TUESDAY 5TH APRIL 2022

JNI: Any Govt Incapable of Protecting Citizens Lacks Moral Justification to Be in Power Says continuous mayhem, killings, callousness automatically resetting people’s psyche to accept situation as normal

John Shiklam in Kaduna As Nigerians continue to lament

the worsening spate of insecurity in the country, Jama’atu Nasir Islam (JNI), the umbrella body for

Northern Muslims, has declared that any government that is unable to safeguard the lives and property

of its citizens has lost the moral justification to be in power.

In a statement yesterday in

Kaduna, the religious body headed by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, condemned

the persistent attacks and killings Continued on page 12

2023: Malami Declares for Kebbi Governor, Promises Not to Betray His Supporters… Page 34 Tuesday 5 April, 2022 Vol 27. No 9856. Price: N250

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Nigeria’s Presidential Options: The Die is Cast Who amongst these aspirants will be chosen by Nigeria’s changing electorate?

PRESIDENTIAL POTENTIALS (In alphabetical order):

Abubakar Atiku (PDP, North)

Amaechi Rotimi (APC, South)

Amosun Ibikunle (APC, South)

Anyim Pius Anyim (PDP, South)

Bello Yahaya (APC, North)

Emefiele Godwin (APC, South)

Emmanuel Udom (PDP, South)

Fayemi Kayode (APC, South)

Hayatu-Deen Mohammed (PDP, North)

Jonathan Goodluck (PDP, South)

Mohammed Bala (PDP, North)

Momodu Dele (PDP, South)

Obi Peter (PDP, South)

Onu Ogbonnaya (APC, South)

Osinbajo Yemi (APC, South)

Saraki Bukola (PDP, North)

Sylva Timipre (APC, South)

Tambuwal Aminu (PDP, North)

Tinubu Bola (APC, South)

Umahi David (APC, South)

Wike Nyesom (PDP, South)

Presidential Ticket: PDP Zoning Committee Decides Today... Page 8

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Group News Editor: Goddy Egene Email: Goddy.egene@thisdaylive.com, 0803 350 6821, 0809 7777 322, 0807 401 0580

NEWS

AT DBN'S 2022 MSMES FINANCE SEMINAR...

L-R: Executive Director, Business Development, Access Bank Plc, Chizoma Okoli; COO, Development Bank of Nigeria Plc, Bonaventure Okhaimo; International Cooperation Officer, EU Delegation to FGN, Inga Stefanowicz; Managing Director, Nigeria, Branch International, Dayo Ademola, and Managing Director/CEO, Development Bank of Nigeria Plc, Dr. Tony Okpanachi, at DBN's 2022 MSMEs Finance Seminar held in Abuja... yesterday

16 Months after, FG Bars Unlinked SIM Cards, Begins Enforcement Emma Okonji The federal government, yesterday, barred all outgoing calls from every SIM card not linked to the National Identification Number (NIN) of the telecom subscriber.

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami, who gave the order, also directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to direct all telecoms operators to begin the deactivation of all unlinked SIM cards with immediate effect, insisting that all telecoms subscribers must comply with the NIN-SIM linkage policy of the federal government.

In a statement yesterday, jointly signed by Director, Public Affairs, at NCC, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, and Head, Corporate Communications, at National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Mr. Kayode Adegoke, Pantami commended Nigerians and legal residents for their support during the exercise to link their NIN to their SIM cards.

The recent order to bar all unlinked SIM cards came 16 months after the federal government gave the first order to deactivate all SIM cards not registered and linked to NIN. Pantami had in December 2020 directed the NCC to order telecoms

operators to deactivate any SIM card not duly registered and linked to subscribers’ NIN, after the initial December 31, 2020 deadline, given for NIN-SIM linkage.

Based on the inability of subscribers to meet up with the December 31, 2020 deadline, the federal government had to postpone the deadline and had since postponed it 10 times to date.

At the last postponement, which was on December 31, 2021, Pantami conveyed the approval of the federal government to further extend the deadline for the NIN-SIM data verification and linkage from December 31, 2021 to March 31, 2022.

Although NIMC had said NIN registration would continue in all its centres, the federal government, yesterday said it would commence barring of all unlinked SIM cards with immediate effect, and told subscribers yet to register and link their SIM cards to do so before they could make outgoing calls.

The federal government, however, commended Nigerians for the compliance level in registering and linking the SIMs to NINs, saying 125 million SIMs have been submitted for linkage to NINs. The statement said, “As of date, over 125 million SIMs have had their NINs submitted for immediate

OPGAN: Nigeria Needs $500m Worth of Palm Oil Annually to Meet Local Demand Okon Bassey in Uyo Nigeria requires about $500 million worth of palm oil to meet the local demand of the commodity annually, the National President of the Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria (OPGAN), Chief Joe Onyiuke has disclosed.

For the gap to be bridged, he said local palm oil producers would need to strategise their efforts at both production and organisation to be able to attract the necessary funding needed for improved and increased production.

Onyiuke spoke at a town hall meeting with Akwa Ibom State chapter of OPGAN in Uyo, recently, expressing regret that palm oil which remains a major component for the production of more than 40 items excluding cooking had been left in the hands of the elderly, leading to big production and supply gaps even as outdated processing methods are most times deployed in the country.

He noted that the war in Europe has also constrained major palm oil producing countries of Malaysia and Indonesia to limit their export capacities with Nigeria unable to attend to increasing export requests since production levels have stagnated overtime.

"It is so bad that Nigeria does not even have any capacity to export palm oil again and the local demand gap is about $500 million and that is why OPGAN has taken it upon itself to organise members properly and so if we are able to galvanise

our strength, I am very sure we can meet the gap and surpass it.

"Oil palm affects our lives everywhere especially in the food industry. Without palm oil you can't have your Noddles, pasta, soap, magarine, mayonnaise, chocolate, tooth paste and so on in the food industry. Oil palm is the key because more than 40 items are produced from it and so when you talk about food security in the world oil palm remain key.

"Crude oil has failed Nigeria.

Oil palm will return Nigeria to the prosperity of the past. We are lucky to have the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research, NIFOR, and they are there to help us. So we need to go back to the drawing board," he explained.

Furthermore, he tasked members of the association on the need to form cooperatives and clusters for easy access to loans and assured that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) loan facility for members would be ready in three months for those able to meet the requirements and conditions stipulated by the apex bank.

Poor funding and proliferation of unorganised small holder farms and low participation of youths according to Onyiuke, remained a major constraint to increasing production levels but assured members of ready and willing market for their produce and a surge in price of the commodity as enough incentive for them to increase efforts.

Onyiuke tasked local government coordinators on the need for increased mobilisation for new members and told the meeting that the association had initiated moves to float a microfinance bank as well as institute a health insurance policy for them while arrangements have been concluded for special loans for women and youth farmers in the association.

He pointed out that the over 200,000 member-association had

been invigorated for improved business processes, adding that efforts were being made to add more to the 250,000 hectares of plantation land owned by OPGAN members nationwide.

The State chairman of OPGAN, Onukak Afahaene, urged members to key into the vision of the Onyiukeled OPGAN and expressed joy that the federal government had realised the need for increased oil palm production.

linkage, verification and authentication. Similarly, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has issued over 78 million unique NINs till date.

“President Muhammadu Buhari gave the directive for the implementation and commencement of the exercise in December 2020, as part of the administration’s security and social policies. The deadlines for the NIN-SIM linkage has been extended on multiple occasions to allow Nigerians to freely comply with the policy.

“The federal government also took into consideration the passionate appeals by several bodies- Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Civil Societies, Professional Bodies and a host of others - for the extension of the deadlines in the past.

“Accordingly, Mr. President graciously approved the many requests to extend deadlines for the NIN-SIM linkage. At this point however, government has determined that the NIN-SIM Policy implementation can proceed, as machinery has already been put in place to ensure compliance by citizens and legal residents.

“The implementation impacts on government’s strategic planning, particularly in the areas of security and socio-economic projections.”

The statement added, “President Muhammadu Buhari has approved

the implementation of the policy with effect from the 4th of April, 2022. Consequently, the federal government has directed all Telcos to strictly enforce the Policy on all SIMs issued (existing and new) in Nigeria.

“Outgoing calls will subsequently be barred for telephone lines that have not complied with the NINSIM linkage policy from the 4th of April, 2022. Subscribers of such lines are hereby advised to link their SIMs to their NINs before the Telcos can lift the restriction on their lines.

Affected individuals are hereby advised to register for their NINs at designated centers and thereafter link the NINs to their SIMs through the channels provided by NIMC and the Telcos, including the NIMC mobile App.” Pantami commended the Executive Vice-Chairman of NCC, Professor Umar Garba Dambatta, Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Aliyu Abubakar Aziz, along with their management and staff, as well as other notable bodies whose efforts had contributed to the monumental success of the exercise.

Pantami said enrolment for NIN would be a continuous exercise and that NIN would henceforth be a precondition for service in telcos, banks, Nigerian Immigration Service, and several other government services.

Gas Supply: FG Urges Shell, Chevron, Others to Allow Third Parties Use of Their Pipelines Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Shell Nigeria, Chevron and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited are hindering full operation of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) project by not allowing third parties transit gas through their pipelines, the federal government alleged yesterday.

The government therefore appealed to the partners to allow the transportation of third-party gas through its joint pipelines to increase gas supply to the NLNG and boost the supply of the product to Europe.

“Following the refusal of the joint partners Shell, Chevron, NNPC and others, to allow third parties to transport gas through their pipelines to the NLNG Trains, the company has been unable to operate at full capacity, thus

causing its inability to meet both domestic and international gas obligations,” the federal government lamented.

A statement by Senior Adviser, Media and Communications to the Minister of State, Petroleum, Mr Horatius Egua, noted yesterday that the NLNG is at present only able to produce at about 70 per cent installed capacity.

The Minister , Chief Timipre Sylva, during an audience with the new Italian Ambassador to Nigeria Mr. Sefano De Leo, in Abuja, said that if the NLNG partners relax their rules and allow third party supply gas to the company, it will be able to provide gas to help ease the European Union’s energy crisis.

“The issue we have with the existing NLNG Trains is that of insufficient gas supply. The partners are running out of gas and they are refusing third party to supply

gas to the Trains.

“The partners are insisting that they can only allow third party supply gas to the plant only if they agree to supply at subsidised rates. These people of course want to make money and they cannot supply at subsidised rates and that’s why the NLNG Trains cannot produce at fully capacity.

“The partners can afford to supply at subsidised rates because they are partners in the NLNG project not the third parties. This is a very critical issue I want to discus with the respective partners to see how we can resolve this problem so that we can increase the production capacity of the NLNG,” Sylva said.

The minister who stressed the long-standing relations between Nigeria and Italy also sought the cooperation of the Italian government in providing support

for night helicopter rescue operations in the country, adding that at the moment helicopters cannot fly in the night in Nigeria, thus foreclosing any rescue operations at night.

Sylva added: “For us, this is a very important matter. We want to develop a 24-hour economy. We want a situation where helicopters can fly 24 hours in Nigeria”.

In his response, De Leo stressed the importance of Nigeria in Africa and noted that as the continent’s most populous country, it would be difficult for anyone to ignore the country both at the political and economic front.

“At the moment, the EU wants to diversify its energy sources, especially gas and Nigeria is very strategic to us. We have been long-standing friends and partners and one of the most important one for that matter.

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NEWS

HONOURING MAMA OTEDOLA...

L-R: CEO Bolmus Group International, Bola Shagaya; Son of the celebrant and Chairman, Geregu Power Plc, Femi Otedola; President, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; President AfDB, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina; his wife, Dr. Yemisi Adesina; Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun; CEO Oando Plc, Wale Tinubu, and the celebrant and former first lady of Lagos State, Lady Christine Doja Otedola Photo : SUNDAY ADIGUN (seated in front), at the 90th birthday reception of Mama Otedola, held at Epe, Lagos…recently

IMF Proffers Way out of Nigeria, Others' Monetary Policy Challenges Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has stated that Nigeria and other Sub-Saharan African countries were facing monetary policy challenges, urging them to cut down vulnerabilities, which it listed to include reducing balance sheet mismatches, develop money and foreign currency markets, and reduce exchange rate pass-through by building monetary policy credibility.

But it cautioned that central banks needed to weigh the benefits against potential negative impacts on their own transparency and credibility, especially in circumstances where policy frameworks are not yet well established.

In a blog post, the IMF observed that the COVID-19 pandemic dented economic growth, adding that even now, recovery was likely to leave output below the pre-crisis trend this year.

It noted that several countries in the region have also seen rise in inflation, a challenge it noted in some cases was compounded by fiscal dominance emanating from high public debt levels.

According to the fund, many of these economies in Sub-Saharan Africa may also face capital outflows as the major central banks in advanced economies withdraw policy stimulus and raise interest rates in the period ahead.

It stated that the economic impact of the conflict raging in Ukraine, including the attendant sharp rise in energy and food prices, was likely to further intensify the challenges.

On how to manage this sort of volatile environment, the IMF noted that sub-Saharan African countries with managed or free-floating exchange rate regimes generally benefit from allowing currencies to adjust, while focusing monetary policy on domestic objectives.

"That said, many countries in sub-Saharan Africa with floating exchange rate regimes have characteristics and vulnerabilities that can limit the benefits from fully flexible rates.

"For instance, dominant currency pricing (i.e., rigid export prices in US dollar terms) can weaken the beneficial trade adjustments associated with flexible rates.

"Moreover, shallow markets (i.e., markets with limited liquidity) can amplify exchange rate movements and yield excessive volatility.

"Foreign exchange markets tend to be shallow in many countries in the region, as evidenced by wide spreads between bid and ask prices," the global lender said.

The IMF pointed out that high foreign currency denominated liabilities were also a key vulnerability in several economies, adding that in the presence of large currency mismatches on balance sheets, exchange rate depreciations could undermine the financial health of corporates and households.

According to the IMF, weak central bank credibility could cause exchange rate changes to have a bigger effect on inflation, stressing that such currency mismatches and high pass-through could cause output and inflation to move in opposite directions following shocks,

thereby worsening the trade-offs that policymakers face.

It also stated that there was evidence that the exchange rate pass-through in low-income countries was substantially higher than in more advanced economies, which poses a particular problem given the often heavy dependence on food and energy imports.

Proffering solutions on how countries that exhibit such vulnerabilities manage their policy responses, the IMF stated that it was important to reduce the vulnerabilities over time, including

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Transportation Secretariat has projected the construction of a 5.76 kilometers rail track at the cost of $272 million.

The Mandate Secretary for the secretariat, Alhaji Zakari Dobi, made the disclosure yesterday when he inspected the vandalized Abuja Light Rail Track, Station and Idu Training Centre.

He said the bill for the construction of the rail track was before the

FCTA Permanent Secretary on its way to the FCT Minister's table.

Dobi said the secretariat was working assiduously to go back to site for the construction of 5.76 kilometers and to fix the vandalised areas of the track.

He expressed optimism that the minister who has so much concern about the Abuja Light Rail would quickly return the file.

He said the tour was to evaluate and assess the level of vandalisation on the track and to also look at the Training Centre at Idu Rail

are adequate and these tools are available, foreign exchange intervention, macro-prudential policy measures and capital flow measures can help enhance monetary policy autonomy, improve financial and price stability, and reduce output volatility.

"For instance, simulations with the framework’s models suggest that in response to a sharp tightening of global financial conditions or other negative external financial shock, a country exhibiting such vulnerabilities could improve immediate economic outcomes by

using foreign exchange intervention to reduce exchange rate depreciation and thereby limit the inflationary impact and reduce negative balance sheet effects. "This results in higher output and lower inflation than would have been feasible without the use of the additional policy instrument," the article said.

However, the IMF further advised that for central banks considering such policies, a few important qualifiers are in order adding that the tools should not be used to maintain an over- or undervalued exchange rate.

DMO: Public Debt Susceptible to Revenue Shocks Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The Debt Management Office (DMO) has stated that the ratios of debt-to-revenue and debt service-to-revenue which have no thresholds by the World Bank/ International Monetary Fund (IMF) are expected to increase and peak at 329.5 per cent in 2025 and 56.9 per cent in 2030, respectively.

The DMO said this seriously highlights the critical importance of revenue mobilisation, which is expected to drive down the rising indicators.

Owing to this, the debt management agency also restated that Nigeria’s public debt remains within a sustainable profile, but susceptible to revenue shocks.

The 329.5 per cent debt-torevenue projection by the DMO far outstrips the 80 per cent estimate

FCTA Projects $272 million for Construction of 5.76 Km New Abuja Rail Track Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

reducing balance sheet mismatches; developing money and foreign currency markets; and reducing exchange rate pass-through by building monetary policy credibility.

It added that many of these were areas where the IMF technical assistance could assist.

"But in the near-term—while vulnerabilities remain high—the IMF’s work toward an Integrated Policy Framework suggests that using additional tools may help ease short-term policy trade-offs when certain shocks hit.

"In particular, where reserves

Station with a view relocating some departments of the FCTA Transportation Secretariat due to challenges of office spaces in Area 11.

Dobi noted that the vandalisation occurred as a result of lack of operation, adding that if operation was on constantly it would reduce the level of vandalisation.

He assured that the FCTA would fixe all the vandalised area to ensure proper utilisation of the already completed areas with the four Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) on ground to put an end to vandalisation.

for 2022 by top credit rating agency in Nigeria,, Agusto & Co. In the just-released report of the 2020 Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) posted on its website, the DMO noted that the Risk Rating from the 2020 DSA) revealed that Nigeria’s external debt remains at a Moderate Risk of Debt distress, but sensitive to export shocks.

According to the DMO, the 2020 DSA exercise derived its baseline assumptions from the revised Appropriation Act, and the 2020-2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper, which reflect the key objectives and priorities of the draft 2021-2025 Medium Term National Development Plan and Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP).

The DMO affirmed that the objective of the DSA was to evaluate the country’s risk distress, considering Nigeria’s capacity to carry current debt and its future borrowings under both baseline projections and shock scenarios, adding that this helps to inform the borrowing decisions of government.

The agency stated the DSA adopted the revised World Bank and IMF Low Income Countries Debt Sustainability Framework (LICDSF), which compares a country’s debt burden indicators against the World Bank/IMF thresholds based on the Composite Indicator ( CI), determined by the CPIA rating and other macroeconomic variables such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate, remittances, import coverage of reserves and world economic growth.

Although the total public debt

burden stood at N39.556 trillion at end of December 2021, excluding the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Ways and Means Advances to the Federal government, the DSA report stated that Nigeria’s total public debt remains at a a

Moderate Risk of Debt distress.

It added that the ratio of total public debt to GDP at 22.47 per cent as at December 2021 was still below the nation’s self-imposed 40 per cent ceiling throughout the projection period.

Again, CBN Tells Nigerians to Shun Unlicensed Financial Operators James Emejo in Abuja The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday advised members of the public to refrain from dealing with unlicenced or Illegal Financial Operators (IFOs), who lure and defraud unsuspecting members of the public by offering extra-ordinary returns on investments as bait.

Members of the public were also advised to visit the websites of the central bank, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other relevant member agencies of the apex bank's Financial Services Regulation Coordinating Committee (FSRCC) to verify the registration and license status of such companies and schemes before investing in them.

An advisory on the illegal financial operators in Nigeria was issued by the FSRCC and posted on the CBN website.

The CBN further expressed worry over the increase in the activities of IFOs which it stated portends grave risk to public confidence and the stability of the Nigerian financial system.

The CBN urged members of the public to report any individual or

entities suspected to be involved in such nefarious activities to the law enforcement agencies.

It added that financial regulatory agencies would continue to carry out all necessary due diligence before registering/licensing any operator under their regulatory purview.

The bank said agencies shall refer to relevant supervisory authorities for confirmation before finalising on any registration/licensing application.

Member agencies of FSRCC were further encouraged to engage in regular sensitisation campaigns on the threats posed by the activities of IFOs. The CBN had severally warned Nigerians to desist from patronising loan sharks.

The CBN had in April 1994, undertook to facilitate a formal framework for the co-ordination of regulatory and supervisory activities in the Nigerian financial sector by establishing the Financial Services Coordinating Committee (FSCC) to address more effectively, through consultations and regular inter-agency meetings, issues of common concern to regulatory and supervisory bodies.

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NEWS

8TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF TRANSCORP...

L-R: Company Secretary, Mrs. Kofo Olokun-Olawoyin; Non-Executive Director, Mr. Alex Okoh; Non-Executive Director, Mrs. Owen Omogiafo; Chairman, Mr. Emmanuel Nnorom; Managing Director/ CEO Mrs. Dupe Olusola; Non-Executive Director, Mr. Alexander Adeyemi; Independent Non-Executive Director, Mrs. Bolanle Onagoruwa; and Non-Executive Director, Hon. Peter Elumelu, at the 8th Annual General Meeting of Transcorp Hotels Plc held at Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja on Monday

2023 Presidential Ticket: PDP Zoning Committee Decides Today Atiku returns completed forms, Fintiri says former VP will get the ticket Obaseki receives Saraki, Tambuwal, Mohammed, others in Benin Wike, Ikpeazu, Ugwuanyi, Makinde visit Babangida, Abubakar Chuks Okocha in Abuja, Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City, Laleye Dipo in Minna and Daji Sani in Yola The 37-man committee set up by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to decide where the party would zone its presidential ticket for the 2023 general election would announce its decision at a meeting today.

PDP had been in a dilemma over where to zone its presidential ticket ahead of the general election, with analysts warning that the issue of zoning might make or mar the main opposition party’s at the poll. This was as members from the south and those from the north sought the zoning the presidency to their region.

The party, in a bid to resolve the disagreement, had on March 17 set up a 37-man committee, headed by the governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, to find an amicable solution. The committee met last week but could not reach a consensus on the zoning. So it is expected to announce its decision today.

Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, yesterday, returned his completed expression of interest and nomination forms for the presidential ticket.

The screening of PDP aspirants to choose the party’s candidates for the coming general election would take place from April 9 to 18, while appeals from aspirants would be resolved between April 14 and 21.

Speaking while receiving the completed presidential nomination forms from Atiku, the chairman of the Technical Committee, Raymond Dokpesi, and PDP National Organising Secretary, Hon. Bature Umar, said Atiku, had fulfilled all the conditions for the submission of the form.

They listed the conditions to include the submission of duly completed expression of interest form with sworn-affidavit from the High Court and Current

Valid Membership Card for 2022, copies of all credentials and certificates, evidence of payment, computerised confirmation slip from the secretariat, and six sets of photocopies.

Other conditions include passport photograph, copy of voter card issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and tax clearance for the last three years.

Dokpesi said Atiku, being the first to pick his presidential nomination forms and first to return same, showed seriousness.

According to the chairman of the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Technical Committee, "By the special grace of God when we get to the bridge, we will cross it. " On zoning, he said, "Definitely, we have nothing against whatever the party will decide, but the zoning will not be against us."

Speaking also, Senator Dino Melaye said, "We are here to submit to you the form of a Nigerian with multiple competences, indoctrinated with the art of civil administration and the rudiments of politics, the only unifier.

"Atiku was the first to pick his form and the first to submit his form. God has told me that Atiku will be the president of Nigeria."

The governor of Atiku’s home state of Adamawa, Ahmed Fintiri expressed optimism that Atiku was just one step away from emerging the country’s president.

He stated this while fielding questions from newsmen in an interview with newsmen in Abuja He said Atiku got the ticket in 2019 and would get it again in 2023, considering his experience and the calibre of people supporting him.

“Politics is local, whether you are aspiring for the smallest or the highest position, you must have the base, which is home.

“This, we have provided for our leader, the former Vice President in his aspiration for the presidency of Nigeria for the 2023 general

elections,” he said.

Obaseki Receives Saraki, Tambuwal, Mohammed, Others in Benin

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, yesterday received some of the presidential aspirants of the PDP ahead of the 2023 general election. They included former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki; Governor of Sokoto State Aminu Tambuwal; and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed; and an economist, Alhaji Mohammed Hayatudeen.

Receiving the visitors at the Government House in Benin City, Obaseki said the country was in dire need of a leader with the capacity to unite and rebuild the nation.

According to him, “Forty years ago, we had a big cake to share but not today. That cake has disappeared. Whoever aspires to be president of this country must be somebody who Nigerians are ready to give ingredients to start to rebuild a bigger cake for us all.”

Obaseki also said, “For us in Edo, we are ready for building a bigger, stronger and better Nigeria as we can’t continue the way we are today. We are concerned that except the PDP comes out and rallies Nigerians around, it will be difficult to pull Nigeria back from the brinks.

“Things are really bad and difficult for our people. We have never had it this bad. We have never had the level of combination of poverty and inflation as food inflation in Nigeria is pushing millions of people into starvation, coupled with the security challenges.

"Many have been kidnapped in Nigeria as we speak and this is not about individual aspirations but about Nigeria. We need the country to survive to be able to push our individual aspirations. I thank you for providing leadership and trust in God Almighty that has given you the wisdom to make

Nigeria the higher goal.”

He further added, “I can't thank our visitors enough for bringing a new lease of life into our politics.

This is a new model in leadership selection where leaders with higher aspirations can come together for the good of the people.

"They are working towards a consensus candidate arrangement knowing the task of becoming Nigeria's president."

Earlier, Saraki, who spoke on behalf of others, said the visit was to canvas for the option to adopt a consensus candidate ahead of the 2023 general elections.

He said, “We all know the various situations that exist in our country and the need for the PDP to provide a platform and in doing that, we realise that the interest of the country is more paramount to our own interests.

"As such, we have come together and agreed that we should work out a consensus where we don't all just go to the field. We don't want our energy to be focused on just trying to get to power, but on how to help make Nigeria better.”

Saraki added, "A lot of Nigerians out there are really going through a hard time and as a party, we want to show that we are really committed to their interests. Our individual interest is secondary.

“We need your support in this process. What Nigerians need now is a president that has a team to work with. The problems are huge and we all have the qualities to lead this country.”

Wike, Ikpeazu,Ugwuanyi.

Makinde Storm Minna

Four PDP governors stormed Minna, the Niger State capital, for consultation on the zoning of the 2023 presidential ticket of the opposition party.

The governors were Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, who has already declared his intention to vie for the PDP ticket; his counterpart from Oyo State, Seyi Makinde; Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu;

and Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

They were accompanied on the visit by former Benue State Governor, Mr. Gabriel Suswan, a Borno State Senator Kazeem Imam, and Senator Sulaiman Mohammed Nazir from Bauchi State.

They took their advocacy visits to both former Military Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar and former military president General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida at their uphill residences.

Abdulsalami from his residence rode in one of the vehicles in the convoy of the visitors to the residence of General Ibrahim Babangida.

The parley between Generals Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar and the PDP governors started behind closed doors in the main sitting room of the former military president at about 3.45 pm and ended some 45 minutes later.

Speaking with newsmen after the meeting, Ikpeazu, who served as their spokesman, said they were in Minna "to consult with the former Head of States on national issues, economic development, security and unity of our country".

Ikpeazu said the delegation also commended the former military rulers for their support for the unity of the country.

"The discussions went very well" he declared.

Asked for the comments of the former Nigerian leaders, Ikpeazu said they "expressed concern," adding that "they expect the younger generation to take up the gauntlet and rescue Nigeria".

Atiku Will Surely Emerge as PDP Presidential Standardbearer, Says Fintiri

Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, has declared that former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, will surely emerge as the presidential standard-bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023 general election fol-

lowing the current permutations after his declaration.

Fintiri made the disclosure last Sunday evening at the Yola International Airport shortly after returning from a trip outside the state.

He said with the calibre of people presently supporting the former vice-president, it just a matter of time, he will emerge as the standard-bearer of the PDP. The governor said: "We have started the scheming and permutations, and very soon you will see him emerge as the PDP presidential candidate.

"After his declaration, we have been working assiduously across the country, and with the calibre of people supporting him presently, he will emerge by the grace of God. It is a matter of time, Atiku will be announced as the standard -bearer of the PDP. He got it 2019, and we believe he will get it again in 2023, l sure you."

When asked why was he the only governor that attended Atiku's presidential declaration in Abuja, Fintiri said politics is local whether you are aspiring for the lowest or the highest position, you must have home base support.

"We have provided home support for our leader who is from our state in his aspiration for presidency in 2023 that is what we have done, so that doesn't mean l am the only governor supporting his presidential aspiration, there are many governors supporting Atiku presently," he said.

Fintiri further explained that they believed in Atiku's ability to transform the country, “and his wealth of experience, he will halt the security and economic challenges bedeviling our country.”

However, the actions of the governor have dispelled the speculations trending in the state that Fintiri may not support Atiku's presidential ambition, but support Governor Nyeson Wike of Rivers State following his recent romance with Wike.

TUESDAY APRIL 5, 2022 • T H I S D AY

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PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES NIGERIA’S PRESIDENTIAL OPTIONS: THE DIE IS CAST A THISDAY Report A few weeks from now, two of these men – one each from the two main political parties – would emerge presidential candidates of their respective parties and dominate the political space in the countdown to the 2023 presidential run.

Currently, Nigeria boasts some 18 political parties, out of which less than five are truly active. But the season is here again and it’s expected that a majority, if not all, would start to activate their machines in readiness for the 2023 general election.

While many of the parties might field candidates for different elective offices, the possibility that a majority others would either form alliance or endorse the presidential candidates of either of the two major parties – the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – is equally high.

Therefore, about some eight weeks from now, all the serious parties would start to hold their presidential primaries and be ready with their candidates in the countdown to the big event – the presidential bout – in February 2023.

Ahead of the presidential primaries, however, some presidential hopefuls have started to openly indicate their interests in the nation’s number one job, while a few others, who were deemed to be interested but have yet to say so, have equally hinted at the possibility, one way or the other.

But, their presidential aspiration aside, the fact of the moment is that the nation is in dire straits and there has never been a more urgent need to rescue Nigeria than it is now. Perhaps, the situation in Nigeria pre-2015 was nothing compared to the current situation, even though it necessitated the “change mantra” that brought in the incumbent, Muhammadu Buhari.

Challenged on all fronts – the same grounds the ruling APC travelled to power – the country has been hopping from increasing insecurity to a tottering economy and burgeoning corruption.

Although the work of a president may not be physically demanding as does a bricklayer, it requires a degree of physical fitness and high mental alertness, to be able to address what is currently on the card in Nigeria.

Perhaps, the search for a messiah is back on stream and this time, the same opportunity, which presented itself in 2015, is showing up again except the Nigerian people choose to miss out on it, this time. There is a fierce urgency for a new leadership to steer the country away from the abyss to and redirect the ship of stay in a new direction. It starts with a carefully made presidential choice in 2023. This has become inevitable.

Thus, while zoning as a factor cannot be discarded arrogantly under whatever account or pretext, since it has become a critical glue holding the nation’s many tendencies together, the quality of the candidate needed to do the job, has become more compelling if the current search for a president for all Nigerians is altruistic.

Against this backdrop are a few of those, who have so far indicated interest in the presidency of Nigeria in 2023 – some of them are familiar names – and hopefully, the Nigerian people can find from amongst them, that individual, who understands the issues and knows what the problems are, and has a good and clear idea what solutions fit.

Anyim Pius Anyim (PDP, South East)

A former President of the Senate and erstwhile Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, has had those two huge platforms to showcase himself. An indigene of Ebonyi State, Anyim is one presidential hopeful, who has stayed away from scandals and maintained a lowkey profile. Although since

leaving public office, he was completely tucked into his private life until activities ushering in 2023 picked up, he has also explained at every given opportunity that he understands Nigeria and can fix the problems.

Strengths: He has experience and probably still keeps some good contacts after leaving office. He is from the South East, a zone that has consistently alleged marginalisation.

Weaknesses: He seems a bit laidback for the task at hand and lacks colour. His acceptability within his South East is also a subject of debate, and that could challenge his national presence.

Aminu Tambuwal (PDP, North West)

The current two-term Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, was speaker of the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015. He used his era as speaker to challenge some of the unfavourable policies of the former president Goodluck Jonathan administration, and that made him very popular.

Although his governorship has not been anything spectacular, he has continued to leverage more, his days as speaker.

Strengths: Naturally, coming from the core north often confers some advantage, and this is in addition to the fact that he is young and vibrant. He also wields some influence amongst his colleagues, being the chairman of PDP governors’ forum.

Weaknesses: Tambuwal has never been in the cluster of those considered as having the experience and maturity to face the nation’s challenges. Being speaker and governor are not enough, he has yet to acquit himself as a potential presidential material. They are not the same.

Atiku Abubakar (PDP, North East)

A foremost presidential material, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has always been in the forefront of the charge to lead the country. Indeed, in 2015, many held the view that he was the most prepared with clear ideas what he needed to do and where. The Turaki Adamawa is a household name and has all it takes to change the current narrative.

Strengths: He has the experience, capacity and competence to address Nigeria’s problems. He also knows Nigeria well enough and can balance the fault lines without crossing the lines.

Weaknesses: Atiku has always had this never disappearing corruption tag, which mere explanations have refused to clear off. There are also questions about his age and health. Above all, he is categorised as part of the old order that brought Nigeria to its knees.

Bala Muhammed (PDP, North East)

Governor Bala Mohammed is a first term governor and former Minister of the FCT. Although still in office, there’s a general belief he has not used his opportunities to stand out at these other levels. Age is still on his side and he’s promising. A product of some highwire local politics, which witnessed the alignment of the opposition in the state, Mohammed has yet to find his feet well, even as governor.

Strengths: He is from a part of the north, which thinks it has been marginalised enough and therefore, deserves a shot at the presidency.

He also has age on his side and from a party, which might throw its presidential ticket open for all.

Weaknesses: He does not command the kind of national presence required of a man aspiring to the highest office in the land. A man still grappling with the needs of small Bauchi, cannot be handed the intimidating challenges of Nigeria. Nigeria at this time cannot try anyone, who might want to learn on the job. Besides, there’s the speculation that he would rather

return as governor than gamble with uncertainty.

Bukola Saraki (PDP, North Central)

Two-terms former governor of Kwara State, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, was President of the Senate between 2015 and 2019, a platform which availed him an opportunity to sell himself. Unlike many before him, Saraki made the office of the senate president very attractive and also drew attention to the fact that there was so much power and influence in being the nation’s number three citizen. His days as senate president also showed him off as a dogged fighter, who despite the various traps set in his way, triumphed, defeating the corruption label that his opponents had tried to hang on his neck.

Strengths: He has shown capacity, competence and has experience also going for him. He clearly understands the issues and at every turn, has always intervened in the Nigerian project, proffering solutions to those knotty national concerns, even as a floor senate member. He connects more with the youth and very much in tune with global trends. His zone, the north central, has been in the trenches for recognition, having been marginalised for many years.

They consider now as their time.

Weaknesses: His state of origin, which is now being seen as a form of strength, politically, is the first factor to count against him.

Small Kwara in north central has always been hard to place, either as a northern or southern state, realistically. Besides, coming out at a time the clamour for southern presidency is on high note, is a tough call.

Bola Tinubu (APC, South West)

A political juggernaut by every definition, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is by all standards, one of the biggest names in the nation’s political lexicon today. From a relatively unknown Bola in 1999 to becoming the national leader of the ruling APC, today, Tinubu is a force to reckon with. Not only has he built an empire, he has made people and raised soldiers across all ages, walks of life and political leanings.

