Food Prize for his work to boost Department of Global Health and Population of yields and farm incomes during his tenure as Nigeria’s Harvard University. minister of agriculture.

That administration also had Olusegun Aganga As minister of health, we had Onyebuchi Chukwu, as minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, who a professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. Professor Chukwu before his appointment to the cabinet was a Managing is globally acclaimed for his prowess in combating Director at Goldman Sachs, probably the biggest Ebola in Nigeria by quickly establishing unprecedented investment bank on planet Earth.

As planning minister, Dr. Jonathan had Shamsudeen Usman, who holds a PhD from the London School of Economics, and was the pioneer Director General of The Technical Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation, now the Bureau of Public Enterprises.

Former President Jonathan’s minister of Information and Communication Technology was Dr. Omobola Johnson, who is currently Chairperson of the Global Alliance for Affordable Internet.

The education ministry under President Jonathan had a competent and well-experienced ivory tower intellectual as the head. Before her appointment as a minister of education, Mrs Ruquyyatu Rufa’i functioned effectively as a professor of curriculum studies at the Bayero University, Kano.

With such a cabinet of world-class, distinguished, and sterling individuals, it is hard to reconcile President Jonathan’s ministerial picks as “the cabinet of mismatched candidates, with square pegs put in round roles”.

It is however a fact that after her defeat by Chris Ngige, in the April 2011 election for the Anambra Central Senatorial seat, Dr. Dora Akunyili put herself forward to former President Jonathan for consideration as a minister in his administration, and that the then President, in his wisdom, elected not to appoint her to his government.

Dora Akunyili is late, and though I know the reason why she was not appointed to then President Jonathan’s cabinet, in honour of her memory, I will refrain from revealing that reason.

However, being that at the time she put herself forward to be considered for appointment to the Jonathan cabinet, she already knew those being considered, the question is raised as to why she would want to join a cabinet of persons she felt were subpar?

Suffice to say that if indeed Dora Akunyili had made such a judgment to her daughter, it may have been made in the heat of the moment, when she was sensitive and feeling scorned at her failure to make the Jonathan cabinet.

As such, I do not wish to join issues with her or her daughter, except to say that the obvious facts do not support their claims.

Additionally, it is also preposterous for Chidiogo

to associate the government of President Jonathan with failure, knowing all he did to grow the economy and deepen development in the country.

In case her memory failed her at the time of writing the book, or perhaps she was overwhelmed by emotions, here is a brief recap of the achievements recorded by the Jonathan administration: The Jonathan administration on May 29, 2015 left behind a $550 billion economy, (the largest in Africa and 26th in the world) and the third fastest-growing economy in the world (next only to China and Qatar according to CNNMoney), with a stable currency and single-digit inflation.

I also remind Akunyili-Parr that this record remains the best since Nigeria’s return to democracy.

Furthermore, under Jonathan, Nigeria was the top Foreign Direct Investment destination in Africa, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Nigeria was acknowledged by the International Food Policy Research Institute IFPRI, as having reduced hunger levels by 2013. Their annual Global Hunger Index showed that Nigeria’s index dropped from 16.3 in 2005 to 15 in 2013. This led to Nigeria receiving a Food And Agriculture award from the United Nations for reducing poverty on June 19, 2013.

I also remind her that under Jonathan, in 2014, Nigeria made her best-ever improvement on the annual Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, moving from 144 the previous year, to 136, an 8-point improvement.

Former President Jonathan built 165 almajiri schools and 14 new federal universities, with 10 of those in the North. As a result, of the 1,543,683 who took the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) in 2013, 1,074,065 obtained five credits and above, representing a 70 per cent pass rate.

Finally, when Mrs. Akunyili died, then President Jonathan caused the Federal Executive Council to hold an unprecedented valedictory session in her memory.

Professor Dora Akunyili remains the only former deceased cabinet minister to be so honoured.

If anything, former President Jonathan deserves to be commended for this and other recognitions accorded late Akunyili while she was alive, not this futile attempt to revise recent history by a member of the late minister’s family.

TRIBUTE

Jeremiah Olu Oma Ahonaruogho: A Life of Fulfilment and Passion

J

Then, Richard left Warri, where he lived with eremiah Olu Oma Ahonaruogho passed away on his maternal grandmother Elizabeth Anirejuoritse January 31, 2022. He was aged 84. He was born Olugbo in 1970. Ahonaruogho, Jerry as he was Jeremiah Olu Oma Ade in Katsina (present-day fondly called by his friends and colleagues, reKatsina State) to Duaye and Ofeji on November joined Mobil Oil in November 1968, at a time 23, 1937. He had four siblings. He had his roots the illustrious Senator David O. Dafinone, one from the Ahonaruogho family of Ughoton in the Okpe of the most prominent Okpes of his era, had Local Government Area of Delta. secured for him an interview appointment as a His paternal grandfather Ahonaruogho Ade, who marketing executive at Friesland Foods Wamco hailed from the Odumokpopo area of Ughoton, married Nigeria Limited, makers of Peak Milk. Ahonaruogho Gine (nee Asije), who begat his grandfather, Jacob did not forget Dafinone’s kindness. He held various Duaye Ade. Jacob Duaye Ade married Ofeji (nee management and executive positions at Mobil Oil, Edenevbiaye), who begat Jeremiah Oma Olu Ade. including Commercial Administrative Manager, In 1981, he reverted the family name to Ahonaruogho Resale Manager, Eastern Branch Manager, with from Ade in consultation with his father and his headquarters in Benin City covering 11 of the 29 aunt, Warri Ade, a renowned trader at the popular states in Nigeria at the time. His last position at Balogun market in Lagos and the first woman to hold Mobil Oil was that of a real estate manager, yet a chieftaincy title in the Okpe Kingdom to keep the at the time he left Mobil Oil, and till death, he identity as Okpes in the family as all his children had had no building in Lagos where he worked in difficulty speaking the Okpe language for which he executive, management and senior management had great passion. positions from 1968 to 1996 and 1998 to 1990.

He attended primary school between 1947 and His contemporary at Mobil Oil included Chief 1953 at Holy Trinity School, Kano and the Ebenezer Pius Akinyelure, who was at the time, the head African Church School, Ibadan. His secondary school Ahonaruogho of finance under whom was Mr. Bola Tinubu education was at the Yaba Technical Institute (now (as he then was). Other colleagues included Mr. Yaba College of Technology) between 1954 and 1958. at the College of Marketing (now the Chartered Reuben A. Olaiya Otolorin, Mr. O. C. Nwachuku He graduated and was awarded the Yaba Technical Institute of Marketing). He was awarded a diploma (with whom they shared the two wings of duplex Institute Secondary School Leaving Certificate. His certificate in 1965. Not satisfied with his educational houses at No. 7 Yusufu Okunade Street. Idiroko classmates at Yaba Technical Institute included Admiral achievements, he signed up for postgraduate Estate, Lagos), Mrs. Nkechi Keri, Mr. Brume Oputu, Augustus Aikhomu. Growing up in Lagos, he had, as studies at the Sheffield College of Technology Mr. Chris Obi and Chief Raphel Nwogu Ezeagu. a friend, Segun Awolowo (Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s (now Sheffield Hallam University) between 1966 He was transferred in 1996 and lived at 2 son), who attended Igbobi College. They both played and 1967, where he was awarded the postgraduate Reservation Road, GRA, Benin City, until 1998. football for their respective schools. diploma certificate in Management Studies, thereby His home at Etete GRA, Benin City, was completed Ahonaruogho met his wife, Josephine, in 1960 in making him an academic and associate member about 1983 and supervised by James Orukomayon Kano and her resistance to his charms melted at the of the British Institute of Management, London. and Felix Ojomo. While in Lagos, he had three Independence Day dance at the Railway Recreational Afterwards, he worked as an accounting officer more children (Charles on February 26, 1973, Club, Kano, on October 1, 1960. They had their first for DH. Lawson and Company Limited, London. Dorcas in December 1974 and Gabriel in October child, Richard, in July 1961, in Warri. Their relationship In July 1968, Maureen was born in London. She 1978). Sadly, two of his children: Charles died six lasted for 62 years. was nicknamed Princess. days to his first birthday on February 20, 1974, Ahonaruogho had, upon leaving secondary Notwithstanding the then ravaging Nigerian and Michael, a University of Benin Scholar who school, joined the then-Mobil Oil Nigeria Limited as Civil War, which started in 1967, Ahonaruogho won the President Shehu Shagari Prize in 1983 a clerk in August 1958. He was posted from Lagos, was determined to return to Nigeria as soon as (also a scholar of the German government and where he had lived with his aunt Chief Warri Ade possible. Leaving his wife and Maureen in London, the most senior person of African descent as a at Obalende and resigned in August 1961, after the he returned to chief immigration officer at the Home Office in birth of Richard, to acquire further education in the Nigeria with Michael staying with Harrison Udoko London), died on September 13, 2005.

United Kingdom. Upon arriving in the UK, he got a at Fadeyi in 1968. Having secured an apartment Ahonaruogho was a real estate practitioner who job at the post office and was able to pay the fare for at No. 44 Adeshiyan Street, Palm Groove, his wife refused to soil his hands, an astute professional Mummy to join him in 1962. In October 1963, their and daughter soon returned from the UK to join. marketer and shrewd administrator. A devout second child, Michael, was born. Later, he enrolled

Christian, he was also a proud Okpe man and a loving father and husband who devoted his life to his family and the church. He was open, patient and extremely tolerant. His home, where ever it may be, was home to all, especially Richard’s many friends, one of whom was Andrew Bamidele Chukwuemeka (ABC) Ogbogbo Esq, who lived with the family at Lisabi Road, Off Liverpool Road, Apapa, and worked with legal luminary Chief Samuel Olasupo Morohundiya, and who was later to become Richard’s boss, mentor and benefactor. Ahonaruogho was interested in current affairs and admired Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo (who gave him free education in Western Nigeria) and Gen. Yakubu Gowon. He also admired Chief Michael Omolayoye, Olorogun Michael Ibru, Chief Christopher Kolade, Sir Mobolaji Bank-Anthony and Chief Gamaliel Oforitsenere Onosode as great industrial and corporate gurus. Ahonaruogho was from the extended family of the Mebitaghan’s, which produced the first Orodje of Okpe Kingdom with the title of Esezi I and whose great-grandson, Dr. Isaac Sunday Mebitaghan, father of Colette Mebitaghan-Agbor, is the oldest Ughoton man to date. Notwithstanding this royal lineage, Ahonaruogho’s father, Duaye, was one of four persons who founded the Anglican Church in Ughoton (which was recognised at the church during its centenary celebration). Little wonder Ahonaruogho ended up as an Anglican, where he was one of the leaders of the Men’s Fellowship of Our Saviour’s Anglican Church, Etete, GRA, Benin.

On March 22, 2020, Ahonaruogho and his wife were by the Women of Our Saviour’s Anglican Church GRA, Benin City, for their exemplary marriage. A passionate community man, Ahonaruogho headed various associations.

He was survived by his wife Mrs. Josephine Ajua Ahonaruogho, children, grandchildren, nephews, nieces and inlaws (the Ojelades from Abeokuta, Ogun; the Olashores from Iloko Ijesha, Osun; the Adefolajus from Esa-Oke, Osun; and the Unigwes from Umudike-Ukpor, Anambra). He will be buried on February 25, 2022.

A service of songs was held on February 24, 2022, at Our Saviour’s Anglican Church, Etete, GRA, Benin City, where the funeral will hold. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace.

•Prince (Dr.) Richard Oma Ahonaruogho, SAN For and on behalf of the Ahonaruogho family.

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022

45

FOCUS

Ebenezer Onyeagwu: Positioning Zenith Bank for Greater Profitability

Zenith Bank under the leadership of Ebenezer Onyeagwu has continued to combine vision, skillful banking expertise, and cutting-edge technology to create products and services that meet customers’ expectations, writes Dike Onwuamaeze

S

ince he assumed the position of the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank Plc on June 1, 2019, Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu has continued to introduce initiatives to ensure the financial institution retains its leadership position in the industry.

His achievements in the almost three years of being in the saddle showed that he has maintained his commitment towards ensuring that the bank retained its leadership in the industry.

Despite the challenging macroeconomic environment, Onyeagwu has demonstrated that he has a midas touch considering the strong performance the bank has been recording.

Rated on key parameters such as asset quality, profitability and return to investors, Zenith Bank’s track record has been impressive.

In addition, the bank places a premium on its core business strategy anchored on people, technology and service, to create value for its numerous clientele.

This reflected in its share price performance when Zenith Bank Plc and 14 other highly capitalised stocks on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) contributed 90.2 per cent or N20.10 trillion to overall N22.3 trillion market capitalisation in 2021.

Its total market capitalisation stood at N789.622 billion as at December 31, 2021, as it led the banking sector on the NGX. Indeed, Zenith Bank has clearly distinguished itself in the banking industry through superior service quality, unique customer experience, and sound financial indices.