Heavily connected and boasting huge war chest that could unsettle any cause, Tinubu is a political samurai, underestimated only at the peril of his opponents. In addition to commanding experience and competence, Tinubu has an enviable foresight for reading the political barometer, near accurately every season. In South West and beyond, he is an idol to many would-be politicians. He is a kingmaker, who now desires to be king.

Strengths: Highly connected.

Has experience and capacity.

He seems prepared for what he called his life-long ambition to be president of Nigeria. He has the money required to prosecute his election. He has national presence.

Understands some of the issues.

Has a fatherly demeanor and the patience for the job. If not stopped by the Villa, he could claim the presidency without a fight.

Weaknesses: Tinubu is largely considered corrupt and it’s almost a consensus. He is one man, who is deemed rich, yet, has no known businesses to his name. Even the businesses marked against his name are easily denied, because they are believed to be held in trust. He is also old, sickly and weak. Age and health have taken their tolls and may be unable to stand the demands of the office.

His mental alertness has been called to question many times.

Also the Buhari albatross hangs on his neck. He and a clique within the APC brought Buhari. It is now almost like a cardinal sin that he brought Buhari. Can Nigeria afford the Alphabetarisation of Nigeria?

He has a 60 million dollars private aircraft with no clear means of income; no factory employing people. Where did the money

come? He has not been able to explain to the country he is striving to govern. Explaining his source of wealth becomes a big challenge on his road to becoming President of Africa’s most populous nation.

David Umahi (APC, South East)

Outgoing Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, is about the only Southeast governor in the APC, who is desirous of succeeding President Buhari. Umahi, whose seat was recently threatened by the judgment of a Federal High Court, which sacked him before it was reversed at the appellate court, is believed to have done relatively well, when compared to some of his colleagues. An engineer by calling, he is one of those, who had openly indicated interest in the job, following after Tinubu.

Strengths: Coming from the South East, the zone has continued to justify why it should be allowed to produce the president in the spirit of equity, fairness and justice.

Records have also shown that he is a man of ideas and can champion developments. And, in terms of age, he would pass.

Weaknesses: A recluse by simple definition, Umahi does not really have friends. Apart from compelling meeting of governors, his media exposure says as much. That also presupposes some tribalistic tendencies and definitely not what is needed at a time like this. His contacts are limited and therefore, boasts poor reach.

Dele Momodu (PDP, South South)

One of the most influential celebrity journalists in Nigeria’s modern history, Bashorun Dele Momodu, is having his second outing in the nation’s presidential run. His first outing, which didn’t turn out good, was enough to have discouraged anyone from wanting to serve again, but Momodu’s love for country would not let him look away. Publisher of the prestigious Ovation Magazine, which is sold across the world, has such contacts that only a few politicians can lay claims to. Sound, brilliant, capable and armed with requisite experience, the second coming of this Edo-born journalist and politician, is a welcome development in the scheme of things.

Strengths: Young, experienced, capable and competent, Momodu is a quintessential global citizen, with friends and contacts across the world. His presidency can easily access his contacts in nation’s interest and devote such to development purposes.

Weaknesses: He does not have the kind of money needed to prosecute this kind of election.

Politicians, and particularly, owners of Nigeria may not be willing to trust him with power.

Udom Emmanuel (PDP, South South)

The current and outgoing governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, is one of the prides of PDP, given his development initiatives in the state, even though taking off was easy, because of the kind of legacy left behind by his predecessor, and Minister of Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who was famous for uncommon transformation. Udom has spent the last eight years, etching his footprints in the sand of time, a legacy of achievements, which has stoked him into wanting to serve at a higher pedestal.

Strengths: He has shown capacity, experience, and maturity in tending to state matters. His ability to manage his predecessor and former benefactor as a major tendency is a plus that cannot be glossed over. Coming from the south is also an additional strength to his rating as a presidential hopeful.

Weaknesses: Managing a relatively small Akwa Ibom is

not a template that is applicable to managing Nigeria, because national politics differs significantly from regional ludo games. Besides, he is in a zone and party, where he can easily be muscled in terms of political advantage by the other big guns. He has to up his game, regardless.

Godwin Emefiele (South South)

Although the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, is from Delta, a South-south state; he is by providence, standing astride in both the South-south and the South East, thus, making his candidacy appealing to two critical zones that feel entitled to the presidency. The nation’s economy has no doubt, been challenged in different ways, a sector in which Emefiele plays a significant role as the CBN governor; that the nation has not been overwhelmed, however, speaks to his efforts at mitigating those challenges. It was not by accident that the nation snapped out of recession twice to the shock of experts. It was also not sheer happenstance that Covid-19 did not shut down the economy. Some people stood in and plugged it. Kudos to the roles played by Emefiele in these and many respects. No doubt, these also accounted for the growing clamour that he should join the race. While he has yet to declare, Emefiele’s supporters are damn certain he is the right man for the job.

Strengths: A technocrat, whose time may have come, leading Nigeria with experience, and with insecurity linked to economy, he is believed to have the understanding of Nigeria’s economy and issues challenging the country to be able to steer the affairs of state if gets the keys to the Villa. Another major factor going for him, is that he is trusted by the northern establishment who see him as someone they can work with.

Weaknesses: First, he has the political class to contend with given his background. Politicians may not be too comfortable with him. He is from a minority South-south, a state controlled by the opposition.

Emefiele lacks political base to command strong loyalty. Being a technocrat is also a weakness for him, as he is not seen by politicians as one of them, even if former President Olusegun Obasanjo was able to weather those storm in 1999

Ibikunle Amosun (APC, South West)

Former governor of Ogun State for eight years and senator representing Ogun central for a second term, Ibikunle Amosun, is one of the few contenders, who is very hands-on, firm and assertive.

Progressive with development ideas, Amosun changed the face of Ogun in eight years so much that it might take decades to surpass his records. A grassroots politicians with intimidating machine in the politics of his state, his 2019 experience has not displaced him from the current equation in his state as the number one politician. A very good friend of the president, Amosun boasts the kind of contacts that are hard to link to him, except for close allies. He’s got capacity, competence, experience, ideas and very futuristic.

Strengths: His ideas are always taking into account, the foreseeable future. He is quietly friends with both the north and the south. Unknown to many, he is also friends with so many foreign presidents and never will flaunt them. He is very comfortable and has the wherewithal to prosecute his election, particularly, by pulling his friends up onto the field.

Weaknesses: He is seen as very stubborn, although often times on principle. He has the penchant for disregarding processes and protocols if it would stand in the way of an idea he thought was meant to benefit the people. One of his

major support pillars is Buhari and if his 2019 experience was to be factored into consideration, he can as well cancel out Buhari from his support base.

Kayode Fayemi (APC, South West)

Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has always distinguished himself in many respects. As a quintessential Omoluabi of the Yoruba extraction, he has used his office to prove that there is nothing esoteric about leadership. And, as a politician, who has learnt from his ugly experience, his politics has also been so elevated that, whoever underrates Fayemi now, might be doing so at very costly expense. Think all the boxes: capacity, competence, experience, networking, international contacts, ideas, development, focus, and blending across generations – Fayemi ticks them all. What’s more? A ready-made presidential material.

Strengths: He has learnt national politics so well and upgraded his local politics even more. How he has managed the governors from other parties is a case study. He knows the issues and would put them on the global stage almost effortlessly.

Weaknesses: Coming from a rather small Ekiti, the kind of alignment required to build alliances could be frustrated by other states in the zone in an effort to undo him from clinching the ticket. He does not have the war-chest for the project, although could raise it through friends. Also, surviving the few months to the general election after leaving office is a major counter to his aspiration, as some of the things that currently count in his favour could be lost to being out of office.

Mohammed HayatuDeen (PDP, North East)

A former Managing Director of the now defunct FSB International Bank, Mr. Mohammed HayatuDeen, recently joined the presidential race for 2023, after declaring for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). An economist, banker and former Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Hayatu-Deen started his career working in principal investments and project finance at the Northern Nigeria Development Corporation, later rechristened New Nigeria Development Corporation (NNDC), which at the time was Nigeria’s largest industrial holding company with investments across a range of industries.He rose from there to the position of Group Chief Executive and was responsible for providing leadership, direction, and oversight to 140 subsidiary and associate companies under the group portfolio. His career therefrom blossomed significantly.

Strengths: With a sound background in economics, coupled with a successful career in the banking sector, his experience would certainly come handy in remedying some of the nation’s current economic challenges. He also boasts some maturity that could help on the job, aside coming from Borno, North East, thus enjoying both party and zone advantage.

Weaknesses: Given an exposure largely rooted in the private sector, it comes with its challenges.

Contending with political forces, who see such persons as coming to steal what’s theirs is almost certain.

His background has also limited his connection in a sense.

Nyesom Wike (PDP, South South)

The controversial Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has many limitations, especially with respect to his attitudinal disposition, but certainly not in terms of performance. It is almost a consensus Continued on page 11

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PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES NIGERIA’S PRESIDENTIAL OPTIONS: THE DIE IS CAST that he has worked hard to take Rivers to a different level in terms of infrastructure development. He also understands politics very well, even though his style is crude. He has equally managed to extend his hold beyond the Rivers hemisphere.

It is also not for jokes that many call him Mr. Projects.

Strengths: Being governor of an oil rich Rivers is in itself a lot of advantage. It was a Rivers governor in the person of Rotimi Amaechi, who made Buhari’s presidency possible in 2015. Wike has a lot of money and through his money, he has been able to buy loyalties and friends. This also accounts for why his reach transcends Rivers. He also has signature projects, which means he is not just presumed to be rascally; he is also development-focused.

Weaknesses: Wike, without a doubt, lacks the character befitting of the office of the president. In every of his engagements, he throws decorum to the wind and treats his colleagues as if they are subservient. Unmindful of his integrity (if any), Wike is too reckless about his carriage. While he could actually undo many things, because of his money, he hardly can find the requisite support for his aspiration amongst his peers.

Ogbonnaya Onu (APC, South East)

The Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, started his political career with an eye on a senate seat in the old Imo State on the platform of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). He also contested for the position of Governor of Abia State in 1991, as candidate of the National Republican Convention and won. He was sworn in as the first Executive Governor of the State in January 1992, and was the first chairman, Conference of Nigerian elected Governors.

In 1999, he was the presidential standard bearer of the All People’s Party (APP), but relinquished the position to Olu Falae after a merger of his party with the Alliance for Democracy (AD), who lost to Olusegun Obasanjo of the PDP. Ogbonnaya went on to become the

National Chairman of the APP in 2010. In 2013, his party successfully merged with the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and some members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to form the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Strengths: He has come a long way with a lot of experience, maturity, and networking. He is also from the South East, a zone that has been marginalised over time in the scheme of things. He a good ambassador of the Igbo.

Weaknesses: Many believe he is not hands-on and his ideas are not in tune with modern day realities.

He might be too laidback for the task ahead. His ideas are believed not to be sound.

Peter Obi (PDP, South East)

Former governor of Anambra State and businessman, Peter Obi, has such ideas about how a state should run and those ideas always resonate with the ordinary people.

A vice-presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2019 election, he has moved closer to the presidency than many from the his zone. Although he is wrestling with the zoning ideas like others, he has shown capacity, experience and huge understanding of the issues that are wrong with the nation state.

Strengths: He knows the issues and almost has the solutions offthe-top of his head. He has built friends both in the private and public sectors and is very rich too, even though he embraces a spartan lifestyle.

Weaknesses: With no home-zone support, it’s a tall order to ride roughshod over others to clinch the ticket, much less the presidency.

Some of his friends also think he is a pretender and often dismissed him as not bankable.

Rotimi Amaechi (APC, South South)

The Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, is often described as the “star boy” of the administration, given the revolution going on in the rail sector of the economy as well

as the maritime sector. A former governor of Rivers State, Amaechi has a record of performance and discharging every assignment well. It is no wonder that he is constantly stealing the show in this administration through his development initiatives. Although his efforts are being undermined lately by the activities of terrorists, none of those has stifled him from that which he thought would benefit a majority of the people.

Thus, exhibiting capacity, experience and competence, he has held the transport ministry for almost eight years and to the awe of his principal and the people in general. From being speaker for eight years, governor for eight years and now minister for almost eight years, there is no question about his experience in governance and development.

Strengths: He has capacity, competence and the exposure to do the job. He is also very hands-on and very much developmentfocused. He is a good politician, understands the issues, and can network easily. He has friends across all ages, sectors and affiliations and has money to do the election the same way he did Buhari’s. He is also nice, kind and compassionate.

Like Emefiele, his candidacy too stands on both the Southeast and the South-south.

Weaknesses: He is stubborn and can be abrasive sometimes.

He takes loyalty seriously and when there’s a tinge of alleged mistrust, he could go off, sometimes without double-checking. There is the home-zone disadvantage too, although he seems to be making up for that with his ministerial posting.

Timipre Sylva (APC, South South)

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, is another South-south presidential hopeful, but from Bayelsa State. A former governor, Sylva has relative executive experience to want to try the presidency of Nigeria. He also has a platform to build a network of friends, locally and internationally, using patronage effectively.

Strengths: He is minister of petroleum and may find it easy

to muster the war chest for his campaign. Experience too comes to play for him and capacity is arguable. Also, being from the South is an advantage.

Weaknesses: He is largely drawn away from his colleagues and his network of friends can actually be thrown up for a debate.

The petroleum ministry has not been doing well lately and the fact that they are still approbating and reprobating over subsidy removal questions his capacity by extension, even though he is not the principal minister. He too has the home-zone disadvantage.

Yahaya Bello (APC, North Central)

The Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, is another controversial governor, albeit in the ruling party.

Almost eight years in office, Bello is grappling with some of the mundane issues of governance.

Failing to apply discretion in some of his choices appears to be the hallmark of his leadership. Not many would forget in a hurry how he almost made a mess of the fight against Covid-19, at a time the world came together to battle the scourge. With unpaid salaries and pensions in the region of billions, which have not been given sufficient attention like his ambition, it’s not difficult to ponder a good mental picture of what his presidency might look like.

Strengths: He is young, energetic and has the capacity to throw money around at the expense of real governance issues.

Weaknesses: Coming from the north attracts a resounding no in APC, after Buhari, another northerner’s eight years. He delights to relish in issues that are lacking in substance. Governance has suffered under his watch and his colleagues just let him spawl further in his folly by strategically avoiding him. Save for those interested in his money, mustering a decent crowd for his ambition is almost impossible.

Yemi Osinbajo (APC, South West) He is the current vice president of the country and a man that a

lot of people, would have gladly agreed should step in after Buhari, since he would have worked with him for eight years. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has come of age in politics in just eight years. Indeed, he’s practically graduated from the school of strategic politics. He now knows the game as much as its older actors. Barring any last minute changes, he is billed to declare his interest in the presidency any moment from now. One of his foot soldiers, Kayode Ajulo, hinted at this yesterday, when he shared a post, which read: “On your marks, oh my comrades, what we await and strive for is here.

Oh, my comrades, hear the sound; so loud over landscape. Reprieve now appearing; victory is nigh. #PYOIsComing. #FileFunYemi. #RamadanKareem. #PYO23 #ProgressiveLawyers4PYO.” From the many assignments he has been detailed, he has done well.

So far, he has conducted himself so well, and even though he has not said a word, he has communicated his intention to run a long time ago. He has confidence, capacity, exposure and competence.

Above all, he carries himself so presidentially and with cerebral demeanor, that he unsettles his traducers.

Strengths: He is from the Southwest and as the current vice-president, he has leveraged a very good use of his office to the disadvantage of other aspirants. He has built a network of friends, contacts and connection across the world. He has shown to understand the issues and always propounds the solutions at any given opportunity.

Weaknesses: First, running against Asiwaju is waiting to count majorly against him in the politics of the zone, even though such sentiment belies logic. But the narrative of a betrayal has been established successfully. Two, most of the friends and contacts he has built are ‘office friends’ and might fizzle out once they perceive that things might not go his way.

Osinbajo may have to answer to questions about alleged bigotry as many people have continued to accuse him of giving preference to members of his church, the RCCG,

at every turn and populating his office with them. Some politicians accuse him of not being honest and habitually double-faced.

Goodluck Jonathan (PDP, South-South)

Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is a former president, who lost his bid for re-election and handed over to the incumbent in 2015. His political career began in 1998, when he was chosen by the late Diepreye Alaimeyeseigha as his running mate. The Alaimeyeseigha/ Jonathan ticket won the election and he became the first civilian deputy governor of Bayelsa State on May 29, 1999. In 2005, he was sworn in as governor after his then boss ran into trouble with the law. In 2007, he won the PDP gubernatorial primary in Bayelsa State and was in the midst of his campaign, when he was nominated as vice presidential candidate to the late Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua and as fate would have it, he became president after Yar’Adua’s demise, following prolonged ill-health. In 2011, he was elected president.

Goodluck Jonathan became President on the PDP platform in his first term. The question on the lips of many now is should he decide to run this time, under which platform will he be running?

Will it be under the PDP that gave him his first taste of power or will he switch party to the APC as is being speculated? This remains unclear, although he is currently a member of PDP. Strengths: He is trusted by the present administration, because of the way he handed over power.

He is a democrat and adherent of the rule of law. As president, he promoted pro-people policies, especially, programmes such as the Almajiri schools he built in the North. He is also respected among the African leaders, because of efforts he has made to restore peace on the continent since he left office.

Weaknesses: He is perceived to be a weak leader, who was controlled by women, when he was in power, leading to his electoral loss in 2015. However, it is not clear if

PDP Will Chase APC Out of Presidency in 2023, Says Okowa Saraki, Tambuwal, Mohammed, Hayatu-Deen, visit Delta governor

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

Delta Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, yesterday said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was working hard to rescue the country from the hardship being meted on Nigerians by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government.

Okowa stated this at a rally at Ughelli Township Stadium where a former member of the PDP, Chief Jaro Egbo and his group were received back to the party from the APC. The governor lauded youths in the state for ensuring that peace reigned across the land, saying that women and youths were so important in the politics of the state.

He also commended governorship and other aspirants for elective positions on the party's platform for their sense of responsibility in their consultations, adding that the PDP remained one big family.

"Let me thank our brother Olorogun Jaro Egbo and his 'High Voltage' movement for deeming it fit to return home.

"PDP is well able to take over presidency but we have to be very strong and courageous "Nigerians have suffered enough and they are tired; so, we must give them hope that there will be light at the end of the tunnel," a statement quoted him to have said.

Okowa charged party faithful to go forth and convince more people to join the PDP in its quest to rescue the Nigeria from maladministration.

"We have always won in Ughelli North but they usually write results in one ward and we will not allow

anybody to write results again.

“Every man with his vote must count and and I am convinced beyond reasonable doubt that in 2023, we will win in all parts of Delta Central," he stated.

The Chairman of PDP in the state, Chief Kingsley Esiso, thanked the returnees for coming back home to join the party to rescue Nigeria from the grip of the APC. He appreciated aspirants and their followers in the party for conducting themselves creditably and urged them to continue in that stead.

"Nigerians are tired of what is happening today in the country as the APC government has turned the country into poverty capital and a state of terror.

"We must chase APC out of Nigeria, we intend to chase them out of Ask Rock and Delta State will lead the charge," Esiso stated.

Chairman , PDP Ughelli North, Kesiena Nomuoja said the Okowa administration has done a lot to develop the local government assuming that PDP will triumph across board in the 2023 general election.

Leader of the decampees, Chief Jaro Egbo thanked Governor Okowa and the leadership of the party in the state for welcoming them back.

"In 2015, the APC made a lot of promises to Nigerians which they didn't fulfill instead they plunged Nigerians into further economic and security crisis.

"Now that we are back home, the PDP will start the winning for 2023 here in Ughelli North," he stated.

Saraki, Tambuwal, Mohammed, Hayatu-Deen Visit Okowa Meanwhile, former President of

the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, yesterday reiterated the determination of the presidential aspirants from northern Nigeria, under the PDP to produce a consensus candidate.

Saraki, who made the assertion in Asaba, yesterday, stressed that such a consensus arrangement would engender the much desired unity in the country in 2023.

The ex-senate president and also former governor of Kwara State, was in the Delta State capital at the head of delegation that included three other PDP presidential hopefuls - Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State as well as former Managing Director of FSB International Bank Plc, Alhaji Mohammad Hayatu-Deen, to consult with Okowa.

The delegation had earlier had a private meeting with Okowa,

ostensibly to fine-tune their position around a consensus PDP candidacy in 2023.

The 37-man PDP zoning committee chaired by the governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom is expected to present its report today.

Nonetheless, Saraki stressed that Nigeria was in dire need of competent hands in central leadership to arrest the current drift of the country into the miry waters of poverty, insecurity and anarchy.

According to him, Nigeria was the largest economy in Africa under the PDP, but the country was now the poverty and kidnapping capital of the world under the All Progressives Congress (APC) Federal Government.

Saraki said, "We are here, the four of us, to discuss with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on how to build consensus for our party ahead of

the presidential election. We had a very useful discussion with the governor. We have decided to come as four of us who are aspiring to be president on the PDP platform."

Turning to Okowa, who he noted always put the interest of Nigeria before self, Saraki said, "Your Excellency, you know your reputation for the PDP and the country is always first in your mind and ever since, when there is assignment that has to do with ensuring unity of the party you have always been called upon. That's why we are here to meet with you and share with you what we have been trying to do.

"The four of us have been meeting and we came up with this idea that in the interest of the party, that we should come together and look at a consensus arrangement.

"This is important because we believe that the country needs unity.

We are all eminently qualified to lead this country but we believe that only one person will lead and that person needs everybody to make Nigeria better and to fix this country.

"This also goes to show that this consensus arrangement is not just about the issue of the North but about Nigeria and to carry you along on what we intend to do.

"We have shared our thoughts with you and you have also shared your ideas with us on what we need to do and we can assure you that we are committed to this consensus process.

"This consensus is needed so that at the end of the day, PDP will be united to provide leadership for this country because the way the country is today, we need to fix it, we need to tackle the issue of insecurity and unemployment."

2023: Oshiomhole Declares for Senate Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Adams Oshiomhole has declared to contest election into the Senate to represent Edo North senatorial district.

Oshiomhole, who is also the immediate past governor, made his declaration yesterday, when he marked his 70th birthday at his Iyamho residence in Etsako West local government area with several leaders of the APC in attendance.

Oshiomhole said he chose to

celebrate his birthday with his people because he was conscious of his origin as a nobody given birth under a tree by his mother, but destined by God to be what he is today.

He said “It is true that for quite sometimes, many of our people have asked me why don’t you contest for the Senate and I said first APC has crisis, let us fix the crisis, let there be convention because you cannot begin to discuss what kind of baby you are going to have when you are not married.

"I said until APC is fixed you

cannot talk of contesting election using the platform, have been chairman of the party, I know the danger we face if we are not able to fix the party and this was completed and consummated on the 25th of March and we have now elected a brand new National Working Committee and a brand new National Executive Council under the able leadership of a former governor, a former minister and a current senator, Adamu Abdulahi.

“We have done what we need to do and I am inspired by the composition of the new leadership

for us to do what we need to do to retain power in 2023, I am therefore convinced that this is the time to proceed to the next step of the conversation which is about who lead the great people of Edo North in the senate by 2023.

"After all consultations, because you must be convinced that you can do it and improve on it. These times that people have been asking me, I have also been examining myself because I do not want to go to the senate and sit down, listen to motions and collect salary at the end of the month.”

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Elon Musk Buys 9.2% Stake in Twitter, Making Him the Largest Shareholder Elon Musk recently purchased 9.2% of Twitter stock, according to a filing Monday, making him the largest shareholder in the company.

News of the purchase sent shares of Twitter (TWTR) soaring 22% in early trading. Musk did not disclose what he paid for the shares, but his stake was worth $2.9 billion as of the close of trading Friday, and $3.5 billion after the spike early Monday.

Musk's filing did not disclose the purpose of the purchase or any plans for the company. But he has been a high-profile critic of Twitter policies in the past. Last month he said he was giving "serious thought" to creating a new social media platform.

"Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy," Musk tweeted last month. "What should be done?"

Any time an investor buys 5% or more of a company's shares, they must disclose the purchase in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although a stake of less than 10% in a company is considered "passive" in the eyes of Wall Street, it could signal an effort by Musk to take a more active role in how Twitter is run. That is one of the factors prompting other investors to buy shares and drive up the price early Monday.

"I think he intends to go active and force change at Twitter," said Dan Ives, tech analyst as Wedbush Securities. "This is a shot across the bow at Twitter's

board and management team to start discussions."

Even if Musk doesn't try to change the way Twitter operates, his large purchase could prompt some other activist investors to take a stake in the company, Ives said.

"One way or another, he's going to change the course of Twitter," Ives said.

Ives said it's probably not realistic for Musk or anyone else to try to start building a new, competing platform from scratch. Thus it makes more sense for him to try to change practices at Twitter itself.

Twitter did not have an immediate response to a request for comment on Musk's investment.

Musk among most popular tweeters

Musk has 80 million Twitter followers, far more than any other CEO. And he is a frequent tweeter, using it as the major form of disseminating news about both Tesla (TSLA) and SpaceX, the two companies he leads, neither of which has the traditional public relations department in place at other companies.

His tweets have gotten him in trouble at times, though.

In 2018 Musk tweeted that he would be taking Tesla private at a price of $420 a share, and that he had "funding secured" to do just that. It later became clear that while he did have discussions about funding such a bid, the funding was by no means secured.

Musk settled the case by giving up his role as Tesla's chairman,

although he remains its CEO. He and Tesla each paid a $20 million fine as well, with Musk compensating the company for its payment by purchasing an additional $20 million in Tesla stock.

He also agreed to have any of his future tweets that might contain material information about the company reviewed by other executives at Tesla before sending them. The SEC has questioned whether or not he is complying with that provision of the agreement, and Musk and the agency are fighting about that matter in court.

Twitter's recent turmoil

Twitter founder Jack Dorsey stepped down as CEO last November in a sudden move without the kind of advance notice that typically is given with this type of leadership change. He was succeeded by Parag Agrawal, who had been chief technology officer.

Musk had expressed support for Dorsey in the past when he was facing criticism from some shareholders. And when Agrawal was first named Twitter CEO, someone else tweeted the fact that Google, Microsoft, Adobe, IBM, Palo Alto Networks and Twitter are all run by executives who grew up in India, Musk replied with his own tweet: "USA benefits greatly from Indian talent!"

But just days later, he tweeted a meme that equated Agrawal to former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and depicted Dorsey as a former Stalin confident the dictator later

had assassinated.

"Musk has already indicated that he did not agree with the appointment of Agrawal and that he desires some changes," Morningstar analyst Ali Mogharabi said in a note to clients. "This creates a bit more uncertainty about how Agrawal and the firm may respond to the firm's now largest shareholder."

Unlike Musk, who owns more than 20% of Tesla, Dorsey's stake in Twitter is relatively modest, with only 2.3% of the company's shares.

Musk doesn't necessarily need to become CEO of Twitter to be able to persuade the company to change its practices, Ives said. And it's not completely clear what changes he would like to see.

He recently ran a Twitter poll asking his followers whether they believe Twitter rigorously adheres to the principle of free speech — 70% said no — and another poll asking whether its algorithms should be open source — 83% responded yes.

Both polls attracted more than 1 million responses.

But the kind of changes that Musk might be advocating for at Twitter could be far different from those a traditional activist investor might seek, which typically concern increasing a company's stock price.

Activists have targeted Twitter in the past

Twitter has faced activist investors before. Hedge fund Elliott Management in 2020 pushed for

ASUU Vows to Continue Strike Until FG Provides Funds Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has vowed to continue its strike until the Federal Government provides adequate funding for tertiary education.

The union asked Nigerians to hold the government accountable for the industrial action, demonstrating a nonchalant attitude to meeting ASUU's demands.

ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, in his goodwill message at the maiden Nigerian Medical Association Annual Lecture, alleged that the chief of staff to the president, the finance

and education minister flouted President Muhammadu Buhari's directive to engage the union to end the crisis.

"We will not give up. They will either give in to us or Nigerians will rise up against them," he said.

The ASUU president added, "We have been on strike for about eight weeks to nine weeks now.

The president of this country, President Muhammadu Buhari, had directed about five weeks ago, when the Sultan of Sokoto visited him, that the Minister of Education, Minister of Finance, the Minister of Labour and the Chief of Staff to the President should

meet with us in his office, that has not been done."

Osodeke revealed that only the executive secretary of the National Universities Commission and labour minister Chris Ngige had met with ASUU. "The government is the one keeping Nigerian students at home, and Nigerians must rise to challenge this government for what they are doing. They cannot fight insecurity if they are keeping the student at home," he stated.

He added that ASUU had also met with Senate President Ahmad Lawan and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi

Gbajabiamila, "about three times."

"We have met with the Sultan of Sokoto. We have met with Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the governor of Ekiti State. What else do you want us to do? What else do Nigerians want us to do?" stated the ASUU president.

Speaking on the payment of tuition fees, he noted, "Nigerians, you have been talking about people paying school fees; that tuition fees should be introduced. If we can all go to our local governments and ask the people in our local governments whether they can pay tuition, and they accept, we will go with it."

changes at the platform, including possibly forcing out Dorsey or insisting he give up a separate CEO position he had at payments technology company Square (SQ).

Dorsey survived that challenge but ultimately decided to leave Twitter more than a year later.

Twitter has become a target for critics on both sides of the political divide. Some believe the platform did not do enough to combat misinformation about Covid-19 and alleged election fraud. Others believe it was wrong to censor some points of view, including banning former President Donald Trump.

Twitter's $31.5 billion market value is a fraction of what companies such as Tesla or rival social media giant Meta, the owner

of Facebook and Instagram, are worth. And Twitter's stock has lost more than half of its value since February 2021, when the company reported that its efforts to tackle misleading content around the US elections cost the platform some users.

Still it would probably be too expensive for Musk to buy Twitter on his own, said Ives, especially since most of his wealth is tied up in his holdings of Tesla and SpaceX shares. Musk is the world's richest person, with an estimated net worth of $288 billion, according to Forbes.

"He'd have to partner up with private equity," Ives said. "It's not like he could do it himself."

Culled from CNN

Group to Buhari: Withhold Approval on Appointment of New Permanent Secretaries Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Northern Emancipation Network (NEN) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to withhold approval on the appointment of new Permanent Secretaries over what it described as non-compliance with the federal character principles in federal civil services.

It therefore called on the president to order the recall and comprehensive review of the entire exercise by an independent panel to ensure fairness for all.

The Convener of the group, Suleiman Abbah stated this while addressing a media briefing in Abuja, yesterday.

The group recalled that the process was initiated by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation via a Circular No HCSF/CMO/154/VOL1/5, dated November 24, 2021, and signed by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan.

It said the letter was meant to kick-start a chain of process for the appointment of Permanent Secretaries to fill existing vacancies, adding that the specified states where the vacancies existed were: Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Cross River, Jigawa, Sokoto and Taraba States.

The group stressed that key among the specified requirements as stated in the circular was that

interested persons must come from the states listed above and must be the rank of substantive Directors on salary grade level 17 as at 1st January, 2020.

It further explained that the notice explicitly stated that the process would involve the three stages including: Written examination, ICT Proficiency Test and Interactive session with a panel of experts and practitioners.

The group observed that consequent upon the said circular, about 74 candidates including applicants for the post of Solicitor General of the Federation presented themselves and sat for the written examination conducted on February 21, 2022.

It noted: "A certified document from the office of the Head of Service showed the score grades for all the 74 candidates with the highest point at 74.00 scored by the officer with civil service No. FCS/PSE/02/2022/020.

According to the result sheet, 37 of the 74 officers could not make it, while 37 officers that were successful were subsequently invited to the next level of the process being the ICT Proficiency Test on February 22, 2022.

The group stressed that at the end of the ICT Proficiency Test, 11 people were listed as having qualified for the final stage and were invited to an oral interview/ interactive Session which was held on February 28, 2022.

JNI: ANY GOVT INCAPABLE OF PROTECTING CITIZENS LACKS MORAL JUSTIFICATION TO BE IN POWER by terrorists in the country. It bemoaned the recent attack on an Abuja-Kaduna passenger train in which eight people were confirmed killed while many others were either abducted or injured.

The statement signed by the Secretary General of JNI, Dr. Khalid Aliyu, declared, “Any government that is incapable of protecting the lives of its citizens has lost the moral justification of being there in the first place; this is enunciated in Section 33(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

It stressed regarding to train attack, “The well-orchestrated incident remains highly condemnable, reprehensible and upsetting to every rational mind.”

JNI stated that the frequent attacks and killings, which occurred almost on a daily basis, were becoming normal occurrences among Nigerians, noting that humanity is gradually being eroded and criminality accepted as the new normal.

The group said, “It appears that the continuous callous acts of mayhem, killings and arson happening almost on daily or weekly bases around us; either within communities and/or on the roads we ply, has automatically reset our human psyche that we now have accepted such dastardly acts

as part of our lives, to the extent that we no longer feel it.

“The humanity in us is slowly being eroded thereby making us adapt to the new normal within which we unfortunately found ourselves.”

JNI maintained, “In Islam and by all global standards, the essence of government and governance is solely to protect the five principal cardinal rights of the human race, the most important of which is LIFE!” Aliyu said JNI had carefully studied and followed the train blast, especially, the attack on another train, reported to have occurred on the Lagos-Kano bound train, near Jaji, Kaduna state, on March 31, which led to the death of the locomotive operator.

“Therefore, this press release is premised on the fact that Nigeria is more or less heading to an unknown destination of multiple cum well-coordinated serial chaos attributable to lack of coordination and synergy from security personnel, if the news making the round is to be believed,” he said.

JNI said in Islam, human life was sacrosanct, “That is why Allah (SWT) declared in the Glorious Quran that if a single soul is killed without just cause, then it is as if the entire humanity is wiped off the face of the earth.

“We claim to be people of faith and all these occurrences are allowed without any form of prompt intervention. Why? “Well, it should be known that an attack on one soul; is an attack on all, and this is how the human race should be preserved and protected, but if allowed to continue we fear the consequence(s) of the innocent souls that were killed, without any fault of theirs.”

The statement regretted that, “Terrorists are now becoming bolder and more belligerent by the day.

They operate in any area of their choice(s) at any time they so wish.

“They even operate for up to eight hours non-stop (as it was reported to have happened in Niger state last Monday), without any fear of being confronted or apprehended.”

It lamented that, “Most communities are now under the bandits’ absolute control with taxes being paid to bandits–some parts of Borno, Katsina, Zamfara, Niger, Sokoto states and some others yet to be disclosed to the public.

“In fact, terrorists do what they wish knowing that there is no gun power or authority that will defy them.”

The Islamic body wondered why the security situation had continued to deteriorate, despite

the allocation of huge resources to the security agencies.

JNI stated, “With all the reported resources allocated to relevant security agencies; intelligent gathering mechanism, military arsenal and tact, can’t the government provide any convincing justification on why the security situation in the country continue to deteriorate?

“Why are attacks experienced all over the place and continuing unabated without any deterrence?

“Moreover, why must security budget and expenditure remain so secretive, despite the reported release of funds?

“The mind boggling train attack of Monday 28th March, 2022, the kidnap and sporadic shootings that ensued thereafter the train en-route Kaduna needs to be seriously investigated and punitive measures taken.”

The group, however, commended the security personnel who exhibited capacity, resilience, determination and dexterity during rescue operations on the attacked Abuja-Kaduna train.

JNI noted that most Nigerians were of the belief that the government knew the enclaves and hideouts of the criminals, especially considering the fact that only the government had monopoly of legal force, and, by extension,

the machinery for intelligence gathering.

The statement queried, “Again, why can’t the government proactively take the battle to the criminals’ hideouts and wipe them off?

“Why should the government wait until people are attacked, lives and properties lost for them to strike and be issuing empty orders and usual condemnation? The whys are endless?” it then stated, “Our pleas: it is high time the security outfits are directed to ransack the enclaves of all criminal elements and deal with them decisively.

“Informants should not be spared, as they are more dangerous than the killers. They should be made to face the right punishment befitting their crime.

“The intelligence community should beef-up their efforts in trying to dig to the root of this phenomena.”

It noted that most acts of terrorism and banditry were carried out under the influence of hard drugs and called on the authorities to wage war on the use of illicit drugs.

The statement added, “As part of effort to tackle insecurity in Nigeria, the war on drug should be placed on the front burner as it is the elixir that spurs criminals to action.

“Suppliers, vendors and traffick-

ers of hard drug and intoxicants must be dealt with decisively.

“The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA) and other security agencies should as a matter of national security note and penetrate into villages, higher institution campuses, motor parks and recreational or viewing centres, because they are now dwellings where hard drugs/substances are being peddled brazenly.

“Likewise, parents, religious and community leaders have a role to play in the fight against illicit drugs/substance pervading most households within our neighbourhoods.

“This should be considered a fight for all and not only for the government.”

The JNI appealed to those vested with the responsibility of protecting lives to do their job with the fear of God. It warned against the politicisation of security, stating, “If the terrorists have the effrontery to attack at any time without fear, why should the government shy away from pursuing and destroying them?

“We nevertheless reiterate our several calls to government that there is strong nexus between the Boko Haram insurgency and the on-going banditry in some parts of country.”

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POLITICS

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

Adamu’s Emergence as APC National Chairman Throws Nasarawa into Another Round of Bitter Feud Igbawase Ukumba reports that the emergence of Senator Abdulallahi Adamu as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress through consensus arrangement has thrown Nasarawa State into a bout of fight that is gradually degenerating and getting messier

Sule

S

uffice to maintain that Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura had declared his intention to contest the National Championship position of the All Progressives Congress (APC) quite early enough and had been all over the place selling his candidature across the length and breadth of the country in order to convince the delegates to the national convention of the party.

Notwithstanding the critical stakeholders of the APC in Nasarawa State had on January 25, 2022 unanimously adopted Senator Al-Makura as their sole candidate of the party in the race to occupy the office of the national chairman of the party. But Abdullahi Adamu was conspicuously absent at the endorsement of Al-Makura by the critical stakeholders of the APC in the state.

Instead, when Senator Adamu was made to chair the reconciliatory committee of the APC to settle lingering crises among party members in various states of the federation, many people did not get the hint that he had his eyes fixed in that seat. He did not make his interest known. As it has been stated in some quarters, Adamu used the contacts he was making for the reconciliation to canvass support for his ambition to be the national chairman of the party.

Nevertheless, the governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, had repeatedly stated, during the build up to the APC national convention, that Al-Makura remained the candidate the state was putting forward and campaigning for.

As soon as Adamu made public his ambition, tongues had wagged in, especially in Nasarawa State, thereby re-igniting the feud between the two political gladiators in the state. Whereas the Al-Makura camp is striving to teach Abdullahi Adamu the political lesson of his life, Abdullahi Adamu, on the other side, has proven that he is the master of the game. Consequently, supporters of the two political gladiators have been spoiling for war as they are issuing threats to each other.

Matching words with actions, some youths belonging to the APC had, prior to the APC national convention, booed Abdullahi Adamu in public when the lawmaker was invited to speak as chairman of an occasion marking the 20th anniversary of the Emir of Azara, in Awe Local Government Area of the state. The incident occurred shortly after Adamu was invited to address the gathering comprising top dignitaries that included the Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Sule, as well as the Sultan of Sokoto, HRH Abubakar Sa’ad III. As soon as Senator Adamu was invited to the podium to speak, the youths, in their numbers, dared the security men on ground to boo the octogenarian. They chanted their disagreement with Senator Adamu’s alleged interest to contest the position of the national chairman of the APC, even after stakeholders of the party in the state adopted Senator Al-Makura to fly the

Adamu

party’s flag for the state.

“You will be put to shame. It’s Al-Makura that we want as national chairman!,” the youths shouted as they booed Senator Adamu.

Also in attendance at the event was the Minister at the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who was conferred with the title of the Dan Amanan Azara by the Emir of Azara, Dr Kabiru Musa Ibrahim.

The youths, however, said that they hoped it will not get to a showdown and that common sense will prevail on Senator Adamu to make him jettison his quest to become national chairman of the APC. They expressed dissentience in Adamu’s failure to make his intention to contest the position of the national chairman known, but was reaching out to prominent politicians across parts of the country seeking to be imposed as national chairman of the party.

The angry youths posited that Adamu’s quest for the national chairmanship position came after critical stakeholders of the APC, including His Excellency, Abdullahi Sule, publicly adopted Senator Al-Makura as the candidate of the party. Whereas Senator Adamu was seeking to go against the collective decision of the party in the state. They, however, warned that if Senator Adamu was eventually imposed as the national chairman of the APC, the youths will be left with no option than to leave the party in droves.

In a counter reaction, a group in Nasarawa State; Council of All Progressives Congress Stakeholders (CAPCS), said it was planning a mass protest in the state if Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura did not withdraw himself from the APC chairmanship contest. CAPCS, however, lamented that Al-Makura’s plans to go ahead and participate in the contest was in disobedience to President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision on Senator Abdulallahi Adamu as the consensus candidate for APC national chairman.

Chairman of the CAPCS in the state, Dr. Kassim Muh’d Kassim, disclosed the planned protest of the group against AlMakura to journalists in Lafia, on behalf of the group. The group, therefore, thanked President Buhari and other party leaders across the country for choosing a prominent son and political father of the State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, to lead the party as its national chairman.

The group said: “We urge Senator Al-Makura to support his elder brother and desist from challenging the President Buhari’s decision or else face mass protest

Al-Makura

against his decision to go ahead with the contest against Adamu. The activities of Senator Al-Makura are bringing shame and disgrace to the obedient character which Nasarawa State is well known with.

You cannot be a winner at all times. It must not be you always. When it is you, everything is right. But when it is not you, it is wrong and undemocratic, that is not democracy. It must not be you all times,” the group insisted.

The stakeholders, who commended President Buhari for recognising the North-central zone, and Nasarawa State in particular, described Senator Adamu’s emergence as the product of God’s grace.

They assured the president and other APC stakeholders across the country that Adamu will administer the party with all sense of maturity and will give all party members equal opportunities to participate in the activities of the party.

CAPCS continued that Senator Adamu, being an experienced politician who has been in the trenches since the 80s, will use his wealth of experience to sustain the unity in the party. Hence in Nasarawa State, there is humility with the support and solidarity of President Mohammadu Buhari and gratitude to God for finding the father of the state and an elder statesman worthy to lead the party at this crucial time.

The stakeholders maintained that today, they are standing on a threshold of history as North Central and indeed Nasarawa State has been chosen to lead a ruling party into another transition period. They thanked God who found them worthy through President Buhari, as acccording to them, “the job ahead is crucial.”

The stakeholders concluded that APC at this crucial time needed a matured and experience national chairman that can be advised, will listen to views of party members and who will respect such views; which Senator Adamu can provide that service.

Alas! The feud between supporters of the two elder statesmen in the state deepened recently shortly after the just concluded national convention of the party where Senator Adamu was elected national chairman of the APC through consensus arrangement. However, Senators Adamu and Al-Makura, both from Nasarawa State, had contested keenly to occupy the national championship position of the APC in the just concluded national convention of the party.

However, the outcome of the APC national convention left behind unsavory outbursts, bickerings, bitter exchanges and uses of foul and unprintable language LL

between supporters of both Adamu and Sule in Nasarawa State. In a swift move to nip the ugly development in the bud, Governor Abdullahi Sule had to intervene in the deepening feud between supporters of the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdulallahi Adamu and Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura from degenerating.

In a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor, Ibrahim Addra, said Governor Sule has intervened to prevent the feud from degenerating. The statement, therefore, added that the governor observed with concern the recent unsavory outbursts, bickerings, bitter exchanges and use of foul and unprintable languages between supporters of the prominent sons and political gladiators in the state following the outcome of the just concluded APC national convention.

“This development is not only detestable but signifies retrogressive politicking; the kind that divides and retards progress. The outpour of emotions at such moments is understandable but must be tamed in order to ensure harmony, peaceful coexistence and growth of our party, the APC and the state in particular,” Sule cautioned in the statement.

He, therefore, noted in the statement that praiseworthy and instructive was that as politicians and devout Muslims, their Excellencies Abdullahi Adamu and Umaru Tanko Al-Makura had since accepted the outcome of the election as the will of Allah.

“It is on record that Senator Al-Makura has gone to the residence of Senator Adamu to congratulate him on his victory, promising to support him to achieve victory for the party in the forthcoming general election. In view of the foregoing therefore, I wish to appeal for calm, especially if we profess true love and support for these two elder statesmen; by emulating them by way of making peace, instead of bitter rivalry which is an ill wind that blows no one any good,” the statement quoted the governor.

Acccording to the statement, the governor advised that all must not forget that both senators Adamu and Al-Makura are illustrious sons of the state and highly respected statesmen who preach and practice peaceful coexistence. Adding that the governor has urged citizens of the state to do everything within their powers to remain peaceful and avoid actions that would portray Nasarawa State to the rest of the country as being unable to manage its victory.

Sule concluded in the statement that in spite of the outcome, all well meaning citizens share the believe that it was better that the national chairmanship position still came to Nasarawa State; hence citizens of the state should, therefore, be seen to be grateful to Allah for that and other blessings to their dear state. The governor, therefore, called for sober reflection and restraints as the victory is for all.

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T H I S D AY TUESDAY APRIL55,April, 20222022 Monday Vol 27. No 9856 TR

See page 20 KHALID AND THE BLADES OF SILENCE KENE OBIEZU contends that the suspension of Nurudeen Khalid is wrong

See page 20 GOVERNOR AND HIS DEPUTY ARE PARTY SEEDLINGS VICTOR C. ARIOLE contends that laws are interpreted to suit the rich See page 21 A HALL AND A YEARNING Inoyo, retired executive vice chairman of Exxon Mobil, urges his people to re-examine their values, writes UDEME NANA See page 21

EDITORIAL THE SHOW OF SHAME AT ILE-IFE See page 22

& RE A S O

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opinion@thisdaylive.com

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THE IMPERATIVE FOR CEDING THE PRESIDENTIAL SEAT TO THE SOUTHEAST It is the turn of the Igbo to produce the next president of Nigeria, argues CHIEDU U. OKOYE

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LOUIS ODION pays tribute to Adams Oshiomhole, former Edo State Governor, at age 70

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COMRADE ADAMS “Yes, next?” “Sir, the next person on the list,” continued the Senior Special Assistant on Protocols in Edo Government House testily “is the widow you met sometime ago while on project inspection and you said we should include her name among those to be paid monthly from the money you gave us to maintain the house in Iyahmo.”

The circumstances of others on the rather long domestic “payroll” unfurled that fateful day in ZHUH RQO\ D VKDGH GLͿHUHQW 7KHUH ZDV DQ orphan. A terminally ill patient. A retrenched worker. An old neighbour who had fallen on hard times...

After an hour of a “forensic audit”, it turned out that Comrade Adams Oshiomhole could no longer proceed with an earlier resolve to drastically cut down the “humongous cost” of maintaining his country-home lamented to have become “unsustainable” for his personal pocket.

7KH DLGH LQ TXHVWLRQ KDG VSHFLÀFDOO\ EHHQ VXPPRQHG WR WKH *RYHUQRU 2΀FH WR DFFRXQW for the “allocation” received the previous month.

Then, item by item, the fellow meticulously detailed how the fund went into paying domestic workers, providing “free food” daily for people the Comrade Governor knew as well as “welfare money” for a number of others as a standing order.

So ended the “inquiry”. In another moment, the SSA got the “allocation” for the new month.

There are countless such moving anecdotes those close enough to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole for the eight years he was the “people’s governor” of Edo State, will easily recall today. Taken together, such stories undoubtedly speak to a heart full of uncommon compassion for others, acutely unable to resist the pressure to give and give.

To be sure, I write with the ringside insight of Edo Commissioner for Information for four years FXWWLQJ WKURXJK 2VKLRPKROH·V WZR WHUPV RI R΀FH And as one whose serial open disagreements with him over the years were triggered by what FRXOG IRU ZDQW RI EHWWHU H[SUHVVLRQ EH FODVVLÀHG as critical solidarity.

The Oshiomhole most Nigerians know is the “Adamant Adam”, “Oshio Thunder”, “Oshio Quake”, un-afraid to take tough decisions. But as the great clinical psychoanalyst, Carl Jung, acutely diagnosed, there is often a contradictory veneer behind a man’s outlook. The other Oshiomhole most folks don’t know is actually a softie at heart, incapable of keeping malice for long, unashamed WR EH WKH ÀUVW WR RͿHU WKH ROLYH EUDQFK WR WKH “enemy”, sometimes avoiding folks when he is EURNH RQO\ RXW RI VKDPH RI EHLQJ XQDEOH WR RͿHU “parting gifts”.

Despite his relentless “persecution” by “Mr Fix It” (now late Chief Tony Anenih) back then, for instance, Comrade once directed his ADC to invite me to join his entourage to felicitate with the PDP strongman during the latter’s 80th birthday.

Barely concealing my outrage, I snapped back at the ADC, telling him to inform the governor I won’t be part of the team. Almost immediately, Comrade himself was on the line, seeking to know my reason. I defended that having earlier issued a personal statement and granted newspaper interviews expressing a strong view that the PDP strongman be quizzed over an assassination attempt on me in Benin on April 29, 2012 after being openly threatened at the Oba’s palace on February 17, it would amount to mixed message if

I was seen cavorting at his birthday shindig.

Comrade respected my sensibilities. But I also appreciated that he was Governor for all Edo SHRSOH 5HJDUGOHVV RI SROLWLFDO GLͿHUHQFHV DQG as someone who rarely keeps malice, he simply could not see himself missing on Chief Anenih’s big day. That is Comrade for you.

After all his trademark thunderous orations in the public square back then, there are few folks I know who, beyond public earshot or behind FORVHG GRRU FRXOG ODWHU EODVW KLP RU ÀJXUDWLYHO\ speaking pull him by ears if they felt he had crossed the line. That select circle includes the likes of Kayode Komolafe, Issa Aremu, Oseni Elamah and Mike Itemuagbor.

Indeed, as the great comrade now joins the septuagenarian club, the temptation is to be drawn into only appraising his politics in recent history. That, of course, will be a potentially explosive excursion, depending on our individual ideological bias or moral compass. We are, therefore, not bound to agree on many of his controversial choices which his defenders might explain as compelled more by expediency and “pragmatism” in Nigeria’s peculiar political jungle. I choose to save that proposition for another day.

But not to acknowledge his tongue for sometimes self-deprecating humor, ears for tranquilizing music of Yanni, eyes for beauty and heart for vigorous dance is to miss the sum of what makes the whole of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

Doubtless, Comrade had his own fair share of mistakes as Edo Governor. (He would plead that such were errors of the head, not the heart.) But

When petitions were tabled before him, Oshiomhole would, for instance, instinctively prioritise those with thumbprints as signature because it’s obvious theirs is the cry of poor illiterates who don’t have any big man to fight for them

what is undeniable is that, as governor, he led with uncommon compassion for the ordinary folks, those without a name. When petitions were tabled before him, Oshiomhole would, for instance, instinctively prioritise those with thumbprints as signature because “It’s obvious theirs is the cry of poor illiterates who don’t have any big man to ÀJKW IRU WKHP µ For him, being in Government House was unapologetically “on behalf of the masses”. So much that earlier in his administration, the great Oba Eradiauwa once jovially asked him during a courtesy visit to the Benin palace, “Comrade Governor, I hope you don’t see your new job as opportunity to pack all Edo money to your colleagues in labour union only. Remember, you’re governor for all.”

The same temperament was often exhibited whenever we went on inspection of ongoing projects. Whenever the motorcade stopped in depressed neighborhoods, Oshiomhole was never able to resist the outcry by residents to grant requests instantly, with marching order issued there and then to the Works Commissioner (Ogie Osarodion/Frank Evbuomwan) or Environment Commissioner (Clement Agba) to deliver. Either to build new roads or sink boreholes or rehabilitate community schools.

Of course, such impromptu contract awards KDG KXJH ÀQDQFLDO LPSOLFDWLRQV VR PXFK WKDW WKH Finance Commissioner (John Inegbedion) would later be grumbling that he had to bear the burden of shopping for funds to pay “mobilization fee” to the emergency contractors.

As a result, most commissioners under Oshiomhole often complained that only their Works and Environment counterparts were being “favored” while they had to loiter endlessly DURXQG WKH *RYHUQRU·V 2΀FH DZDLWLQJ DSSURYDO for their memos. As Information Commissioner, I once complained openly that lots of invoices for newspaper adverts and television coverages were piling up, thus putting me under choking pressure from my “primary constituency”.

Stunned by my outburst (since I was often viewed around Government House as the “gentle Lagos boy”), Comrade discreetly invited me LQWR KLV R΀FH DQG PDGH D FRQIHVVLRQ LQ D ORZ conspiratorial tone that left me totally disarmed.

“Louis, I can only tell someone like you this secret,” he said plaintively, looking me straight in the eyes. “The Finance Commissioner just left now and the total balance in the state account as I speak to you now is less than N500m. All RI \RX FRPPLVVLRQHUV FRPH ZLWK ÀOHV QHHGLQJ DSSURYDO ZKLFK KDYH ÀQDQFLDO LPSOLFDWLRQV <RX know we’re in opposition in Edo. (PDP was still controlling Abuja then.) The only weapon we have is to keep working hard for the people. That’s why the little we have we try to ensure that contractors get something to keep them at various sites. It’s the RQO\ ZD\ ZH FDQ UHWDLQ WKH SHRSOH·V FRQÀGHQFH and secure their support against the PDP godfathers working day and night to sabotage us or rig us out of elections.”

Happy birthday, Comrade.

Odion, who was Information Commissioner under Oshiomhole, is Senior Technical Assistant on Media to the President

2 20

T H I S D AY TUESDAY APRIL 5, 2022

It is the turn of the Igbo to produce the next president of Nigeria, argues CHIEDU U. OKOYE

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Should the major political parties in Nigeria cede the presidential seat to the southeast, it will disabuse the minds of Igbo people of the sentiments and belief that they are unwanted in Nigeria. And it will allay their fears that they are being politically dominated in Nigeria

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KENE OBIEZU contends that the suspension of Nurudeen Khalid is wrong

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The shackles will hold fast as long as the harvesters choose the chaff of lies over the wheat of truth

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T H I S D AY TUESDAY APRIL 5, 2022

VICTOR C. ARIOLE contends that laws are interpreted to suit the rich

GOVERNOR AND HIS DEPUTY ARE PARTY SEEDLINGS It can only be a miracle to plant a yam VHHGOLQJ DQG WR ÀQG RXW FRFRD \DP VWHP sprouting out of it. Parties are instituted RQ LGHRORJLFDO EDVLV ZKHWKHU 1LJHULDQV and their law or constitution admit or not.

7KH FRPPRQ ODZ 1LJHULDQV DGPLW WKH\ DUH practicing is based on convention, not on a written constitution, and the House of Commons – the original setting of common law – legislates on common law, like laws WKDW RXJKW WR EH FRPPRQ WR WKH H[SHFWHG &RPPRQZHDOWK RI 1DWLRQV 7R :LQVWRQ &KXUFKLOO LQ (QJODQG DOO LV DOORZHG H[FHSW LI EDQQHG LQ *HUPDQ\ DOO LV EDQQHG H[FHSW if allowed; in France all is allowed even when banned; in USSR all is banned even LI LW LV DOORZHG $QG LQ 1LJHULD ODZV DUH interpreted to suit the rich and to protect

The party that a governor used as a platform to come to power is also a person in law and it must be respected in the oath taking process as worthy of being protected

their “ass lickers”.

7KH ÀUVW SUHPLHU RI 1RUWKHUQ ,UHODQG RU Wales cannot cross-carpet from their parties to any other party just because in the House of Commons they are divided between what the leading party and the shadow cabinet SDUW\ SURSRVHG RQ D ELOO 2U LV LW SRVVLEOH for a Democrat elected president in USA to jump to Republican party because mid-term HOHFWLRQ GHSOHWHG 'HPRFUDW·V FRQJUHVVPHQ ZRPHQ" $ *RYHUQRU LQ 1LJHULD·V DGDSWHG processes of political power is the head of the party that brought him/her to power based on the ideology supported by the people he/she “applied” for to govern. The ´VHHGOLQJµ LV WKH 3DUW\ RI RULJLQ·V PDQLIHVWR and it must be tendered to germinate to the best of the tendering possibilities.

Given the poverty endemic in Ebonyi State, it is very clear that they must have fallen for one – man staged consensus ploy to move from the party they all agree provided the seedling that must mature in four-year tenure with a score card to present like performing an AGM. 1R UHIHUHQGXP FRQGXFWHG WR VKRZ WKDW the majority of Ebonyians are set to dump the ground the seedling is growing to replant on DQRWKHU JURXQG D GLͿHUHQW W\SH RI VHHGOLQJ with a pre-destined premature outcome as four-year tenure seems truncated.

1LJHULDQ FRQVWLWXWLRQ VD\V WKDW D JRYHUQRU and his deputy are immune from litigation RU DFWLRQDEOH E\ ODZ ZKLOH LQ R΀FH LW GLGQ·W say that when they incur the wrath of the platform that shields them that the platform can die and allow them to live in isolation of the platform like saying that a shark, WKH ELJJHVW ÀVK FRXOG GHFLGH WR OHDYH WKH ocean and stray to a shallow river. Such act, consciously or unconsciously carried out, destroys the terms of immunity bestowed on the shark by the value of the water it VWUD\HG LQ ´1REOHVVH REOLJHµ WKDW \RX remain faithful to the oath you swore which

include protecting also the party that brought you to power as a legal personality, if you like, a spirit recognised by law.

The governor and his deputy seem not to have respected the platform they swore to stand on and provide the dividend of GHPRFUDF\ DV H[SUHVVHG E\ WKHLU PDQLIHVWR or the ideology that made them acceptable by the people. Protecting the constitution obliges keeping an eye on the letters of the law as well as the spirit of the letter, hence the spirit that led the governor to belong to a party cannot be seen as a deceitful spirit whence it ÁRZV ZLWK LW WR ZLQ SRZHU ,W FRXOG EH VHHQ as getting married on deceitful ground, and when detected the deceiver, this time the person who got power through the party VKRXOG EH VHHQ DV D IUDXGVWHU DQG 1LJHULD must not allow fraudsters to lead the States RU HYHQ WKH 1DWLRQ %\ 1LJHULDQ ODZ ´ µ LV obtaining by deceit and when a leader crosscarpets without subjecting his/her reasons for cross-carpeting to a referendum, it must EH VHHQ DV $QG DV VHHQ LQ 1LJHULD is predicated on so much so injustice that pervades all the rungs of the social ladder in 1LJHULD At the highest level of political power contest, most observers know that elections VKRZ KRZ LQMXVWLFH UHLJQV LQ 1LJHULD DV VHHQ LQ .DQR %RUQR DQG 5LYHUV $QG IRU PLOOLRQ registered voters to be so apathetic that only OHVV WKDQ PLOOLRQ YRWHV DFFRXQWHG IRU WKH ZLQQHU RI D 1DWLRQDO HOHFWLRQ LW FRXOG EH VHHQ as people being helpless as injustice reigns like insecurity turns the people helpless as of today. $QG RQ 0DXSH·V SURJUDPPH RQ 6XQGD\ evening, the Youth leader of APC and a trustee board member Ismeel Ahmed admits that when people are not empowered from the LGA levels to have input on how they are governed or choose the national leaders, they FRXOG H[SUHVV VRPH KHOSOHVVQHVV WKDW FRXOG JLYH URRP WR YRWHUV· DSDWK\ FRPH Like Ebonyi people seem to have just relied on the governor to provide the “yam and knife”, hence as he defects or cross – over, they avoid the wrath of the knife and SUHIHU WKH SRUWLRQ RI WKH \DP KH FRXOG RͿHU as poverty makes most of them “ass leakers” OLNH &KLPDPDQGD H[SUHVVHV LQ $PHULFDQDK “You know, we live in an ass-licking economy.

The biggest problem in this country is not corruption. The problem is that there are PDQ\ TXDOLÀHG SHRSOH ZKR DUH QRW ZKHUH WKH\ DUH VXSSRVHG WR EH EHFDXVH WKH\ ZRQ·W OLFN DQ\ERG\·V DVV RU WKH\ GRQ·W NQRZ ZKLFK DVV WR OLFN RU WKH\ GRQ·W HYHQ NQRZ KRZ WR OLFN DQ DVV ,·P OXFN\ WR EH OLFNLQJ WKH ULJKW ass”.

Ebonyi Governor used to claim that because he decided to “lick the right ass” Ebonyi became prosperous. And, so! Are Ebonyians going to accept to be ass lickers in the distribution of a national wealth? God IRUELG 1LJHULD VKRXOG QRW EH D FRXQWU\ ZKHUH people could claim prosperity on the basis of ass licking.

2IR LV D V\PERO RI MXVWLFH LQ ,JERODQG DQG it rejects ass lickers hence the need to weigh morality alongside just mere letters of the law.

The party that a governor used as a platform to come to power is also a person in law and it must be respected in the oath taking process as worthy of being protected, otherwise the ass-licking process could be endless in 1LJHULD

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

Inoyo, retired executive vice chairman of Exxon Mobil, urges his people to re-examine their values, writes UDEME NANA

A HALL AND A YEARNING Ibom hall in Uyo is a place of pride in the Akwa Ibom capital. The facility, conceived by the military regime of Governor Abbe and put WR XVH IRU WKH ÀUVW WLPH DW WKH WXUQ RI WKH ¶ V LV shaped like an “Ikpoto” - the native straw hat commonly used as a sun shield by local farmers DQG ÀVKHUPHQ DFURVV WKH VWDWH ,W ZDV GHVLJQHG

by Arc. Ette from Ibeno, the homestead of the legendary Professor Eyo Ita. 8QOLNH RWKHU ¶KDOOV· LQ 1LJHULD (XURSH RU $PHULFD ,ERP KDOO LV QRW DQ R΀FH FRPSOH[ but was built as an Events center soon after the creation of the state. For a long time, the hall served as the prime venue for social, business, political, religious, and cultural events in the state.

Last Friday, the premises was a beehive of people from all walks of life including the ubiquitous petty traders who hawked nose masks, handkerchiefs, books, soft drinks, hats, kolanuts and bitter kola.

In another wing of the sprawling environment, a musical group set up a platform to prepare for a weeklong show. What caught RQH·V LPPHGLDWH DWWHQWLRQ ZHUH VHYHUDO clusters of youth who milled around the busy environment. They worried aloud about the LQFLGHQFH RI ¶YDQLVKLQJ LFRQLF ÀJXUHV DQG conscientious religious, political and traditional OHDGHUV LQ WKH VWDWH · 7KLV ZULWHU RYHUKHDUG RQH of them state unequivocally that “there is a gap, a huge one, and wondered who now has the intellectual depth, personal clout, and means, the name recognition nationally, the network, the integrity, respect, and credibility to represent the state if a meeting of eminent personalities ZDV FRQYHQHG LQ 1LJHULD µ 7KH \RXQJ PHQ thought aloud, mentioned several names but sighed in disappointment that, indeed, those WKH\ KDG KLWKHUWR ORRNHG XS WR DV ¶IDWKHUV· VHHP WR KDYH WDLQWHG WKHPVHOYHV DQG WKHUHIRUH ¶IDOOHQ from the heights they had perched.

In a moment, a tall man alighted from his SUV and walked towards a small group of friends who had gathered to receive him. He became the cynosure of all eyes. The assembly outside the hall moved into the main hall as if they were waiting for his arrival for the main event - the launch of a book on Ibibio history and culture - to start. The preliminary item was quite fun; a well-choreographed spoken word about the odyssey of Ibibio people, the dominant linguistic group in Akwa Ibom from their sojourn in the Benue valley through Usakedet in present-day Cameroon to Ibom - Arochukwu in Abia State from where they further dispersed into their present location in Akwa Ibom. Thereafter, the man who had arrived was introduced as the Keynote speaker at the event.

The special guest, Mr. Udom Uko Inoyo, UHWLUHG ([HFXWLYH 9LFH &KDLUPDQ RI ([[RQ Mobil Companies rose to the billing and jolted his audience into the reality of the rot that has destroyed the core of society.

Speaking on the topic: “Cultural Rebirth as D &ULWLFDO (OHPHQW IRU 1DWLRQ EXLOGLQJµ 0U Inoyo noted that a discussion on national rebirth was apt given what we were going through: a culture of corruption, tribalism, religious and HWKQLF QHSRWLVP VHOÀVKQHVV ZDVWHIXOQHVV LQFRPSHWHQFH LQH΀FLHQF\ HWF +H VWDWHG ¶OHW XV DFNQRZOHGJH WKDW FXOWXUH changes over time and in response to societal DQG HQYLURQPHQWDO IDFWRUV ¶7KH DGYHQW RI Colonialism, Christianity, and Commercialism WKH WKUHH &·V DOVR FKDQJHG RXU VRFLHW\ SHUPDQHQWO\ ¶$GGLWLRQDOO\ DIWHU 1LJHULD·V LQGHSHQGHQFH FDPH D PLOLWDU\ FRXS G·pWDW D PRQWK FLYLO ZDU WKH RLO ERRP SRSXODWLRQ H[SORVLRQ LQGXVWULDOL]DWLRQ WKH 6WUXFWXUDO $GMXVWPHQW 3URJUDP 6$3 HFRQRPLF LQHUWLD WKH HUD RI LQIRUPDWLRQ WHFKQRORJ\ JOREDOL]DWLRQ amongst others. All these factors arrested the growth and development of our indigenous ZD\V RI OLIH · 0U ,QR\R QRWHG WKDW ¶WKH UHVXOW has been the emergence of new cultural traits

DQG YDOXH V\VWHP HPSKDVL]LQJ VXFK DVSHFWV as western education, material wealth and social position. As with every society that H[SHULHQFHV UDSLG VRFLDO DQG HFRQRPLF changes, the fallouts have not been all positive given factors like crime, corruption, ethnic and UHOLJLRXV LQWROHUDQFH DQG PRUDO GHFD\ · 6R where are we headed? +H ZRQGHUHG DQG UHFRPPHQGHG WKH ¶QHHG WR UHGHÀQH RXU FXOWXUDO SDWKZD\V WR HQVXUH they are in sync with the future we hope to EHTXHDWK WR WKH QH[W JHQHUDWLRQ $QG ZH should start this endeavor with ourselves, he advised.

Mr. Inoyo beamed a searchlight on his ethnic JURXS WKH ,ELELRV +H ZURWH ¶OHW PH IRFXV on my people, the Ibibios, who are known for humility, hard work, honesty/integrity, friendliness, dependability, peacefulness, and naturalness. The womenfolk were renowned for their industry, loyalty, homeliness, and as promoters of family values. It is not for nothing that our forebears admonished that “if you educate a man, you educate one person.

If you educate a woman, you educate a whole family”. In his words; “dishonesty, stealing, murder, immoral and deviant behaviors had the rebuke of the authorities, and there were institutions to enforce compliance with social and religious norms. The heroes in the society were not necessarily wealthy people but men and women of integrity and courage whose watchword was the truth.” +H SLQSRLQWHG WKDW ¶XQIRUWXQDWHO\ RXU ZD\V changed at a particular time in our history, and we became known for disunity and greater ORYH DQG UHVSHFW IRU RXWVLGHUV · 6R ZH PXVW ponder and ask, who are the Ibibios?

According to Mr. Inoyo, “as an essential attribute of any human society, we know that FXOWXUH GHÀQHV WKH LGLRV\QFUDVLHV RU ELDVHV DQG LWV SHUFHSWLRQ )RU H[DPSOH WKH PHUH mention of “German” elicits thoughts of VWUHQJWK FRXUDJH H΀FLHQW LQVWLWXWLRQV KLJKHVW quality products, etc. Despite the political divisiveness in the US, there is general pride in EHLQJ $PHULFDQ DQG $PHULFDQ FLWL]HQV HQMR\ the protection of their country wherever they DUH LQ WKH ZRUOG %DFN KRPH WKH 1LJHULDQ VRFLHW\ DWWULEXWHV VSHFLÀF FXOWXUDO DWWULEXWHV to some ethnic groups. The Yorubas love their ¶2ZDPEH· OLIHVW\OH WKH\ RZH QR DSRORJ\ WR any other ethnic group. They attend social functions in style and share gifts generously.

They are also known for cherishing the things that bind them together, e.g., their dressing, IRRGV PXVLF GDQFHV ODQJXDJH HWF ,W GRHVQ·W matter wherever they are in the world. The same applies to the Hausa/Fulani. They do not joke with their language, and an average Hausa/Fulani boy/girl is taught his or her native Hausa/Fulfude, with English being VHFRQGDU\ XVXDOO\ OHDUQHG LQ VFKRRO :H know the Igbos for their determination, entrepreneurial spirit, creativity, and industry.

They also value their language, their foods, and their proverbs. The question for us all is, what are the Ibibios noted for today? Have we been able to sustain the positives linked to RXU FXOWXUDO KHULWDJH" /HW·V WHVW D IHZ RI WKHVH positives.”

The Advisor of the Inoyo Toro Foundation whose lifelong commitment to education is second to none in Akwa Ibom state outlined that his people were known for hard work to the H[WHQW WKDW QR PDQQHU RI ZRUN ZDV FRQVLGHUHG too menial. “An Ibibio man will do his assigned work diligently and be happy to earn his wages. At some point, we were so trustworthy DQG GLOLJHQW WKDW HOLWH 1LJHULDQV IUHHO\ JUDQWHG us access to the most protected parts of their homes: the kitchen and the bedroom (forget WKH DEVXUG PLVFKDUDFWHUL]DWLRQ HVSHFLDOO\ E\ WKHLU RͿVSULQJ Nana writes from Uyo

4 22

T H I S D AY TUESDAY APRIL 5, 2022

EDITORIAL

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

THE SHOW OF SHAME AT ILE-IFE The protest over the appointment of a new vice chancellor is unfortunate

A

s centres of excellence, universities provide platforms for learning and advancement of knowledge. But when merit takes the back seat on the altar of other considerations, the ideals for which the university system was founded DUH VDFULÀ FHG $ 3URIHVVRU RI $JULFXOWXUDO (FRQRPLFV Adebayo Banire was recently announced as the Vice Chancellor-designate for the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, following a competitive process. But indigenes of the host community rejected the outcome, shutting down the main campus, in protests that involved ‘traditionalists’ and masquerades.