As a testament to its resilience and market leadership, Zenith Bank in its unaudited results for the nine months period ended September 30, 2021, posted a profit before tax (PBT) of N180 billion. This represented a one per cent growth over the N177 billion recorded in the same period the previous Onyeagwu year, amidst a challenging macroeconomic environment exacerbated by the Coronavirus The bank further explained that with (COVID-19) pandemic. the capability to respond to chats/ The bank grew its total assets and net queries anchored on the existing income by an annual average of 15.7 per WhatsApp platform, customers would cent and 15.5 per cent, respectively, over be able to open new accounts, receive the last five years, according to a report instant transaction notifications, check released by Coronation Merchant Bank. their balances on the go, transfer funds In recognition of its track record of and top up airtime. They would also excellent performance, Zenith Bank emerged be able to confirm cheques, pay bills, the number one bank in Nigeria by tier-1 apply for loans, block their accounts, capital in the 2021 Top 1000 World Banks’ and request mini statements, amongst Ranking published by The Banker Magazine, other banking services. a publication of the Financial Times Group Commenting on the AI banking of the United Kingdom. solution, Onyeagwu said: “The launch of The bank, with a tier-1 capital of $2.64 ZIVA is driven by the need for additional billion, retained its ranking as the number secured channels of communication one tier-1 bank in Nigeria for the third with our customers as we deepen our consecutive year. retail penetration.”

In addition, the bank has been making Speaking further on the WhatsApp significant progress in its retail banking chatbot, Onyeagwu noted that, “since drive, as evidenced by remarkable growth the behavioural pattern of the modern in transaction volumes and value across customer dictates that they want to its digital platforms and strong growth engage with brands over the channel in customer acquisition. This was part of of their choice, it was really important the reasons why it introduced an Artificial for us as a leading financial services Intelligence (AI) powered Chatbot on institution and a pioneer of several WhatsApp named ZIVA (Zenith Intelligent technological innovations in the financial Virtual Assistant), which enables customers services industry to implement this to perform financial transactions and enjoy solution in order to continue to create real-time customer service from their mobile value for our teeming customers phones. who incidentally were already using With this solution, customers would WhatsApp as a primary channel of be able to enroll by simply adding the communication.” bank’s verified WhatsApp mobile number Clearly, Zenith Bank has continued 07040004422 on their mobile devices, agree to distinguish itself in the Nigerian to the legal terms of use and then initiate financial services industry through a conversation. superior service offerings, unique This product provides the convenience customer experience and sound financial for the bank’s customers to interact and indices. transact on a 24 hours basis on the encrypted The bank has remained a clear WhatsApp platform, it added. leader in the digital space with several

firsts in the deployment of innovative products, solutions and an assortment of alternative channels that ensure convenience, speed and safety of transactions.

The bank’s commitment to world-class service standards has led to several product innovations, including the Zenith Timeless Account”, which allows Nigerians aged 60 years and above bank for free, the “Zenith Save4me a high-interest target savings account and the deployment of contactless payments and QR on ATM points, amongst others.

Zenith Bank’s outlook, according to its management remains positive, with anticipation of a declining inflationary trend, expected increase in foreign exchange inflows, and improving oil production.

“The Group remains focused on increasing its retail market share, consolidating its leadership position in the corporate segment and maintaining a robust balance sheet,” it stated.

In recognition of its track record of excellent performance, Zenith Bank was voted as Best Commercial Bank in Nigeria in the World Finance Banking Awards 2021, Bank of the Year (Nigeria) in The Banker’s Bank of the Year Awards 2020, Best Bank in Nigeria in the Global Finance World’s Best Banks Awards 2020 and 2021, and Best in Corporate Governance ‘Financial Services’ Africa 2020 and 2021 by the Ethical Boardroom.

Also, Onyeagwu, emerged ‘CEO of the Year’ for a second consecutive year at the Sustainability, Enterprise

and Responsibility (SERAS) CSR Africa Awards held in 2021.

According to the judges, Onyeagwu was selected for a number of reasons, including engendering a culture that promotes the continued investment in social initiatives in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Under his leadership, the Zenith Bank’s social investments totalled N3.285 billion in 2020, representing nearly two per cent of the bank’s profit after tax. The judges found Onyeagwu worthy for his commitment to promoting sustainability and responsible business practices in Nigeria, through his frontal leadership of sustainability in Zenith Bank, thereby enabling best industry practices in the banking sector. They also chose him for his passion for reducing carbon emissions in the bank’s operations.

Zenith Bank also emerged winner in four other categories at the SERAS CSR Africa Awards, carting home the awards for “Best Company in Reporting and Transparency”, “Best Company in Infrastructure Development”, “Best Company in Gender Equality and Women Empowerment”, and the coveted “Most Responsible Organisation in Africa”.

The bank was adjudged the “Most Responsible Organisation in Africa,” winning the overall best sustainability award, for its continued commitment to the tenets of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility within its immediate community and in the society at large.

In addition, the bank emerged as winner in the category for Reporting and Transparency for its consistency in disclosing and communicating its sustainability journey and progress annually vis-a-vis environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals, in line with the guidelines and protocols set by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Nigeria Sustainable Banking Principles (NSBP), Nigerian Exchange (NGX), United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), and United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI).

The bank also ensures the assurance of its sustainability report by reputable independent third parties.

In 2021, the bank’s 2020 sustainability report was assured by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and disseminated through the Bank’s website for the public and sent to all relevant stakeholders, including the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC).

In the infrastructure development category, the bank was voted winner for its nation-building initiatives and investments, including supporting efforts towards establishing basic services and functional security, governance, and economic and infrastructure systems, especially in Nigeria.

As a testament to this and in demonstration of its commitment to the development (often referred to as reform, restructuring and rebuilding) of the Nigeria Police Force for the preservation of law and order, protection of life and property, and law enforcement in Nigeria, the bank supported the Lagos State Security Trust Fund with N500, 000,000 for the provision of security-enhancing facilities and infrastructure. This was in addition to contributions to other state security trust funds.

Clearly, the Onyeagwu-led Zenith Bank has distinguished itself in the Nigerian financial services industry through superior service offerings, unique customer experience, and sound economic indices.

The bank remains a leader in the digital space with several firsts in deploying innovative products, solutions, and an assortment of alternative channels that ensure convenience, speed, and safety of transactions.

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FRIDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

KatsinaCommunityProtestsKilling of Businessman by Terrorists Francis Sardauna in Katsina

Aggrieved residents of Sabon Garin Yahuza in Batagarawa Local Government Area of Katsina State yesterdy took to the streets to protest what they described as the gruesome murder of a businessman in the community, Alhaji Abu Mai Bulawus by suspected terrorists.

Mai Bulawus, was assassinated on Wednesday morning by the hoodlums who invaded his residence, located few metres away from the checkpoint mounted by the personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), close to their training college in the Katsina metropolitan area.

One of the protesters, Kabiru Abdullahi, told THISDAY that they embarked on the protest because of the gruesome killing of the community businessman by the suspected terrorists despite the heavy presence of the NSCDC personnel in the area.

He lamented that the community, which was known for its peaceful nature, had become a killing field, adding that residents of the community were also contending with prevailing kidnapping, robbery and cattle rustling.

He said: “The gunmen riding on motorcycles came

around 2:47am on Wednesday morning, and started shooting sporadically at the residence of Alhaji Abu Mai Bulawus. We had them say follow us or we will kill you but Alhaji refused to follow them so they killed.

“More worrisome is that this community is not up to 100

metres away from the NSCDC Training College and the house of the victim is opposite their checkpoint, but they did to even make an attempt to fire their guns at least to scare the attackers away.

“This is not the first attack on this community but we

got little or no help from the NSCDC officers. The only thing they know how to do best is to remain at their checkpoint and collect N20, N50 and N100 from motorists. They should leave our town,” the source said.

The state Police Command

was yet to issue a statement on the incident, but the Provost of the NSCDC Training College and Divisional Police Officer of Batagarawa were on the ground to console the protesters who set ablaze the NSCDC checkpoint.

However, a stalwart of the

All Progressives Congress (APC) in Batagarawa local government, who craved anonymity, said terrorists were operating with brazen impunity in in the state “in broad daylight, they sack villages and annihilate the people”.

FEMALE LAWYERS IN REAL ESTATE…

L-R: Founder, Female Lawyers in Real Estate Practice, (FELIREP), Anomneze Peace; Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Housing, Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka; Head of Administration,FELIREP, Omotayo Aregegbajeje, and Head of Strategy, Adaku Chibuike-Ochiuwa, during a courtesy visit to Benson-Awoyinka,at Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos…yesterday

Five Killed, Huge Sums FG:Nigeria’s Oil Production Sub-optimal of Money Carted away as Robbers Raid Banks in Edo Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City No fewer than five persons, including policemen, were yesterday reportedly shot dead in a coordinated armed robbery attacks on three commercial banks in Uromi, headquarters of Esan North-East Local Government Area of Edo State.

The Edo State Police Command spokesman, Kontongs Bello, confirmed the robbery attacks but did not give details.

The suspected armed robbers were also said to have carted away unspecified huge sums of money from the banks robbed A resident of the home town, said the attacks on the banks were too coordinated, describing it like

a commando operation because robbers launched the attacks simultaneously.

According to the source, “The sporadic shots by the armed robbers caused panic in the town. The robbers came prepared. People were just running helter-skelter.”

Residents were said to be making contract with security agencies to come to the rescue of the banks and the residents.

When contacted, the Edo State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Kontongs Bello, confirmed the attacks, saying, “ that’s true sir”, and did not provide further details when THISDAY probed further.

The federal government yesterday admitted that the country’s oil production level has remained sub-optimal for now, stating that it expects to fully meet its Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) quota by the end of 2022.

The Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva, said this during a briefing in Abuja yesterday, to announce the

country’s expectations during the upcoming Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES) scheduled to commence next week.

The ceremony is a federal government official energy industry event, hosted by the ministry of petroleum resources and all its parastatals, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).

Other co-hosts include: The

Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NURPC), Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) and the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI).

The minister reiterated that Nigeria as a country is not always happy when oil prices go up, but noted that the key industry players were doing everything to ramp up production.

Stating that the summit may not boost oil production in the short term, Sylva assured that once Nigeria’s production issues are fixed and the country begins refining its own products , then it will begin to fully enjoy high oil prices.

“I don’t know how the summit is going to boost our production, but I can assure you that we’re doing everything to ensure we meet our production quota.

Already, our production is not

EFCC Wants Public Collaboration in Fight against Corruption Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Economic and Financial Crime Commission(EFCC) has called on the public to partner with anti-corruption agencies to achieve success in the fight against corruption.

The Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, made the call during the regional conference

organised by the Social Action Group, a non-governmental organisation in Port Harcourt.

Represented by Head Public Affairs Port Harcourt Zonal Office, Mr. Oyewole Dele, Bawa said the theme of the conference tagged, “Beyound Forensic Audit, Repositioning the NDDC for Inclusive and Effective Service Delivery” was apt.

He said Nigerians should begin to pay attention to what is going on in their environment to enable them identify their problems and give solutions to those problems.

“We should identify with the needs of the Niger Deltas, meet with the key stakeholders and be able to agree on what that will move the Niger Delta forward,

and give proper accountability,”he said.

He urged Civil Society Organisations(CSOs)to get to the grassroots and identify with the communities to get reliable information.

He reiterated that EFCC is ready to carry out their duties once they get genuinely information from the public.

LG Vice Chair, Three Others Remanded over Assault on Policemen in Delta policemen at about 9.30 pm Sylvester Idowu in Warri

‘We Need Leaders Who ‘ll Transform Nigeria for the Benefit of All’

last Thursday along Nnebisis road by Kowen for routine checks.

Instead of cooperating with the security agents, it was gathered, the she jumped down from her vehicle and started shouting “do you know who I am?” and allegedly rushed and slapped one of the personnel.

It was while she was shouting on top of her voice, THISDAY learnt, that Samuel Agu, who also was driving by, parked his vehicle and joined the fray by slapping one of the policemen. Agu, it was gathered, was also joined by two others in the attack on the security agents.

APC Chairmanship: Musa Campaign Organisation Welcomes Consensus

The Vice Chairman of Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State, Amaka Anigwe, has been remanded in prison for allegedly assaulting policemen on stop and search duties in the state.

Anigwe, 26 years old lady, was remanded by an Asaba Magistrate Court, along with one Samuel Agu, 29 years, and two others last Friday after assaulting the police officers on legitimate duties.

THISDAY learnt that the vice chairman, while driving an SUV, with registration No. Delta Asaba-33HK, was flagged down by the

Ugo Aliogo

Ahead of 2023 general elections, some concerned Nigerians across the world under the aegis of Nigerian Patriotic Quest(NPQ), have stated that there is need to elect leaders who would make Nigeria work better and transform its fortunes for the benefit of

The campaign organisation of the frontline Chairmanship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Mohammed Sani Musa has welcomed the new date announced by the APC Caretaker/ Extra-Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) for the

all of the country.

In a communiqué issued at the end of a physical/online meeting held in Washington DC, United States(US) recently, NPQ said the era of money politics, which is the anchor and strategy of the career politicians, should be buried forever.

“We need leaders who can transform our health

conduct of the Zonal and National Convention of the party.

The Sani Musa campaign organisation commended President Muhammadu Buhari for not taking sides with any of the aspirants and his insistence on the use of consensus in the election of national officers in

system, education, industries, agriculture, security, electricity and infrastructure for the benefit of all,” they said.

According to the communique signed by the Coordinator of NPQ, Ahmed Ja’Usman Tijani, on behalf of all participants in the meeting, Nigerians should ask themselves the benefit of the token and

the national convention.

“By this pronouncement, Mr. President has upheld the foundation of the All Progressives Congress’ constitution of participative democracy, consensus oriented, equity and inclusiveness,” the organisation said in statement.

gifts that they receive every electoral season in order to foist on themselves as agents of darkness.

“It would it not be better, if the country enthroned leaders, “who will make Nigeria work for ourselves and our children,” they said.

The concerned Nigerians further explained that in the

It explained that Article 20 (i) (a) of the APC Constitution also gives room for the emergence of candidates through consensus with a proviso that “a vote of ‘yes’ or ‘no’ should be called to ensure that it was not an imposition which could breach discontent and crisis.”

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWSEXTRA

2023 Presidency: ‘Saraki ‘ll Heal Wounds Inflicted on Nigerians by APC’ John Shiklam ÓØ ËÎßØË Chairman of the Bukola Saraki for President Contact and Mobilisation Committee Prof. Iyorwuese Hagher, has said that the former senate President is the best aspirant with the capacity to heal the wounds inflicted on Nigerians by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Hagher stated this yesterday when he led a delegation of the contact and mobilisation committee of the Abubakar Saraki Presidential Campaign organisation to Kaduna yesterday.

He described Saraki as a quintessential Nigerian who will unify and address the challenges facing the country if elected President in 2023.

Hagher said: “Our candidate, Senator Bukola Saraki, is a quintessential Nigerian. He is easily identified as a Nigerian that we all aspire to become when we as citizens are not defined by our tribes, our states or our religions.

“He is the person who will be accepted by the North, the South.

“He is the person who will

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eral public and private institutions should please take note.

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heal the wounds that have been inflicted on Nigeria by the callous administration of the APC.” According to him, Saraki is

well educated, stressing that “now that Nigeria is very sick, Nigeria needs a medical doctor”.

He declared that Nigerians

were sick and tired of the APC, which according to him, “was not a party in the first place”.

“It was a strange

amalgamation of strange bedfellows that came together, whose sole purpose was to steal power.

“Every one wanted to exercise power and they left no stone unturned to tell lies, organised all kinds of propaganda.

LEAP AFRICA’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY…

L-R: Manager, Mentoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning, LEAP Africa, Mrs. Hope Olatunde; Executive Director, LEAP Africa, Mr. Femi Taiwo; Chief Operating Officer, LEAP Africa, Ms. Kehinde Ayeni; and Manager, LEAP Africa Institute, Mr. Ahmed Umar, at the media briefing on the 20th anniversary of LEAP Africa in Lagos… yesterday ETOP UKUTT

Ortom Flags Off N5.1bn Makurdi-Yogbo Road Project George Okoh Ø ËÕßÜÎÓ Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has flagged off the construction of N5,100,000,027.74 Makurdi-Yogbo-Udei-Udei branch road project that span through Makurdi and Guma local government areas of the state.

Speaking at the ceremony in Makurdi yesterday, governor Ortom said the 55 kilometres road will boost the development of the areas in the state.

He said the road projects in the state would have been concluded if not for foreign terrorists, Fulani

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herdsmen who he accused of a hidden agenda of taking over the native land of the people, warning anyone with intention of selling any portion of land in the state to desist or face the wrath of the ancestors from their graves.

The governor, who warned Benue youths against any act that would jeopardise early completion of the road project, said his administration is about

constructing two cells at the Correctional Centre Makurdi to house criminal elements that would be convicted by courts in the state.

He assured communities in the state of his administration’s plans to address infrastructural development before the end of his tenure in May, 2023.

Speaking, Commissioner for Works and Transport, Jude

Uungwa, explained that the road has first coat surface dressing to link Mbagwen and Nyiev communities of Ihyarev Extraction in Makurdi and Guma Local Government Areas.

He said prominent settlements on this road are Yogbo and Udei, which share borders with Doma local government Area of Nasarawa State.

“This road will in no measure

salvage the volatile security situation that has characterised border areas occasioned by incessant Fulani herdsmen and banditry attacks.”

“Another striking importance of this Road is that its completion will boost agricultural production not just in this locality, but the State and Nation at large considering the fact that the communities where it traverses are completely agrarian.”

NECO Releases SSCE Examination External Results Laleye Dipo ÓØ ÓØØË

The National Examination Council (NECO) yesterday in Minna Niger state released the Senior School Certificate Results for external candidates which was conducted between November / December 2021 during which it also axed four supervisors.

However, four supervisors were axed for “poor supervision.”

Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the organisation Professor Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, who announced the release of the result said:” Blacklisted supervisors are one from Niger and Borno states and the remaining two are from Delta state, adding that the action was taken as part of steps to tackle malpractices.

Wushishi disclosed that of the 47,916 candidates that registered

for the examination 45,821 sat for English Language with 36,116 of them recording credit and above in the subject.

According to the Registrar 29,342 candidates recorded 5 credit passes and above in English and Mathematics while 37,991candidates got 5 credits and above irrespective of English language and Mathematics.

Wushishi said there is a decline in

the number of candidates “ Booked” for various forms of malpractices with 4,454 cases recorded as against 6,465 in 2020.

He disclosed that efforts are being made to reposition the council for optimal performance leading to some restructuring exercise which include: expansion and upgrading of the councils zonal and state offices and appointments, transfer and deployment of staff to various offices.

Osun Monarch Condemns Activities of Hoodlums

Yinka Kolawole ÓØ ÝÙÑÌÙ

A prominent traditional ruler in Osun State, Timi of Ede land, His Royal Majesty Oba (Dr) Munirudeen Adesola Lawal yesterday condemned the current happenings in Ede where hoodlums and miscreants

constituted themselves as nuisance causing mayhem, panic and terrorising innocent citizens.

Speaking at a press conference, he said: “Though, insecurity is a global phenomenon, but it is very alien to Ede people until the recent past.” The royal father explained that that the genesis of

the predicament started with the conflicts between the factional group of Odua People Congress (OPC) Gani Adams and Fredrick Faseun and It was later escalated to crisis between the OPC and Oseni Ya Salam group of Vigilance on the control of the security of Ede land.

The monarch contended that

there was also supremacy crisis between the OPC, Vigilance groups and local traditional hunters where the traditional hunters were displaced from performing their traditional duties of guarding the community by the OPC and the Ya-Salam group of the Vigilance group.

Protect National Interest, GOC Tasks Journalists Blessing Ibunge ÓØ ÙÜÞ ËÜÍÙßÜÞ The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division of the Nigeria Army, Port Harcourt, Major General Olufemi Oluyede, has urged journalists to ensure the protection of national interest in discharge of their duties.

The GOC made the called yesterday in his office during a meeting with Defence Correspondence and Executive of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Council.

Oluyede also called for more collaboration between the Nigerian Army and members of the fourth state of realm for effective crime fighting and peace

keeping.

He said: “Whatever you are doing, you are a Nigerian first, and the interest of Nigeria should come first in the discharge of your responsibilities, which we have not seen generally in the media.

“In other countries in whatever they do, they put their country first. We know you want to

sell your news but not to the detriment of the security of the country, which will be counterproductive.

“We want you to work with us but in harmony for the larger interest of the society.

As a journalist you should be guided by the ethics of your profession and larger national interest.”

FG Approves Verification of Commercial Forests of Charcoal Exporters The federal government has approved the verification of commercial forests of all charcoal exporters in Nigeria.

The Public Relations Officer of the Association of Charcoal Exporters, Mr. Adesola Idowu, yesterday said in a statement that the approval was communicated

via a letter dated 9th February 2022, issued by the Federal Department of Forestry, Federal Ministry of Environment themed: ‘Re: Verification of Status of Our Commercial Forests in Commencing Our 2022 Reforestation as Pledged.’

He further added that the

verification will be done in five states namely: FCT Abuja, Oyo, Ogun, Kwara and Kogi between the 22nd February 2022 and 28th February 2022.

Earlier, the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria has assigned minimum of 50,000 units of Eucalyptus seedlings for the reforestation

exercise of charcoal exporters, who have a goal to plant 100,000 seedling in 2022 alone in furtherance of their information and action Memo presented to and approved by the 15th National Council on Environment which was registered on page 66 of the report of the council.

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022

NEWSXTRA

Credit to Private Sector Rose to N35.45trn as at January Nume Ekeghe The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has disclosed that banking sector credit to private sector increased year-on-year to N35.45 trillion as at January 2022, up by 33 per cent compared to January 2021.

Credit to private sector stood at N35.19 trillion as

of December 2021.

The apex bank in its latest money and credit statistics also disclosed that credit to government rose by 48 per cent year-on-year to N14.28trillion in January 2022, up from the N9.65 trillion recorded in January 2021.

Furthermore, the CBN data disclosed that broad money supply in January increased to

Eko Disco Laments as Lagos Power Allocation from TCN Crashes to 156mw Peter Uzoho Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) has lamented the significant drop in the amount of power wheeled to it by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), which he said has further worsened lately as the company now receives a paltry 156 megawatts from the national grid.

EKEDC said the total current allocation of power supply from the TCN to the various power stations in its network dropped from 450MW to 156MW, blaming the drop in power allocation for its inability to meet the supply demands of its customers.

The company in a statement yesterday signed by its Spokesman, Mr. Godwin Idemudia, explained that the expected supply allocation to the Alagbon transmission substation used to be 100MW but has falling as low as 67MW. Idenudia maintained that Ijora transmission substation used to expect an average of 75MW but that it receives 13MW currently.

"This is nowhere near

enough to satisfy our customers," he stated.

He apologised to Disco's customers for the inconvenience the shortfall might have caused, and assuring them that Eko Disco was assiduously working with the TCN to proffer a prompt resolution to the issue.

In its quest to get alternative solution to the poor power allocation, Eko Disco recently signed a power project agreement with the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) Limited to improve the quality of supply in the company's franchise area and to meet the high demand of its growing network. Idemudia explained that the company was embarking on more similar projects to tackle such challenges in the sector and to ensure customers are adequately provided with reliable and quality power supply.

He equally appealed to customers to always remain vigilant as some criminal elements might want to use the current situation as an opportunity to vandalise the company’s distribution equipment.

N44.56trillion, from December 2021, while narrow money supply appreciated by 3.03 per cent month-on-month to close January 2022 at N18.72 trillion from N18.17 trilion in December.

Analysts have commended the rise in credit to private sector which they attributed to the CBN’s loan-to-deposit ratio (LDR) policy and other fines for defaulting on cash reserve requirement (CRR).

The Head, Financial Institutions Ratings, Agusto & Co, Ayokunle Olubunmi, however, said the trend may not persist in the second and third quarter.

He added: “Don't forget the recent explanation on waivers we have on treasury bills and bonds. So, most banks are now checking their strategy and it might be better for you to actually to lend than going

to invest in those securities because.”

“In the near term, we expect some slowdown at least from the second to third quarter because as we are moving closer to elections, most people would try to scale down operations.

“Not that businesses would close, but they would not be expanding their production.

So we don’t expect credit to the private sector to be high but it would however be moderate,” he added.

Also, an Economist & Private Sector Advocate, Dr. Muda Yusuf said growth in credit to private sector was laudable, stressing that the impact would depend on the sectoral spread, quality of credit, tenure of the funds and interest rate.

He explained further that: “My guess is that a significant

percentage of this have been given to large corporates, multinationals and high-end medium enterprises.

“The CBN has done a lot in lending to agriculture, but the quality of the lending is an issue. Reports indicate high default rates in agricultural credit, especially the anchor borrowers’ scheme.

“Monetary intervention is imperative for real sector development, but it is not sufficient to guarantee the desired outcomes of growth and productivity.

“The context in which businesses are operating is as important as the funding, if not even more important.

The totality of the investment environment must be right for sustainable real sector development to be achieved.”

He further added: “To complement the credit to

the private sector, the other factors that should reckoned with include infrastructure quality, especially power, roads and railways. There are also issues around the quality of the regulatory environment, the foreign exchange policy regime, the ports situation, volatility of the naira exchange rate, the tax environment and the security situation.

“These are not things monetary intervention can solve. It takes an impactful fiscal policy intervention to fix these problems.

“Some of the issues border on economic reforms that need to happen.

Engagements between the private sector stakeholders and policymakers is critical to achieving sustainable development of the economy.”

Osinbajo Inaugurates Doctors’ Apartment, Shops, School, Road in Maiduguri Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo was in Maiduguri yesterday to launch the 30th edition of the federal government’s micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSME) clinic during which he inaugurated four out of over 500 projects executed by Borno State Governor, Prof.

Babagana Umara Zulum.

The vice president arrived Maiduguri around 11am and was received by Zulum alongside Senator Kashim Shettima, National and State Assembly members, other top government officials and party leaders.

Osinbajo, arrived the ancient town in the company of the Ministers of State for Industry, Trade and

Investment, Ambassador Maryam Katagun; Minister of State for Agriculture, Baba Shehuri who is from the state, and some National Assembly members also from the state.

The VP immediately went about the task that brought him to the state as he inaugurated a newly built medical doctors’ quarters along the Airport Road.