Behind their action is the insistence that a ‘son of the soil’ be appointed the vice chancellor.

The appointment of a university VC is predicated on meeting certain key requirements.

Avillage of origin is not one of them. That the governance RI RQH RI 1LJHULD·V PRVW UHVSHFWHG À UVW JHQHUDWLRQ universities would be reduced to such crude provincial indignity stands condemned. Unfortunately, the IleIfe story has become quite common in Nigeria today.

Other public universities across the country have, at GLͿ HUHQW WLPHV EHHQ VXEMHFWHG WR WKH VDPH QDUURZ politics. But while the agitation of this nature by host communities used to be subtle, it has now become so brazen with a form of militancy creeping in. If care is not taken, this could degenerate to the ridiculous level RI DSSRLQWPHQW RI RWKHU SULQFLSDO R΀ FHUV DQG KHDGV of departments in universities being demanded as exclusive rights of indigenes. Ironically, an indigene of Ile-Ife is currently the vice chancellor of another federal university located elsewhere.

Overall, what happened at Ile-Ife is a disgraceful manifestation of the degeneration of yet another critical aspect of our national life. The journey to this very low point has been long. Yet, it was not like this in the past. Time was when state or region of origin never mattered in the choice of vice chancellors.

.HQQHWK 'LNH DQ ,JER PDQ ZDV WKH À UVW LQGLJHQRXV vice chancellor at the University of Ibadan. Oladipo Akinkugbe from Ondo became the vice chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria in 1978. At about the same time, Umaru Shehu from Borno State was the vice chancellor at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) while Adamu Baikie was the vice chancellor at the University of Benin.

Sectarian agitations strike at the very core of university education which should galvanise the universality and liberality of knowledge and ideas.

Government (at all levels) must therefore, as a matter of urgency, take steps to stem these shenanigans on our campuses. But the real problem lies with political leaders. Federal universities are sited in the villages of the president and powerful individuals.

It is the same in the states by governors. With this GLVSRVLWLRQ LW LV GL΀ FXOW to blame those who see universities within their communities as theirs to be appropriated.

This march to retrogressive provincialism must be halted. First, individuals and organisations who engage in violent protest over the appointment of vice FKDQFHOORUV QRW RI WKHLU HWKQLF VSHFLÀ FDWLRQV VKRXOG face appropriate legal sanctions. Second, university VWDͿ DFDGHPLF DQG QRQ DFDGHPLF ZKR FRQVSLUH against properly appointed persons on ethnic grounds should also be dealt with in accordance with extant regulations. Finally, it is time to update current policies to accommodate the regular posting of nonindigenes into top positions in our universities so that protesters will eventually realise the futility of their antics. ,QGLJHQHV RI ,OH ,IH ZKR IHHO VX΀ FLHQWO\ embarrassed by the action of some misguided people from their community should condemn this sordid DFW (YHU\WKLQJ PXVW DOVR EH GRQH WR HQVXUH D VPRRWK WUDQVLWLRQ IURP (\LWRSH 2JXQbodede to Banire at the campus. Obafemi Awolowo University belongs to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, not Ile-Ife community!

It is time to update current policies to accommodate the regular posting of non-indigenes into top positions in our universities so that protesters will eventually realise the futility of their antics 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

Letters to the Editor

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LETTERS IFEANYI UBAH’S OPEN DOOR REPRESENTATION The story of representation in Anambra South Senatorial District took a different turn with the advent of Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah in the red chamber. In his avowed determination to bring about a drastic change in the fortunes of WKH SHRSOH RI KLV ]RQH WKH VHQDWRU WRRN RͿ IURP GD\ RQH ZLWK D FOHDU YLVLRQ of what needs to be done in order to change the face of representation in the district. This he commenced by throwing his doors open to the people of the senatorial zone in a classic case of “Open Door Representation.”

As opposed to what was obtainable in the past, Suite 101 in the National Assembly Abuja became a beehive of activity, a rallying point for stakeholders, job seekers, youths and women groups as well as every Nwa Anambra South Senatorial District. Ndi Anambra, and indeed Ndigbo who are not from the senatorial zone, all took advantage of his open-door style to access solutions to their challenges. An example was when the Igbo Freight Forwarders AssoFLDWLRQ LQ /DJRV FDPH WR KLP WR DVVLVW WKHP À QG D VROXWLRQ WR WKH KDUVK DQG unfavourable conditions that they were then being subjected to by shipping companies on Nigeria-bound cargoes. The senator immediately rose to the occasion. He did not just raise a motion on the urgent need to checkmate the H[RUELWDQW LQFUHDVH DQG XQMXVWLÀ DEOH VKLSSLQJ IHHV FKDUJHG E\ VKLSSLQJ FRP panies on Nigeria-bound cargoes, he also personally led delegations to the Maersk Line Company among others to successfully negotiate a downward UHYLHZ RI WKHQ VXͿ RFDWLQJ SULFH UHJLPH ,W DOVR GLG QRW WDNH ORQJ EHIRUH KH

FDPH XS ZLWK WKH JURXQGEUHDNLQJ PRWLRQ RQ 'HHS 2Ϳ VKRUH DQG ,QODQG %D VLQ 3URGXFWLRQ 6KDULQJ &RQWUDFW WKH 36& %LOO 7KLV ZDV GHVLJQHG WR GHDO ZLWK what was increasingly becoming a cesspit through which the country was losing billions of naira in accruable revenue to cabals in the petroleum industry.

7KLV EDWWOH E\ WKH VHQDWRU OHG WR WKH SDVVDJH RI WKH 36& %LOO LQWR DQ $FW RI WKH 1DWLRQDO $VVHPEO\ 1HHGOHVV WR VD\ WKDW 3UHVLGHQW 0XKDPPDGX %XKDUL promptly signed the bill into law even while on a trip in far-away London, and apparently to underscore its importance.

Today, that singular move by Senator Ifeanyi Ubah is yielding billions of QDLUD LQWR WKH QDWLRQDO FRͿ HUV In fact, in accordance with the Whistle Blowers Act, Anambra South Senatorial District is supposed to be receiving a percentage of the revenue accruals IURP WKDW ELOO JLYHQ WKDW LW ZDV WKHLU HOHFWHG VHQDWRU WKDW EOHZ WKH OLG RͿ WKH VOHD]H WKURXJK ZKLFK WKH FRXQWU\ ZDV EHLQJ Á HHFHG RI KXJH DFFUXDEOH UHYH nue. $SSDUHQWO\ 6HQDWRU 8EDK·V FROOHDJXHV ZHUH VR LPSUHVVHG WKDW WKLV À UVW WLP HU FRXOG GHOLYHU ZKDW WLOO GDWH KDV UHPDLQHG WKH PRVW HFRQRPLFDOO\ VLJQLÀ FDQW landmark in the annals of the 9th Assembly. It did not come to many as a VXUSULVH ZKHQ WKH\ XQDQLPRXVO\ QDPHG KLP WKH ´3ULQFH RI WKH WK 6HQDWH µ Kamen Chuks Ogbonna, Abuja

LEAVE ABIOLA OUT OF 2023 (YHU\ 1LJHULDQ SROLWLFLDQ ZDQWV WR EH OLNH 0.2 $ELROD 7KH\ DUH QRW UHDG\ WR PDNH WKH VDFULÀ FHV RI Abiola. They forget that what made Abiola was his love for humanity. MKO Abiola’s love for humanity was unparalleled and you could see he wasn’t faking it. The recent political session has thrown up many Abiola wannabes, they use the Abiola name and try to draw direct correlation with his name. I ask politicians how about building your own name and selling your programs to your people and encouraging them to believe in you? ,W LV REYLRXV WKDW PRVW RI WKHP MXVW GHHP LW À W to use the Abiola name as a springboard for their campaign; the most shocking one I saw recently was a campaign slogan with Hope 23, directly taken from Abiola’s Hope 93. My advice is that modern day politicians should leave MKO Abiola out of their campaign and focus on the problems facing Nigerians like poverty, corruption, high cost of living and insecurity.

Rufai Oseni, rufaioseni@gmail.com

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LAWYER TUESDAY,APRIL 5, 2022

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WEEKLY PULLOUT

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MRS JEAN CHIAZOR-ANISHERE, SAN

‘Reintroduction of a National Shipping Line is Overdue’

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TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2022 T H I S D AY

IN THIS EDITION

R E Y W A L A

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Defection of Governor/Deputy Governor from One Political Party to Another: Effect

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-ANISHERE, SAN JEAN CHIAZOR

Page IV

Gender Bias Resonates at NBAWF's IWD 2022 Conference

fa o n o i t c u d o r ‘Reint ping p i h S l a n o i t Na ’ e u d r e v O s i Line

QUOTABLES

Page V

Governor El Rufai, he’s clearly incandescent about what happened in Kaduna, but, he keeps having this recurrent theme that I find quite disturbing…..His solution is, “go there and bomb the lot of them”, and whoever they’ve held hostage….will just be collateral damage.’ - Tundun Abiola, Lawyer, Anchor, The Morning Show, Arise TV ‘You already have the presence of the Nigeria Police, in the coaches. They were armed. They tried to repel the criminals, but they were not successful because their magazines got exhausted.’ - Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Honourable Minister of Transportation, Federal Republic of Nigeria

Kubi Udofia PhD Kubi Udofia holds a Doctorate degree in Law from The University of Nottingham, a Certificate in International Risk Management from the Institute of Risk Management, London, a Masters degree in Corporate Law from University College London and a Bachelors degree from University of Uyo in Nigeria.

He is a leading and an acknowledged expert, in corporate restructuring and insolvency law in Nigeria. As a scholarpractitioner, Kubi Udofia has extensively researched and written on a broad spectrum of topical issues in corporate restructuring and insolvency law. He is a seasoned transactional and dispute resolution specialist, with extensive knowledge and practical experience in corporate and commercial law. He is a Partner at Babalakin & Co, a leading commercial law firm in Nigeria.

LAWYER

ONIKEPO BRAITHWAITE: EDITOR, JUDE IGBANOI: DEPUTY EDITOR, PETER TAIWO, STEVE AYA: REPORTERS

III THE ADVOCATE

T H I S D AY TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2022

Insecurity and Nigeria’s Borders

T

Introduction hat Government has failed in its primary purpose to protect the lives and property of Nigerians, is a given. Sadly, this assertion is no longer disputable; it is a fact that is now able to hold water, because it has been established and proven repeatedly over the past few years. See Section 14(2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended)(the Constitution). This fact was once again demonstrated beyond a shadow of doubt, with what the terrorists/kidnappers did to Nigeria and Nigerians in Kaduna last week; that whichever way we choose to look at it, we are not safe - whether at home, in school, at the airport or in whichever form we choose to travel to Kaduna.

This is scary, because what happened in Kaduna can be replicated in most parts of the country. That the terrorists were even able to carry out another attack on the Train Station immediately after that of the train, shows the level of their confidence and disdain for our security agencies.

Reasonable Concerns Personally, I have never travelled on a Nigerian train for safety reasons. Aside from the fact that people have been caught vandalising the train tracks, to resell them etc (including a Special Assistant to one of the Northern Governors - I saw a news clip of his arrest alongside a group of other individuals, including a Chinese national some months ago); I felt that the vandalisation could easily lead to the derailment of the train, especially if the tracks are tampered with in deserted locations where it may go unnoticed, especially as there are no sensors on the tracks. The fact that the train travels through lonely, bushy and unmanned areas which have been taken over by terrorists, bandits and kidnappers, therefore made train travel totally unattractive to me. What if the train broke down in a deserted place along its route? Passengers would be sitting ducks, for these vicious criminals to have a field day attacking. And, experience has shown that when these criminals attack, they come in extremely large numbers, certainly more than the number of security agents that would be assigned to any one train, making it easy to overwhelm commuters.

The point is, if I can think of these scenarios, why couldn’t the Government share the same thoughts, and if they did, why didn’t take appropriate precautionary measures to protect the trains? The first question to pose is, how do you put in place measures to repel possible attacks from those that you know will certainly outnumber you in physical presence and weaponry? By recruiting more security agents, upgrading your weaponry, and employment of technology like surveillance devices to monitor activities on the train routes, sensors on the tracks etc.

Maimuna Ibrahim’s Interview on Arise TV Last Thursday, I watched an interview on Arise TV's 'Morning Show', of a young lady, Ms Maimuna Ibrahim, who was one of the victims of the terrible incident of Monday, March 21, 2022 which involved a Kaduna bound train a few kilometres from the Rigasa Train Station, Kaduna. There’s no need to rehash the attack, as television and social media have been awash with details of what transpired that fateful day. To be able to describe Ms Ibrahim who sustained a gunshot wound in her thigh as 'lucky' even after such a traumatic experience (unlike young Dr Chinelo Megafu who died as a result of her gunshot injuries - may her soul and the souls of all those who lost their lives in that ghastly attack, rest in perfect peace. Amen), since Ms Ibrahim not only survived the attack, but escaped being kidnapped.

What struck me about Ms Ibrahim’s account, was her description of some of the attackers she saw.

She said they were young men, possibly between the age of 18 and 22; they wore some kind of head scarf or head gear - maybe the Arab type ‘keffiyeh’ head scarf; they were fair in complexion, and they spoke a language which she thought could be Fulani (she didn’t conclude that it was Fulani); she knew it was definitely not Hausa, she didn’t understand the language. Maybe it could even have been a Tuareg dialect, because Tuaregs also fit Ms Ibrahim’s description of the attackers.

From Ms Ibrahim's description, it is however, safe to assume that the terrorists who attacked the Kaduna train could either be Nigerian, or foreigners who may share some similar characteristics with Nigerians of ‘Northernish’ extraction - possibly not Hausa. If they were speaking some other language, they are likely to be foreigners, because while Hausa is the common language that most Nigerian Northerners speak irrespective of their tribe, Fulanis and Tuaregs from other countries are not always able to speak Hausa like Nigerians. For instance, my Fulani friend from Mali told me most of them don’t speak Hausa, and some of the words in the Fulfude they speak in Mali, are also different from the Fulfude dialect spoken in Nigeria. In fact, you can easily tell the difference in the accent of a Hausa speaking Ghanaian, and that of a Nigerian.

My first submission therefore is that, with the capture of a few of these criminals (which has been done in the past), and some of these glaring traits, if the Nigerian authorities were really committed

ONIKEPO BRAITHWAITE onikepo.braithwaite@thisdaylive. com onikepob@yahoo.com

The

Advocate “The Governor who himself is of Fulani stock… believes that a Fulani Herder who makes a maximum of N300,000 from selling one or two cows annually…..will not stop the easier, more lucrative business of kidnapping for millions, unless drastic action is taken to stop him! This theory is obviously applicable to most criminals, regardless of their tribe” to eradicating this kidnapping, banditry and terrorism, they would have come up with some profiling of who these terrorists are and where they come from, as a step towards annihilating them. Or are those who believe that the authorities already know who they are, and are just not doing much about it, correct? In the light of these frequent violent, terrorist attacks which have caused too much bloodshed and sorrow amongst Nigerians, we no longer have a choice but to ask Government some of these questions. Nigerians simply cannot continue to be diplomatic, showing that we are patriotic by not publicly taking our Government to task, because Government officials see it as de-marketing our country or Government to the world, when our innocent sisters, brothers, and children are maimed and killed so regularly.

Borders Over 15 States in Nigeria share land borders with other countries like Niger Republic, Chad, Republic of Benin, and Cameroon.

About seven Northern States share borders with Niger Republic, namely, Borno, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara, while Borno also shares a border with Chad.

Kebbi, Sokoto, Kwara and Niger State also share borders with Republic of Benin, like Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States, while Adamawa, Borno, Cross River and Benue share borders with Cameroon.

In the past, Borno which shares borders with Niger Republic and Chad had the highest incidence of insurgency issues. It doesn’t take Einstein to see that there may be a link between these two border countries, and some of the violence we are experiencing; and it is also clear that Niger Republic is a recurring decimal, as it borders six other States besides Borno. If these terrorists are coming through Niger or Chad into Borno, Katsina and other States, is it too much to expect the Government to start off with securing our borders with Niger and Chad to keep these people out, not just by manning them physically with security agents/border control, but with sophisticated equipment like sensors,

cameras, motion detectors, mobile surveillance devices, imaging devices, ultra-light detection etc? That is, if the distance of the borders are too vast to secure them physically with a fence, secure them virtually, with technology.

My second submission therefore, is that we must start to secure our land borders and stop these terrorists and criminals from strolling into our country in droves, to kill and maim our people. Whether they are our brothers, cousins or tribesmen, is irrelevant. Sections 25-27 of the Constitution make it abundantly clear who Nigerian citizens are or can be, and these people who come from outside to commit these heinous crimes are simply not Nigerians, going by the constitutional definitions, even if they share the same ethnicity or religion as some of us. Furthermore our rulers have sworn an Oath of Allegiance and Oath of Office to defend the Constitution, make the well being of Nigerians paramount, and not to allow their personal interests (or beliefs or leanings) to influence their official conduct or official decisions. See the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution for the various Oaths. It is time for Government to put all sentiments aside, and take decisive action. Things are spiralling out of control.

If this administration could close our border with Republic of Benin for months, purportedly to protect our economy, why is it unable or unwilling to take measures and do the needful with the borders of the Northern States, to protect the lives and property of Nigerians?

Or is it that the lives of Nigerians, no longer mean that much to Government?

Governor El Rufai’s Statements However, this is not to say that Nigerians do not participate in this criminality as well - they do, very actively too. Listening to the Channels TV account of Hauwa Abdulsalam who was part of a group of people that were kidnapped in Niger State, it was obvious that their batch of kidnappers were Nigerians, because she said that during their captivity, the kidnappers

(Culled from Business Day with the Permission of the Publisher)

had told them that their grouse was against the Government that had failed to fulfil its campaign promises to them; to provide them with schools, hospitals, land and some kind of stipend.

I watched a recent video clip of Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasiru El Rufai, in which he proposed some measures to be taken to annihilate these criminals. The Governor who himself is of Fulani extraction, has stated unequivocally on several occasions including in this videoclip, that many of these kidnappers are Fulani Herdsmen. From his statements, the issue of granting them amnesty/ rehabilitation is not an option, because he believes that a Fulani Herder who makes a maximum of N300,000 from selling one or two cows annually, sees kidnapping as a business, and will not stop this easier, more lucrative business of kidnapping for millions, unless drastic action is taken to stop him! This theory is obviously applicable to most criminals, regardless of their tribe.

Governor El Rufai maintained that Government knows the locations of the camps of these terrorists/ bandits, and should launch simultaneous attacks on all their different camps, in order to wipe them out in one fell swoop. I was horrified when he said Government knows who these criminals are, has their telephone numbers, and even sometimes listen in to their telephone conversations. What is Government waiting for? A formal invitation from the criminals?! Of course, the only reservation about taking such drastic action of bombing the camps, is the fact that there are innocent captives within those camps.

My third submission is that, Nigeria should seek the assistance of countries that are experienced in fighting these kinds of wars, like Israel and USA, in order to find viable solutions to handling this problem. Nigeria is facing multi-faceted security issues. With foreign assistance, intelligence and surveillance techniques, we stand a better chance of defeating these criminals. The fact that it has been well established that we have ‘moles’ within our security agencies (who deserve nothing less than to be punished for treason), underscores the need for external assistance. Some have said that community members with valuable information about these criminals are reluctant to come forward to speak to the Nigerian security agencies because of fear of reprisals, since the agencies have been infiltrated by these moles.

Can the various telephone networks, not also be of assistance in pinpointing where the ransom calls emanate from? What is the essence of NIN registration, if it cannot be of help in this matter?

That some have accused Government of knowing who some of these traitors are, and yet, have not brought them to book, does not speak well. Nonetheless, I still find it hard to believe that any Government will be willing to sacrifice the safety of its own people for useless sentiments, or because some of its members are greedy and prefer to corruptly enrich themselves through this strife.

Counter-Terrorism It is not enough for security agencies to rush to the scene after an attack, making empty promises that criminals will be captured, or marching orders being dished out after the fact; Government must be proactive, and take additional security measures to protect people and places that seem like potential targets, like the train stations, airports, train routes, seaports, places of worship, markets and schools.

Conclusion Nigerians have also had enough of innuendos - “a Governor or ex-Governor is a Boko Haram Commander” - who is he? Bring him to book.

No one is above the law. The murder of one innocent Nigerian, is one person too many. The kidnap and murder of children, is inexcusable and unforgivable. It is time for Government to do something concrete. Nigeria which is underPoliced and under-Armed Forced (if there’s such a word!), needs to seek external assistance to solve our mounting security problems. That has always been my stand. The security and welfare of Nigerians is the primary purpose of Government; the illogicality of being too proud to admit you require assistance and seek for it when you are in dire need of it to achieve your primary purpose, is incomprehensible.

With the different security challenges we are facing, it seems all too much for our people to handle alone, since hitherto, they have been unable to end the insecurity, having been given ample opportunity to do so. While we must appreciate majority of our security agents for their commitment and bravery, be it Police or the Armed Forces, those who risk their lives on a daily basis to ensure our safety, with some of the obstacles they face like traitors and informants among their ranks, lack of weaponry, inadequate manpower etc, I fear that without external assistance their capabilities will have little or no impact and they may be unable to win the various wars Nigeria is fighting presently. It is almost like pouring water into a basket! My dear Readers, what do you think?

IV LAW REPORT

TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2022 T H I S D AY

Defection of Governor/Deputy Governor from One Political Party to Another: Effect

A Facts

t the 2019 general elections, the 1st and 2nd Appellant contested the gubernatorial election for Ebonyi State on the platform of All Progressive Congress (APC) while the 1st and 2nd Respondent contested for the same position on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The 1st and 2nd Respondent emerged winners at the election as the Governor and Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, having polled the highest number of lawful votes and were duly sworn into office. The 1st and 2nd Appellant, who contested on the platform of APC polled the second highest votes at the election.

Well into their tenure, the 1st and 2nd Respondent defected from the PDP, which political party sponsored them for the 2019 governorship election, to the APC (the 3rd Appellant herein). Consequent upon this, the 1st and 2nd Appellant approached the High Court of Ebonyi State, via an Originating Summons, posing some questions for determination. They sought a Declaration that the votes scored by the 1st and 2nd Respondent at the 2019 Governorship election for Ebonyi State were abandoned and/or invalidated, in consequence of which they should vacate their offices as Governor and Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, respectively, and the 1st and 2nd Appellant who scored the second highest lawful votes at the election be declared winner of the election, returned and inaugurated as the Governor and Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, in line with the provisions of Sections 221, 177, 179 and 285(13) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and Sections 31, 85(1) 87(9) and 141 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended). They also sought an order directing the 1st and 2nd Respondent to vacate their offices having abandoned the PDP, the substratum on which they stood and defected to the APC which never sponsored them, and the 1st and 2nd Appellant being inaugurated as Governor and Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, respectively. The 1st and 2nd Respondent contested the action, by filing their joint Counter-Affidavit.

The trial High Court delivered its judgement, wherein it answered the questions posed by the 1st and 2nd Appellant in the negative, adjudging the Originating Summons unmeritorious and dismissing same with costs awarded in favour of the 1st and 2nd Respondent.

Dissatisfied with the decision of the trial court, the Appellants filed an appeal to the Court of Appeal. Thereat, the 3rd Respondent, the Attorney-General of Ebonyi State, applied and with the consent of all parties, was added to the appeal.

Issues for Determination The Appellate Court formulated the following two issues for determination of the appeal: 1. Whether the 1st and 2nd Respondent have vacated or ought to vacate or be removed from their offices as Governor and Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State respectively, and replaced with the 1st and 2nd Appellant in consequence of the 1st and 2nd Respondents’ defection to the All Progressive Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on which platform they contested and won the 2019 Governorship election for Ebonyi State?

2. Whether the 1st and 2nd Respondent, as Governor and Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, could be sued in their personal capacities?

Arguments On the first issue, counsel argued on behalf of the Appellants that the trial court erred by refusing the reliefs sought by the Appellants. He anchored his submission on the provisions of the Constitution to the effect that, a candidate can only contest an election on the platform of a political party and having won on the platform of a political party, any subsequent defection to another party within the tenure would have the consequences of abandoning the votes which heralded them into office and render the said votes invalid. Counsel argued further that votes cast at an election belong to the political parties, as candidates contest on platforms of political parties. Offices won are accordingly, held in trust for the political parties and exclusively for the benefit of the said political parties – AMAECHI v INEC & ORS. (2008) LPELR-446SC; FALEKE v INEC (2016) 18 NWLR (Pt. 1543) 61. Counsel concluded that though there is no direct constitutional provision on the consequence of the defection of an elected Governor to another political party, he posited that the trial court should have exercised its discretion to fill the vacuum, in line with the spirit of Nigeria’s partisan democracy. He urged the court to sanction the 1st and 2nd Respondent by removing them from office, while the 1st and 2nd Appellant should be the beneficiaries to take the places vacated by the 1st and 2nd Respondent.

Countering the submissions above, counsel argued on behalf of the 1st and 2nd Respondents that the position of the Apex Court in AMAECHI v INEC (supra) and FALEKE v INEC (supra), that votes scored at an election belonged to the political parties, had since been departed from in the more recent cases

have no option other than civil litigation for the redress they sought. The Respondents on their part, argued that the 1st and 2nd Respondent are indeed covered by immunity provided under Section 308 of the Constitution.

Honourable Joseph Olubunmi Kayode Oyewole, JCA

In the Court of Appeal of Nigeria In the Enugu Judicial Division Holden at Enugu On Friday, 1st day of April, 2022 Before Their Lordships Ahmad O. Belgore Joseph Olubunmi K. Oyewole Sybil Nwaka-Gbagi Justices, Court of Appeal CA/E/53/2022 Between 1. Senator Soni Ogbuoji 2. Justin Mgbam Ogodo 3. All Progressives Congress

…

…

Appellants

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Respondents

And 1. Engineer David Nweze Umahi 2. Dr. Eric Kelechi Igwe 3. Attorney-General of Ebonyi State

…

(Lead Judgement delivered by Honourable Joseph Olubunmi Kayode Oyewole, JCA) of CPC & ANOR. v OMBUGADU & ANOR. (2013) LPELR-21007 and OZOMGBACHI v AMADI & ORS. (2018) LPELR-45152(SC) at 48-49, among others. Relying on the decision of the Supreme Court in PDM & ANOR. v INEC & 2 ORS (2020) 17 NWLR (Pt. 1753) 303 SC, he argued that the issues relating to the election of the 1st and 2nd Respondent were concluded, having been returned as duly elected Governor and Deputy Governor. Thereafter, their mandate expanded beyond the political party which sponsored them for the election, to the entire State.

Thus, their defection to any other political party was in line with the provisions of Section 40 of the Constitution, which does not attract any sanction thereunder. By his submission, the 1st and 2nd Respondent did not defect to another political party as candidates of a sponsoring party, but as public office holders whose removal from office must be in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution – A-G FEDERATION & ORS. v ABUBAKAR & ORS. (2007) 10 NWLR (Pt. 1041) 1 at 156-157. He contended further that Sections 180, 188 and 189 of the Constitution are explicit on the circumstances where the offices occupied by the 1st and 2nd Respondent would become vacant in addition to resignation under Section 306, and the circumstances do not include

“Defection from political party on the platform of which they were elected was not stated as one of the grounds, and cannot be made a ground for their removal by the courts pursuant to the extant legal principles of expression unius est exclusio alterius”

defection from political party which sponsored them for election. He contended that in the absence of an express constitutional provisions on defection of a Governor and/or his deputy, it is beyond the courts to embark on an interpretation which would amount to judicial legislation – MADUMERE & ANOR. v OKWARA & ANOR. (2013) LPELR-20752(SC) at 38. Relying on Section 1 of the Constitution, he submitted further that the implication of the reliefs sought by the Appellants was an invitation to pronounce the overthrow or take over of the Government of Ebonyi State in contravention of the provisions of the Constitution, and that the courts do not have the constitutional powers to declare the offices of the holders of the position of Governor and/or his deputy vacant, for whatever reason.

In similar vein, counsel for the 3rd Respondent argued that there is no known statutory or constitutional implication warranting the removal from or vacation of offices of the 1st and 2nd Respondent, for defecting from the political party which sponsored them for their respective election to another political party. He argued that the decision in AMAECHI v INEC & ORS. and FALEKE v INEC had since lost their efficacy, in view of the more apt recent pronouncement of the Supreme Court to the effect that elections are won by individuals and not political parties. He contended that political parties are agents of candidates for the purpose of gathering votes, while the candidates are the beneficial owners of the votes cast in elections – HARUNA v APC & ORS. (2019) LPELR-47777(CA) 12-27.

Regarding the second issue, the Appellants submitted that the trial Judge was wrong in holding that the 1st and 2nd Respondent were covered by the constitutional immunity provided by Section 308(1) of the Constitution, and that the Appellants

Court’s Judgement and Rationale The appellate court highlighted the provisions of the Constitution and the Electoral Act referred to by counsel, and concluded that the said provisions are irrelevant to the situation at hand, as they relate to pre-election issues and steps prior to the conduct of elections and post-election issues to be taken up at the election tribunals.

Considering the authorities of AMAECHI v INEC and FALEKE v INEC, relied on by the Appellants, the court held that central to the principles of stare decisis is that cases are only precedents for what they decide – A-G CROSS RIVER STATE v A-G FEDERATION & ANOR. (2012) LPELR-9335(SC). In Amaechi’s case, he had won the Rivers State governorship primary election of the PDP leading to the 2007 governorship election in Rivers State, and his name was submitted to INEC. The PDP subsequently substituted his name with that of Celestine Omehia, who was not even a candidate at the primary election. What the Supreme Court was presented with in that case, was whether the reasons adduced for substitution of a candidate by a political party accorded with the provisions of Section 34 of the Electoral Act, 2006. Just like the situation in FALEKE’s case, the facts are totally at variance with the instant case and cannot serve as precedents in respect thereof. The more apt decision in this situation is that of A-G FEDERATION & ORS. v ABUBAKAR & ORS. (supra).

The appellate court held further that the issues of votes are necessary for the determination of the winners of elections and popularity of political platforms.

However, once the final determination has been made by the Returning Officer and subsequently by the appropriate tribunal and courts, where the outcome of the election was challenged, the elected office holder assumes their office and their removal must be in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. Though defection from one party to another may appear immoral or improper, nonetheless, membership of political parties is an exercise of the freedom of association guaranteed

by Section 40 of the Constitution, which comes with attendant consequences, like every exercise of rights.

While the Constitution provides for consequences for defection of a member of Legislature from the party on whose platform he was elected without showing that the party he left had suffered a division, the situation is different with regard to holders of the Executive offices of President, Vice President, Governor and Deputy Governor.

The provisions for their removal, do not include where such office holders defect from the political party under whose platform they were elected into office. Judicial activism must be guided by the rule of law, lest it degenerate to judicial rascality. Their Lordships stated that the trial court’s rejection of this invitation which would have done incalculable damage to the rule of law and constitutionalism, is commendable.

The court held further that in interpreting the provisions of the Constitution, the literal rule of interpretation must be adopted. It is not the duty of the courts to make laws or speculate as to what the intention of the legislature would be, outside the express words of the legislation.

This duty is even higher with the Constitution. The removal of the 1st and 2nd Respondent as provided for in the Constitution must be in the circumstances contained in Sections 180, 188 and 189 of the Constitution.

Defection from political party on the platform of which they were elected was not stated as one of the grounds, and cannot be made a ground for their removal by the courts pursuant to the extant legal principles of expression unius est exclusio alterius – EHUWA v OSIEC (2006) LPELR-1056(SC). The removal of heads of other arms of government, has not been ascribed to the judiciary. While jurisdiction may be expounded, it cannot be expanded.

Deciding the second issue, the court held that while Section 308(1) of the Constitution seeks to protect the occupants of the offices of President, Vice President, Governor and Deputy Governor from distractions of unnecessary litigation, the present action of the Appellants cannot be brought within the class of such cases. The subject-matter of the action of the Appellants is the very office occupied by the 1st and 2nd Respondent, which offices cannot be deployed as shield by the 1st and 2nd Respondent as the res would have been extinguished by the time they vacate their respective offices at the end of their tenure – AMAECHI v INEC & ORS (supra).

Given the above, the court resolved the second issue in favour of the Appellants. Though the Appellants succeeded in respect of one of the issues, the court held that their failure in respect of the main contention implies that the appeal must be dismissed.

Appeal Dismissed.

Representation Mr. O. Okorie with Mr. C.I.O. Okwor for the Appellants.

Mr. R.O.U. Nwaeze with Mr. N.U. Okoro, Mr. C.A. Okike and Mr. G.S. Ekoh for the 1st and 2nd Respondent.

A.O. Okafor, SAN with Mr. C. Uwa, Mr. E.N. Nwambam and Mr. R.O. Ogbolu for the 3rd Respondent.

Reported by Optimum Publishers Limited,Publishers of the Nigerian Monthly Law Reports (NMLR) (An affiliate of Babalakin & Co.)

V

T H I S D AY TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2022

NEWS

L-R: Chairperson, NBAWF, Prof Oluyemisi Bamgbose SAN; Hon. Justice Roli Harriman; Mrs Dorothy Ufot, SAN; Ireti Yusuf-Bakare; General Secretary, NBA, Joyce Oduah, FICMC; Mrs Ayo Obe and Mrs Rashidat Mohammed at the Nigerian L-R: Hon. Justice Adenike Coker, Mr Sam Popoola, Hon. Justice Oyekan-Abdullahi, Lagos Bar Association Women’s Forum (NBAWF) 2nd Annual Conference in commemoration of International Women’s Day CJ, Hon. Justice Kazeem Alogba and Hon. Justice O. A. Ipaye

Gender Bias Resonates at NBAWF's IWD 2022 Conference Gender inequality is a major concern globally. A UN report released in 2020 found that almost 90% of men and women, hold some sort of bias against females.

To break this bias, and make progress towards attaining the UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 of achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls, requires action. It was to underscore this need for action, that the International Women’s Day 2022 had “Gender EqualityToday for a Sustainable Tomorrow” as its theme, and “Breaking the Bias” as its campaign theme.

Keying into this global theme, the Nigerian Bar Association Women’s Forum (NBAWF) chose “The Invisible Hand of Gender Bias: Championing Collective Change”, as the theme for the second edition of its annual International Women’s Day Conference (IWD 2022). The theme focused on the underlying gender bias in the legal profession, and how it influences individual behaviours that generate, legitimise, and mask broad patterns of inequality.

At the NBAWF Conference held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Thursday, March 31, 2022, speakers and panellists agreed that gender bias occurs everywhere and in all aspects of life, and breaking it is a collective responsibility that must be championed by all.