It was a well-designed quarters comprising 78 units of three bedroom apartments of 13 blocks of two-storey buildings with each block having six apartments. The building was fully fenced, landscaped, flowered and provided with sporting facilities and playground.

Osinbajo then commissioned a shopping complex with 78 shops that are meant to be allocated to operators of small

and medium businesses.

The vice president at the Maiduguri GSM Market assured traders of Buhari’s commitment towards supporting and empowering them.

He then paid another visit to the Northeast Children Learning Centre, which is a donor-funded primary to secondary school institution, privately initiated by him in March 2017, during his 60th birthday, to provide homes, education and entrepreneurship skills to 1,500 children orphaned by insurgency across the northeast.

Osinbajo who had visited the school on previous visits to Borno, interacted with orphans schooling at the centre.

Returning to the task of commissioning the project, the

vice president unveiled a mega size senior secondary school named after one of Borno’s foremost personalities, late Alhaji Mai Deribe.

The fully fenced, landscaped and flowered school is made up of 30 classrooms for at least 1,200 students, three laboratories, administrative block and sporting facilities.

Osinbajo also commissioned Gonidamgari community road which passes communities that include Abbaganaram, Railway terminus, Borno Aluminium, down to Borno flour mill junction in Maiduguri.

He launched the 30th edition of federal government’s MSME Clinic with more than 100 business owners to showcase their products and interacted with federal officials involved with enhancing businesses for local consumption and export.

IN FIRST MAJOR POST-PIA DEAL, SEPLAT ACQUIRES MOBIL PRODUCING OIL ASSETS IN NIGERIA expected to announce the agreement to acquire the entire share capital of Mobil, with the completion of the transaction subject to ministerial consent and other required regulatory approvals.

The statement from the company obtained by THISDAY, showed that Seplat Energy Offshore Limited, a wholly owned Nigerian subsidiary of Seplat Energy Plc, entered into a Sale and Purchase Agreement to acquire the entire share capital of MPNU for a purchase price of $1,283 million plus up to $300 million contingent consideration.

The transaction, according to statement, encompasses the acquisition of the entire offshore shallow water business of ExxonMobil in Nigeria, which it said is an established, high-quality operation with a highly skilled local operating team and a track record of safe operations.

The transaction, it said, would create one of the largest independent energy companies on both the NGX and LSE and bolster Seplat Energy’s ability to drive increased growth, profitability and overall stakeholder prosperity. The deal would deliver 186 per cent increase in production from 51,000 bpd to 146,000

bpd or 170 per cent increase in 2P liquids reserves, from 241 MMbbl to 650 MMbbl.

In addition, it was expected to deliver a 14 per cent increase in 2P gas reserves from 1,501 Bscf to 1,712 Bscf, plus significant undeveloped gas potential of 2,910 Bscf (JV: 7,275 Bscf) Furthermore, it was expected to increase by 89 per cent, the total 2P reserves from 499 MMboe to 945 MMboe and includes offshore fields with dedicated, MPNUoperated export routes offering enhanced security and reliability.

In the oil industry, 2P reserves are the total of proven and probable reserves while probable reserves are less likely to be recovered than proven reserves.

Being the first transaction to be announced since the Nigerian government’s recently ratified PIA, the company stated that the deal would support Nigeria’s energy transition and objectives of the new Act. Seplat Energy said it was fully committed to working with the Nigerian government to bring the strategically important national assets fully into Nigerian ownership alongside the national oil company, NNPC. In addition, it noted that the development of the gas

resources would support the government’s objective to achieve a pragmatic, progressive and just energy transition for Nigeria.

The transaction agreement also includes potential additional contingent consideration of up to $300 million in total, payable over the period 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2026, and contingent upon average Brent crude oil prices exceeding $70 per barrel and subject to MPNU’s average working interest production exceeding 60 kboepd (JV: 150 kboepd).

The deal primarily comprises a 40 per cent operating ownership of four oil mining leases (OMLs 67, 68, 70, 104) and associated infrastructure with NNPC being owner of the rest 60 per cent.

It includes the Qua Iboe Terminal, one of Nigeria’s largest export facilities as well as a 51 per cent interest in Bonny River Terminal and Natural Gas Liquids Recovery Plants at EAP and Oso. However, the contract does not include ExxonMobil’s deep-water assets in Nigeria.

According to statement, the cash consideration payable under the transaction will be funded through a combination of existing cash resources and

credit facilities of Seplat Energy, and a new $550 million senior term loan facility and $275 million junior offtake facility.

Also included is a global financing syndicate comprising Nigerian and international banks, as well as commodity trading companies, while contingent payments, if materialised on Brent oil price annual average above $70/bbl, will be funded through share of net cash flows from operations.

Under the Sale and Purchase Agreement, Seplat Energy will pay a deposit of $128 million, which will be applied towards the purchase price on closing.

“If the transaction does not proceed, the deposit will be repaid to Seplat Energy where the agreement is terminated by Seplat Energy in certain circumstances.

“The Transaction does not require the approval of Seplat Energy’s shareholders and will not result in any changes to its Board. The Company currently expects the Transaction to close in H2 2022,” it stated.

Commenting on the deal, Chairman of Seplat Energy, Dr. Bryant Orjiako, said: “This is a transformational acquisition for Seplat Energy that strengthens our partnership with the national oil company, the NNPC, and

consummates the spirit of the newly enacted PIA. “As a significantly larger business, with a stronger resource base and greatly enhanced capabilities, we will be better positioned to provide sustainable energy solutions that drive growth and profitability for the benefit of all our stakeholders, particularly our host communities and the wider Nigerian economy.

“We fully support the aims of the federal government’s “Decade of Gas”, and this acquisition will accelerate our development of Nigeria’s gas resources to help achieve a just transition for our rapidly growing country.”

Also, Chief Executive Officer of the company, Roger Brown, said: “This transaction underpins Seplat Energy’s drive to be a leader in the growth of the indigenous independent energy sector in Nigeria.

“The acquisition is a perfect fit with our strategy to build a sustainable business and deliver energy transition in Nigeria. Our financial strength has enabled us to attract high quality local and international capital providers to fund this transaction without diluting our existing shareholders and reflects our deliberate approach to capital allocation.

“We are determined to drive our growth through the extensive low-cost and low-risk production opportunities it delivers in the near term, whilst also developing longer-term opportunities to monetise our significant gas resources through domestic and export opportunities.

“This is a win-win for both companies. Together, we will strengthen our focus on profitability and cash generation to reinvest in Nigeria’s energy development.

“MPNU’s employees and contractors have a strong reputation for safety and operational excellence, and I look forward to welcoming them to the Seplat Energy family,” he stated.

For months, Mobil’s officials have been holding talks with several Nigerian companies to gauge their interest in the fields, followed with the opening of a “data room” – which provided technical information on the fields, such as seismic and production details – in Nigeria.

The discussions focused on a number of onshore fields ExxonMobil shares in joint ventures with Nigerian state oil firm, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), including Oil Mining Leases (OMLs) 67, 68, 70 and 104.

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022

NEWSXTRA

BRIEFING ON SECURITY SITUATION IN KADUNA...

L - R: Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garuba Shehu; Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El'Rufai and Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwa, during the governor's briefing on the state of the security and the development of the state at the Presidential Villa Abuja...yesterday

Hearing in DCP Abba Kyari's Bail Suffers Setback as FG Denies Service Falana: Suspended ‘super cop’ believed he was above the law

Alex Enumah and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja Hearing in the bail application of detained Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari before a Federal High Court, Abuja, suffered set back following the denial of service of the bail application by the federal government.

This is just as Lagos-based senior lawyer and human rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana, yesterday described the allegations of money laundering against Kyari as a case of impunity because he believed he was above the law.

Kyari has been in custody of the National Drug Law

Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) since his arrest last week, by the Police and subsequent transfer to the NDLEA for investigation “over his involvement in a 25kg cocaine deal.”

However, days after his arrest and detention at the NDLEA, Kyari filed a fundamental human rights suit against the federal government, describing the drug trafficking allegations against him as trumped-up charge as well as breach of his rights.

Amongst others he prayed the court to order for his immediate release or in the alternative admit him to bail in liberal conditions.

However, in a short ruling, Justice Inyang Ekwo, declined to grant the exparte application and

FG, States, LGs Share N574.668bn January Allocation Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) yesterday shared a total of N574.668 billion as January 2022 revenue to the federal, state and local government councils.

This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a virtual meeting of the FAAC. The N574.668 billion shared was N125.156 billion lower than the N699.824 billion shared in the preceding month of December 2021.

The N574.668 billion total distributable revenue comprised distributable statutory revenue of N291.400 billion; distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N178.066 billion and Exchange Gain of N5.202 billion and Non Mineral Revenue of N100.000 billion.

Total deductions for cost of collection was N25.421 billion while the total deductions for statutory transfers, refunds and savings was N92.767 billion.

According to the communique, the total distributable revenue of N574.668 billion saw the federal government receiving N204.580 billion, states received N179.251 billion while the local government councils received

N131.878 billion.

A total of N58.959 billion was shared to the relevant states as 13 per cent derivation revenue.

The distributable statutory revenue of N291.400 billion was available for the month.

From this, the federal government received N122.749 billion, the state governments received N62.260 billion, and the local governments received N48.000 billion.

The sum of N58.391billion was shared to the relevant states as 13 per cent derivation revenue.

Gross revenue available from VAT in the month of January was N191.222 billion, which was lower than the N201.255 billion available in the preceding month of December 2021 by N10.033 billion.

The communique revealed that the sum of N5.507 billion allocation to North East Development Commission (NEDC) and N7.649 billion cost of collection were deducted from the N191.222 billion gross VAT revenue, resulting in the distributable VAT revenue of N178.066 billion.

From the N178.066 billion distributable VAT revenue, the federal government received N26.710 billion, states received N89.033 billion and the local governments, N62.323 billion.

rather ordered that the applicant put the respondents on notice and adjourned till February 24, 2022, for hearing.

According to Justice Ekwo, the averments made by the applicant was such that would warrant the respondents to appear in court and answer to the allegations.

Therefore, when the matter came up yesterday, the court could still not hear the bail application because counsel to the federal government, Mike Kassa, acknowledged service of court processes, he said the application for bail was not included.

He told the court that he had already served his counter affidavits on the applicant.

Responding, Kyari’s lawyer, Cynthia Ikena insisted that the bail application was served on the federal government. She also said the proof of service was in the court record.

Presiding Justice Ekwo then directed the applicant to serve the respondent a copy of the motion in court and stood down the matter for an hour.

At the resumed hearing, one Joseph Sunday who announced

appearance for the federal government, requested for time to enable him respond to the bail application.

Consequently, the judge adjourned the matter to February 28 and directed the federal government to put their house in order.

The NDLEA had on Monday, obtained an order to further detain Kyari and six others for another 14 days to enable them conclude their investigation of the alleged drug trafficking offence.

Falana: Kyari Believed He Was Above the Law Falana described the allegations against Kyari as a case of impunity because he believed he was above the law.

He said he has nothing but pity for Kyari for allowing himself to be messed up by the Nigerian system.

Falana said this yesterday, in Abuja, at the 26th AntiCorruption Situation Room (ACSR), organised by the HEDA Resource Centre in partnership with the Technical Unit on

Governance and Anti-corruption Reforms (TUGAR), Centre for Journalism Development (CJID), National Orientation Agency (NOA) and AFRICMIL. The rights activist said Kyari operated in an atmosphere of impunity and got himself messed up.

“While the request of the United States government was yet to be filed in court, the gentleman (Kyari) who operates in an atmosphere of impunity got himself enmeshed in a drug trafficking enterprise.

“No country or government would want to frustrate the extradition of a criminal suspect by asking him to get engaged in drug trafficking and embarrass the country, no!"

Falana stressed that people must not buy conspiracy theories that are not logical, adding that government did not ask him to get involved in drug trafficking.

He stated: "Arrest has been made, the materials have been recovered. It was at the stage of taking the suspect and the materials to the NDLEA that members of the IRT involved in the operation contacted him

and said, hey, this is business, that’s all.

“It has nothing to do with either the Police or the government. This is just a question of somebody who believes that he is above the law and nothing will happen to him.

“It is an attitude of impunity that has happened in this case.

And I must confess that I have nothing but pity for him, for allowing himself to be messed up by the Nigerian system."

Falana pointed out that allegations including extrajudicial killings against Kyari were brushed aside by Police authorities before now, saying he had never been queried.

Earlier, the Chairman, HEDA Resource Centre, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, lamented Nigeria’s anti-corruption fight had been that of a flip-flop.

He decried the situation where some of the anti-corruption agencies were making efforts in fighting corruption and the supervisory office or ministry undermining or even comprising some of the cases.

Insufficient Fuel Led to Quorum Chopper Crash, AIB Reveals Chinedu Eze The Accident Investigation Bureau, Nigeria (AIB-N) has released a report on the crash involving Quorum Aviation’s Bell 206 helicopter, 5N- BQW, revealing that the helicopter crashed because it did not have “endurance fuel.”

The chopper crashed on August 28, 2020, at Opebi in Lagos, claiming all lives onboard because there was inadequate fuel in the aircraft and the pilot was closer to his destination when he noticed that fuel was inadequate for safe landing.

Fuel endurance is the amount of time an aircraft can stay in the air with one load of fuel.

AIB-N Commissioner, Akin Olateru, who disclosed this, explained: “Endurance is not measured from zero to end, you must have a minimum at any given

time and you have to calculate your alternate airport.”

According to the report, there was fuel exhaustion at low altitude and low speed landing leading to loss of control in flight.

The report also noted the decision of the pilot to continue the flight to the intended destination with insufficient fuel instead of landing as soon as practicable in line with section: 12.1.12 of Quorum Aviation limited operations manual Part A. It also blamed lack of effective management supervision of the airline’s flight operations as well as inadequate safety oversight.

The AIB-N therefore issued three safety recommendations. First, it asked the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ensure that Air Operator Certificate (AOC) holders who wish to combine flight duties with multiple post holder positions

provide NCAA with comprehensive safety risk mitigation measures to ensure that safe operations can be achieved.

The AIB-N also asked the NCAA to focus its safety oversight to ensure that the Quorum Aviation Limited takes steps to prevent further violation of its approved operating procedures and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations.

Thirdly, it stated that Quorum Aviation Limited should ensure that all its personnel were well acquainted with their respective schedules of responsibilities and capable of discharging their duties effectively in accordance with the company’s Approved Standard Operating Procedures.

The Bureau also released reports on the accident involving Skypower Express Airways Nigeria Limited Air Tractor AT-401B Aircraft

with registration 5N-BTV which occurred at Rukubi Village 90 NM South-East of Abuja on the 4th October 2018 as well as that of serious incident involving Nigeria Police Airwing Bell 429 Helicopter with registration 5N-MDA which occurred at Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja on the 3rd August,2019.

The serious incident involving Skypower Express Airways Nigeria Limited Cessna 172 Aircraft with registration 5N-APE at Bini Village, Niger State on 19th November, 2019 and the Bulletin-Report on the ground collision involving a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Truck with registration AKD765FK and Nigeria Air Force (NAF) Bell 412 Helicopter with registration NAF 600 which occurred at Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja on 15th June, 2020.

50

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022

NEWSXTRA

COURTESY VISIT… L-R: Founder, Female Lawyers in Real Estate Practice, (FELIREP), Anomneze Peace; Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Housing, Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka; Head of Administration, (FELIREP), Omotayo Aregegbajeje and Head of Strategy, Adaku Chibuike-Ochiuwa, during a courtesy visit to the office of the Special Adviser by Female Lawyers in Real Estate Practice, at Alausa...yesterday

Ayu to El-Rufai: You Are Too Small to Stop PDP in 2023 Chuks Okocha in Abuja The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),

Dr. Iyorchia Ayu yesterday declared that Kaduna State, Governor, Mallam Nasir elRufai, was “too small” to stop

House Investigates Collapse of Automobile Assembly Plants Nationwide Udora Orizu in Abuja

The House of Representatives has resolved to constitute an ad-hoc Committee to investigate the collapse of automobile assembly plants in the country with the view to making insightful recommendations for the immediate resuscitation of the moribund plants.

The resolution of the lawmakers followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon. Abdullahi Ibrahim Ali Halims, at yesterday’s plenary.

Moving the motion, Halims recalled that in the 70’s up till the early 90s automobile companies like Volkswagen, Peugeot, Leyland had functional assembly plants located in different cities across the country and contributed positively to the economy.

He, however said due to the current economic challenges facing Nigeria as a whole, there was need to revive the moribund auto-mobile assembly plants by negotiating with investors interested in investing in Nigeria auto-mobile plants, as this will save billions of forex used in the importation of vehicles.

Adopting the motion, the House mandated its Committee on Legislative compliance to ensure compliance.

Also, the lawmakers adopting a motion sponsored by Hon. Preye Oseke mandated its Committees on Population and National Planning and Economic Development to invite the Chairman of National Population Commission to explain the experience of its personnel in the conduct of the Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) and discuss ways of mitigating the challenges.

The House also mandated

its Committees on Commerce, Petroleum Resources (Upstream and Downstream), and Industries to liaise with the various State Chambers of Industry, Mines and Agriculture to ensure that foreign and local companies and enterprises operating in states key into the programmes and projects of the NPC. Also, at the plenary the lawmakers passed for second reading a Bill for an Act to establish a National Council on Special Education Needs (NCSEN), to ensure full Integration of Persons with Special Needs into the society. The proposed legislation is sponsored by Hon. Ahmed Munir.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has mandated its Committee on Healthcare Services to investigate the activities of the COVID-19 Vaccination Units especially as it relates to their records of vaccinations to ensure that such records were duly kept in the approved database, the issuance of fake vaccination cards, the funds spent on maintaining a National Database and the inability of key government agencies to have real-time access to the COVID-19 vaccination database.

The lawmakers urged the federal government to overhaul the operations of the Port Health Services and equip to a world class standard.

The Red Chamber further urged the National Primary Health Care Development Agency to work towards creating the required synergy between its vaccine operations and the Port Health Services to ensure online real-time access to vaccination records of travelers from the database provided for such purpose.

the march of his political party to victory in 2023.

Ayu was reacting to ElRufai’s boast that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would not allow Nigeria’s major opposition party to return to power come 2023.

Ayu advised the governor to stop hallucinating, saying, “even a thousand El-Rufai’s cannot stop an idea whose time has come.”

The Kaduna State governor who spoke on Wednesday to State House correspondents after a meeting of APC’s 19 state governors with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, had said the ruling party had agreed on an “equitable and fair zoning formula” that would ensure that the opposition party “doesn’t come back to power” in 2023.

But reacting to El-Rufai’s comment, Ayu said: “When I read what El-Rufai said, I only felt pity for him. It’s even shocking that someone whom PDP built from obscurity to national prominence will describe the party as mere

Peoples Destruction Party.”

In a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Communication and Strategy, Simon Imobo-Tswam, Ayu said only someone disconnected from reality and driven by hallucinations would boast of stopping PDP’s return to power, come 2023.

“But we are not surprised: that is how his party, the APC, is altogether disconnected from reality,” it added.

The statement read further: “For a start, we want to ask the governor: Who is the ‘We’ he is referring to here? How can people who cannot hold an ordinary convention stop the march of democratic forces?

Is it his army of propagandists that he is referring to? Or is it the APC, a party that has failed Nigeria and Nigerians in every ramification?

“It is important to know because if it is propaganda, APC’s unmatched mediocrity, cocktail of excuses and trail of failed promises have shown everyone the limit of propaganda. And if by ‘we,’

he means the failed APC, we want to ask him: how? Or is it through the threat of his ‘body bags?’

“Except if the APC is planning to rig the 2023 polls, there is nothing that the APC can do to stop the resurgent PDP. The recent Area Council polls in the FCT have made that very clear: Nigerians want the PDP back. And we are returning to rescue and rebuild our country once again.

“El-Rufai’s APC came to power promising to end insecurity, stamp out corruption and grow the economy. These were its own selling points.

Today, it has not only failed Nigerians, it has even failed itself. The APC has woefully failed to answer the questions it willingly set for itself.

The statement added: “Today, insecurity has not only grown into a multi-billion-naira industry, Nigeria now shares sovereignty with pampered terrorists. And as corruption grows in leaps and bounds, the economy continues to nose-dive. Nigeria is living on

debts. We are today the real “beggar-and-debtor nation.”

Rather than continue its sophistry and demagoguery, the PDP national chairman enjoined El-Rufai and other anti-democratic elements in the ruling party, “to impress on the president to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill before him instead of prevaricating.”

“The president should sign the bill. Appending his signature on that bill won’t take a minute. Why is it taking him so many weeks to sign? Is he still consulting?

“And will he consult forever? Is the prevarication, the protocols and the shift in dates all ploys to refuse signing it in the end so that the APC can extend its presidency via vote-fraud?

Is this where Gov. el-Rufai’s boast is located?”

He advised El-Rufai and the APC to channel their energies into ensuring that the APC does not yet again shift its national convention rather than dissipating energies on stopping a moving train.

Alleged $3m Bribe: Court Finds Lawan Guilty of Accepting $500,000 Frees him from two other charges, reduces his sentencing to five years Alex Enumah in Abuja The Court of Appeal, Abuja, yesterday found former lawmaker, Farouk Lawan guilty of accepting the sum of $500,000 as bribe from businessman and oil magnate, Mr. Femi Otedola.

The three-member panel that heard his appeal challenging his conviction bordering on bribery allegations and subsequent sentencing to seven years’ jail term, however disagreed with the trial court on two of the three count charge.

Justice Angela Otaluka, of the High Court of the Federal Capital

Territory (FCT), Abuja, had found the former lawmaker guilty on three of the seven count charge and subsequently sentenced him to seven years in a correctional center.

But Lawan who was the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee that investigated alleged fraud that characterised the subsidy on imported petroleum products, submitted that the trial court erred in finding him guilty and sending him to jail. He therefore prayed the appellate court to reverse his conviction and subsequent sentencing.

Delivering judgment yesterday, the panel led by President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, discharged and acquitted the former lawmaker on two out of the three counts on which he was convicted.

After freeing him from two charges, the court went further to reduce his jail term from seven years to five.

According to DongbanMensem, the prosecution failed to prove that Lawan demanded and agreed to accept $3 million from Otedola to exonerate his company from the list of firms

indicted for petrol subsidy fraud in 2012.

Lawan was accused and tried for allegedly demanding the sum of $3 million from Femi Otedola to remove his company (Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited) from the list of oil companies allegedly involved in the petrol subsidy fraud in 2012.

He was arraigned on a seven count criminal charge bordering on bribery by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and was alleged to have collected a $500,000 bribe from Otedola.

51

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022

NEWSXTRA

WHEN THE CARIBBEANS CAME CALLING… L-R: Jamaica High Commissioner to Nigeria, Edmond Reid; Jamaican Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith and Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo, when the Jamaican Minister paid a courtesy visit to Adebayo in Abuja...yesterday

WHY BUHARI SETTLED FOR ABDULLAHI ADAMU AS CONSENSUS CANDIDATE FOR APC CHAIR have settled for a former governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, as his consensus candidate for the office of the national chairman, is true.

But more details have also emerged on why the president settled for Adamu, despite the fact that he has seemingly unending cases with the nation’s number one anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Nonetheless, three other aspirants to the same office, namely, Tanko Al makura, Saliu Mustapha and Sunny Moni Dafe, had immediately rejected the “purported” adoption of Adamu by the president.

In addition to the disavowal by other contestants, a group of concerned APC North-West stakeholders, has insisted that those aspiring to the exalted seat of APC chairmanship should be allowed to test their popularity and therefore, the contest should be thrown open.

This, notwithstanding, the leadership of the ruling party, has appointed committees for its forthcoming zonal congresses to be held on March 12, 2022.

Different sources confided in THISDAY yesterday that the inroads made by Senator Adamu in reconciling aggrieved members of the party that attracted him to Buhari as a likely choice for party’s chairmanship.

But some governors, especially, those from north central were said to have opposed the choice of Adamu, insisting that since the national chairman, has been zoned to the geo-political, they should be allowed to decide who picks the position.

Besides, the purported endorsement of Adamu has also not gone down well with other aspirants and governors, as they claimed that he was not among the aspirants, as his name only popped up last week before President Buhari travelled to Brussels, Germany.

Before his departure, the president was said to have asked for the names of all the aspirants and his name was added.

Governor Sule of Nasarawa State and his counterpart in Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdurazak, were said to have opposed the choice of Adamu, but backed Al-Makura.

Another governor from the zone, Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, THISDAY was told, also rejected the purported adoption of Adamu.

Mustapha, on his part, told THISDAY yesterday that against the media speculations, the

President has not adopted Admau, describing it as “a media game.”

According to him, “My governor (Governor Abdulrazaq of Kwara) told me that the matter of who becomes the next national chairman of our party has not been discussed.”

Mustapha, who maintained that the matter was not discussed at the APC governors’ meeting with the president, told THISDAY that the president only approved the zoning of offices as presented to him by the APC-elected governors.

"At the meeting, no name was mentioned. It was only the approval of the zoning of offices that was presented and the president only approved the zoning and asked the governors to go about it diligently to ensure peace.

"The President Buhari that I know will not like to do things secretly. This is a media game by those concerned. I don't know what they want to achieve.”

Another aspirant, Monidafe, questioned the aid adoption of Adamu, claiming that if it wastrue, why has the president not officially announced it?

Senator Al-Makura, in a statement by Segun Tomo, the Director, New Media, Al-Makura Campaign Organisation (ACO), also denied that Adamu has been adopted as the national chairman of APC. “The attention of the Al-Makura Campaign Organisation (ACO) has been drawn to wide speculations and propaganda making the rounds in some news outlets that President Muhammadu Buhari has endorsed the candidacy of Sen. Abdullahi Adamu as the next Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

"While we would have ordinarily ignored the widespread rumours, we have been inundated with calls and apprehension of Sen. Umaru Tanko Al-Makura's supporters across the country.

Therefore, we decided to respond, and set the records straight.

"Information at our disposal indicate that what transpired at the meeting of the governors with the president was the ratification of the new convention date and agreement on the zoning formula.