“Collective change can only happen if we all raise awareness, as it is being done at this Conference and many other conferences”, Prof Oluyemisi Bamgbose, SAN, Chairperson, NBAWF, said in her welcome address at the Conference.

A major milestone, according to her, was the MOU signed between the NBAWF and the New York State Bar Association Women in Law Section, which has facilitated sustained and seamless interactions

regarding issues of common interest between female lawyers across the two jurisdictions as well as encouraged female lawyers to have a global outlook, perspective and reach.

President of the NBA, Olumide Akpata, in his opening remarks commended the NBAWF Chairperson and Council Members, for their efforts in ensuring that the NBAWF fulfils its objectives, part of which is breaking the gender bias.

Akpata, who was represented

by NBA General Secretary, Joyce Oduah, said he was disturbed early in March when the National Assembly rejected the five Gender Bills presented before it. In response, he had asked the Chairmen of NBA Branches in the States to lead a protest to their States Houses of Assembly, and subsequently, the National Assembly announced it would reconsider the Bills.

In her goodwill message, First Lady of Imo State, Mrs Chioma Uzodimma (also a Lawyer), who was the headline sponsor of the Conference, paid tribute to women Lawyers in history, whom she said had worked tirelessly in helping women to achieve the present level of freedom and political power.

She said it is a credit to those women, that over 100 years later, the generations they left behind have not only maintained the unspoken tradition of powerful women extending their hands to the women coming after them, but are also advancing their goal by fighting individually and collectively, the inequality and gender bias women face.

First Lady of Taraba State, Anna Ishaku, commended the efforts of NBAWF, saying the more women come together in different fora to discuss ways of ending gender bias, the more the chances of actually ending the bias.

Deputy Governor of Ogun State,

First Female Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Folake Solanke looking beautiful & radiant on the occasion of her 90th Birthday celebration which held in Ibadan last week

Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele, said one way of breaking the gender bias is for women to support fellow women in all spheres of life through opening doors of opportunities, mentoring, and so on. She said the world would be a

better place, if women had equal opportunities with men.

The Conference featured a total of six panel sessions on the topics “Hidden Biases in Courtroom Dynamics: Gender and the Judiciary”; “Rising to

the Occasion: Leadership from the Eyes of Contemporary Young Women”;“Advancing Society: The National Assembly as a Friend or Foe?”;“The Road Less Travelled: Bullying and Sexual Harassment in the Legal Profession”;

“Shattering Stereotypes: Heels in the Boardroom – A Case for Navigating or Negotiating the Corporate Ladder”; and “Justifying Diversity – Should Quotas be used to Achieve Legal Parity?”, which was a debate session.

Govs Lack Power to Engage Mercenaries Against Terrorists, SANs tell El-Rufai Gboyega Akinsanmi in Lagos and Alex Enumah in Abuja

Four Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), Mr Femi Falana, Chief Mike Ozekhome, Mr Ahmed Raji, and Mr John Baiyeshea, yesterday declared that State Governors lacked the powers under the 1999 Constitution, to invite foreign mercenaries to fight terrorism in their States.

The senior Lawyers, who were reacting to a threat by Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, cited Sections 130, 217, 218, 219 and 305 of the 1999 Constitution, which empower the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to deploy the armed forces, which according to them, include mercenaries.

El-Rufai had told journalists that he had informed President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday that the North-West Governors would resort to foreign mercenaries, if the military failed to wipe out the bandits terrorising the region.

But, speaking to THISDAY on the issue, Falana argued that the Governors “are not competent to hire mercenaries to secure any part of Nigeria under the 1999 Constitution”. The human rights

Lawyer pointed out that Nigeria has one of the best armed forces in the world, pointing out that the huge funds earmarked for acquiring military hardware, was cornered and stolen by some unpatriotic officers.

He accused the members of the ruling class of diverting the attention of the people, from addressing the problems confronting the country.

The Senior Advocate also lamented the failure of the President to deploy the Nigeria Police Council (NPC) under the 1999 Constitution, to address security challenges across the Federation.

He observed that the Constitution “provides for the creation of the Nigeria Police Council made up of the President as the Chairman, the Inspector-General of Police, Chairman of the Police Service Commission and the 36 State Governors.

“The body is empowered to administer, organise and supervise the Nigeria Police. For reasons best known to the Governors, the Council does not meet to perform its constitutional functions”, Falana said. He added that the President has usurped all Police powers in the Federation, because the body does not meet.

Falana insisted that the Federal Government and the State Governments, should fund the security and welfare of the people.

He pointed out that about 15 million out-of-school children “are roaming the streets, ready to be recruited by criminal gangs. These are the challenges of insecurity to be addressed. This is not a job for mercenaries”.

On his part, Ozekhome explained that the engagement of external mercenaries “is akin to the deployment of the military to repel and contain external aggression”.

“It has to do with the command and operational use of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, whether in peace time, war, or under a state of emergency.

“All of this are solely and wholly vested in the President, with some moderation effect by the National Assembly”.

Citing Sections 217, 218, 219 and 305 of the 1999 Constitution, Ozekhome noted that deployment of armed forces or engaging mercenaries “is a purely Federal matter”.

“Only the President of Nigeria who doubles as the Commanderin-Chief, has the constitutional powers to carry these functions

out. Even the Police are by Sections 214 and 215 of the 1999 Constitution, squarely under the purview of the Federal Government”.

Given these constitutional provisions, Ozekhome argued that no State Government under Nigeria’s constitutional democracy and legal regime, “can unilaterally act to invite mercenaries to Nigeria”.

“It is ultra vires their powers.

Their only resort, is a collaborative rapprochement with the Federal Government. However, they can tackle their State security matters within the permissible limits of our constitutional organogram”, he added.

He lamented the decision of the Northern Governors to oppose the demand of their Southern colleagues, to establish State Police when the farmers-herdsmen crisis was prevalent in the South.

While aligning himself with the position that security of lives and property in any part of the country is the primary duty of the Federal Government, Raji noted that State Governors "are mere glorified Chief Security Officers of their States, in that they have no control over the Police, not to talk of other security agencies".

Stop Sensationalising Court Proceedings, Lagos CJ Urges Journalists The Chief Judge Lagos State, Hon. Justice Kazeem Alogba, has urged that proper record of proceedings and judgement on cases be first obtained and read, before making remarks on the Bench.

Alogba made the statement during a courtesy visit by members of the Judicial Editors Forum of Nigeria, also comprising of Nigerian Bar Association Lawyers in the Media Forum.

The visit was held at the Conference room of the Ikeja High Court in Lagos, on Wednesday.

Responding to questions from the forum as it relates to

judgement of courts, the CJ urged members of the public to exercise caution while commenting on court judgements and proceedings.

According to him, a person is only qualified to comment on a court judgement when the entire judgement has been seen and read.

Referring to a recent social media report on a case handled by two Judges of the Lagos Division, he described both the reports and commentaries as unverified.

“Recently, in the social media there was a case handled by

two Judges, and there were utterances on social media that his colleague must have taken a bribe.

“When I heard of the development, I was not disturbed because I know the calibre of my Judges.

“But, lo and behold, when I called the two Judges and I saw the record of proceedings, you could see the mischief by the reports,” he said.

“Court proceedings are public records; so where in doubt about such a case, a journalist can apply for the CTC of the proceedings, and if in an

emergency situation, he can attach an affidavit of urgency.

Alo present at the courtesy visit were Hon. Justices, OyekanAbdullahi, Oshodi, Ipaye and Coker.

Alogba CJ further said that the Lagos Judiciary is also considering the plight of physically challenged Lawyers and litigants, who come to court.

He also spoke at length on the mode of appointment of the new Judges in Lagos State, and why the National Judicial Council commended the Judiciary on the calibre of those appointed.

#upjudicialsalaries ‘The apparent lack of interest in having at least a National Assembly debate on the poor salaries and allowances of Judicial officers, is worrisome. Surely those representing us in both chambers, are able to comprehend that security of remuneration is a sine qua non to preserving the quality and independence of the Judiciary.’ - Olawale Fapohunda, SAN, Attorney-General & Commissioner for Justice, Ekiti State, Nigeria

VI

TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2022 T H I S D AY

INSIGHT ABUBAKAR D. SANI

XL4sure@yahoo.com

08034533892

Why the Money Laundering Act Violates the Right to Property

T

Introduction his startling view is prompted by the seeming inconsistency between the fundamental right to property conferred by Section 44(1) of the Constitution, and the apparent restriction on the enjoyment of that right in relation to cash imposed by the Money Laundering Act, 2011 (MLA), which prohibits cash payments in excess of N5 million and N10million by individuals and companies, respectively, outside designated financial institutions, such as banks, bureaux de change, etc. I believe a clear case can be made for interrogating the validity of that provision of the MLA (Section 1), vis-à-vis the aforesaid constitutional provisions. Do the said provisions of the MLA, amount to compulsory acquisition by the State of a person’s right to deal with or manage his or her cash assets as he or she deems fit?

Is that species of right to, or interest in property capable of compulsory acquisition by the State within the contemplation of Section 44 of the Constitution in the same way as landed or real property? Are there different categories or species of property for the purposes of the right thereto conferred under that provision of the Constitution? Does restricting the value of cash payments which can be made or received outside financial institutions, violate a person’s right or freedom to deal with his/ her/it’s properly without let or hindrance?

Is that right absolute or can it be derogated from under the Constitution? If so, do the circumstances for such derogation exist under the MLA? Beyond the universally-recognised imperative of tackling attempts by organised criminal gangs to launder the proceeds of their illegal activities, can the restriction on cash payments outside financial institutions be rationalised on any credible, constitutionally-defensible bases?

This is the concern of this paper and, I hope to demonstrate, at the end of it, that the answer to the poser is a resounding “No”. But, first, the obligatory statutory review.

The Money Laundering Act (MLA) Section 1 of the MLA provides that: “No person or body corporate shall, except in a transaction through a financial institution, make or accept cash payment of a sum exceeding(a) N5,000,000.00 or its equivalent in the case of an individual; or (b) N10,000,000.00 or its equivalent in the case of a body corporate” Section 15 of the Act further provides that: (1) Money laundering is prohibited in Nigeria” (2) Any person or body corporate in or outside Nigeria, who directly or indirectly(a) Conceals or disguises the origin of; (b) Converts or transfers; (c) Removes from the jurisdiction; or (d) Acquires, uses, retains or takes possession or control of any fund or property (which he) knowingly or reasonably ought to have known that such fund or property is, or forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act; commits an offence of money laundering under this Act” (6) The unlawful act referred to in subsection (2) of this section includes participation in an organised criminal group, racketeering, terrorism, terrorist financing, trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, sexual exploitation, sexual exploitation of children, illegal trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, illicit arms trafficking, illicit trafficking in stolen goods, corruption, bribery, fraud, currency counterfeit-

EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa ing, counterfeiting and piracy of products, environmental crimes, murder, grievous bodily injury, kidnapping, hostage-taking, robbery or theft, smuggling (including in relation to customs and excise duties and taxes), tax crimes (related to direct taxes and indirect taxes), extortion, forgery, piracy, insider trading and market manipulation or any other criminal act specified in this Act or any other law in Nigeria”.

As for Section 44 of the 1999 Constitution, it provides as follows, inter alia: “(1) No movable property or any interest in an immoveable property shall be taken possession of compulsorily and no right over or interest in any such property shall be acquired compulsorily in any part of Nigeria expect in the manner and for the purposes prescribed by a law that, among other things(a) Requires the prompt payment of compensation therefor; and (b) Gives to any person claiming such compensation a right of access for the determination of his interest in the property and the amount of compensation to a court of law or tribunal or body having jurisdiction in that part of Nigeria; “(2) Nothing in subsection (1) of this section shall be constructed as affecting any general law (a) For the imposition or enforcement of any tax, rate or duty; (b) For the imposition of penalties or forfeitures for the breach of any law, whether under civil process or after conviction for any offence; (c) Relating to leases, tenancies, mortgagees, charges, bills of sale or any other rights or obligations arising out of contracts; (d) Relating to the vesting and administration of the property of persons adjudged or otherwise declared bankrupt or insolvent, of persons of unsound mind or deceased persons and of corporate or unincorporated bodies

“…..the effect of restricting how much cash one can pay or receive outside a financial institution, is to compulsorily acquire a person’s right to deal freely with his or her cash or, his/her interest therein”

in the course of being wound-up. (e) Relating to the execution of judgments or orders of court; (f) Providing for the taking of possession of property that is in a dangerous state or is injurious to the health of human beings, plants or animals; (g) relating to enemy property; (h) to trusts and trustees; (i) relating to limitation of actions; (j) relating to property vested in bodies corporate directly established by any law in force in Nigeria; (k) relating to the temporary taking of possession of property for the purpose of any examination, investigation or enquiry; (l) Providing for the carrying out of work on land for the purpose of soil conservation; or (m) subject to prompt payment of compensation for damage to buildings economic trees or crops, providing for any authority or persons to enter, survey or dig any land, or to lay, install or erect poles, cables, wires, pipes or other conductors or structures or any land, in order to provide or maintain the supply or distribution of energy, fuel, water, sewage, telecommunication services or other public facilities or public utilities”.

Even though Section 45 (1) of the Constitution permits the restriction of certain fundamental rights (in the interest of defence, public safety, public order, public morality – in respect of those conferred by Sections 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41), that restriction is expressly inapplicable to the fundamental right to property conferred by Section 44 of the Constitution. Beyond that, however, it is also noticeable that the sort of right over or interest in property contemplated by this provision of the Constitution, appears to be tangible or corporeal in character. In other words, it would appear to exclude the right to manage or deal with one’s cash as he or she deems fit without let or hindrance – certainly not the sort contemplated by the provisions of Section 1 of the MLA on the value of cash that may be transferred outside financial institutions. However, I believe that would be an unduly narrow and restrictive view. This is because, it is settled that the Constitution should be given a broad and liberal interpretation: NAFIU RABIU v THE STATE (1980) 1 S.C. In this context, it means that the right to manage and deal with one’s cash as one deems fit, is no less protected than the right to one’s landed or real property. In other words, the Government may not lawfully

interfere or tamper with the former than with the latter. I believe this is the full import and meaning of the words “and no right over or interest in any such property shall be acquired compulsorily”, used in Section 44(1) of the Constitution. I submit that the phrase “right over or interest in” should be given its broadest, most liberal connotation.

In other words, I believe that the effect of restricting how much cash one can pay or receive outside a financial institution, is to compulsorily acquire a person’s right to deal freely with his or her cash or, his/her interest therein. The question, as previously posed, is: is it legitimate? Can it be justified under the aforesaid constitutional provisions – either as a valid restriction on or derogation from the right to property? I believe the answer, as previously postulated, is ‘No’.

Conclusion While the curbing of so-called illicit financial flows is a legitimate policy concern world-wide, the deployment of legislation as a means of achieving it, should be done in a manner that is consistent with – and does not detract from – the supreme law, the Constitution, particularly its fundamental rights provisions. To the extent that Section 1 of the MLA does not fall within the circumstances envisaged by Section 44(2) of the Constitution (which, it can be recalled, qualify the enjoyment of the right to property under that provision of the Constitution), I believe that it constitutes an unjustifiable violation of that right. In the circumstances – in relation to one’s cash – I believe that that right is all but absolute and sacrosanct. In other words, it cannot be tampered with, abridged, circumscribed or restricted in the way in which Section 1 of the MLA does, by limiting cash payments outside financial institutions to N5m or N10m, as the case maybe.

The foregoing is not mere arm-chair criticism, however. Accordingly, by way of solution, I believe the way out would be for the National Assembly to amend the MLA, by refocusing it on its real targets: drug and human traffickers, as well as the purveyors of the other sundry unlawful acts listed in Section 15(6) of the MLA. This is because, the MLA could not possibly have been intended to cover mundane cash transfers between family members – nor, even, legitimate retail businesses which are outside the formal sector of the economy. Unless, of course (with the benefit of hindsight), the realisation that that provision has proved to be a boon for financial inclusion – an entirely fortuitous fallout. Talk of serendipity.

VII

T H I S D AY TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2022

INSOLVENCY DISCOURSE DR KUBI UDOFIA

INFO@KUBIUDOFIA.COM

The Propriety of Debt Recovery and Settlement in Winding-up Proceedings

A

Introduction creditor may petition for the winding-up of a corporate debtor, for its inability to pay its debts. A winding-up petition is a class action with a communal remedy.

Although usually instituted by individual creditors, winding-up orders “operate in favour of all creditors… as if made on a joint petition”: Section 581 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020 (CAMA). Nevertheless, many winding-up petitions are presented, with the aim of exerting pressure on debtors to pay the debt owed to the petitioning creditor. This practice is partially fuelled, by the desire to avoid time-consuming debt recovery suits. When winding-up is used in this manner, there is a tendency for the petitioner to pursue individual (as opposed to collective) claims against the debtor. This discourse examines the propriety of the pursuit of such remedies, in winding-up proceedings.

Recovery of Undisputed Debts in Winding-up Proceedings A court would readily make a winding-up order, if a creditor shows that (i) the debtor is indebted to the creditor in a sum exceeding N100,000.00, (ii) the debt is due, (iii) the creditor has issued a demand to the debtor for payment, and the debtor has neglected to pay the debt at least three weeks after receipt of the demand: Section 572(a) CAMA. Time and again, courts have cautioned against using winding-up petitions to exert pressure on companies to pay debts: Oriental Airlines Ltd v Air Via Ltd [1998] 12 NWLR (Pt 577) 271 at 181D. Nevertheless, a court would not refuse a winding-up petition (where the above conditions are satisfied) merely because a creditor’s motive is debt recovery.

As was rightly stated in Oriental Airlines Ltd v Air Via Ltd [supra] at 280H-281A, “when the debt is established and a formal demand is made, the court has no discretion in the matter but to wind-up the company.” Accordingly, a winding-up petition may be presented against a financially healthy company, which has neglected to pay an undisputed debt. In Mann v Goldstein [1968] 1 WLR 1091 at 1096C-F, the court stated as follows: “when the creditor's debt is clearly established … this court would not, in general at any rate, interfere even though the company would appear to be solvent.”

A primary objective of compulsory winding-up, is to realise the debtor’s assets and make distributions to its creditors. Winding-up is therefore, a (special) collective debt recovery procedure. It is collective in the sense that, it operates for the benefit of all creditors of the debtor. Brightman LJ highlighted this point in Re Lines Bros Ltd [1983] 1 Ch 1 at 20, where he stated thus: “The liquidation of an insolvent company is a process of collective enforcement of debts for the benefit of the general body of creditors…its purpose is to enforce, on a pari passu basis, the payment of the admitted or approved debts of the company.” Accordingly, presenting a petition with the aim of compelling payment of an undisputed debt is unobjectionable.

What is objectionable is seeking judicial assistance in the pursuit of individual remedies in winding-up proceedings. The Federal High Court (FHC) lacks jurisdiction to make orders relating to recovery of individual debts, in winding-up proceedings: Tate Industries Plc v D.M.B. Ltd [2004] 17 NWLT (Pt 901) 182 at 219C-D. In Re Yanju International Motel Ltd Oriental [1990] FHCLR 17, the petitioning creditor sought for a winding-up order, and an order for the debtor to pay its debt to the petitioner. The court rightly pointed out that the two prayers amounted to eating one’s cake and having it, to wit: winding-up a company, and also asking it to pay the debt for which it was wound-up. The court struck out the

latter prayer, following its withdrawal by the petitioner. Similarly, In Akono v C-P.M.B. Ltd [1996] FHCLR 269, a debtor sought for an order compelling the petitioning creditor to accept an amount from the debtor as monthly installment, in settlement of a debt owed to the creditor. The court rightly held that, it had no jurisdiction to make such order in the winding-up proceedings.

Compromise and Settlement in Winding-up Proceedings Parties to civil actions may settle their disputes on whatever terms they desire. Courts have a duty to encourage settlement in appropriate cases. In Eyo v Okpa [2010] 6 (Pt 1191) 611 at 640D-E, it was held that courts have a “legal”, “moral” and “bounding” duty to promote amicable settlement between parties.

The foregoing does not extend to winding-up proceedings. First, insolvency rules are mandatory with no latitude for pursuit of goals outside those contemplated under CAMA. Second, collectivity (among creditors) is a cardinal feature/objective of insolvency law, with limited scope for individual remedies.

A creditor’s decision to engage in out-of-court settlement with the debtor may not terminate a winding-up action, where other creditors are desirous of proceeding with it. In S.B.N. v Maiden Electronics [1979] 5 FRCR 88 at 92, the court held that it had the discretion to grant a creditor’s application seeking to be substituted for the petitioner with whom the debtor had settled before the hearing of the petition.

Where the debtor has a single creditor, the creditor may be able to terminate or abandon the winding-up action for out-of-court settlement. However, it will amount to improper exercise of judicial power, for a court to stay or adjourn proceedings for such “settlement”.

“A creditor’s decision to engage in out-of-court settlement with the debtor may not terminate a winding-up action, where other creditors are desirous of proceeding with it.…. Where the debtor has a single creditor, the creditor may be able to terminate or abandon the winding-up action for out-of-court settlement”

Such order would be antithetical to the objective of winding-up.

The FHC lacks jurisdiction to enter judgment on terms of settlement in winding-up proceedings. In N.B.N. v Kuta Shipping Ltd (1974) 1 FRCR 210, the petitioner and debtor filed terms of settlement defining how the debt would be paid and asked the court to give judgment on the terms. The court refused on the grounds that the terms of settlement were not in consonance with the claim of insolvency, and that the court lacked jurisdiction to enter judgment on the terms of settlement. This decision was applied in F.M.B. Ltd v Imarsel Chemical Co Ltd (1993) FHCRL 205, where the petitioner applied to court to enter consent judgement on agreed terms of settlement, embodying the debtor’s admission of indebtedness and a payment schedule.

In contrast, Agbo JCA’s leading judgement in U.H.S. Ltd v CPL Industries Ltd (2009) 7 iLaw/CA/L/716M/06, indicates that at the lower court, the petitioner and the debtor “negotiated a settlement which was reduced into writing and by consent of both parties made the judgment of the trial court”. With respect, the lower court acted without jurisdiction in entering judgment on the terms of settlement in the winding-up action.

In Folawiyo & Sons Ltd v Hammond Projects Ltd [1977] 3 FHCR 143, the debtor in a winding-up action applied to court for leave to convene a creditors’ meeting to settle a scheme of arrangement for pro-rata payment of a specified amount to creditors. The court refused the application on the ground that the debtor had not disclosed sufficient facts to enable the court exercise discretion in its favour.

With respect, the court lacked jurisdiction to sanction the scheme in a winding-up action and ought to have refused the application on that basis.

A winding-up order and its consequences are mandatory and cannot be compromised.

A winding-up order may only be set aside by a court of competent jurisdiction. This is In contrast to judgements in civil actions which confer private rights for the benefit of the successful parties, who may compromise the terms of such judgments: S.P.M Ltd v Adetunji [2009] 13 NWLR (Pt 1159) 647at 662-663E-C. Recovery of Disputed Debts in Winding-up Proceedings It is impermissible to use winding-up to extort disputed debts: Oriental Airlines Ltd v Air

Via Ltd (supra) at 281D, 280H. Where a debt is genuinely disputed on substantial grounds, the proper course is for the court to dismiss the petition: Hansa Construction Ltd v Mobil Nigeria [1994] 9 NWLR (Pt 366) 76 at 87G. Winding-up petitions are often fiercely contested, on the ground that the debts are disputed. Consequently, a considerable number of reported winding-up cases relate to disputed debts.

Sound reasons underpin the impermissibility of grounding winding-up petitions on disputed debts. First, the FHC has no jurisdiction to entertain simple debt disputes: Section 272 of the 1999 Constitution; Pharma-Deko Plc v FDC Ltd (2015) 10 NWLR (Pt 1467) 225 at 252C-E. Second, only a “creditor” has the locus to present a winding-up petition under Section 572(a) of CAMA: Weide & Co (Nig) v Weide & Co Hamburg (1992) 6 NWLR (Pt 249) 627 at 640H. Where the debt is disputed, it affects the status of the petitioner as a “creditor” and his right to present the petition. Third, the only relief which a court may grant in a winding-up is the winding-up of the debtor on the ground of insolvency, pursuant to Sections 571(d), 572(a) and 573(1)(b) of CAMA: The Risk of Void Dispositions A debtor’s payment to a creditor after the presentation of the petition, may constitute a void disposition: Section 576 of CAMA. Accordingly, a petitioner who receives payment of its debt may be required to repay same to the insolvent’s estate upon the making of a winding-up order. In Re Liverpool Civil Service Association (1874) 9 Ch App 511, the debtor paid the petitioner part of the debt, and promised to pay the balance on a future date. When the debtor defaulted, the petitioner proceeded with the petition and obtained a winding-up order. On the liquidator’s application, the court held that the part-payment received by the petitioner after the presentation of the petition was a void disposition, and ordered the petitioner to repay.

A cardinal objective/feature of insolvency law, is equal treatment of similarly situated creditors.

Permitting the debtor to make any payment to the petitioner, amounts to giving the petitioning-creditor an advantage over other similarly situated creditors.

To avoid the risk of receiving a void disposition, a petitioner who has received payment from the debtor may terminate the winding-up action. However, this may not be possible where there are (unpaid) creditors who are desirous of proceeding with the petition.

A court has jurisdiction to substitute a creditor for a petitioner, who is unwilling or unable to continue with the petition: Rule 26 of Company Winding-up Rules 2001; Communications Associates Ltd v Pharmacia Nigeria Ltd [1987] FHCLR 77 at 89

VIII

á á ¿ ¼º¼¼ T H I S D AY

COVER

Mrs Jean Chiazor-Anishere, SAN

‘Reintroduction of a National Shipping Line is Overdue’ The Maritime Sector is a goldmine on the global scene, and Nigeria shouldn’t be an exemption or exception with regard to enjoying the benefits that can be accrued therefrom. But, the Nigerian Maritime Industry does appear to have huge but surmountable challenges, including local capacity to own and crew ships, implementation of the Cabotage Law, and the inexplicable absence of a National Shipping Line since the liquidation of the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) in 1995. Onikepo Braithwaite and Jude Igbanoi encountered a Maritime Law Practitioner, Mrs Jean Chiazor-Anishere, SAN who provided clues as to how the seemingly humongous challenges in the sector can be overcome

Y

ou recently rebranded your law firm, and changed its name from Chiazor & Co to Jean Chiazor and Partners. What informed this change of name, and what other significant changes did you effect in the firm?

Yes, my Law Firm was recently rebranded from Jean Chiazor & Co to Jean Chiazor and Partners, to pave way for modernisation and international best practices and standards.

The two Partners whose names are reflected in our new registration certificate, though not yet equity Partners, are encouraged by this acknowledgment vide the registration,

to strive to become equity Partners soon.

Furthermore, our Law Firm also signed Strategic Partnership Agreement with the Law Firm, Olisa Agbakoba Legal.

By this agreement, the two law Firms have agreed to work together in areas of mutual understanding. This is another acknowledgement of the fact that, there is strength in Numbers.

Jean Chiazor and Partners’ Synergy Partnership Agreement with Olisa Agbakoba Legal (OAL) has a special focus on Maritime Law. This seems to be a new development in Nigeria’s legal practice

“Oops! My journey to the top as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has been tumultuous….I say with all sense of humility, that the benefits accruable to taking Silk, are worth the ‘stormy waters’. I have no regrets!”

space. Kindly, tell us the specifics of this agreement and how it is meant to work, if they are not too personal to share.

It could be a guide for other law firms interested in some form of cooperation or the other, to follow The specifics of the Strategic Partnership Agreement entered into with Olisa Agbakoba Legal, are to strengthen and expand our contacts/clientele in the Maritime Space, particularly, towards establishing an enviable legal institution for the upliftment of our Maritime Law and practice, and more importantly, to assisting our Maritime Industry in attaining international best standards. We believe that bringing our vast skills and intellect together through collaboration, we will attract bigger clientele, create more opportunities for employment in our Law firms, provide efficient and adequate legal services for all and sundry.

Maritime Arbitration is gradually gaining acceptance in Nigeria, especially as litigation at the Federal High Court which has exclusive jurisdiction to hear maritime matters can be quite slow,

with vessels being detained for months on end; but, some have expressed concerns that most arbitrations sessions still hold outside Nigeria, in places like Singapore, Malta, London and even Dubai. How can this trend be reversed, to make Nigeria attractive for arbitral proceedings, and improve the administration of justice generally in the maritime sector in Nigeria generally?

Yes, indeed, maritime arbitration is gradually gaining acceptance in Nigeria, and we Maritime Arbitrators of Nigeria, are happy with the trend. However, in order to reverse the trend of resolving disputes under ADR outside the shores of our country, with particular reference to maritime disputes, the Maritime Arbitrators Association of Nigeria, otherwise known as MAAN, has over the years, campaigned for the building of a Maritime Dispute Resolution Centre here in Lagos, Nigeria, and to also serve as a hub for West Africa.

Recognising the fact that we have a good number of qualified and well skilled Arbitrators and Chartered for that matter, here in Nigeria, who have been tested globally and are available to serve, having such a Dispute

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‘Reintroduction of a National Shipping Line is Overdue’ Resolution Centre, coupled with our good policy on Arbitration, will definitely pave way for an attractive Arbitral Proceedings not only here in Lagos, but in other vintage cities in Nigeria.

On the issue of improvement on our administration of justice generally in the Maritime sector, the Nigeria Maritime Law Association, has over the years, continued to assist our Judiciary and the National Assembly in the drafting and amendment of relevant laws, and our Rules of practice and procedure as they relate to Maritime law. Recently, the Nigeria Maritime Law Association, entered into a form of collaboration with the National Judicial Institute (NJI), towards assisting the NJI in expanding the knowledge of some of our Judges in the special field of Maritime Law and Practice.

I believe that a constant review of our laws, reflecting domestication of International Conventions ratified by Nigeria, with a continuous training of our Judges in the Maritime Sector and the establishment of a Maritime Court in the near future, will improve the administration of justice in the Maritime Sector in Nigeria.

What can be done to ease up the gridlock at Apapa Port? What can also be done to make Nigeria a shipping hub in this sub-region like Hong Kong, considering the fact that we have a few ports in the country, several of which are under-utilised?

To ease up the gridlock at Apapa Port, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in conjunction with Lagos State Government and other relevant stakeholders, have strived brilliantly through the introduction of the electronic call up system, popularly known as “ETO”.

However, although this new and brilliant initiative has some hiccups which are mostly man-made sadly, it has, not withstanding, fairly eased up the gridlock at Apapa Port.

This however, is one method which has shown not to be sufficient to earn us a long lasting success story. Hence, I agree with some stakeholders, that building more seaports and tank farms outside Apapa and its environs, will ease the congestion in Apapa.

Furthermore, the introduction of a “Single window" coupled with a constant maintenance of our roads leading to the ports and re-introduction of rail lines to ease the congestion on our roads, will drastically ease doing business in Apapa Ports.

On what can be done to make Nigeria a shipping hub like Hong Kong etc, our Government and our numerous port users must first accept the notion that, it is not only patriotic but necessary to make Nigeria a shipping hub like the great sea ports of Dover, Rotterdam, Singapore, etc, as opposed to making financial gains their priority.

Thereafter, the need to improve our sea ports by regular dredging, increasing the drafts, investing in modern port equipment and machinery, introduction of rail lines to boost and ease road transportation of goods, and ensuring a vast improvement in our logistics chain. This will reduce the numerous man power and physical presence in our ports, with a resultant reduction in corruption and trade malpractices which have eroded our sea ports and made way for all forms of insecurity which negate the notion of making Nigeria a Shipping hub.

As a female Lawyer, share with us your journey to the top as a female Senior Advocate of Nigeria?

Oops! My journey to the top as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has been tumultuous.

Taking SILK in the year 2020 was the peak of my career. I must state that I had applied twice before my third application, which got me the Silk.

The tumultuous aspect for me, of taking Silk, were the changes in the guidelines and requirements which are mandatory amongst other requirements, in proof of one’s agility in legal practice.

Furthermore, as the year progresses, taking SILK became “a task”. Notwithstanding all

Mrs Jean Chiazor-Anishere, SAN this, I must say that it is quite refreshing and fulfilling once one is able to scale through.

I say with all sense of humility, that the benefits accruable to taking Silk, are worth the ‘stormy waters’. I have no regrets!

How would you assess the Cabotage Law and its implementation in Nigeria since its passage almost two decades ago?

How has it impacted on the maritime sector?

The Cabotage law in Nigeria has suffered a checkered history, with a resultant abuse on implementation. The initial beneficiaries of the Cabotage law since its enactment in 2003, the indigenous ship owners, have unfortunately suffered untold/severe hardship due to the misunderstanding and abuse of the Cabotage Act, which brilliant initiative is to provide jobs for our Indigenous Ship owners, expand fleet, with a resultant growth in our Maritime industry in terms of job creation and more.

Its impact on the Maritime sector since its enactment in 2003, has been like a “Roller Coaster”. The Cabotage Act 2003 has been reviewed with guidelines to ease its implementation, but still, there is no encouraging resultant effect on our sector. Happily, should I say, the Cabotage Act has gone into “surgery” again, and I hope that this time, we will have a success story with our indigenous Ship owners and the newly added beneficiaries smiling and increasing fleet, to the benefit of our Seafarers, teeming unemployed youths and resultant economic growth.

Nigeria is on record not to be a ship owning country. That the few who own vessels, are actually fronts for foreigners.

Some have attributed this to the apathy of Nigerian financial intuitions to extend the required facilities to enable Nigerians acquire vessels. How can this negative trend be addressed?

We have a few ship owners, but I guess if we compare the ratio with the population of our dear country, or better still the population of the maritime stakeholders/operators, you will be correct

“Another means is the creation of a Maritime Bank, with the introduction of a single digit as interest for loans or ship financing”

in your statement that Nigeria is not a ship owning country.

So, how can we address this sad trend?

I advocate for a proper implementation of the Cabotage Act, when the recently concluded review at the National Assembly is passed. The Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF), is one good means of increasing our fleet. Another means is the creation of a Maritime Bank, with the introduction of a single digit as interest for loans or ship financing.

This is because our Commercial Banks are yet to get it right, in terms of ship financing. Furthermore, I suggest a 60:40 collaboration between our Government and indigenous shipowners respectively, for the re-introduction of a National Shipping Line. The benefits accruable thereto, are sine qua non to economic boom!

Piracy and kidnapping of crew members was on the in Nigerian coastal waters before. What is the implication of this for the maritime sector, which depends almost wholly on foreign owned and foreign-crewed vessels? What is the position today?

Piracy and kidnapping in our coastal waters howbeit on the rise before now, has happily reduced as reported by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), earlier this year. This cheerful news on the reduction of piracy and kidnapping or armed robbery at sea in our Coastal waters, is not unconnected by the introduction of the Deep Blue Sea Project under the auspices of the Nigeria Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). However, the attainment of this historic success has been attributed to the Presidency playing a major role by providing direction, the Nigeria Navy ensuring the provision of security in our waters, the National Assembly passing the Bill on the SPOMO Act, 2019 (Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Act), and our judiciary ensuring maritime crimes are brought to book. So, it's a big "combo" which has seen the entire gamut of security architecture working together to achieve a common goal. This we must applaud and encourage.