“On the issue of who becomes chairman, the president asked that consultations continue to produce a credible and widely accepted choice as consensus candidate.

“One does not need a soothsayer to know that Al-Makura fits the bill. Across the length and breadth of the country, Sen. Al-Makura is seen as a bridge-builder, a leader imbued with a calm temperament, renowned with

an impeccable mobilization skills and political sagacity that ensured he defeated the then entrenched Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State.”

Stakeholders Insist on Open Chairmanship Contest Concerned APC North-West Stakeholders forum, has insisted that those aspiring for the chairmanship of the party should be allowed to test their popularity, openly.

National Convener of the group, Alhaji Sani Abubakar, in a statement argued that the call was necessitated by the purported move to impose Senator Abdullahi Adamu as chairman of the party.

The group expressed convern that some of the party’s governors from the North West geopolitical zone were already dropping the name of President Muhammadu Buhari purely to promote the

candidacy of Senator Abdullahi Adamu.

The group cautioned some members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) to thread with caution so as not to destroy the APC, saying there would be consequences for any act that causes problems for the party.

"The stakeholders have become aware that members of the PGF from the north-west, who championed this errant position are acting out their own greed and personal agenda, which is that each of them is hopeful of emerging the running mate to an eventual APC presidential candidate from the south.

"It is most unfortunate that people, who currently (individually) hold the mandate for the wellbeing of millions of people as state governors are unable to subjugate their selfish interest for national interest, party loyalty and the long-term stability of Nigeria’s democracy.

"It is tragic how these

individuals overheated the polity simply out of desperation to occupy a position that is not zoned to their areas. These persons from the north-west looking for the position of vice president that, going by our history as a nation, it is well known that the best the region could get after 2023 is the national chairmanship position of the party.

"All those pushing for a candidate from the north central to be made a consensus chairman of the party, which has earlier been zoned to the north west, are traitors and seem to only be interested in rubbishing Mr. President’s legacies in office by appending his name as mark of approval to their plans."

APC Appoints Zonal Congress Committees The All Progressives Congress (APC), has appointed committees for its forthcoming zonal

congresses slated for March 12, 2022.

National Secretary of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Sen. John Akpanudoedehe disclosed this in a statement issued yesterday I'm Abuja.

He said, "The chairmen of the committees are all members of the CECPC, while secretaries are selected from amongst the deputy governors from their respective geo-political zones.

"Meetings of zonal stakeholders hold on Saturday, 26 February, 2022 at the respective geo-political zones." Akpanudoedehe disclosed.

For the North-Central zone, the Governor of Niger SState, Abubakar Bello was appointed chairman, while Prof. Sonni Tyoden will serve as the secretary.

The party appointed Senator Yusuf Yusuf as the chairman for the North-east Zone, while Mr. Manasseh Jatau, will serve as the secretary.

REGARDLESS OF DIVERSE DIFFICULTIES, NIGERIA SHALL ATTAIN GREATNESS, GOWON, BUHARI SAY with making democracy work in a manner that makes citizens truly enjoy its dividends.

“Broadly, we speak about leadership that makes Nigerians extremely proud. Kayode must have been moved to ponder these issues from his vantage position as a two-term Governor and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum.”

The elder statesman stressed that he had associated with Fayemi for several years, saying he graced the occasion to enjoy a presentation of a good book written from the perspective of a fertile mind.

"Fayemi has written a book to tell us that this country is great.

There is still unfinished greatness.

This country has a lot to drive to make it the perfect country that we all love.

“I like you all to leave here believing that it is Nigeria and you can contribute to making it greater than what it is today. This will have been improving from independence to today. Nigeria has to continue to exist as a nation that we are all proud of," Gowon added.

Also, Buhari, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari said he holds Fayemi in high esteem.

Gambari said: "He (Buhari) has high regards for Dr. Fayemi for many reasons. First, Dr. Fayemi was his Minister for Mines and Still Development and he was a trailblazer because he brought into that office vision, energy and commitment. Dr. Fayemi was part of the team that brought President Buhari to power in 2015 and was part of the transition from

the previous government to the present one."

The president stressed that though the vision of the founding fathers of the nation had not been fully realised, but added that the country was a work in progress.

Buhari said practice and politicking without a vision could become extremely unproductive for a country that needs to move forward.

He said it was a combination of people of vision, intellect and practice; experience, records of achievement in public service, that in his view qualified people for Leadership.

Buhari added, "Coming back to Nigeria, it is very true that the vision of our founding fathers has not been fully realised, it is a work in progress. That is why I think it is important that this book should be read, this book should be praticalised, this book should serve as a pointer. Obviously, we want to congratulate Dr. Fayemi for being another trailblazer, not only in the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, but also in the governance of this country."

On his part, the Governor of Kano state, Dr. Abdulahi Ganduje said it was always important for intellectuals to take an active role in politics.

He noted that the reason why intellectuals were needed in politics was because they are always great thinkers, “they make a good forecast, they analyse conflicting issues and try to find out the areas of convergence and the areas for divergence.”

Ganduje stressed, "Some people

are advocating that governance should only be for intellectuals, but it is contrary to bureaucrats, but we have seen how important it is. Unfortunately, in developing countries, intellectuals are afraid of governance, they are afraid of delving into active politics because they regard politics as a dirty game.

But politics is not a dirty game.

"Also, some think intellectuals, when they delve into active politics, they resort into too much analysis and sometimes, people say too much analysis leads to paralysis."

Speaking, the author of the book, Fayemi said over the last few years, Nigeria had been buffeted on all sides by a myriad of problems.

He said like many others, he had experienced discomfort at the ease with which cheap and populist options which, yesterday, might have been laughed off as fringe ideas have gained in influence to become mainstream.

His words: "In the meantime, those who have held on to the goal of Nigerian oneness and unity have found themselves pushed to the margins and placed on the defensive.

"Matters have not been helped by the inflammatory partisanship which many in leadership positions have adopted in part to score points against opponents but also in order to be recognised by their communities as truly representing their concerns.

"Too many seem to have forgotten that leaders should lead and not simply reproduce the base sentiments and narrow perspectives they encounter on the hustings.

“Leading means understanding the local concerns that are exercising

the minds of our constituents, placing these in a wider context which as leaders we are uniquely positioned to see, and formulate approaches that provide a meaningful and responsible way forward. " Fayemi emphasised that the country has been faced with a conjuncture of complex and uncommon challenges which must be confronted openly, head-on, and purposefully, rather than being denied, swept under the carpet, or simply wished away.

He noted that while courageously admitting to and seeking ways to redress the challenges, it was important to remember that everyone comes from somewhere, and in the journey embarked upon as a country, many wins have been recorded, while a web of interdependencies bind everyone closely together.

Fayemi said: "This reality should serve to condition and modulate our responses to the real challenges we face not with a view to throwing the baby out with the bath water but in a determined effort to filter the bath water so that it is purged of the impurities that could discomfort the baby.

"It is this approach of seeking to build on our many gains as a country and a people whilst recognising and engaging our contemporary difficulties that underpins this book.

“We have had moments of greatness in all spheres of our national life and human endeavour.

We have also seen many difficult days in our forward march to even greater heights.

52

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022

NEWSXTRA

AT RECKITT CAREER FORUM… L-R: Human Resources Director, Reckitt, Sub-Saharan Africa, Mr Abel Idonije; Dean, School of Management and Social Sciences - Pan-Atlantic University, Dr Sola Oni; General Manager, Reckitt, SubSaharan Africa, Mr Akbar Ali Shah; Registrar - Pan-Atlantic University, Mr. Kingsley Ukaoha, and Marketing Director, Reckitt, Sub-Saharan Africa, Mr Tanzim Rezwan, at Reckitt Career Forum with PanAtlantic University in Lagos

Insecurity: Armed Forces Forum Seeks Review of National Security Strategy Says inter-agency cooperation remains a challenge Irabor calls for concerted action DSS: Addressing security challenges require mutual cooperation Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja A forum organised by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), yesterday, called for a review of the National Security Strategy (NSS) launched in 2019 in order to enhance interagency coorperation and contain the security crises in the country.

The forum drawn from the military and all the security agencies admitted that interagency coorperation remained a challenge even as the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Lucky Irabor, called for concerted action on

the part of the armed forces to improve inter-agency relations.

A communique issued at the end of a three-day workshop in Abuja and themed: "Strenghtening Inter-agency Cooperation for Sustainable National Security", recognised that "interagency rivalry within Nigeria’s security agencies was as a result of perceived superiority complex, as evidenced by relations between the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Nigeria Police, the Police and personnel of other law enforcement agencies."

Afenifere Tackles Buhari over State of Infrastructure in S’West Says president not in touch with reality Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan and Amameh Gabriel in Abuja A Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, yesterday said the position of President Muhammadu Buhari on the infrastructure his administration provided for Nigeria is nothing but another indication that those in the corridors of power did not seem to be in touch with the present reality in the country.

President Buhari had said if not for the intervention of his administration especially, on rail and road projects, “people, especially, those from the South West, could have been trekking from Lagos to Ibadan”.

He stated this when he received in audience, a delegation from Kaduna State, led by the Emir of Zazzau, Ahmed Bamalli, and the state’s Deputy Governor, Hadiza Balarabe, at the State House, Abuja.

The president while acknowledging the primacy of road, rail and power in the growth of a business or country, said this was why his administration focused on the development of infrastructure, pointing to AbujaKaduna and Ibadan-Lagos lines.

But Afenifere while taking the president up on the claim, said although the resuscitation of LagosIbadan railway was appreciated, it was the height of an unpardonable exaggeration to say that without it people in the South West would have been trekking.

The group, in a release by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, submitted that the number of people using the rail transport was

very small compared with people using the road that not many felt the impact, when it was not available.

“In any case, assuming without conceding that the rail transport is so significant in the life of the people as painted by Mr. President, what about several other routes in the South West that have no rail system.

“So, why has the government not provided the rail transport in all these areas so that people would not have to trek? And on the road that the President lamented its absence, whose responsibility is it to provide the road; is it not the government?" the group said.

Recalling the President’s speech at the 6th Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) Summit in Doha, Qatar, where he was represented by the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, Afenifere said Nigerians were hardly impressed by the President’s disclosure that his administration is now “embarking on different initiatives, projects, and policies to enhance the performance of the oil and gas sector. Why is the administration just embarking on these initiatives when it has just about 14 months left in office?

"If the government truly believes in the pivotal roles oil and gas play in the lives and economy of the people, why should the prices of these commodities be all-time high now?

Why are the refineries not working?

Why not license modular refinery operators so that the commodities can be widely available? The reality on ground forces one to doubt the sincerity of the administration in its policies, vision and claims," it added.

The forum, therefore, "observed that duplication of responsibilities leads to operational challenges, competition, struggle for recognition and lack of coordination, particularly, in joint operations."

The communique further "recognised the existence of several policy documents. However, the major challenge is that of effective coordination among the various security agencies.Identified the slow criminal justice system, when prosecuting criminals as an impediment to effective inter-agency cooperation.”

The forum "Observed that the conduct of joint training has been plagued by obstacles, such as the lack of harmonised

doctrine and inadequate joint training at the rank and file levels. This has contributed to lack of trust and respect by preventing the development of common objectives, grasp of agency operations and appropriate expertise."

Following the observations, the forum, therefore, recommended among others, that the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) "should set up a committee to review the National Security Strategy (NSS) to clearly defined roles and eliminate conflict, suspicion and mistrust amongst security agencies.

"ONSA should convene a special committee to produce joint training doctrine for security

agencies. ONSA should ensure that the various security and law enforcement agencies train and re-train their personnel on key competencies and capacities."

It further recommended that, "the DHQ should promote a culture of good civil-military relations, intelligence and information sharing between security agencies and civilians through seminars.

"The ONSA should organise regular capacity building workshops for members of the security agencies to strengthen knowledge and the practice of effective inter-agency cooperation.

ONSA should create national facility for joint training of security agencies".

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Irabor, who was represented by Chief of Policy and Plans (CPP), Defence Headquarters, Air Vice Marshal Ayo Jolasimi, called for concerted efforts on the part of the armed forces in order to improve interagency relations.

Director-General of the Department of State Security (DSS) Alhaji Yusuf Bichi, who was also represented by the Director of Operations, Mr Joseph Dashuep, maintained that addressing security challenges required mutual cooperation of the security agencies while noting that all agencies must work on agreed policy and should remain accountable.

El-Rufai: Resources in Hands of Terrorists Can Destabilise Nigeria Advocates simultaneous attacks on bandits in six states Says he has no political ambition after 2023 Deji Elumoye in Abuja Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, yesterday, did a review of the security situation in the country and raised the alarm that the financial resources available to the various terror rings in the country were enough to destabilise the nation.

He also disclosed that preliminary investigations had revealed that some security operatives were working as spies for terrorists.

According to him, activities of banditry in the North West zone were more pronounced with more casualties than the havoc that Boko Haram terrorists wreaked on the North East states.

He, however, explained that the inability of the terrorists to access more funds and foods informed why they were surrendering to the authorities while advocating simultaneous attacks on the bandits by the military in the six North West states.

El-Rufai, who spoke at a special press briefing organised by the Presidential Media Team at the State House, Abuja, responded to a question on suspicions that

the security arrangements might have been infiltrated by terrorists.

His words: “Yes, we are concerned and it is not impossible to have infiltrators. As I alluded to when I was answering this question, the preliminary report of Boko Haram financing also showed some links to bandits and pointed to some police and military officers in service as having some communication or connection with the bandits.

“So, there’s always that risks. In any system, you have traitors and we're concerned about that. But till date, we don't have any firm evidence of that. I think a lot more work needs to be done. As I said, we need to pursue the financing and logistics chain of banditry as well,because the amount of money these bandits are making is enough to destabilise this country.

“It is a lot of money. We only have an idea of what it is, because those that make the payments don't tell us the truth all the time, but we hear from the legal intercepts of the conversations about how much money they are asking for, how much they have received and so on.

“The numbers are mind-

boggling. It's a major source of national insecurity and it will grow unless it is decisively dealt with.

So, yeah, I am concerned,” the governor said.

He noted that the nature of terrorism that reared its head in the Northwest of the country was far more vicious, with more casualties, than the Boko Haram insurgency experience in the Northeast region of the country.

Looking at statistics, he said in the reported cases, while 937 were killed and 1,972 kidnapped by bandits in the state in 2020, a total of 1,192 killed and 3,348 kidnapped in 2021, suggesting a deterioration in the situation.

He explained that apart from the close to 2,000 Kaduna residents killed by the bandits within one year, other neighbouring states like Zamfara and Katsina also suffered casualty running into several thousands.

"I can assure you the numbers in Zamfara and Katsina are two to three times that of Kaduna if they are keeping tabs. The numbers in Sokoto and Niger and Kebbi will be about this. So,we are talking of tens of thousands of people

getting killed, getting kidnapped, this is far more serious than Boko Haram.

"The only thing is that these guys don't take territory. They are in the forests, ungoverned spaces.

So, they do not attract the same kind of single-minded attention that Boko Haram does and because Boko Haram’s ideologies is religious or contentiously religious, you know, it elicits more passion.

But really, this is a far more serious problem, because this is largely a situation in which people of about the same ethnicity, about the same religion, you know, killing each other, stealing each other's property, creating an industry out of criminality is very, very, very serious."

The Governor further admitted that the location of the bandits were well known to government, adding that concerted efforts were on to decimate the cells of the terrorists.

He said already that the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), had recently given the go-ahead for the procurement of super tucanos jets to fight insurgency and other criminal activities nationwide.

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FRIDAY, ͺͽ˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

FRIDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Ndidi, Iheanacho Provide Assists, Lookman in Action as Leicester Reach Last 16 Stephen Odey scores Randers’ consolation goal against Schmeichel E U R O PA C O N F E R E N C E L E AG U E

Duro Ikhazuagbe Nigerian trio of Wilfred Ndidi, Kelechi Iheanacho and Ademola Lookman were in action as Leicester City defeated Randers 3-1 (7-2 aggregate) at the Cepheus Randers Park in Denmark to reach the last 16 of the Europa Conference League.

While both Ndidi and Iheanacho provided assists in two of Leicester’s goals, another Nigerian, Stephen Odey, scored Randers’ consolation goal in the 3-1 home defeat of the Danish side.

The goal was Odey’s first for Randers since October 2021 and his 11th in all competitions this season.

Ndidi set up Harvey Barnes for the opener barely two minutes with a pass on halfway with the English forward calmly slotting home.

James Maddison scored two beauties as Leicester made light work of Randers with a 7-2 rout on aggregate.

Brendan Rodgers' men came into this knockout stage play-off round after finishing third in their Europa League group, but navigated the tie with few issues.

Holding a 4-1 lead from the first leg, it took Leicester just 100 seconds to extend their advantage as Harvey Barnes broke clear and curled a delightful finish into the far corner.

The England international could have added another in the second half but fired wide from an acute angle. Compatriot Maddison then netted twice in the space of four minutes with a free-kick into the top corner and a sumptuous curling strike from 25 yards.

Randers did pull a goal back late on when Kasper Schmeichel's heavy touch on the ball allowed Odey to nip in and convert a gift from close range.

The draw for the Europa Conference League will take place today when the Foxes will be picked out of the pot against a group winner.

UEFA’s newly-formed third club competition represents Leicester's only chance of claiming silverware this season after suffering a shock exit in the FA Cup, being knocked out of the Carabao Cup and lying in the bottom half of the Premier League.

Osimhen’s Napoli Crash out of Europa League Femi Solaja It was a mixed fortune for Nigerian players in the European football night as Barcelona breezed through to the Europa League last 16 with a 4-2 (5-3 on aggregate) win over Napoli with Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen in action for the home side.

Elsewhere, the duo of Leon Balogun and Joe Aribo stood like Trojan as Rangers eliminated Borussia Dortmund 6-4 on aggregate after a 2-2 draw of the night and qualified to the next stage of the tournament.

In Naples, the Catalans got off to a firing start as they were 2-0 up within 13 minutes, thanks to Jordi Alba's counter attack and a Frenkie de Jong screamer.

Napoli looked to have clawed their way back into the game after Marc-Andre ter Stegen's fumble

brought down Victor Osimhen just inside the box to award the home side a penalty. Captain Lorenzo Insigne calmly slotted home from the spot.

But Gerard Pique was clinical just before the break, while January signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struck the other side of half time to seal the victory.

Matteo Politano managed to pull one back for the Italian side in the game's dying minutes but it was a mere consolation for Napoli with their fate already sealed.

At the Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Rangers got off in flying start with a penalty in the 22nd minute which was converted by James Tavernier but Jude Bellingham got the equaliser in the 31st minute and before the end of the stanza, Donyell Malen puts the away side in front. But James Tavernier restored parity in the 57th minute.

Buhari Inaugurated Multipurpose Sport Complex Donated to NIPSS

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday inaugurates a multipurpose Sports Complex at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Kuru, Plateau State.

The complex has been named ‘Professor Habu Galadima Sports Complex, in memory of the late Director-General of the Institute.

The complex was donated by a former participant of the Institute and Group Chairman of Capital Express Holdings Limited, Chief Tony Aletor.

Represented by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Leo Irabor, the President applauded the philanthropist for his gestures, adding that the sporting facilities comprising a mini stadium, basketball court, volleyball court, handball court and Lawn tennis court with three extra seating pavilion will further help to stabilise participants at the elite

institute.

He charged the participants and the entire NIPSS community to take advantage of the facilities to the fullest to keep fit and healthy, adding that after strenuous research, there is the need to recreate and interact with one another.

In his remark during the handing over ceremony, Aletor said the idea behind the success story of the commissioned was an oxymoron of history.

He said that a conversation between the late Director-General of the Institute, Galadima inspired the construction of the complex, adding that his successor Brigadier General Chukwuemeka Udaya (rtd) who keyed into the vision gave all the support required towards completion of the project.

Aleto said, "In addition to the sports facilities to ensure the convenience of participants and the entire NIPSS community, four well built hygienic and convenient toilets were added to the facilities.

Kelechi Iheanacho (left) contributed as assist as Leicester City defeated Danish side, Randers FC 7-2 aggregate to reach the Last 16 of the Europa Conference League...last night

NFF Describes Falcons’ Abuja Airport Incident as ‘Unfortunate’ The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has described as ‘unfortunate’ the incident that saw players and officials of the Senior Women National Team, Super Falcons delayed for over three hours at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on arrival from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire early hours of yesterday.

NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said: “It was an unfortunate incident, because we had our protocol officers on ground at the airport and they did the needful before the team arrived.

“We are a responsible organization and the various National Teams have been going out and return-

ing to Nigeria since these Covid-19 protocols, procedures and guidelines started. We have never been caught napping,” began the scribe of the federation.

He however insisted that since the NFF had no control over the airport Covid-19 protocols, the players were forced to endure the harrowing experience.

“The issue had to do with Covid-19 protocols and we had no control over how things would be approached by the officials in charge at the airport each time. “In this particular case, we fulfilled our part of the requirements. However, some other group of individuals

arrived at the same time as the Super Falcons’ contingent and were bent on circumventing the process, and this compelled the health officials to adopt stern measures and even lock up some of their offices.

“It was beyond us, but we have already apologised to our players and officials over this incident,” Dr Sanusi reiterated.

Meanwhile, President of NFF and FIFA Council Member, Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick has applauded the gutsy play “and general display of the Nigeria spirit” of the Super Falcons in Abidjan on Wednesday evening which earned Nigeria a spot at this year’s Women Africa

Cup of Nations(WAFCON) finals.

Cup holders and nine-time winners Nigeria took a 2-0 win from the first leg, and then survived a blistering first half in which goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie saved a penalty kick, to rock the Ivorians with a goal one minute before the end and achieve a 3-0 aggregate win to qualify for Morocco 2022.

Esther Okoronkwo, winning only her second cap, broke the back of the Lady Elephants with an 89th minute goal to confirm Nigeria’s 3-0 aggregate win and passage to the 12-team 12th Women Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco in July this year.

RUSSIA INVASION OF UKRAINE: IMPACT ON SPORTS

UEFA Holds Emergency Meeting, May Move Champions League Final from St Petersburg Schalke 04 have yanked the name of Russian sponsors Gazprom from their Jerseys UEFA will hold an emergency meeting today with this season's Champions League final in Saint Petersburg set to be at the top of the agenda as European football's governing body said it "strongly condemns" Russia's military invasion of Ukraine.

UEFA shares the international community's significant concern for the security situation developing in Europe and strongly condemns the ongoing Russian military invasion in Ukraine," it said in a statement on Thursday.

"We remain resolute in our solidarity with the football community in Ukraine and stand ready to extend our hand to the Ukrainian people."

UEFA said an extraordinary meeting of its executive committee would be held on Friday at 9am GMT and a decision is likely to be made on this season's Champions League final.

The showpiece game of European club football's premier competition is scheduled to be played on May 28 at the Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg, which already hosted several matches at last year's European Championship and at the 2018 World Cup held in Russia. Nigeria played their last group stage match with

Barcelona and Napoli players joined the international community in calling Russia to stop its war on Ukraine shortly before PHOTO: Reuters both clubs played the second leg of their Europa League Last 16 game in Naples, Italy ...last night Argentina which the Super Eagles lost to crash out of the tournament.

"We are dealing with this situation with the utmost seriousness and urgency. Decisions will be taken by the UEFA Executive Committee and announced immediately," UEFA insisted yesterday.

European football's governing body also has a major sponsorship

deal with Gazprom, the Russian state energy giant.

On Thursday the German club Schalke 04 said it would remove the logo of Gazprom, its main sponsor, from the team's shirts.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed on Tuesday that Russia had "no chance" of holding European football's showpiece game

if it invaded Ukraine.

"A Russia that has pariah status - no chance of holding a football tournament in a Russia that invades sovereign countries," Johnson said.

"No decision has been taken" by UEFA to move the final but it is "studying different options", a source with knowledge of the discussions told AFP.

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BACKPAGE CONTINUATION MINISTER FASHOLA AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN APC AND PDP federal medical centres in all the states without Teaching Hospitals. Today, the FMCs are the critical facilities of medical attention to Nigerians in those states.

Also, the Federal Government had, under the PDP, spent over N27 billion on the rehabilitation and refurbishment of 14 teaching hospitals spread across the six geo-political zones into state-ofthe-art centres of medical excellence.

The Federal Government contracted Vamed Engineering Nigeria Limited to refurbish 14 teaching hospitals within Nigeria over five years. By 2013 all the 14 Teaching Hospitals had been commissioned.

The APC launched a National health Policy in 2016 and have spent over N2.3 trillion in the past six years, yet medical care in Nigeria is progressively deteriorating. We had expected a review and reimagining of our health care architecture to leverage local and state governments and increase access to health care by poor Nigerians unable to take medical leave in the UK. Unlike the PDP, the APC had not paid attention to the daily problems of Nigerians By 2006 the federal government had whittled down the federal bureaucracy.

It sold all non-essential assets to civil servants, unlocking so much value and transferring wealth to citizens in Africa’s largest wealth transfer scheme with the potential of building and sustaining generational wealth. The PDP focused on people-centric policies.

The APC had paid little or no attention to reducing the Federal Bureaucracy’s size or improving the lives of its workers. In the face of revenue decline and burgeoning debt, the government has responded by increasing budget deficit and massive borrowing to fund non-revenue increasing consumption or white elephant projects like rail lines to Niger.

Oil price averaged $66 in 2006, but the budget oil price assumption was $33.

The PDP era of frugal management of national resources led to the creation of

Fashola

the Excess Crude Account and consequent accumulation of funds to exit the Paris debt club. With reasonable control of government expenditure and a savings culture, the Naira appreciated from 132 in 2004 to 128 in 2005. The banking consolidation, contributory pension scheme, and new financing methods in the oil and gas sector set Nigeria, a front runner in the rising African narrative.

The APC jettisoned fiscal responsibility for expansionary spending, leading to double-digit inflation, a revenue crisis (to use the government’s jargon), and foreign exchange scarcity. APC’s failure to make difficult decisions like the PDP did with Banking consolidation, privatisation, and contributory pension has shown the difference between the

two. APC is ideologically vacuous and lacks a philosophical compass. At the same time, the PDP adopted a pragmatic mix of conservative fiscal management and liberal economic and social ideas to guide its policymaking framework.