The Protection and Indemnity (P&I) Club - how accessible is to Nigerians?

Why, in your view, does its appear so?

The Protection and Indemnity Club, otherwise known as (P &I) Club, is accessible to Ship owners who can afford it.

It’s an Insurance Club for Ship Owners, with branches in most parts of the world.

Thus, it is accessible to Nigerian Ship Owners who have cause to insure their vessels, in the event of a huge challenge

or loss. We have a client who is a reputable Nigerian Ship Owner, and is a member of the (P & I) Club UK. What are your views on restructuring and calls to redraw the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? Are you satisfied with the ongoing exercise in the Senate?

My major concern with the proposed amended Constitution, is the sad and worrisome National Assembly of 95% men voting against the right for Nigerian Women to grant their foreign born husbands, Nigerian Citizenship. The right for Nigerians in diaspora to vote during National elections, the right for specific seats to be allocated for women in the National Assembly, 35% affirmative action for women in party administration and leadership, amongst others. The depressing fact being that the vote is gender discriminative and biased, and ironically carried out in the month of March this year, when women advocated for “Breaking the Bias”. Thus, I am not happy with this and strongly support our women in calling for a withdrawal of those provisions in our Constitution, or an immediate amendment which is inclusive of the female gender in all ramifications.

How well would you say this administration has performed vis-à-vis its three main campaign promises - insecurity, corruption and the economy?

Hmmmm. Well, I do not know the yardstick for measuring success whilst appreciating the size of our dear country which is multifarious by culture, religion and language. However, as beacons for smooth administration, our Government should go extra mile to fulfil their promises at least by 60%, to secure the mandate of the people.

What are your views on how we are practising democracy in Nigeria 23 years on? Some are of the opinion that we are in a civilian autocracy, and buttress their views with examples like having consensus candidates instead of voting for intra-party positions, where we saw in the recent APC Convention that just took place, that some aspirants complained bitterly that they did not want to concede to the selected candidates?

Is this democracy or imposition of office holders?

I am sorry I will not be able to give you a satisfying answer or comment or view on this question. Not being a politician! I can only say that Nigerians should please go out and register en masse, to vote for Democracy and the change that we all desire.

Otherwise, we will have ourselves to blame if we suffer any imposition of office holders.

I rest. Thank you very much.

Thank you Learned Silk.

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TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2022 T H I S D AY

TALKING CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY DR. MIKE OZEKHOME, SAN

0809 889 8888 SMS ONLY

NASS Cannot Amend the Constitution through the Back Door (Part 3) Introduction

W

e conclude our discourse on Section 84(12) today.

The Supremacy of the Constitution I commend the judgement of Justice Evelyn Anyadike landmark, for protecting the sanctity of the Constitution – the fons et origo; the grundnorm; which I have always described as the Oba, Eze and Emir of our laws. The Constitution constitutes the birth certificate of a nation.

It highlights a Nation’s sovereignty and dignity.

The supremacy of the Constitution as against all other laws and Acts, is provided for in Section 1(1) and 1(3). By virtue of Section 1(3) thereof, “if any other law is inconsistent with the provisions of this Constitution, this Constitution shall prevail, and that other to the extent of the inconsistency be void”.

This supremacy has been severally emphasised in a plethora of cases. In UGBOJI v STATE (2017) LPELR-43427(SC), the Nigerian Apex Court, per Amiru Sanusi, JSC (Pp. 23-23, paras B-D), held thus: “My lords, permit me to reiterate that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, had by Section One, made provision to emphasise or assert its supremacy.

By that provision, any law/statute or provisions thereof that runs riot and violent to the provisions of the Constitution, or is in conflict with the constitutional provision, is null and void to the extent of inconsistency. See A.G. ONDO STATE v A.G. OF THE FEDERATION AND ORS (2002) 9 NWLR (Pt 772) 226.”

Consequently, where the provisions of the Constitution conflict with the provisions of Acts or Bills passed by the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly, the former prevails. See also the cases of OLAGBENRO & ORS v OLAYIWOLA & ORS (2014) LPELR-22597(CA); A.G. ABIA STATE v A.G. FEDERATION (2006) 16 NWLR (Pt. 1005) page 265 at pages 290 and 291; AINABEBHOLO v EDO STATE UNIVERSITY WORKERS FARMERS MULTI-PURPOSE CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY LTD. & ANR. (2007) 2 NWLR (Part 1017) page 33 at page 50, paragraph G and P, 151 paragraphs C-D. Indeed, the Apex Court has held in ISHOLA v AJIBOYE (1994) 6 NWLR (Pt 352) 506, that the Constitution is not only supreme when another law is inconsistent with it, but also when another law seeks to compete with it in an area already covered by the Constitution. This is called the doctrine of covering the field. See AG, ONDO v AG, FEDERATION (2002) 9 NWLR (Pt 772) 222; AG, OGUN STATE v AG, FEDERATION (1982) 1-2 SC 7; SARAKI v FRN (2016) LPELR-40013(SC); INEC v BALARABE MUSA (2003) 3 NWLR (Pt 806) 72; NWANGWU v UKACHUKWU & ANOR (2000) LPELR-6913(CA).

Consequently, it is clear that Section 84(12) is loudly unconstitutional, null, void, of no effect whatsoever, and was dead on arrival. As dead as dodo! This is because the Electoral Act 2022, in Section 84(12), imposed fresh hurdles on the part of political appointees to contest elections during their party Congresses and Conventions. The section is a direct frontal attack on, and confrontation with the sanctity and supremacy of the Constitution.

In that respect therefore, Justice Anyadike was correct to have struck down the section.

It must also be emphasised here that the Constitution reserves the right to expressly make provisions, and such provisions are usually interpreted literally.

An Act, Bill or even courts, cannot read into, or add words to the Constitution, nor subtract from it. As a result, the golden latin maxim of

Expressio Unius Est Exclusion Alterius – the explicit mention of one thing is the exclusion of another – applies to the Constitution. The Constitution has expressly provided for factors that disqualify aspirants who seek to contest elections in Nigeria. See PORTS AND CARGO HANDLINGS SERVICES CO LTD & ORS v MIGFO (NIG) LTD & ANOR (2012) LPELR-9725(SC); EHUWA v ONDO STATE INDEPENDENT ELECTORAL COMMISSION & ORS (2006) LPELR-1056(SC); and, WEST AFRICAN UTILITIES METERING & SERVICES LTD v AKWA IBOM PROPERTY AND INVESTMENTS CO LTD (2019) LPELR-47089(CA).

The NASS has no vires to add to, or subtract from same. Consequently, Section 84(12) of the amended Electoral Act is patently null and void, unconstitutional, unlawful, and of no effect whatsoever. I thank Justice Evelyn Anyadike for giving it a well deserved burial, through her refreshing judgement.

The Political Spectre Looming in the Entire Amended Clause NASS v BUHARI I have, as always, in this outing, tried to avoid discussing the politics of the amendment brouhaha, and concentrate only on my dissertation of the law on the subject-matter. Otherwise, if we were to look at the politics of it, many questions immediately spring up for answers.

For example, when did we ever witness the 9th NASS oppose President Buhari's budgets, bills, letters, actions or requests? When did the NASS ever challenge or overrule Buhari’s nepotic, prebendalistic, tribalistic, cronyistic, religious and sectionalistic appointments in the last seven years?

I cannot remember. Or, can you? When did the “Mr-take-a-bow” Senate (my pet name for the present red chamber, for never ever properly screening public appointees - always telling them to take a bow and go); and for always kowtowing to Mr President's serial requests for humongous loans that haemorrhage Nigeria, ever oppose Buhari? We are talking about loans that await us like booby traps and sentinels, at the door steps of generations yet unborn. I cannot remember when the NASS ever opposed Buhari. Or, can you?

“Why would the Attorney-General seek to delete the offensive Section 84 (12), as ordered by the Judge? A court’s duty stops at voiding an Act or law; but not to delete or repeal it. That is a job for the Legislature or the Law Revision Commission”

The Role of the Attorney-General in this Suit When did the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, ever refuse to appeal a judgement and spontaneously act on the judgement with such automatic alacrity, in obeying Justice Anyadike’s order of court, as we just witnessed? Remember how court judgements and orders were serially disobeyed in the El Zakzaki and Ibrahim Dasuki cases?

Would Malami have taken the same steps, if the judgement had gone against him and the Government? I think not.

The Issue of Joinder Why were the NASS (which initially passed the law), and INEC the implementor of the law not joined in the suit, at least, as Interested and Proper parties, even if not as Necessary parties? See GREEN v GREEN (1987) NWLR (PT 61) 481.

Voidance or Deletion?

Why would the Attorney-General seek to delete the offensive Section 84 (12), as ordered by the Judge? A court’s duty stops at voiding an Act or law; but not to delete or repeal it. That is a job for the Legislature or the Law Revision Commission. When did the Attorney-General (a top player in the Executive) possess statutory powers to delete Acts of the Legislature, when laws are normally gazetted by the Legislature after the President and Governor have respectively signed bills into law? One should have thought that merely voiding the Act was sufficient until future amendment of the Act and consequential deletion of the offensive section, based on the court’s judgement in striking it down.

Venue of the Suit By the way, why was the case filed at FHC in far away Umuahia, Abia State, when the Attorney-General works and resides in Abuja; and when the NASS and INEC (interested parties) are also located in Abuja? Was it an act of forum-shopping and Judge-shopping?

I do not know. Or do you?

Locus Standi On locus standi, I do not agree with those who questioned the locus standi of Chief Nduka Edede, the Plaintiff. Every Nigerian has the locus standi, to question the validity of any statute he believes is unconstitutional.

In the case of AKINPELU & 20 ORS v AG OYO STATE (1985) 5 NCLR 557, it was held as follows: “In my view, the question of locus standi vis-à-vis our present Constitution, cannot be adequately thrashed out without considering the effect of Section 4(8) of the Constitution….

In other words, the subsection places on the court a supervisory jurisdiction over the legislative powers by the National Assembly and a House of Assembly. As any citizen is affected by a new law enacted by the

legislature, it seems to me therefore, that such citizens should be accorded the right to challenge the constitutionality of such enactment. In the case in hand, I accept his evidence adduced by the Plaintiffs, that they reside in Lagelu Local Government and that they pay rates to Lagelu Local Government Council”.

In line with this trend of thought, the court in EJEH v AG, IMO STATE (1985) 8 NCLR 390, relied on the causa célèbre of ABRAHAM ADESANYA v PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERATION (1981) 2 NCLR 358, and laid down three principles thus: “ (1) It behoves any person who is convinced that there is an infraction of the provisions of the Constitution, to be able to go to court and ask for appropriate relief, if relief is required.

(2) A Defendant should be wrong in challenging the locus standi or the capacity of a Plaintiff to sue, when the cause of action is intended to keep the law and the Constitution of the country serene and inviolate.

(3) Any person whose interest, obligation or rights are regulated by any law of general application is an interested party in a cause, matter or suit involving the determination of the validity or constitutionality of such law, notwithstanding that such a person is not made a party in the proceedings”.

In the said case of ADESANYA (supra), cerebral Justice Kayode Eso, JSC (of blessed memory) had held, most lucidly that: “It has to be accepted that our Constitution has undisguisedly put the Judiciary in a pre-eminent position, a position unknown to any other Constitution under the Common Law, where the Judiciary has to see to the correct exercise of the legislative powers by the National Assembly”.

There are too many questions begging for answers, in the way and manner the amendment was handled.

Way Out of the Apparent Conundrum To avoid the present confusion and apparent bad blood generated by the protagonists and antagonists of Section 84(12), the following steps could be taken immediately: Firstly, NASS should, in its ongoing Constitutional amendment exercise, amend Section 66(1)(f) of the Constitution, to specifically include the following category of persons: “all political appointees by whatever name called” , as persons who must give 30 days notice to be able to contest election.

Secondly, NASS itself, political parties, politicians, Lawyers, NGOs, members of the Civil Society and all those who are aggrieved by Justice Evelyn Anyadike’s judgement, should apply to the Court of Appeal for joinder in the suit as interested parties to force an appeal, or prosecute any appeal arising therefrom.

This is legally permissible under the Constitution (Section 243), if the party sought to be joined can show that he ought to have been joined in the suit.

Court of Appeal Act and Rules. See the cases of MUDASIRU & ORS v ONYEARU & ORS. (2013) LPELR- 20354 (CA); KATAMI v KATAMI (2018) LPELR- 46417 (CA); MOUKARI & ANOR v WILLIAM & ORS (2021) LPELR-54860 (CA); IN: RE ELEMA (2018) LPELR- 46233 (CA); WAZIRI v GUMEL (2012) LPELR-2843 (SC). I believe such an application will be granted, without much ado. Thirdly, where the Attorney-General wilfully refuses to appeal the judgement, such aggrieved persons can challenge the deletion of Section 84(12) in a fresh suit. Let us develop our jurisprudence. Let us expand new vistas, and expound the frontiers of the law through judicial decisions. Let us situate our arguments within the proper legal regime and constitutional organogram of our laws, devoid of political sentiments, emotions and morality. There is a wide gulf between the “lex lata” (the law as it is) and the “delege ferenda” (the law as we would want it to be). I have observed that, many analysts usually anchor their arguments on morals and ethics. Jurisprudence and law are not morality.

Such moralists are advised to seek refuge at the pulpits in our churches, monasteries; or mosques; or even shrines. But, certainly not hard-cold law.

(Concluded).

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK “Justice in the life and conduct of the State is possible, only as first it resides in the hearts and souls of the citizens”. (Plato)

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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 01Apr-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.

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Bid Price 3,987.06 3,521.45 100.00

Offer Price 4,049.97 3,521.45 100.00

Yield / T-Rtn 2.46% 1.53% 6.13%

1.09

1.09

0.87%

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 4.06% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.97 3.04 4.14% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 4.50% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 139.37 139.37 -2.75% Vantage Equity Income Fund (VEIF) - June Year End 1.25 1.29 -0.77% Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End 1.08 1.08 4.11% 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 1.50 1.53 4.14% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,165.47 1,165.47 2.50% 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 12.15 12.25 3.14% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 8.13% 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 1.56 1.58 -3.07% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.77 11.77 5.18% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 6.66% PACAM Equity Fund 1.40 1.42 -2.78% PACAM EuroBond Fund 115.48 118.10 0.29% SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 127.35 129.58 7.43% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.02 1.02 9.25% 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 3,511.74 3,550.79 2.00% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 237.59 237.59 0.79% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.36 1.38 5.38% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 317.76 317.76 1.41% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 251.42 255.27 3.87% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 4.75% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 11,404.82 11,565.48 2.66% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.31 1.31 1.17% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 117.93 117.93 0.82% Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Short-Term Fixed Income Fund 108.44 108.44 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 1.00 3.61% United Capital Balanced Fund 1.42 1.44 3.53% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.14 1.16 4.77% United Capital Sukuk Fund 1.09 1.09 1.86% United Capital Fixed Income Fund 1.99 1.99 1.81% United Capital Eurobond Fund 123.95 123.95 1.33% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 5.26% 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 13.41 13.53 1.67% Zenith ESG Impact Fund 15.47 15.64 5.89% Zenith Income Fund 22.55 22.55 2.40% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 5.82%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

122.16 53.16

1.62% 0.82%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

14.29 133.36 106.33 20.36 21.18

14.39 136.64 108.63 20.46 21.28

2.33% 1.31% 2.60% 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

4.04 5.49 17.89 1.00 21.05 169.64

4.14 5.59 18.09 1.00 21.25 171.64

0.82% -5.96% 1.17% 6.06% 5.32% 7.48%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND

Fund Name NAV Per Share Yield / T-Rtn Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund 107.28 10.80% 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.

FSDH Dollar Fund

XV

T H I S D AY ˾ DAY APRIL 5, 2022

FEATURES

Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi Email chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, 07010510430

Another Feather to Tony Elumelu's Cap Charles Ajunwa writes on the TIME 100 Impact Award bestowed on the Chairman of United Bank for Africa and founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Mr. Tony Elumelu

Elumelu accepting the TIME 100 Impact Award at the Museum of the Future in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

A

frica's leading investor and philanthropist, Mr. Tony Elumelu, last week, was honoured with the TIME 100 Impact Award, a recognition for his track record of business turnaround and value creation, and economic empowerment of young Africans.

Elumelu was one of the four Africans named by TIME magazine in the 2020 TIME 100, the annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

At the well attended ceremony which took place at the Museum of the Future in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Elumelu when he mounted the podium to accept the coveted award spoke with a sense of urgency.

Elumelu, who is a trained economist thrilled his audience made up of celebrities, politicians and prominent business leaders. He announced that "The world is in need of people like us- more than ever before," adding, "In the 21st Century, there's so much poverty, sickness, and bitterness in the world. Our calling should be one that has to prioritise humanity."

Apart from stressing that Africa, and the world, need investment and opportunities more than ever, Elumelu called for pulling together of resources to tackle the hydra-headed problems of poverty and unemployment.

About TIME 100 It recognises the achievement of the world’s most influential people promoting science and technology, leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, creativity and even community.

To assemble the list, TIME Magazine relies on their journalists around the world and also TIME 100 alumni. The aim is not only to celebrate these persons but also to encourage them to keep improving their space and continue to

Also in 2018, Elumelu received the Person of the Year Award from the Vanguard Newspapers, Nigeria.

Awards and Honours Elumelu has garnered many In 2019, he received the National national and international awards. Productivity Order of Merit, the In 2003, the Federal Government of Jeune Afrique ‘100 Most Influential Nigeria granted Elumelu the title of Africans, and Honorary Degree of Member of the Order of the Federal Doctor of Business Administration Republic (MFR), a national honour. (Honoris Causa), Also in 2006, he won the African Impacts Business Leader of The Year Award Elumelu, who is revered for conferred by the United Kingdombased magazine, Africa Investor. In business acumen globally has 2009, the Nigerian President Umaru been making an exponential impact Musa Yar'Adua asked him to serve when no one was watching and on the Presidential Committee on applauding. He has been positioning himself as a formidable figure that the Global Financial Crisis.

Elumelu in 2012, received Nigeria’s upcoming generations can look up prestigious award of Commander of to and learn from.

He is the Chairman of leading the Order of the Niger, (CON) for his service in promoting private African financial services group, the enterprise. At the 5th edition of United Bank for Africa (UBA), with the annual Economic Forum of the presence in 20 African countries, Ivorian National Council of Employers, and offices in Paris, London, and CGECI Academy, (CGECI) in Abidjan New York.

He is the Founder and Chairman in April 2016, he was awarded a of Heirs Holdings Ltd, an African Lifetime Achievement Award.

Also, in 2016, he was awarded the propriety investment company, Daily Times, Nigerian Man of the Year. with interests in power, oil and The same year, Elumelu received the gas, financial services, hospitality, Daily Times, Man of the Year award. real estate and healthcare, The Delta State-born internationHe received the Inaugural Dwight D. Eisenhower Global Entrepreneurship ally acclaimed businessman sits Award in 2017, Business Council for on numerous public and social International Understanding (BCIU) sector boards, including the global and the French President Macron ‘Tech advisory board of the United Nafor Good’ global coalition award in tions Sustainable Energy for All Initiative (SE4ALL), USAID’s Private 2018. change the narrative across the world.

"The world is in need of people like us- more than ever before...In the 21st Century, there's so much poverty, sickness, and bitterness in the world. Our calling should be one that has to prioritise humanity"

Capital Group Partners Forum (PCG), and is Co-Chair of the Aspen Institute’s Global Food Security Working Group.

He serves on the international boards of the Washington DC-based think tank the Wilson Centre and a member of the Global Advisory Council, Harvard Kennedy School’s Centre for Public Leadership, Harvard University, Global Advisory Council, UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited (GenU), an initiative of the United Nations refocused youth agenda, Member, Global Shapers Foundation, World Economic Forum and Member, World Economic Forum Community of Chairmen.

Elumelu is known for his significant contribution to entrepreneurship in Africa.

In 2010, he created The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), the philanthropy empowering a new generation of African entrepreneurs, catalysing economic growth, driving poverty eradication and ensuring job creation across all 54 African countries.

The foundation has given $5,000 each to 15,000 young entrepreneurs from 54 African countries as part of his effort to grow the entrepreneurial spirit in Africa and encourage economic development.

Bretton Woods Committee, which brings together senior leaders in the global banking industry, a recognition of his work on African development.

Elumelu who is a Fellow of the Nigeria Leadership Initiative (NLI), is involved, through his Foundation, with the Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative (AGI) in a partnership to strengthen the private sector's role in the economic transformation of select African countries. This partnership is called the Blair-Elumelu Fellowship Programme. He is co-chair of the Africa Energy Leaders' Group (AELG).

The Delta State-born business guru will keep winning local and international laurels.

XVI

T H I S D AY ˾TUESDAY APRIL 5, 2022

PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT We Build Roads to Grow Our Economies, Says Buhari Bennett Oghifo

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari has said that the interconnection of the African continent with major highways was designed to build and develop the economies of the different countries.

The president stated this during the week in Abuja at the African Road Builders’ inaugural conference and Africa Road Builders’ Award, known as the Trophee Babacar Ndiaye Award.

President Buhari won the 2021 Trophee Babacar Ndiaye award but the presentation was not done because of COVD-19. The president’s award was thus presented at the Abuja conference.

The president, represented by the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, said the Trans African Highway programme, launched in 1971 sought to connect the whole of Africa through a major system of nine highways, the TAH1 to the TAH9, covering an aggregate distance of 56,683 kilometres.

The African Development Bank (AfDB), he said is a financial institution set up to support the African countries in their developmental objectives.

The African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement was set up to create a unified, borderless market of over one billion people to facilitate intra-African Trade.

“I am delighted to report that Nigeria is playing her membership and leadership role in all of these institutions and in the pursuit of achieving their objectives.

“Only a few days ago in the city of Lagos, our private sector opened a 3,000 metric tonne granular Fertilizer Company to support Farmers and Agriculturalists on the African continent and beyond. Our collaboration with the African Development Bank has been productive and results are now manifest in projects like the Mfum-Bamenda Bridge that connects Nigeria and the Republic of Cameroon. I also acknowledge the support of the Bank in financing Feasibilities, consultancies and pre-construction work on the Lagos-Abidjan Corridor, comprising Nigeria, the Republic of Benin, Togo, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire which is part of Trans African Highway No. 7 from Dakar in Senegal to Lagos in Nigeria.

“I am happy to report that the Nigerian section of this highway is now under construction on the Lagos-Badagry corridor through our local financing institution such as the Tax Credit

Scheme introduced by Executive Order No. 7; and in collaboration with the Lagos State Government.

I am able to report that apart from Trans African Highway No. 7, Nigeria is also connected

by Trans African Highways No. 2, Algiers to Lagos and Trans African Highway No. 8, Lagos – Mombasa.”

He said the East to West crossing of Nigeria across the Second River Niger Bridge, which will be finished this year is a major investment by Nigeria on the Lagos-Mombasa Trans African Highway, as is the Enugu – Abakaliki to Mfum Highway.

According to him, the 375Km Abuja to Kano that is now under construction is Nigeria’s major part of the Trans African Highway No. 2; Algiers to Lagos.

“Apart from these Trans African connections, we are rebuilding, expanding or replacing strategic Highways and Bridges across our country.

“The Apapa-Oworonshoki Highway in Lagos is strategic for trade and business facilitation to support our busiest and largest Sea Port in Apapa and Tin Can Island.

“The Suleja-Minna Highway is critical to our petroleum distribution network and access to strategic petroleum products Depot in Niger State; and it is receiving attention, while the Calabar-Itu-Odukpani unlocks access to agricultural produce and supports mining and extractive activities for construction, in the South South and South East of Nigeria.”

He said these are only examples of over 13,000Km of Road and Bridge construction, expansion and rehabilitation nationwide. They have been a major boost for the growth of our economy, keeping people at work; driving a supply value chain, stimulating productivity at Quarries, Cement Factories, Steel Factories, and the Petroleum sectors for lubricants, fuel and bitumen.

“Our most recent GDP results of 3.40%, the biggest in the last 7 years clearly show that the construction sub-sectors and related sub-sectors of the economy were among the big performers of the growth surge. Very evidently, infrastructure investment is good for the economy.”

Accepting his award, Buhari said, “The founding vision of African Leaders is coming

to fruition, Evidence of the African Renaissance is being shown today in Nigeria. The Trophee Babacar Ndiaye 2022 at the 7th Edition of Africa Road Builders symbolises this Renaissance.

“On behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I accept the Africa Road Builders Award for the Hope, Prosperity and Progress that it symbolises,” said President Buhari.

In a presentation ‘Building Roads, Building Economies’ at the 7th Edition of the African Road Builders – Trophee Babacar Ndiaye 2022 in Abuja, the Head, Special Projects & Ag. Coordinator, NII3P (A PPP Training Institute of ICRC), Dr. Amanze Okere said in 2005, the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) Act was passed to bring about renewed hope in the quest for critical infrastructural development in Nigeria through the use of alternative sources of financing, by attracting private investment capital into infrastructure development. This enables the Private Sector to effectively partner with the Public sector in the provision of critical infrastructure, which the government was unable to provide due to pressure on scarce revenue, through a clear framework which provides regulatory guidance.

Okere said the Act is being amended by the National Assembly to implement improvements observed over the years, adding that it establishes the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) Sec. 14.1 and that MDAs may enter into a contract with or grant concession to any duly pre-qualified private sector proponent for the financing, construction, operation, and maintenance of any infrastructure that is financially viable or any development facility of the federal government.

The Act empowers the ICRC to; Provide general policy guidelines, rules and regulations; Take custody of every concession agreement entered by the Federal Government; Ensure efficient execution of any concession agreement or contract entered by the federal government.

The ICRC coordinates the activities of the Nigeria Public Private Partnership Network (NPPPN), a platform for all States Heads of PPP Units nationwide, as well as the Public Private Partnership Units Consultative Forum (3PUCF), a forum for Heads of PPP Units in Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies; for knowledge and experience sharing ensuring symmetry of effort towards institutionalising the federal government’s PPP programme, provi-

sion of training and educational intervention among others.

He said for 2022, ICRC intends to gazette a pipeline of 52 eligible and bankable PPP projects, worth about USD 22 Billion by the beginning of Q2, 2022.

The Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) presented the Bonny-Bodo road project, among others, stating that “For over three decades, there have been aspirations, from various stakeholders, to have a major highway access into Bonny Island, which is a major oil and gas export hub for Nigeria.

“Access into Bonny Island has predominantly been by water transportation and the lack of an access road is said to have impacted the socio-economic development on the island.

This lack of access is also a major driver for the prevalent high cost of living in the community and likewise the high cost of doing business, estimated between 20 – 40% when compared to other Nigerian cities i.e. Port Harcourt, Lagos and Abuja.

“NLNG, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Development Framework, supports the development of infrastructure by various levels of government, particularly within the Niger Delta. Bonny Island and Nigeria LNG stand to benefit tremendously not only in cost reduction in doing business but also enhance the rapid development on the island. Social Economic Impact: Culture: Deepen Diversity Improved and alternative access for indigenes and visitors, boosting economic development and understanding of Bonny Culture Employment and Human Capital Development: Bonny Community Health Insurance Program (BCHIP), Bonny Malaria Elimination Programme (BNYMEP); Economic Diversification & Expansion: Opening of Business corridor along the Right of Way; Better access to Utilities - Power, IT etc., underpins the Bonny–Dubai Vision: Bonny Tourism Initiative, with easier access to Eco-Tourism sites, Finima Nature Park and Bonny Consulate Building Trigger for boosting alternative economy Strategic fit with NLNG’s aspirations: Significant reduction in cost of NLNG Operations: aligned with our strategy and key focus areas Cost Competitiveness Shareholder Value; Business Growth: Deepening LNG & LPG Domestication – through LNG & LPG Road Trucking – boosting supply in other untapped markets and areas in the country.”

Palton Morgan Signs BCL to Build Nigeria Needs Local Contractors to Sustain Railways, Says Akpoviroro Paramount Twin Towers Fadekemi Ajakaiye Palton Morgan, a parent brand of Grenadines Homes and Oceanna, recently signed a contract with Business Contracting Limited, (BCL) for the construction of Paramount Twin Towers, a magnificent mix-use masterpiece at Oniru Waterfront, Victoria Island.

Speaking at the signing event, Nidal Turjman, the Group Chief Operating Officer/Executive Director, Palton Morgan, said that the company is focused on creating exquisite structures and aspirational lifestyles aimed at advancing lives and the real estate sector.

Paramount Twin Towers is a luxurious project that started last year in Oniru, Victoria Island. It is a 160-unit high-rise development with first-class facilities for residential and commercial purposes.

“We are very selective with whom we work with, and we have chosen BCL because of their track record. We have worked with them on several projects, and they have always delivered top-notch services timeously. We launched the construction of Paramount Twin Towers project with Trevi foundation as Piling contractor, and now we have BCL on board as main contractor,” Turjman added.

L-R: CEO of BCL, Roda Fadlalah; and Group COO, Palton Morgan Holdings, Nidal Turjman at the contract signing ceremony in Lagos…recently

Fadekemi Ajakaiye Nigerian UK based railway expert, who is a former London Underground specialist, James Akpoviroro has said local content, especially involvement of skilled Nigerians remain sacrosanct to the sustainability of ongoing investment in rail infrastructure in the country.

Akpoviroro insisted that the government must avoid the current situation of some key infrastructure like the Ajaokuta Steel Company by ensuring that Nigerians are carried along in the development of railways in the country.

Speaking in Abuja, the experts said such a situation could help the country reduce cost, retain foreign exchange in the country and reduce contracts cost, especially the maintenance of existing railway infrastructure.

He also maintained that the move would lower cost, transfer technology and retain current spending on railways in the country.

Akpoviroro noted that the Federal Government would be on a safer side if Nigerian railway experts are carried along to ensure sustainability of the investment being made

on railway development in the country.

Recall that Nigeria has been investing massively in railways, planning to connect the country by rail line as part of measures to fast track industrial development. While the Abuja- Kaduna line has been in operation, Abuja Metro Rail, the 327km Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri Rail which started in 1987, was completed in 2020. The 156km Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Railway with an extension to Lagos Port, funded by the Export-Import Bank of China has also been running. A $2bn internationally-funded line is expected to connect the country’s north to neighbouring Niger while the $3bn line linking Port Harcourt to Maiduguri in the north has also been on the table.

Apkoviroro said Nigeria has not done badly in the effort to overhaul railways in the country but stressed that the involvement of local experts remained sacrosanct.

Urging Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi to surround himself with Nigerian railway experts, Akpoviroro said such a move would address maintenance related issues and create a futuristic approach.

“Railway business is vast, it’s a big source of employment and we need to put our people in. We have them locally and internationally and it is high time we bring them together to lower cost and create a sustainable maintenance plan,” he said.

Pointing to the dilemma on the Ajaokuta Steel Company and other similar projects, Akpoviroro, who spent over three decades working on rail projects at London Underground, UK leading rail line noted that building local experts could lower cost of construction and maintenance of rail projects in Nigeria.

Considering the funding challenges facing the sector, Akpoviroro noted that the Federal Government must find a way to open the sector to the private sector.

“Instead of always going abroad to look for loan, let’s look inward and bring Nigerians with technical and financial strength on board. We can’t build a railway in a day. We need to do it gradually.

“If the private sector in Nigeria is considered, there are lots of experts, if you give them the green light that the government will be sincere and

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2022

25

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET

A S

REPO

A T

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

08056356325

A P R I L

S & P INDEX

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%

Amid Uncertainty in Oil Sector, Paucity of Funds Slow Down Several NNPC Gas Projects

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja With funding challenges besetting the oil and gas industry in Nigeria, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) has deferred the completion of some projects in the sector while others have been stalled.

Of the government’s priority projects, as the company describes them, only a few have reached completion stage while the fate of majority of the projects remain

uncertain.

Apart from the global push, especially by Western countries and oil companies to withdraw funding for major oil and gas activities due to the push for renewable sources of energy, the inefficiencies within the hydrocarbons exploration space in the country has further stifled liquidity in the sector.

A number of the International Oil Companies (IOCs), which are in joint venture partnership with the NNPC are currently

hampered by the new direction of their shareholders which are compelling them to divest from fossil fuels.

A document from the national oil company detailing the status of some gas projects, obtained by THISDAY, indicated that while some of the projects that have gone on for years have not exceeded 50 per cent, others had yet to commence.

Of the 24 priority projects, only a few, including the Expansion

of the Excravos-Lagos pipeline system had been completed.

For instance, the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) for the new Egbin metering station in Lagos state is still at 9.4 per cent completion, years after work commenced.

In 2017, the NNPC disclosed that it would build the 500 million standard cubic feet of gas per day metering plant to serve the planned capacity expansion of Egbin power plant, reported to be Nigeria’s

largest gas-powered plant.

It was planned to expand its installed generation capacity from 1,320 megawatts (MW) to 2,670MW. Also, the Transnational Gas Pipeline (TNGP) and TNGP Phase 1A, which have been in the works for years, according to the document are yet to take off, although the phase B, covering the compensation for AKK Right of Way (RoW) acquisition, has been fully paid up.

Last week, the House of Representatives called on the company to make available the report of the implementation, funds utilisation and status of the $12 billion 4,128 kilometres project.

It also urged the corporation to review the master plan of the project in the light of present day realities.

In the motion presented at Continued on page 26

FG: With Dangote Refinery, Lekki Deep-sea Port, Modular Refineries, Nigeria on Path to Irreversible Industrial Revolution Eromosele Abiodun The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has stated that the enabling environment provided by administration of President Muhanmadu Buhari,

which birthed the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical plant, $2.5 billion Dangote Fertilizer Plant, Lekki Deep Sea Port and three more modular refineries to be commissioned before May 2023 in Edo and Bayelsa states amongst others, has put Nigeria on

the path of industrial revolution.

He stated this during a tour of the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical plant and Dangote Fertilizer plant located in Ibeju Lakki, Lagos with some select journalists.

Mohammed, who described the

FOOD

COMMODITIES

NAME OF COMMODITY

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

NAME OF COMMODITY

RICE

100KG

ABUJA

N23,000–N25,000

SORGHUM

50KG

OYO

N22,000-N25,000

50KG

PLATEAU (JOS)

N23,500-N25,000

50KG

KWARA N24,000–N27,000

50KG

LAGOS

50KG

RIVERS N23,000–N26,500

50KG 50KG

N23,000–N26,500

SOKOTO N11,500–N13,000 EDO

N17,000–N20,000

refinery as undoubtedly one of the busiest construction sites in the world, said the President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote is leading Nigeria’s industrial revolution.

According to him, “The coming into being of such massive industrial

SIZE

PRICE

STATE

100KG JIGAWA

complexes as the Dangote Fertilizer Company and the Refinery were made possible by the enabling environment provided by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. Today, new businesses are springing up in all

sectors, thanks to a conducive business environment. Under this Administration, the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has implemented Continued on page 26

T O D AY

PRICE

NAME OF COMMODITY

N9,000

C O C OA

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

1 TON

ONDO

N740,000 – N760,000

1 TON

OSUN

N730,000 – N750,000

1 TON

EDO

N720,000 – N740,000

100KG

BENUE

N8,500

100KG

KADUNA

N8,500

50KG

ENUGU

N23,000

50KG

LAGOS

N17,000

1 TON

CROSS RIVER

N700,000 – N720,000

100KG

DELTA

N23,000

1 TON

AKURE SOUTH, ONDO

N730,000 — N755,000

26

TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS FOOD

NAME OF COMMODITY

PALM OIL

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

25CL LAGOS N20,000-N25000 25CL

PH

NAME OF COMMODITY

TOMATOES

N21,000 – 24,000

COMMODITIES SIZE

STATE

40KG BENUE

PRICE

N15,000

40KG

KADUNA

N5,000

40KG

ABIA

N18,000

25CL IBADAN N18,000-N22,000 25CL

IMO

N21,000–N24,500

25CL

EDO

N17,000–N20,000

25CL ABUJA

N19500- N25000

25KG LAGOS 40KG DELTA

N9,500 N17000

PRICE

T O D AY

NAME OF COMMODITY

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

ONIONS

100KG

IBADAN

N25,000

100KG

KANO

N10,000

100KG

BENUE

N27,000

100KG GOMBE

N12,000

100KG DELTA

N21,000

100KG LAGOS

N25,000

100KG ENUGU

N15,000

100KG

N29,000

ABIA

NAME OF COMMODITY

MAIZE

LOCATION

PRICE

100KG JIGAWA

N9000

100KG ENUGU

N24000

100KG DELTA

N15000

100KG ABIA

N14000

50KG LAGOS

N13500

SIZE

Fitch: Russian Invasion of Ukraine Will Impact Nigeria, Other African Countries Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Russian invasion of Ukraine will have a significant effect on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), including Nigeria’s, a Fitch Solutions report has stated.

However, the report stated that the downward growth revisions will be partly offset by economies of some Sub-Saharan African countries on expectations of stronger growth in the region’s oil exporters.

“We now forecast real GDP growth in SSA of 3.4 per cent in 2022, down from 3.8 per cent projection at the beginning of the year.

“However, our downward growth are partly offset by expectations of stronger growth in the region’s oil exporters. We have revised up our growth projection for Nigeria from 3.0 per cent to 3.2 per cent, with an expected decline in domestic output capping expansion,” it noted.

Compared to other emerging markets, the report said that SubSaharan Africa exports very little to Russia and Ukraine, stressing therefore that the conflict would have limited impact on trade.

But Fitch stated that Nigeria and Angola are most exposed to wheat price rises as inflationary pressures build, adding that rising grain and energy prices will have a particularly strong inflationary impact on some countries in Africa.

“In SSA, food and transport

can account for as much as 75 per cent of the consumer price index,” the report noted.

It listed Malawi and Guinea, two very small markets as the only countries to send more that 2 per cent exports to the two warring countries, but stressed that Russia remains a larger source of the continent’s grains supply.

“However, Russian production is unlikely to be significantly affected by the conflict, and export restrictions in retaliation to Western

sanctions Russia and Ukraine are unlikely to target SSA,” Fitch projected.

It pointed out that rising grain and energy prices will have a particularly strong inflationary impact in SSA couAfrica and outstrip supply, especially in Angola, Nigeria and Kenya.

“Grain demand in the region has risen sharply in recent years, and far outstrips supply, especially in Nigeria, Angola and Kenya. We have revised up our 2022 inflation

forecasts for South Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, Namibia and Sudan “While a few SSA economies, notably Nigeria, Angola, CongoBrazzaville, Gabon and South Sudan are net oil exporters, most SSA economies are net oil importers of oil.

“With import bills set to rise, we have revised our forecasts to signal wider current account deficits for big net oil importers,” the report added.

Report: World’s Top Banks Financed Fossil Fuels With $742bn in 2021 Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The 60 largest banks in the world poured as much as $742 billion in fossil fuel financing in 2021 alone, a new report by a coalition of environmental groups has indicated.

It further said that since the

Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015, the world’s largest commercial and investment banks have financed fossil fuels with a cumulative $4.6 trillion.

The report was issued by Oil Change International, Rainforest Action Network, BankTrack, Indigenous Environmental

Network, Reclaim Finance, Sierra Club and Urgewald.

Banks have come under increased pressure and scrutiny over the past years to stop funding fossil fuels.

“JPMorgan Chase remains the world’s worst funder of climate chaos, with JPMorgan Chase,

Wells Fargo, Mizuho, MUFG, and all five Canadian banks among those that increased their fossil financing from 2020 to 2021,” the authors of the report said.

According to Oilprice.com, overall, fossil fuel financing remained dominated by four

US banks, as JPMorgan Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America together accounted for one-quarter of all fossil fuel financing over the last six years.

Fracking received $62.1 billion in financing last year, and was dominated by North American banks with Wells Fargo at the

top, funding producers like Diamondback Energy and pipeline companies like Kinder Morgan.

This week’s ‘Banking on Climate Chaos’ report showed that Citi and JPMorgan Chase provided the most financing for offshore oil and gas in 2021.

OPEC Drops IEA Production Data for Assessing Quota Compliance Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will no longer use the International Energy Agency (IEA) as a source of data on its members’ crude output, after a vote of the producer bloc’s ministers.

Relations between the two bodies have rapidly deteriorated recently over climate policies and energy supplies, sources told S&P Global Commodity Insights.

But OPEC will still use its remaining five secondary sources, including S&P Global Commodity Insights and IHS Markit, both part

of S&P Global, along with the US Energy Information Administration, Argus Media and Energy Intelligence.

Because OPEC’s decisions are usually based in hard facts, it averages production data from all of its independent secondary sources to track member output

and assess compliance with quotas.

The decision came in an extraordinary OPEC meeting, held minutes after the organization and its allies, including Russia, rubber-stamped a 432,000 b/d production rise for May, against the lobbying of the IEA and the oil consuming countries that it

represents for more crude supplies.

A delegate-level OPEC+ technical committee had already decided to stop including the IEA’s production estimates in its calculations on quota compliance, and the subsequent vote by the ministers means that all IEA data also will not be included in OPEC’s monthly

oil market report calculations.

OPEC delegates said the organisation felt the IEA’s data has been tainted by anti-fossil fuel bias, particularly with the agency’s net-zero roadmap which said all new upstream investment should stop if climate change is to be contained.

FG: WITH DANGOTE REFINERY, LEKKI DEEP-SEA PORT, MODULAR REFINERIES, NIGERIA ON PATH TO IRREVERSIBLE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION over 150 reforms, moving Nigeria up 39 places on the World Bank Doing Business index since 2016.

“Mr. President also signed the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020 (CAMA 2020) - Nigeria’s most significant business legislation in three decades. The result of this favourable business environment is the birth of new businesses such as the $2.5 billion Dangote Fertilizer Plant that will produce 3 million metric tonnes of Urea every year; the 650,000 barrels per day oil refinery due to open

later this year; Lekki Deep Sea Port, one of the most modern sea ports in West Africa; BUA’s 3 million metric tonnes cement plant; and the 5,000 barrels per day Modular Refinery in Ibigwe, Imo State, and three more modular refineries to be commissioned before May 2023 in Edo and Bayelsa states just to mention a few.”

He added that before the Buhari administration came into office in 2015, Nigeria had a fertilizer shortfall of about 3.5 million tonnes per annum (over 6 million tonnes per

annum are required in the country “Thanks to the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative launched by President Muhammadu Buhari, indigenous companies like Indorama and Notore - with a combined capacity of over 2.5million tonnes per annum. Yet there was still a fertilizer shortfall.

With the coming on stream of the Dangote Fertilizer Plant, Nigeria is now self-sufficient in the production of urea. In fact, Nigeria is now the leading producer of Urea in Africa, “he said.

The Dangote Fertilizer plant, he revealed, is already exporting to the US, India, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina.

He added that the Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemical Plant and the Fertiliser plant will ensure Nigeria’s food and energy security is secured.

“Gentlemen, based on what we have heard here today with regards to the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Refinery, officially know as The Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemical Plant, the refinery

would be a game changer once it comes on stream in terms of employment generation, huge value addition that will contribute to the increase in GDP, conservation of foreign exchange as there will be no more importation of petroleum products, generation of foreign exchange through export of finished product, availability of petroleum products thus ending petrol queues and attract foreign capital investments. The total investments in the fertiliser plant is $2.5 billion while that of

the refinery is above $19 billion, “he said.

Speaking, the Executice Director, Strategy Capital Projects and Portfolio Development, Dangote Group, Mr Devakumar Edwin said the philosophy of the investments in the Fertiliser Plant, Petroleum Refinery and the Petrochemicals Plant is to overcome a problem which is several decades old- from the time when colonialists came to Africa to exploit and take out the raw materials and sell the finished products back to the continent.

AMID UNCERTAINTY IN OIL SECTOR, PAUCITY OF FUNDS SLOW DOWN SEVERAL NNPC GAS PROJECTS plenary by Ahmed Munir, he recalled that on January 14, 2002, the NNPC and the Algerian National Oil and Gas Company (Sonatrach) had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a $12 billion project with a projected annual capacity of 30 billion cubic meters that will extend gas supply to Europe. He noted that since then nothing has been achieved.

In the same vein, the contract validity for the EPC for rehabilitation of the Sapele metering station, which was supposed to be completed in Q3, 2021, has been extended.

It is the same for the EPC for the Oben metering station in Edo state, which is 43.1 per cent

completed as well as the EPC for the upgrade of Delta IV metering station, which is at 41.2 per cent completion.

For the Makaraba gas processing and compression facility, a 60mmscf plant, whereas the project cost is $60 million, only $12 million has been approved for release.

Furthermore, the EPC for the Gas Revolution Industrial Park in Delta State is yet to commence, while the EPC for the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline being executed by the NNPC and ONHYM has only reached 14.3 per cent.

Added to that, the Engineering, Procurement and Construction of

pipeline infrastructure gas supply to Excravos power supply project is only at 2.5 per cent completion.

Aside the projects listed in the NNPC document, other projects which are receiving no funding at all at the moment include the Brass LNG gas supply project.

The $20 billion Brass LNG project in Bayelsa State and the $9.8bn Olokola LNG project, located on the border town between Ogun and Ondo states, were initiated in 2003 and 2005 respectively, but have now been stalled.

Brass was designed to produce 10 million metric tonnes per annum of LNG and was to be built by the NNPC, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Eni Group,

although ConocoPhillips and Chevron withdrew.

Others, which appear to have been abandoned include the $16 billion Gas Revolution Industrial Park project in Ogidigben which was planned to produce fertiliser, methanol, petrochemicals and support power plants.

Work was supposed to have seven years ago when the groundbreaking ceremony was held by President Goodluck Jonathan.

“About $20 billion will be invested to develop the Gas Industrial Park, which will generate 250,000 direct and indirect jobs.

“It will be connected to over 18 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves in fields such as Odidi, Okan, Forcados,

located within a 50km radius,” Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said in 2017. Since then, the project has not effectively taken off.

If the pending projects were completed before now, Nigeria would have been reaping tremendous proceeds as Europe is currently shopping for an alternative to Russian gas.

Under pressure to free themselves from Russian gas supply to Europe, several ambassadors from the continent had recently met with the federal government, appealing for an increase in the supply of the commodity to their respective countries.

The call came on the heels of the ongoing war between Russia and

Ukraine, which is threatening gas supply to European countries. The Vladimir Putin-led country presently supplies about 30-40 per cent of Europe’s gas needs.

The delegation, which a fortnight ago met with the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, included the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Samuela Isopi and French ambassador to Nigeria, Emmaunelle Blatmann.

Others were: The Spanish ambassador to Nigeria, Juan Sell; Portuguese ambassador, Luis Barros, and Italian Deputy Head of Mission, Tarek Chazli.

TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

27

BUSINESSWORLD

OIL AND GAS

Game Up for Oil Thieves?

Peter Uzoho writes on the latest move by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company and other government agencies to send oil thieves packing and save the nation’s economy from further bleeding.

W

orried by the huge volumes of oil lost to oil thieves in the Niger Delta and the adverse impact of those losses on the Nigerian economy, President Muhammadu Buhari last week deployed key members of his cabinet to tackle the menace without further delay to the save the economy. Specifically, the president deployed the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Mallam Mele Kyari; the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, and the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, to Niger Delta to assess the rate of oil theft in that area.

The latest government’s move was no doubt driven by the public outrage led by high profile oil and gas experts and business leaders against the massive stealing of Nigeria’s crude oil with severe economic implication to the country.

the losses being suffered from oil theft is making it difficult for Nigeria to take advantage of the surge in global crude oil price.

NNPC CONFRONTS MENACE

BUSINESS LEADERS’ OUTRAGE

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, had last Monday lamented the unprecedented rate of oil theft recorded in recent times and its debilitating effect on government revenue and accretion to reserves.

Emefiele’s comment came a day after THISDAY reported similar concerns expressed by the Cofounder and former Chief Executive Officer of Seplat Energy Plc, Mr. Austin Avuru, who called for a state of emergency in the Nigerian oil and gas sector.

He revealed that up to 80 per cent of oil pumped in the country, particularly in the East, is stolen, warning that by Christmas of 2025, TotalEnergies might be the only international oil company (IOC) operating in Nigeria.

Avuru spoke a few days after the Chairman of Heirs Holdings and United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Mr. Tony Elumelu, also bemoaned the worsening state of the industry, stressing that about 95 per cent of oil production does not get to the terminal.

Elumelu, had declared that between January and September 2021, Nigeria lost about $4 billion to crude oil theft alone.

“Theft in the Niger Delta is a national menace.

We (Heirs) will produce crude oil and the thieves will steal like 50,000 barrels per day.

“In my opinion, it is one of the most lethal threats to our country because there is so much money in the hands of people who don’t pay taxes and people you don’t regulate. The country is not safe,” Elumelu said.

Earlier, Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company (AEEPCO), operators of the Nembe Creek

Trunk Line (NCTL) pipeline, had threatened to exit the facility due to incessant vandalism, perennial sabotage and outright theft.

ALARMING LOSSES

According to reports, Nigeria lost billions of dollars to crude oil theft or about 10 per cent of its foreign reserves in 2021.

Apart from revenue loss, the issue of oil theft is currently threatening not only the NNPC’s quest for energy security for the country, it is also having a debilitating effect on Nigeria’s revenue earnings.

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) had disclosed in its 2019 report that Nigeria lost about $42 billion to crude theft, as well as domestic and refined petroleum products losses from 2009 and 2018.

The report stated that the losses include about $38.5billion on crude theft, $1.6 billion on domestic crude, and another $1.8 billion on refined petroleum products.

Similarly, the Nigeria Upstream Petrolatum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) had stated in a report released on Thursday during a meeting on crude oil theft with the Oil Producers Trade Section and the Independent Petroleum Producers Group, that between January 2021 and February 2022, Nigeria lost a whopping sum of $3.2 billion to crude oil theft.

The amount when converted by the official N416.25 to a dollar exchange rate translates to about N1.36 trillion.

Olam-Caraway’s Tomato Investment Records First Commercial Harvest Gilbert Ekugbe The 500-hectare Kuda Gangara Integrated Tomato Farm, a multi-million project by Caraway (amember of Olam Group) in Jigawa State, has recorded its first commercial harvest of 40 metric tonnes per hectare, exceeding earlier projections.

According to the company, the yield is also more than four times the average yield in Nigeria.

In a statement, the company stated that more than 100 hectares have been cultivated out of the total expanse, and yields from the first commercial harvest have exceeded the initial projection, which was 30 metric tonnes per hectare.

When the complete 500 hectare expanse is cultivated, overall production would be over 15,000 metric tonnes from the commercial farm alone, stating that the project also runs a farmer out grower program that covers over 2000 farmers currently.

The project is part of the backward integration drive of Olam-Caraway, in strengthening local sourcing of raw materials for the company’s tomato paste factory in Lagos, where popular brands of tomato pastes such as De Rica and Tasty Tom are produced.

Caraway required 18,000 metric tonnes of concentrate per annum and with the current backward integration efforts, would be able to reduce the shortfall in sourcing inputs.

The Head of Farming Initiatives, Olam, Mr. Reji George, said the investment is driven to complement the thrust and direction of moving agriculture into a self-reliant and sustainable model by the Federal Government of Nigeria, ensuring enough and quality food to the population, as well as environmental sustainability.

The Business Head, Packaged Food Business, Caraway (Olam Group), Mr. Premender Sethi, said the stride in achieving a local supply chain for raw materials, represented, “a complete end to end supply chain solution for domestic markets - right from growing to crushing to processing to packaging for the domestic markets (from naturally grown high quality fresh tomatoes).”

For the Director General, Jigawa State Investment Promotion Agency, Ms. Furera Isma Jumare, the significance of the Caraway’s tomato project is that it would showcase the state as one of the largest tomatoproducing states in the country.

NUPRC in the report revealed that oil theft rose significantly between 2021 and 2022, with over 90 per cent of total crude produced at the Bonny Terminal stolen in January 2022.

The commission maintained that based on its findings, average monthly value loss for the period was about $233.99 million, while the average daily value loss for the period is about $7.72 million.

The report indicated that losses were recorded mainly from Bonny Terminal Network, Forcados Terminal Network (and) Brass Terminal Network.

The development has no doubt become a major cause for concern to the federal government as the huge losses could have a devastating impact on the economy if not tackled head on.

The unfortunate incidence of crude oil theft and attendant losses have plunged Nigeria into not being able to meet its quota by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) for the past few years.

Data from OPEC showed that Nigeria was only able to produce crude oil averaging 1.417 million barrels per day in February 2022.

When analysed, this figure is about 463, 000 barrels per day lower than the 1.88 million barrels per day approved by the federal government in the 2022 budget.

Although, crude oil price is currently trading above $100 per barrel, driven by the supply shortage induced by the Russia-Ukraine war,

Following the president’s order to tackle oil theft and save the nation from further bleeding, Kyari, alongside his team, stormed the forests and creeks in Rivers and Bayelsa States to get first-hand information on cases of oil bunkering and illegal refineries.

Kyari conducted an on-the-spot assessment on the losses being suffered by the country through oil theft.

The tour of the Niger Delta creeks was part of a holistic strategy to deepen oil production in the country and effectively end illegal oil mining and associated threats in the sector.

Some if the factors that aid crude oil theft include inadequate security, poor community engagement, economic challenges, poor surveillance, stakeholder compromises and exposed facilities.

Given this scenario, the team, which was joined by the Operation Delta Safe Joint Task Force went into the forest to see many sites where illegal refineries were being done.

Without much ado, the security forces began shutting down many sites based on the presidential directive.

The drive to end losses in the sector is informed by the government’s drive to ramp up production and boost foreign earnings for the country especially now that the Russian-Ukraine war has exposed the sector to high level of volatility.

The government has been targeting to raise Nigeria’s oil reserve to 40 billion barrels and daily oil production to 3 million barrels per day.

However, this aspiration has been been proving difficult to achieve, largely due to the massive losses being recorded on a daily basis to oil theft.

It was in a bid to arrest the losses besetting the country that Kyari designed new operational strategy involving multi-sectoral agencies, to play critical role. The team stepped into the thick forest of Ibaa in Emeoha Local Government, where a serious message was sent to oil thieves that their days in the illegal trade were numbered.

The team gathered at the site that Nigeria loses about 1,500 barrels per day at Ibaa alone and that in Rivers state alone, many of such illegal refineries exist, costing the country huge revenue earnings.

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

NAFAdvocates Special Funding for Surveyor General’s Office Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Chief Intelligence of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Air Vice-Marshal Abubakar Liman, has advocated special funding for the seamless operations of the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation (OSGoF).

Speaking when he led a team of officers on a courtesy visit to the Surveyor General of the Federation

(SGoF), Abudulganiyu Adebomehin in Abuja, the top military officer said that this is due to the peculiar nature and relevance of its activities to national security, unity and development. He said the purpose of his visit was to seek areas of further collaboration with OSGoF because of its expertise, skills and data required to aid NAF in its operations.

He solicited synergy of relevant authorities especially for the war

against insecurity. “Security is everyone’s business. War is a national assignment, which requires the support of every citizen,” a statement by the Head of Press and Public Relations, OSGoF, Micheal Abu, quoted him as saying.

Liman reiterated the significance of the role of OSGoF in the war against criminality in the country, pointing out that the usual annual budgeting system could hardly suffice for the

proper funding of the enormous activities of the office. In his response, the SGoF, Adebomehin said OSGoF, an extra-ministerial establishment of the Nigerian government, as the apex mapping arm and responsible for implementing the survey coordination act of the country was ready to provide all resources at its disposal for the success of the operations of NAF and other arms of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

Connect Marketing Services Holds NNPC, APWEN Inaugurate Science Labs, Second Edition of Marketing Core Others to Promote Girl Child Education Kayode Tokede Connect marketing services, recently held the second edition of its annual digital conference, Marketing Core.

The hybrid event had in attendance industry giants and thought leaders in the marketing space. It also featured workshops where topics revolving around marketing in a frictionless world were discussed by Tech expert, Yosola Atere from Nigeria, Anks Patel from the UK and Aizehi Itua from Nigeria. In a press briefing with the agency’s Head of Brand and Comms, Aizehi Itua, stated that there is a need to future-proof the talents in the Marketing industry,

which can be achieved through knowledge transfer. According to him, this will enable them to compete favourably in their various industries. Aizehi who doubles as the Head of Digital Experiential Business for the firm , also stated that businesses need to have a proper understanding of the new and emerging consumers the COVID-19 Pandemic has produced to help them best position themselves for success. This event has done that expertly. “We are building on our successes from last year to champion the digital transition of experiential marketing in Nigeria and this is one of our numerous platforms helping us to achieve this”, he added.

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

The Association of Professional Women Engineers (APWEN) in collaboration with Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has constructed and commissioned a multimillion Naira well equipped Science and technology laboratory with a motorized borehole Speaking at the commissioning ceremony Weekend, GMD/CEO, NNPC, Mele Kyari Kolo said that the program is targeted at primary school girls, ages 8-10 to promote the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as well as girl-child education in NNPC. Represented by the Chief

Innovation Officer, NNPC, Engr Betty Ugona, he added that in living up to its corporate social responsibility, the NNPC responded to the call, and few months after the historic meeting, APWEN and NNPC collaborated in what was one of the largest and most ambitious attempts to encourage more girls across the Country to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

In her welcome address, President of APWEN, Engr Dr Elizabeth Jumoke Eterigho said that Scholarships were awarded to 21 best pupils from 10 primary schools in Misau after conducting series of hand-on experiments with everyday materials.

28

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2022

BUSINESSWORLD

AGRICULTURE

NAPIMS Gets ISO 22301 Certification, Emerges First Public Institution to Achieve Feat Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) has received the ISO 22301, a quality assurance certification.

During the presentation in Abuja, the organisation stated

that it is the first government institution in Africa to receive the certification.

The ISO 22301 is the international standard for Business Continuity Management and published by the International Organisation for Standardisation.

Speaking during the presentation of the ISO 22301 certificate to the National Petroleum

IoDTasks Members on Good Corporate Governance Gilbert Ekugbe The Institute of Directors (IoD) has charged its new and old members on upholding good corporate governance and be guided by the code of ethics of the Institute at all levels in their workplaces and in their business affairs.

The president and Chairman of Council, IoD Nigeria, Mrs. Ije Jidenma, at the induction ceremony for its new members, said the success of any organisation rests squarely on the performance, competence and integrity of its directors, stressing that the advocacy role of its institute is hinged on the entrenchment of best practices.

According to her, these inductees have successfully scaled through all necessary requirements and processes and they have also participated in the compulsory Company Direction Course I (CDC 1) of the Institute, which has exposed

them to corporate governance principles and best practices, to further improve their capacities to deliver on their mandates as directors.

“Let me start by acknowledging that the quality of the membership of any professional organization generally defines its influence and relevance. I am therefore elated to welcome the impressive array of eminent directors who have applied and have been found worthy of the membership of IoD Nigeria and are ready to be inducted today as new members of our great Institute,” she said.

She added that IoD Nigeria is the national champion of good corporate governance, saying that its pride is in its members who are dedicated and well-positioned to always manifest an uncommon ability to direct and lead their organisations in accordance with the principles of good corporate governance and sound business ethics.

Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) and the launch of the Electronic Materials Management Solution (E-MMS) in Abuja, the NNPC Group Managing Director, Mallam Mele Kyari, said the development would spur the unit to respond to emerging challenges.

Kyari lauded the NNPC upstream directorate and NAPIMS for the feat, adding that its planned transition into a Companies and Allied

Matters (CAMA) organisation would ensure that its businesses and procedures would be duly certified in line with best practices.

In his comments, Group Executive Director, Upstream, Mr Adokiye Tombomieye, described the new platform as an end-to-end automated inventory management system developed to manage inventory, materials, auctioning and asset disposal.

He added that the deployment of the e-MMS would

support its cost inventory initiatives and ensure seamless cross inventory and offer online direct payment gateway for items purchased from the auction platform.

The Group General Manager, NAPIMS, Mr Bala Wunti, in his remarks, said during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company developed a Business Continuity Plan initiative to eliminate disruption in its business operation and cash flow.

Wunti said it also launched the Nigeria Upstream Cost Optimisation Programme (NOCOP), which has markedly reduced the cost of operations.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr Simbi Wabote, urged the nation to begin to assimilate the fact that the NNPC will soon begin to operate like a private organisation, with little government interference.

left: Managing Director, Food, Agro and Allied Industries Limited, Kalanadhabhatla Murthy; Group Corporate Affairs Manager, Sona Group of Industries, Soji Fagbemi; Group Managing Director, Sona Group of Industries, Akai Musaddi; Special Adviser to the Ogun State governor and DG, Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olakunle Aloo; Chairman, Inspection and Membership,Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Chris Uzoalu; and Executive Secretary, MAN, Motunrayo Elegberun, during the commissioning of Maltextract held in Sango Ota, Ogun State… recently

29

TUESDAY, ͽ˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

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Fundamental Performance Metrics for THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 Index

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THISDAY AFRINVEST 40

3 BUA Cement Plc 4 Guaranty Trust Holding Co PLC

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K ;Ͳϲ͘ϴйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ & E, ;Ͳϯ͘ϯйͿ ĚƌĂŐŐĞĚ ƚŚĞ E'yͲ

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

ƐƚĞƌĞĚ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ůŽĐĂů ďŽƵƌƐĞ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ ůůͲ

^/ ĚŽǁŶ Ϭ͘ϯй ƚŽ ϰϲ͕ϲϴϳ͘ϴϱ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ͘ ŽŶƐĞƋƵĞŶƚͲ ŝŶĚĞdž

ƌŽƐĞ

ďLJ

ůLJ͕ zd ŵŽĚĞƌĂƚĞĚ ƚŽ ϵ͘ϯй zd ;ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐůLJ ϭϭďƉƐ ƚŽ ƌĞƚƵƌŶ ϯϵ͕ϱϱϬ͘ϯϲ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ͘ ŽŶƐĞƋƵĞŶƚůLJ͕ ůŽƐƐ ŝŵͲ ϵ͘ϳйͿ ǁŚŝůĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝƐĂƟŽŶ ĨĞůů ʬϴϯ͘ϲďŶ ƚŽ ƉƌŽǀĞĚ ƚŽ Ͳϭ͘ϴй ǁŚŝůĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝƐĂƟŽŶ ƌŽƐĞ ďLJ േϮϯ͘ϰďŶ ƚŽ േϮϬ͘ϲƚŶ͘ dƌĂĚŝŶŐ ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ ǁĂƐ ŵŝdžĞĚ ĂƐ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ʬϮϱ͘ϮƚŶ͘ sŽůƵŵĞ ĂŶĚ ǀĂůƵĞ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ďLJ Ϯϭ͘ϲй ƚŽ ϭϭϬ͘ϴŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ǁŚŝůĞ ǀĂůƵĞ

ϭϰ͘ϳй ĂŶĚ ϯϮ͘ϲй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ƚŽ Ϯϭϵ͘ϱŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ

8 FBN Holdings Plc 9 Lafarge Africa PLC 10 Access Bank PLC

13 Nigerian Brew eries PLC 14 SEPLAT Energy PLC

ďLJ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ǁĞƌĞ dZ E^ KZW ;ϭϭ͘ϵŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ͕ & E, ;ϭϭ͘ϭŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ͕ ĂŶĚ K E K ;ϳ͘ϯŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ ǁŚŝůĞ E ^d> ;േϮ͘ϮďŶͿ͕

18 Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC 19 Fidelity Bank PLC

E' D ;േϭϰϱ͘ϬŵͿ͕ ĂŶĚ 'd K ;േϭϯϰ͘ϴŵͿ ůĞĚ ďLJ ǀĂůƵĞ͘

ĐƌŽƐƐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ ǁŝƚŚŝŶ ŽƵƌ ĐŽǀĞƌĂŐĞ͕ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ

ǁĂƐ ďĞĂƌŝƐŚ ĂƐ ϰ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ůŽƐƚ ǁŚŝůĞ Ϯ ŐĂŝŶĞĚ͘ dŚĞ ĞĂƌŝƐŚ ^ĞĐƚŽƌ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ

ĂŶŬŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ &ZͲ/ d ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ůĞĚ ƚŚĞ ůŽƐĞƌƐ͕ ĚŽǁŶ ĐƌŽƐƐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ ƵŶĚĞƌ ŽƵƌ ĐŽǀĞƌĂŐĞ͕ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ

ϭ͘Ϭй ĂŶĚ Ϭ͘ϱй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ŽŶ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ŽĨ ƉƌŝĐĞ ďĞĂƌŝƐŚ ĂƐ ϰ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ůŽƐƚ͕ ϭ ŝŶĚĞdž ŐĂŝŶĞĚ ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞ &ZͲ/ d

ĚĞƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ E/d, ;Ͳϭ͘ϴйͿ ĂŶĚ DdEE ;Ͳ ŝŶĚĞdž ƌĞŵĂŝŶĞĚ ŇĂƚ͘ dŽƉƉŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ůĂŐŐĂƌĚƐ ĂƌĞ ƚŚĞ ŽŶƐƵŵͲ

8.5%

7.6%

7.6%

134.7%

14.1%

0.0%

7.0%

5.5%

5.5%

19.1%

11.2%

21.80

1.4%

5.3%

-16.2%

-16.2%

20.7%

3.3%

0.8x

6.3%

ot Applicable

1.5%

14.4x

22.3x

6.2%

34.0x

6.4x

3.8%

2.9%

3.5x

0.7x

13.8%

28.3% 35.4%

22.00

-1.8%

5.0%

-12.5%

-12.5%

20.4%

2.7%

2.8x

0.5x

14.1%

273.50

0.0%

4.5%

6.4%

6.4%

39.2%

16.3%

12.9x

4.8x

7.3%

7.8%

1,395.00

0.0%

3.1%

-10.4%

-10.4%

106.8%

15.6%

27.1x

31.8x

3.6%

3.7%

11.80

-3.3%

3.4%

3.5%

3.5%

8.4%

0.8%

7.0x

0.6x

3.8%

14.4%

22.00

-2.7%

2.9%

-8.1%

-8.1%

11.6%

8.4%

8.2x

0.9x

9.1%

12.2%

2.8%

7.0%

7.0%

17.9%

1.6%

2.2x

0.3x

8.5%

46.0%

-2.6%

2.0%

-6.8%

-6.8%

15.8%

1.4%

2.2x

0.3x

13.3%

45.2% 13.0%

34.15

0.0%

1.5%

-5.1%

-5.1%

15.1%

2.1%

7.7x

1.2x

4.1%

40.45

0.0%

1.3%

-19.1%

-19.1%

7.6%

2.7%

25.4x

1.9x

4.0%

3.9%

930.00

0.0%

2.2%

43.1%

43.1%

8.7%

4.1%

8.5x

0.7x

4.4%

11.8%

2.7x

0.4x

5.5%

12.00

0.0%

1.8%

37.9%

37.9%

16.9%

1.0%

4.90

7.7%

1.1%

-1.0%

-1.0%

-10.3%

-3.9%

142.00

0.0%

1.1%

0.0%

0.0%

36.5%

23.3%

9.6x

3.2x

5.6%

31.05

0.0%

1.0%

9.5%

9.5%

15.9%

4.5%

4.8x

0.7x

5.3%

21.0%

3.43

0.0%

0.8%

34.5%

34.5%

13.3%

1.3%

2.6x

0.3x

10.3%

38.4%

0.9x

5.6%

9.3%

3.0%

7.5x

0.7x

10.4%

13.3%

17.4%

6.9%

8.7x

1.5x

6.3%

11.5%

3.17

-3.9%

0.5%

6.0%

6.0%

10.3%

1.1%

0.3x

6.3%

23 United Capital PLC 24 Guinness Nigeria PLC 25 Transnational Corp of Nigeria

12.45

2.0%

0.5%

25.8%

25.8%

2.4x

12.0%

69.55

-2.0%

0.6%

78.3%

78.3%

13.3%

6.0%

14.6x

1.8x

0.7%

6.8%

1.01

3.1%

0.3%

5.2%

5.2%

11.1%

2.3%

5.4x

0.6x

2.0%

18.7%

26 Presco PLC 27 NASCON Allied Industries PLC

133.00

0.0%

0.4%

51.5%

51.5%

2.8x

0.8%

12.90

0.0%

0.3%

-2.3%

-2.3%

21.3%

6.9%

12.1x

2.4x

3.2%

28 AIICO Insurance PLC 29 TotalEnergies Marketing Nigeri

0.66

3.1%

0.2%

-5.7%

-5.7%

14.0%

2.2%

22.4x

0.6x

3.0%

4.5%

238.50

0.0%

0.3%

7.5%

7.5%

48.0%

9.5%

4.8x

2.0x

7.7%

20.7%

ŽŶǀĞƌƐĞůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚĞdž ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ ůŽŶĞ ŐĂŝŶͲ ƟǀĞůLJ͕ ĚƌŝǀĞŶ ďLJ ďƵLJŝŶŐ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ŝŶ K E K

6.55

0.8%

0.2%

-17.1%

-17.1%

19.5%

5.5%

3.9x

0.7x

7.6%

26.0%

0.0%

0.2%

-0.9%

-0.9%

38.7%

16.0%

5.7x

2.0x

6.7%

17.5%

13.30

0.0%

0.2%

-8.3%

-8.3%

7.8%

4.9%

29.5x

1.2x

26.00

0.0%

0.2%

16.3%

16.3%

18.9%

2.4%

3.9x

0.8x

9.6%

25.5%

4.1%

6.10

1.7%

0.1%

3.4%

3.4%

7.1%

0.8%

6.9x

0.7x

4.79

1.9%

0.1%

8.4%

8.4%

14.5%

2.6%

2.1x

0.3x

3.4%

2.90

7.4%

0.0%

302.8%

302.8%

14.1%

0.8%

12.6x

1.7x

8.3%

7.9%

0.0%

0.1%

-11.8%

-11.8%

35.6%

18.5%

6.2x

1.0x

5.5%

16.2%

1.9x

0.3x

6.7%

1.49

-1.3%

0.1%

-1.3%

-1.3%

9.4%

0.9%

62.50

0.0%

0.1%

0.0%

0.0%

-28.3%

-6.1%

5.31

0.0%

0.0%

-1.3%

-1.3%

2.4x 0.9x

1.4%

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V o l u m e T ic k er

Vo lum e

P ric e C hg %

R ED ST A R EX

2.97

10.0%

T R A N SC OR P

28.9

3.1%

NA HCO

4.71

9.8%

F ID ELIT YB K

23.5

0.0%

M EYER

0.79

9.7%

UB A

15.1

-2.6%

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ^ƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶƐ KƵƚůŽŽŬ