The two parties are not the same.

PDP is guided by a save and spend mentality, while APC is bullish in its borrow and spend mindset. The serious issue with APC’s approach is the absence of a coherent plan on how the spending will conduce to economic prosperity and not lead to a sovereign default and other negative externalities?

The PDP is yet to frame and tell its story in power lucidly. When told, the story would acknowledge successes and missteps and articulate its political

philosophy around the core principles underpinning its governance model.

On the other hand, APC’s promise of change failed spectacularly due to a lack of unity between President Buhari’s charisma and the intellectual section of the 2014 special purpose vehicle. This failure has led to policy incoherence.

The road to the future is beyond infrastructure. The route requires holistic, intelligent and focused leadership with a clear emphasis on building national consensus, empowering the youth with global education and skill sets that will make them competitive in the global labour market, and restoring law and order so we can use the infrastructure for development, not sightseeing like the Abuja rice pyramids.

to market his candidacy, including perhaps the most critical – restructuring.

Having been begged to contest the 2015 presidential election and having made little or no contribution to emerge the party’s flagbearer except perhaps make himself available, Buhari in no time began to see himself as a special gift to Nigeria. With APC governors and other party leaders always waiting on him before taking any decision, the president indeed believed he was bigger than the party, if not the country. Nobody in the party dared to disagree with or have a different opinion from his. None of his predecessors since this democratic journey began in 1999 had the luck to be so slavishly venerated. Even the bearish and bullying President Olusegun Obasanjo continuously contended with his vice president, National Assembly leadership, governors and party leaders.

Other founding fathers of the party, having been caught in the middle of nowhere on account of their support for Buhari, equally lost their voices.

Buhari’s failings, particularly his inability to run an inclusive government in a multi-ethnic society, his mismanagement of the nation’s diversity, his divisive utterances, his ruinous economic policies, his lack of empathy, and his failure to curb kidnapping, terrorism and banditry have combined to undermine Tinubu’s traditional support base. And the support base of other southern political leaders in APC. No matter. Buhari has been held up in the party like the Kabiyesi (one who could not be questioned) of the old Oyo Empire. A few examples will suffice. Those members of the nPDP who noisily disagreed with President Goodluck Jonathan before joining the APC and helping the party to victory in 2015, quickly returned to PDP when they realised that airing a different opinion from Buhari’s in the ruling party could cause their political perdition. In June 2020, when APC’s National Executive

Council (NEC) met to decide the fate of Oshiomhole’s NWC, Buhari, working on the advice of the party’s, sorry the nation’s Attorney General Abubakar Malami, recommended the setting up of Buni’s CECPC. There was no debating, not even a pretence to one, the president’s suggestion, particularly the legal implications of the party burying its democratic organs to allow the caretaker committee to operate without hinderance.

Buhari had spoken, was the general response of other major stakeholders in APC to the heist of the party’s internal democracy. And each time the committee needed more time for its mandate, all Buni needed was the president’s approval for those extensions. The impression thus created is that Buhari is the party’s sole administrator. Even now that the party has settled for consensus in (s)electing the next NWC members, party leaders are reading Buhari’s body language for who he has endorsed for the national chairmanship position.

Yet, it is debatable if Buhari did really care about whatever happened to the APC beyond his tenure’s terminal end in May 2023. Were he a committed party member, he would not have advised voters in Ogun State to vote according to their conscience in the 2019 governorship election, the same voters he urged to vote for him in the presidential contest. He would not have accepted Gov. Buni as caretaker committee chairman in violation of the party constitution barring members from holding executive positions in both government and the party at the same time. He wouldn’t have tolerated Boni’s numerous extensions of the time allotted the CECPC, nay the constant postponement of the national convention.

In any case, with Buhari, in a Channels TV interview, asserting that the 2023 election is not his problem, there can be no guarantee that the concatenation of internal crises resulting from the struggle for power and control wouldn’t cause the party’s implosion.

BUHARI, APC AND 2023 ELECTIONS run out its tenure without acrimonious leadership change. What is self-evident is that the APC is managed in such a cult-like manner that no one dares to interrogate the president’s position before it is adopted as party decision.

That very situation did not spring up by accident. It is a consequence of the way the merger was consummated, and the reason for it.

After three failed attempts to be president in 2003, 2007 and 2011 elections, Buhari had had enough and had promised not to offer himself in future elections.

However, Bola Tinubu, who recently admitted he’s had a life-long ambition to be president, calculated that the quickest way to achieve this was to target the ever-constant Buhari’s support base of 12 million votes in each of the three aforesaid elections Buhari had lost. With his associates in ACN (Action Congress of Nigeria), Tinubu reopened the failed merger talks, before the 2011 elections, with Buhari’s Congress of Progressive Change (CPC). The rump of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) led by Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and Rochas Okorocha’s faction of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) joined the merger talks that eventually brought about the APC. The nPDP, a Bukola Saraki and Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi-driven breakaway faction of the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), joined the APC shortly after its formation. Tinubu’s preoccupation was to be on the party’s presidential ticket with Buhari as the candidate. Although he achieved the latter without the former, Tinubu committed his all – resources, political capital/structure, associates, stronghold, et al – to ensure Buhari emerged as the party’s candidate and won the 2015 election.

In all the processes leading to the merger, the party primary, and the 2015 election, Buhari was no more than a passenger. He brought nothing else to the table outside of his 12 million voting-army, the very support base

that could not, on its own, make him president in three previous attempts.

For Tinubu, supporting Buhari had two attractions. One, going by his antecedents in government once as military leader and much later as Chairman, Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), the perception was that Buhari was a little laid back, if not mentally lazy; since he could not possibly be a hands-on president on account of his well-known style, the vice president should naturally be in pole position to run the government. Tinubu had hoped to be that vice president.

Two, Tinubu had looked forward to a payback from Buhari’s political camp in 2023 when he planned to pitch for the highest office. In more ways than one, Tinubu’s permutations have not exactly worked out. In planning and scheming and working to win the 2015 election for Buhari, Tinubu made several strategic miscalculations.

The miscalculations? The APC, at its formation, was no more than a forced union of legacy parties which had differing political traditions and parallel, if not conflicting, philosophies. Described by their competitors as strange bedfellows, each of the political tendencies making up the party, in the quest for domination and control, operate as Dr. Muiz Banire, a former legal adviser of the party has elegantly described it, “in silos or independent entities within the same enclave”. Although the APC was, in the 2015 election campaigns, sold as a progressive party, Buhari, the president it gave the nation, is a conservative whose philosophy and beliefs and general understanding of existential issues are to the far right. The APC campaigned with the ‘Change!’ slogan; Buhari is buried in traditional values, completely averse to change. Tinubu and some other top politicians from the south who gave Buhari the required national spread to win campaigned on key elements of the party’s manifestos; the president has since disowned the very issues the party used

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2022 • T H I S D AY

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Friday February 25, 2022

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MISSILE Kukah to Political Leaders

“’Successive uncaring governments have created situations under which Nigerians are now suffocating. Whether we call it restructuring, rotation, zoning, or whatever, something must happen; we need to disrupt this system, it is not working for other 90 percent of Nigerians. How can a country make progress while in reverse? Nepotism, favouritism being perpetrated by leaders…” – Bishop Matthew Kukah, decrying the country’s maladministration, since independence.

ENIOLABELLO ENI-B

eniola.bello@thisdaylive.com

0805 500 1956

Buhari, APC and 2023 Elections T he All Progressives Congress (APC) has, again, postponed its national convention. The party’s Caretaker/Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) Monday released a schedule of activities for zonal congresses beginning from February 26 and ending with the national convention on March 26. It would appear the APC Caretaker Committee quickly released the schedule of activities to present the party’s governors, who met that Monday to discuss a leaked letter the CECPC wrote to INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) fixing zonal congresses for March 26, thus overriding the February 26 initial date for the convention without their knowledge and input, a fait accompli.

The CECPC, by name and mandate when it was set up June 2020 following the removal of the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, was charged with one task – organise a national convention in December 2020. The committee had, however, been more pre-occupied with planning other extra-ordinary (pun

Buhari

intended) activities except the party’s national convention. Its chairman, Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni has become a visitor to Damaturu, the

state capital, having practically relocated to Abuja. After twice requesting, and getting extension, for the party’s caretaker committee from President Muhammadu Buhari, Buni had written INEC several times informing the electoral body of the party’s national convention date; Buni has caused the convention date to be rescheduled from a non-specified date in December 2020 to July 11, 2021, then December 2021, later February 26, 2022, and now March 26, 2022. After almost two years of extra-ordinarily running the APC into multiple crises across several states, the very situation it was set up to avert, the Buni-led committee couldn’t be bothered to ask for any further extension of time before again rescheduling the date for the national convention.

It is strange that despite the diversity in principles and ideologies and cultures and traditions of the legacy parties that dissolved into the APC at inception in February 2013, and despite the calibre of powerful politicians in its rank, the ruling party could be so easily run like a secret cult. Since its inauguration, the Buni committee has, sometimes with

Buhari’s approval, and at other times dropping the president’s name, but almost always with stealth, piloted the party’s affairs sans its organs and constitution unchallenged. Other party leaders seem to behave like zombies in support of any, and every, proposal Buhari’s name is associated with, whether real or invented.

The latest of this is the adoption of consensus option, on Buhari’s prompting, for the (s)election of party executives at the March 26 national convention. Buhari anchored his preference for consensus on the peg of how the previous three NWC members of the party, respectively led by Bisi Akande, John Odigie Oyegun and Adams Oshiomhole, were (s)elected.

There is the impression that the consensus option would necessarily create some semblance of peace in the party. The party’s short history does put a lie to that. If Akande’s NWC was no more than an interim executive at the merger of APC’s legacy parties, neither Oyegun’s nor Oshiomhole’s NWC was allowed to Continued on page 54

OSITACHIDOKA GUEST COLUMNIST

Minister Fashola and the Difference between APC and PDP

R

ecently the Newspapers reported Hon. Minister of Works and Housing Gov. Babatunde Fashola SAN declared that “What really distinguishes this Progressive government under President Muhammadu Buhari is the focus and change it brought in governance. Infrastructure is one area that we are not only different but better”.

He made the statement at Kano as a Guest Speaker at the Special Ministerial Conversational Series with the theme,” Progressive Mission: The Road to our Future,” organised by the Progressive Youth Wing of the All Progressives Congress.

First, I must say that the road to the future is not (In the words of the Minister) through “jobs created for suppliers of sand and building materials, artisans, labourers, farmers, and even food vendors who make their daily earnings from the construction sides.”.

In most cases, infrastructure projects’ impact on the economy is two-fold, short-term economic boom due to increased spending and hiring until the project is complete. Once over, the

temporary hires return to joblessness.

The long-term benefit includes facilitating trade, movement, and industry and can support economic growth. However, the infrastructure would not unlock growth and individual prosperity without investment in human beings.

In a 2016 study published in Oxford Review of Economic Policy vol 32 titled Does infrastructure investment lead to economic growth or economic fragility?

Evidence from China, the authors argued that Investing in unproductive projects results initially in a boom, as long as construction is ongoing, followed by a bust, when forecasted benefits fail to materialise and projects, therefore, become a drag on the economy.

Where investments are debt-financed, overinvesting in unproductive projects results in the build-up of debt, monetary expansion, instability in financial markets, and economic fragility,” While Infrastructure is essential for economic growth, it must be in tandem with other determinants of economic growth.

As a Governor, Fashola was a strong advocate for limiting the federal government’s powers. We had our share

of disagreements during my time as Corps Marshal, but I admired him as a symbol of technocratic governance.

His progressive credential as governor was widely acknowledged based on his integrated approach to governance.

Against this backdrop, I am surprised at Minister Fashola’s metamorphosis into an ‘infrastructure would cause development’ campaigner. Minister Fashola made a crucial point that the infrastructure program of the APC “distinguishes this progressive government”, and I believe he distinguished APC from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Now that a top official has identified the defining distinction between the APC and PDP, I will go ahead and analyse PDP’s activities in its first seven years in office against APC’s seven years. The purpose is to identify the difference in approach and allow Nigerians to choose which Party’s ideas are progressive and capable of leading to a future of prosperity.

In the seventh year of the PDP in office in 2006, the government had liberalised and licensed over 40 private universities as a human development

strategy acknowledged as essential to a prosperous future. By 2006 PDP had opened the National Open University and had graduated students. Today over 500,000 students are in the open university on their way to escaping poverty, while our private universities provide quality education to those who can afford it. At the last count, there are 100 private universities in Nigeria.

To wear the toga of progressives, the APC should have focused on the crucial issues of public universities funding, expanding access to private universities through state grants, loans, and affirmative actions to broaden access for high performing needy students to attend private schools. Reducing lecturer–student ratio and holistically ministering to the ASUU demands would have set Nigeria to reverse elite escape from Nigerian schools, which is now the norm under the APC government.

As I write, ASUU is about to commence another indefinite strike.

As of 2006, the President Obasanjo administration had acquired and built 22 Continued on page 54

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