VER IT A SKA P

0.23

9.5%

Z EN IT H B A N K

12.6

-1.8%

UP D C

0.83

9.2%

A C C ESSC OR P

12.0

-1.0%

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ͕ ĂƐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ /ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ͕ ĂƐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ

UN IT YB N K

0.48

9.1%

N GXGR OUP

10.5

-0.8%

IN T B R EW

4.90

7.7%

GT C O

9.7

1.4%

WEM A B A N K

2.90

7.4%

R EGA LIN S

9.5

-9.7%

ĨƌŽŵ ϭ͘ϯdž ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ůĂƐƚ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ĂƐ Ϯϰ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ

ƉƌŝŽƌ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ĂƐ ϮϮ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ͕ ϭϵ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ

ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ǁŚŝůĞ ϭϱ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ͘ DZ^ ;нϵ͘ϵйͿ͕ D zͲ

C A VER T ON

1.26

5.0%

CHA M S

0.22

4.8%

ǁŚŝůĞ ϲϴ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ŇĂƚ͘ dŽĚĂLJ͕ ǁĞ ĂŶƟĐŝƉĂƚĞ Ă ƌĞͲ < Z ;нϵ͘ϴйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ ,KEz&>KhZ ;нϵ͘ϴйͿ ůĞĚ ŐĂŝŶĞƌƐ ďŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ƐƚĞŵŵŝŶŐ ĨƌŽŵ ǁŚŝůĞ dZ E^ ;Ͳϴ͘ϯйͿ͕ > ^ K ;Ͳϲ͘ϳйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ >/s Ͳ ^dK < ;Ͳϰ͘ϴйͿ ůĞĚ ůŽƐĞƌƐ͘ WƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ ĚĂLJ͕ ǁĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞ ŐƌĂĚƵĂů ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞŵĞŶƚ ŝŶ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ͘ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ƚŽ ƌĞŵĂŝŶ ŵŝdžĞĚ͕ ĂƐ ĞĂƌŶŝŶŐƐ ƐĞĂƐŽŶ

ŐƌĂĚƵĂůůLJ ǁŝŶĚƐ ƵƉ͘

R EGA LIN S

8.8

-1.3%

SOVR EN IN S

8.5

0.0%

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

P ric e 0.28

P ric e C hg % -9.7%

J A P A ULGOLD

0.31

-8.8%

WA P IC

0.41

-6.8%

LIN KA SSUR E

0.47

-6.0%

J A IZ B A N K

0.66

-5.7%

PZ

10.00

-5.2%

C OR N ER ST

0.63

-4.5%

FCM B

3.17

-3.9%

FB NH

11.80

-3.3%

R OYA LEX

Afrinvest West Africa Limited

ST ER LN B A N K

T o p 10 L o s e r s T ic k er

1.06

Brokerage

-2.8%

T ic k er

Value

Z EN IT H B A N K

278.4

P ric e C hg % -1.8%

M TNN

264.1

-0.9%

N GXGR OUP

250.4

-0.8%

GT C O

211.4

1.4%

A C C ESSC OR P

116.2

-1.0%

UB A

113.7

-2.6%

F ID ELIT YB K

80.0

0.0%

GUIN N ESS

70.8

-2.0%

FB NH

53.1

-3.3%

WA P C O

37.5

-2.7%

Asset Management

Investment Research

Adedoyin Allen | aallen@afrinvest.com Robert Omotunde | romotunde@afrinvest.com Abiodun Keripe | AKeripe@afrinvest.com Taiwo Ogundipe | togundipe@afrinvest.com

51.4% -13.8%

P ric e C hg %

ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ͕ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞĚ ƚŽ Ϭ͘Ϭϰdž ĨƌŽŵ ͲϬ͘ϰϴdž ŝŶ ƚŚĞ

14.5% 48.5%

3.97

T o p 10 G a in e r s T ic k er

8.2%

22.30

P ric e

;ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞͬĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ƌĂƟŽͿ͕ ƐƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶĞĚ͕ ƐĞƩůŝŶŐ Ăƚ ϭ͘ϲdž

10.4%

-9.2%

'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ Ϭ͘ϯй ĂŶĚ Ϭ͘Ϯй ƌĞƐƉĞĐͲ ŽīƐ ŝŶ K E K ;ͲϬ͘ϴйͿ͕ E/d, ;ͲϬ͘ϮйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ 'd K ;ͲϬ͘ϮйͿ͘

36.8% -11.6%

5.6%

39 Notore Chemical Industries Ltd 40 Transcorp Hotels Plc

ƟŽŶ ŝŶ E' D ;нϯ͘ϯйͿ͘

6.9%

-9.2%

;Ͳϲ͘ϬйͿ͘ ŽŶǀĞƌƐĞůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ ĂŶĚ ŽŶƐƵŵĞƌ

;нϭ͘ϰйͿ͘

17.3%

0.6%

37 NEM Insurance PLC 38 Sterling Bank PLC

Ğƌ͕ ƵƉ /Ed Z t ϭ͘ϴй ĚƌŝǀĞŶ ďLJ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂͲ ;нϭ͘ϵйͿ͕ ;нϳ͘ϳйͿ͕ ,KEz&>KhZ

-0.9%

70.75

5.2x

0.4%

ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ůŽƐƐĞƐ ŝŶ t W K ;Ͳϲ͘ϴйͿ ĂŶĚ >/E< ^^hZ ŝŶŐ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ĨĞůů ďLJ Ϭ͘Ϯй ĂŶĚ ϮďƉƐ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƐĞůůͲ

3.5%

2.1%

35 Oando PLC 36 Wema Bank PLC

ĂŶĚ D E^ Z ;ͲϮ͘ϮйͿ͘ ^ŝŵŝůĂƌůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ ĂŶĚ ĂŶŬͲ

15.0%

212.00

39.2%

0.0%

ϭ͘Ϯй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬ ŽĨ ƉƌŽĮƚͲƚĂŬŝŶŐ ŝŶ E ^d> ;Ͳ ĂŶĐĞ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ĚŝƉƉĞĚ Ϭ͘ϰй ĂŶĚ Ϭ͘ϯй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ;Ͳϲ͘ϰйͿ͕

32.0%

0.0%

Dividend Earnings Yield Yield

P/BV

2.45

33 Julius Berger Nigeria PLC 34 Union Bank of Nigeria PLC

>/E< ^^hZ

96.7%

32.0%

P/E

15.80

Ğƌ 'ŽŽĚƐ ĂŶĚ /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ͕ 'ŽŽĚƐ ĚŽǁŶ ĂŶĚ /ŶƐƵƌͲ ϰ͘ϲй ĂŶĚ Ϭ͘ϵйͿ͘ ^ŝŵŝůĂƌůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů ;Ͳϯ͘ϱйͿ͕

6.1%

ROA

20 AXA Mansard Insurance PLC 21 Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC 22 FCMB Group Plc

30 Custodian and Allied Insurance 31 Vitafoam Nigeria PLC 32 Unilever Nigeria PLC

hE/> s Z

-0.35%

ROE

1,260.40

7.50

ĂŶĚ ʬϭ͘ϵďŶ͘

ĞĂƌŝƐŚ ^ĞĐƚŽƌ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ

Price Previous Price Change Current Price Change Index to Weighting Change YTD Date

9.95

11 United Bank for Africa PLC 12 Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC

15 Ecobank Transnational Inc 16 International Brew eries PLC 17 Okomu Oil Palm PLC

ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƌŽƐĞ ďLJ ϴϴ͘ϱй ƚŽ േϯ͘ϭďŶ͘ dŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ

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Christopher Omoh | comoh@afrinvest.com

Damilare Asimiyu | dasimiyu@afrinvest.com

30

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ APRIL 5, 2022

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Agriculture Experts Call for Funding of Research Institutes, Enabling Environment Funmi Ogundare Stakeholders in the agricultural sector has called on the federal government to support research institutes in the country by funding them adequately and sending the staff on training for greater impact on the economy.

The stakeholders made this known, recently, at the launching and official handover of virtual co-creation, linkage and marketing platform to Coalition Network of stakeholders for Agricultural Mechanization (CONESAM), in Lagos. The programme organised

by Adam Smith International in partnership with Research Innovation Systems in Africa (RISA), saw the stakeholders who were drawn from FIIRO, PRODA, NASSI, NCAM, NASME, among others, expressing concern about

insecurity and the poor power supply in the country, which they said also affect economic sustainability.

Technical Lead for RISA-KECC project, Mr. Samuel Terlumun Abas, said government must be willing to support the local industry through enabling the environment for scaling up indigenous innovations through proper implementation and monitoring.

He added that the private sector must also begin to look inwards towards investing in the local innovation industry with its huge potentials.

“The research and innovation actors must begin to collaborate more to share and improve on local technologies through feedback mechanisms,” he said.

Abas noted that the programme

was aimed at contributing towards increased capacity for local econimic growth due to more productive agricultural mechanization value chains.

A Research Engineer with Project Development Institute ( PRODI) , Mrs. Nneka Nwaguguo said funding and power are major constraints in research institutes , adding that without them, research work in a laboratory would be frustrated.

According to her, “in a laboratory for instance, there are research works that you do using power, without it, the catalyst you are working on, will not give you accurate results. We need to also train our research engineers and send them abroad to see some of these innovations, so that they can come back and train the trainees.”

VFD Group Named ‘2021 Most Innovative Investment Company in Nigeria’ VFD Group Plc, a sector-agnostic proprietary investment firm headquartered in Lagos has been named the 2021 Most Innovative Investment Company in Nigeria by the International Finance Magazine (IFM), a premium business and finance magazine published in the United Kingdom.

The award was given to the company at the recently concluded 2021 International Finance Award held in Dubai.

According to a statement, VFD Group was chosen as the winner over other nominees including Investment One, Asset & Resource Management Holding Company, and CardinalStone Partners Limited.

According to IFM, the award

recognises the Group’s industry talent, leadership skills, industry net worth, and capability on an international scale, as well as the Group’s previous accomplishments.

Commenting on the award, the Group Managing Director/ CEO of VFD Group Plc, Nonso Okpala said: “This recognition by IFM is a proof of our investment philosophy, which ensures the group drives global prosperity by investing in businesses with potential, assisting those businesses to maximize their potentials, and providing much needed guidance to enable them to remain sustainable and show their services to the world.

“We will keep working toward

our strategic goal of creating Africa’s first diverse business ecosystem. When compared to where we started, what we set out to achieve, and economic realities, the Group’s performance has been outstanding on all fronts.

Our focus on business expansion has produced results, particularly in sectors other than financial services, and we have significantly increased our balance sheet.”

On his part, Director of International Finance Magazine, Sunil Bhat said: “After careful consideration of nominations by our qualified research team, VFD Group was declared winner on the strength of its application, accomplishments, innovation, and good governance.”

Shongai Packaging Set to Install Production Plant for Plastic Pallet The management of Shongai packaging industry Limited has announced the company’s readiness to install another production plant for her plastic pallet in order to meet with both local and the exportation demands.

The Group Managing Director, Ajai Musaddi who made this known at the unveiling of the plastic pallet consignment to be exported held at the factory in Ota, Ogun state, said, “We are here today because we have a world class standard plastic pallet product that we are exporting to Ghana and other ECOWAS market. Today we are exporting only eight containers and we have a projection that we would export 200 containers this year. The plastic pallet market demand is increasing since the

last 2 years and we are preparing to put up another plant by the end of April this year.”

Ajai added that the interesting news about his company’s product is that it was made out of local materials.

He said, “We don’t import anything to produce it. We recycle plastic materials picked on the streets. We have a lot of unemployed people who go about collecting broken plastics from garbage and we collect through different collection centers, bring them to our plant where we clean them properly before they are used for production.”

Representing the state governor Mr. Olakunle Amoo the Director- General/ Special Adviser to the Governor, Ogun State Investment Promotion and

Facilitation Agency explained that the state governor Prince Dapo Abiodun is still committed to his economy agenda on partnership between the public and the private sector because he believes that the private sector drives the economy. “We are aware of your achievement and we are proud of it and we take it as our achievement to take Nigeria product to the world,” he said.

In his reaction to this development, the Executive Chairman of Ado-Odo Ota local government council Honourable Sheriff Musa expressed his joy that another plant would be added to the capacity on ground said, “ I am happy because as the company is growing more youths are employed in our community.

Buhari Reappoints NEXIM Executive Management President Buhari hasapproved the re-appointment of the entire executive management of Nigeria Export-Import (NEXIM) Bankfor another term of five years.

The reappointment takes effect from the 10thof April 2022, following the expiry of their first tenure on 9thApril 2022.

The reappointment is based on the team’s exemplary performance and achievements in the discharge of their mandate.

The team comprises of Mr. Abba Bello, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr

Bala Bello, Executive Director (Corporate Services), and Hon. Stella Erhuvwu Okotete, Executive Director (Business Development).

The team has over the last five years worked tirelessly to reposition the Bank and significantly turnaround its performance.

Between 2017-2022, their leadership and direction has resulted in the growth of Bank Balance Sheet by 222%, and over 800% growth in profitability.

During the same period the Bank’s intervention in the non-oil export sector grew by over 700%. The Bank also com-

menced the activities towards the implementation of several intra Africa trade initiatives including the Sealink project and Factoring.

The Bank is also currently managing several non-oil export and intra-Africa trade support funds including the Nigeria – Africa Trade and Investment Promotion Programme NATIPP for deepening intra-Africa trade, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) fund for Nigerian oil and gas services providers and the CBN Export Development Fund (EDF) amongst others.

From left: Team Manager, Mass Market Banking, First City Monument Bank, Mr. Imoh Joseph; Divisional Head, Agribusiness, Mr. Kudzai Gumunyu; Divisional Head, Personal Banking, Mr. Shamsideen Fashola; Group Head, Financial Inclusion, Mr. Adetunji Lamidi and Head, Agency Banking, Mr. Adeluyi Olajide, during the World Savings and Retail Banking Institute (WSBI) Scale2Save conference on financial inclusion held on March 30, 2022 in Lagos.

MARKET INDICATORS 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 ˜ ͵

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).

31

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͳ˜ ͰͮͰͰ

Stock Market Depreciates by N83bn on Investors’ Profit-taking Kayode Tokede The Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) stock market, yesterday witnessed profit-taking as the market capitalisation declined

by N83 billion to commence first-day trading activities on weak sentiment by investors.

In summary, the NGX AllShare Index (ASI) declined

by 155.01 basis points or 0.33 per cent to close at 46,687.85 basis points from 46,842.86 basis points.

Consequently, the overall market capitalization value lost N83 billion to close at N25.170 trillion from N25.253trillion it opened for trading yesterday.

The market loss was driven by price depreciation in large

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

and medium capitalised stocks amongst which are; MTN Nigeria Communications (MTNN), Guinness Nigeria, Lafarge Africa, PZ Cussons Nigeria and FBN Holdings (FBNH).

However, market breadth closed positive as 22 stocks gained relative to 19 decliners.

Red Star Express recorded the

S E C U R I T I E S MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

highest price gain of 10 per cent to close at N2.97, per share.

Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) followed with a gain 9.79 per cent to close at N4.71, while Meyer Plc gained 9.72 per cent to close at 79 kobo, per share.

Veritas Kapital Assurance appreciated by 9.52 per cent to close at 23 kobo, while

T R A D E D

VALUE TRADED ( N )

MAIN BOARD

A S

UACN Property Development Company (UPDC) gained 9.21 per cent to close at 83 kobo, per share. On the other hand, Regency Alliance Insurance led the losers’ chart by 9.68 per cent to close at 28 kobo, per share. Japaul Gold and Ventures followed with a decline of 8.82 per cent to close at 31 kobo, while Wapic Insurance shed 6.82

O F

0 4

per cent to close at 41 kobo, per share. Linkage Assurance shed six per cent to close at 47 kobo, while Jaiz Bank depreciated by 5.71 per cent to close at 66 kobo, per share.

Also, the total volume of trades declined by 14.7 per cent to 219.496 million units, valued at N1.931 billion, and exchanged in 5,168 deals.

/ 0 4 / 2 0 2 2 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

32

TUESDAY, ͽ˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

ANALYSIS

From APC Convention, the Winners and Their Supportive Losers A

lthough the All Progressives Congress (APC) created a ‘no victor, no vanquished’ impression after its Saturday, March 26 national convention at the Eagle Square, Abuja, the casualties were not hard to identify either. Indeed, there were winners and losers.

After months of deliberate manipulations, orchestrated to delay the national convention of the APC, due largely to conflicting interests of critical stakeholders, the event eventually held on Saturday, March 26.

This, of course, culminated in the election of new members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, with a former governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, coronated as the new chairman of APC. With the consensus option brazenly thrown in the faces of all the aspirants, albeit with the consent of President Muhammadu Buhari, as the supreme leader of the party, the APC had wished the process was utterly seamless, and had sold the convenient narrative, right from the convention ground.

Unfortunately, the initial refusal of some aspirants to stand down their ambitions, and those, who openly condemned the arrogant approach of the leadership to the consensus option, exposed the pains of the losers amid the pyrrhic victory of the preferred lot.

Therefore, in keeping faith with one of THISDAY’s age-long traditions, below are some of the winners and their supportive losers, who without any options ‘genuinely’ open to them, stood down their ambitions, in larger and overall interest of the party.

Muhammadu Buhari

Mai Mala Buni

Abdullahi Adamu

Iyiola Omisore

Abubakar Kyari

Dayo Israel

THE WINNERS Muhammadu Buhari:

The president was unpretentious about where he stood from day one. He wanted a consensus-driven convention and had even reminded party faithful that, since the merger of the APC in 2014, the party had always elected its national officers through consensus.

He cited Bisi Akande, John Odigie-Oyegun and Adams Oshiomhole as handy examples. But while a majority of other stakeholders shared the consensus idea as propounded by the president, what was left to resolve was the choice of national chairman as the starting point.

That eventually didn’t come off as a hard nut to crack and eventually, the president’s choice candidate, Abdullahi Adamu, who was governor of Nasarawa State under the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was elected APC’s national chairman. With this alone, the president is the number one winner.

He, technically, controls the party.

Mai Mala Buni:

The Yobe State Governor and former chairman, Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the APC, Mai Mala Buni, had a tough time in the days leading to the national convention. Some of his colleagues and other incensed stakeholders, had suspected he was deliberately stalling and frustrating the convention and therefore, plotted his removal.

But things changed after Buhari stepped in, reversed the situations and gave clear instructions on what to do to make the convention a reality. Buni followed the books and thus, on March 26, the exercise held.

He is a major winner and deservedly so, having left without humiliation.

Abdullahi Adamu:

A former governor of Nasarawa State under the PDP and erstwhile secretary of the Board of Trustees of the opposition party, Abdullahi Adamu, was also elected senator under the PDP and the least likely candidate to emerge chairman of the ruling party, given his antecedents as a founding PDP member.

Adamu, who was only handed an assignment to reconcile some of the aggrieved members of the party, found the lot fall on his laps, when the president zeroed in on him. He too would later hint somewhere as interested in the seat, a development that altered the previous equations and threw other camps in disarray. He is an enviable winner.

Iyiola Omisore:

A former deputy governor in Osun State under the Alliance for Democracy (AD) party, Omisore soon joined the PDP, where he went on to become a senator for eight years. He is a strong politician from his Ife part of Osun State and has maintained that hold on his people since then.

But after some challenging political trajectories, which forced him to change parties at different times, attempting to resuscitate his failed governorship bid in the state, Omisore found himself in the APC, after helping the incumbent governor of Osun, Adegboyega Oyetola to emerge governor at a desperate period.

This is why, despite the opposition from other stakeholders, both Oyetola and his brother – a

presidential hopeful – Bola Tinubu, thought the office of the national secretary would be ideal to compensate Omisore, having failed to make the Buhari cabinet this second term. By all standards, Omisore is a winner, against all odds.

The APC Governors:

Governors elected on the platform of the APC didn’t have it smooth for many weeks, especially, when they started suspecting that their CECPC chairman, Buni, had started to pitch tent with other interests other than the collective. This created tension that almost cost Buni his office.

But the situation degenerated further, when zoning was first introduced and then, consensus.

Led by the Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, the progressive governors, fought hard to ensure their place in the emerging party regime was not relegated and made sure their choice unity list passed the consensus test. The governors won big time.

Abubakar Kyari:

A senator from Borno State, Abubakar Kyari, was one of the lucky contestants, who had the solid backing of his governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, to be on the unity list and represent the state in the new NWC of the APC. Kyari was clearly running against an individual, who was touted an interest of the president and almost lost out in the equation, until his governor issued a threat that many refused to take for granted, before he eventually made the list as deputy national chairman, north. He is a winner.

Dayo Israel:

The office of the National Youth Leader, was what Lagos opted for, apparently for convenient politics of 2023 with respect to the presidential run. Lagos, like Ogun, which is featuring a governorship hopeful, Bola Tinubu, was opposed to any major NWC office coming to the state during the micro-zoning exercise, so it would not stand against the state, when pushing forward

the presidential slot.

For Israel, however, it was also compensatory. He had wanted to become a local government chairman in Lagos, during the last council polls but lost out to the internal political arrangement, which favoured someone else. So, the political leadership had him in mind, when the office was poached for convenience sake. He won.

The Entire NWC:

Apart from those, who emerged either as a result of internal politics of the zones or as a measure of sheer compensation, the other members of the NWC, who also made the unity list for one political consideration or the other, particularly, those who went for elections and won. They are victors too.

They largely didn’t have to struggle, campaigning to their respective delegates or spending so much money seeking the much-needed support for their election; they just went to the Eagle Square, venue of the convention, for their coronation. The party and government already bore their cans.

33

TUESDAY, ͽ˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

ANALYSIS THE LOSERS Tanko Al-Makura and the Five Others:

Another former governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Tanko Al-Makura, was until a couple of weeks to the convention, the APC national chairman-in-waiting and the reason for this was simple. When the APC merger was to be consummated in 2014, Nasarawa under Al-Makura, was the only thing, aside some mythical votes, that Buhari could take to the table as his own equity.

Therefore, a majority of the other stakeholders, had concluded that except the devil found its way into the details, Al-Makura was everyone’s natural choice, at least, with the chairmanship

zoned to North Central. Although such confidence didn’t limit his push and campaign, Buhari, however, pulled the rug off his feet and settled for someone from his state, also, his predecessor.

It was a bitter pill for Al-Makura and his supporters as much as other aspirants to the office of the chairman, who had to walk away, because the president had spoken. Others, who walked in the path of Al-Makura were Senator George Akume, Alhaji Abdul-Azis Yari, Senator Musa Muhammed, Etsu Muhammed and Turaki Salifu Mustapha.

While their losses were compelled by circumstances, which bore official seal of the president and clearly against their wishes, there couldn’t have been a better way to describe them, in the final analysis, other than losers.

Tinubu. He lost out.

Ifeoluwa Oyedele:

Perhaps, Mr. Ifeoluwa Oyedele, fizzled out of the race for national secretary, the same way he showed up like a cometh. A former governorship aspirant in Ondo State during the 2020 governorship election, Oyedele, was not in the equation all along. His name only suddenly showed up a day or two to the convention, and paraded as the candidate of the president for national secretary in the unity list.

But the governors, obviously fighting for their colleagues in Ondo and Osun, came together and opposed his nomination, insisting on Omisore.

Had Oyedele made the list, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s candidate, Isaac Kekemeke, would have lost out as planned as well as Omisore, who was being pushed by both Oyetola and

Tokunbo Afikuyomi:

If there was any candidate, whose loss really didn’t go down well with a majority of the active players, but were helpless to push his case harder than they did, it was Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi, who wanted to be National Vice Chairman, Southwest but was yanked off the equation because of Tunubu’s presidential ambition as an aspirant from Lagos.

Ironically, Afikuyomi’s case shared closely with that of Al-Makura as they were both backstabbed by people, they were loyal to and had given so much to help many years ago. Afikuyomi played a critical role in the certificate scandal of Tinubu, by admitting to be responsible for the controversial mix-up. But for some weird reasons, Tinubu had always feared Afikuyomi’s progress could undermine his and therefore, consistently stood in his way.

In this stance, like he did to him when he wanted to be governor and attempted to return to the senate recently, he pretended not to be aware he was running and instead, pushed for the national youth leader to be zoned to Lagos, using the “southwest YES and pretentious governors” to deliver his mission, while they deceived the former senator that all was well, even till the last minute.

Afikuyomi lost painfully, banking on all the people he thought were his genuine allies of many years. The development left in very bad shape. He actually felt stabbed in the back, from Tinubu to the governors, all of whom were his supposed personal friends.

John Akpanudoedehe:

He was secretary of the CECPC and by virtue of his mismanaged loyalty to his boss, Buni, Akpanudoedehe, a former senator, made enemies for himself, until the rest of the caretaker committee collectively sacked him. He seemed first like a joke, but it soon became a reality that ultimately saw the back of the former governorship aspirant in Akwa Ibom State, from the current party politics.

Although there were suspicions that Buni and his clique had planned to make him return to the party as secretary, however, while the micro-zoning of the offices did not favour him; the rest of the APC stakeholders were not ready to give him a chance either. He didn’t just lose out, he was a collateral damage.

Ken Nnamani:

Tanko Al-Makura

A former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, from Enugu State, was a casualty for being tagged a candidate of the president. Already marked safe for the unity list, governors, who boasted they would dare the president and made sure he didn’t have more than Adamu on the unity list, classified Nnamani as enemy to collective interest and moved against him.

The office of the deputy national chairman, south, had been conceded to Nnamani as a worthy southeast ally and successfully sold to the president, who in turn, had allegedly marked him his choice for the office. But since the succession politics was read rightly by the governors, they refused the president having extreme hold on the party and moved daringly against almost everything he wanted except the chairman.

Nnamani was a collateral damage. He lost.

Ifeoluwa Oyedele

Adamu Farouk Aliyu:

He was an aspirant for the office of the deputy national chairman, north but not favoured by the governors. He was only on the list because he was sold as the candidate of the president, which placed him in a position of disadvantage, contrary to expectations, making him lose the office to Kyari, also from Borno.

Waziri Bulama:

Tokunbo Afikuyomi

John Akpanudoedehe

Ken Nnamani

The office of the National Organising Secretary had been assigned to Bulama as one of the preferred aspirants of the president. He was caught in the local politics of his state, Borno, as his governor, Zulum, would rather someone else. Thus, by the time the list was perfected and other interests taken care of, he was one of the casualties from the compromise that later ensued.

Olusegun Dada:

A promising young man, who had run an excellent campaign for the post of the national youth leader, had to step down, when it was clear leaders of the party did not believe in democracy and would rather play military politics in disguise.

The young man didn’t ask for much, he just wanted a level playing field and let the better of the two candidates to the office in Southwest emerge. But he fell victim to the cult politics of the political leadership, as he had neither any godfather nor anyone in the corridor of power to push his case.

Dada stood down his aspiration that night in heavy tears and with his shaky voice unable to mutter the right words. But he did it for the party; he did for APC’s peculiar democracy and he did just so they would not brand him a rebel. He lost badly and didn’t hide that fact.

…And the Rest:

Adamu Farouk

Waziri Bulama

Olusegun Dada

Apart from these few, there were several other people, who took turns, to renounce their aspirations, just so they look good before the rest of the country and the world as good party men and women. While some brave ones spoke their minds and condemned the high-handedness of the party leadership on how they handed the resort to consensus, others just mounted the stage, announce their decision to stand down and left. Whether or not it was a personal decision, they all lost out.

34

TUESDAY, ͽ˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

WHICH WAY PDP, WHICH TO GO?...

L-R: Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde; Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar; Former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida; Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike; Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu and Enugu State, Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, during a meeting at IBB's residence in Minna... yesterday

2023: We Won't Stop Campaigning Until Emefiele Accepts or Declines to Contest for President, Supporters Insist

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

A support group, the Emefiele Solidarity Vanguard (ESV) has vowed to continue with the campaign for the Governor of Central Bank (CBN), Godwin Emefiele until he accepts or rejects to contest the 2023 presidential election.

The National Coordinator of the group, Daniel Enyi, stated this while addressing a media briefing in Abuja, yesterday.

He said the main aim of addressing the press was to set the records straight on the ongoing solidarity electioneering posters, billboards and recently branded vehicles

for Emefiele's 2023 presidential campaign.

Enyi noted that it was true that many Nigerians had constituted themselves into various support groups for the CBN Governor in a clamour for him to contest the 2023 presidential election.

He said the groups had gone ahead to print campaign materials of all sorts in persuasion for Emefiele to listen to the voice of reason.

Enyi stressed that as a group, the ESV has thousands of posters, T-shirts, billboards and has branded some individual cars in solidarity with the CBN Governor, saying this has nothing to do with the

USAID Launches $9.5 million Advancing Nutrition Initiative to Fight Malnutrition Michael Olugbode in Abuja The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched a two-year $9.5 million Advancing Nutrition Activity to improve the nutritional health of citizens in Bauchi, Kebbi, and Sokoto states.

A statement from the United States Embassy yesterday, explained that the initiative would address the immediate and underlying causes of malnutrition, provide technical support, share innovations, and conduct research to improve nutritional outcomes.

The statement further noted that the launch was also an opportunity to showcase the USAID/Nigeria Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Strategy (2020-2025), which was developed in partnership with the Government of

Nigeria and other key stakeholders.

In his remarks, USAID Health, Population, and Nutrition Office Director Paul McDermott said, “Malnutrition has a far-reaching impact on the most vulnerable populations, especially children, adolescents, and women.”

He added that: “Addressing malnutrition is critical to improving health, education, and economic development.”

According to a 2021 UNICEF report, malnutrition is the underlying cause of nearly half of deaths of children under age five every year in Nigeria.

The current activity is led by John Snow, Inc and JSI Research &Training Institute, Inc and a diverse group of experienced partners, including, Helen Keller International.

CBN Governor as a person.

He added: "The latest campaign of calumny against the person of the CBN Governor is the branding of some Sharon mini buses by a support group, Green Alliance Movement which believes that Emefiele will serve as a bridge between the political class and the economist, the South-south and South-east."

The group revealed that it had decided to brand vehicles in support

of Emefiele in a bid to persuade him to participate in the 2023 presidential election.

The group added: "The images been circulated on social media have nothing to do with the CBN directly, the blackmail is an attempt to box Emefiele to the corner. It is an outright blackmail against his person to link the agitation directly to him.

"It is a norm that whenever he accepts to contest, it would be made

The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami, has declared his intention to contest the 2023 gubernatorial election in the state.

Malami, who declared before his supporters in Kebbi State, promised not to betray them.

“If God in His mercies permits, and all goes well, I will as a politician contest the governorship of Kebbi state. I am seeking your support.

“I want to announce that I will contest indeed and as such I am counting on your prayers and support so that we can all work

and survive the race together. I have no history of betrayal and I won’t betray you people. I will work for you," he told his supporters in Hausa, in a video that was seen yesterday.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria, pointed out that leaders need followers and followers in turn need their leaders in order to ensure that the citizens benefit, even as he promised to work day and night to turn the life of citizens around.

Malami had previously told close friends of his intention to contest the Kebbi state election.

He certainly would be contesting under the All Progressives Congress (APC) and would be seeking to

doubt that Nigerians across the country had been calling on Emefiele to run as president in 2023, saying it was convinced that, if he does, he would win.

It therefore advised those it described as blackmailers to join hands with the progressives who have gone all out in search for the best brains ahead of the 2023 general elections to convince Emefiele to contest the 2023 presidential elections for a consolidated Nigeria.

Govs Opposing LG Autonomy Are Enemies of Nigerians, Says NULGE Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti The Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has described governors opposing full-fledged autonomy for the operations of the 774 local governments in the county as enemies of the masses.

According to the union, Nigeria's hydra-headed challenges of train attacks, killings, unemployment, hunger, kidnappings, insurgency and drug abuse being perpetrated by some youths would be tackled with functional and responsive local government system.

The NULGE President, Ekiti Chapter, Mr. Babatunde Olatunde, said this in Ado Ekiti yesterday, during a media parley sponsored by a Civil Society Organisation named SocialAction, to galvanise support for the passage of the Local Government Autonomy Bill pending before State Assemblies.

Olatunde at the event posited that local governments all over the world were regarded as development centres, regretting that the springboards had been destroyed by state governors

due to selfishness and personal aggrandisement.

He said: "Governors opposing full autonomy for our 774 councils were doing so for selfish reasons and I consider them as enemies of the people, enemies of our nation."

The NULGE boss added further: "Bible says when the foundation is destroyed, what would the righteous do. The local government system has been relegated. No wonder our youth are engaging in ritual killings, banditry, kidnappings, yahoo-yahoo, because the foundation upon which we are built had been destroyed.

"The continued challenges of insecurity, insurgency, corruption are largely traced to systematic destruction of the local governments. All these social vices staring us in the face were not there before 1999. The only antidote to all these is local government autonomy.

"It is high time the cord connecting LG to states be cut off, so that they can enjoy financial autonomy to be able to meet the needs of the people."

Olatunde posited that qualitative education, infrastructure facelift,

2023: Malami Declares for Kebbi Governor, Promises Not to Betray His Supporters Obinna Chima

public, he will answer the clarion call in the open. As Nigerians, the truth is, nobody can stop us from expressing our opinion on whom we feel should govern the country after 2023.

"We wish to assure you that the ESV in collaboration with other support groups shall continue with the agitation until he accepts or rejects the golden offer by wellmeaning Nigerians."

The group said there was no

succeed the current Governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, who is completing his second term.

In 2014, Malami picked nomination form to run for Kebbi State Governor under the platform of the APC, but lost to Bagudu in the party’s primary election.

The Attorney General of the Federation was appointed into his current position by President Buhari in 2015. He was born on 17 April 1967 in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State.

Malami obtained her First School Leaving Certificate(FSLC) from Nassarawa Primary School, Birnin Kebbi. He proceeded to College of Arts and Arabic Studies for his secondary education.

He obtained a degree in law from the Usmanu Danfodiyo University in 1991 and was called to Bar in 1992.

In 1994, Malami obtained a Master Degree in Public Administration from the University of Maiduguri.

In 2011, Malami served as the National Legal Adviser of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Chairman, Legal Team, CPC Presidential Campaign Organisation and Chairman Legal Team, CPC Presidential Campaign Organization.

Malami was among those that drafted the manifesto of the APC and a member of the inter-party Merger Committees of the CPC, ACN, ANPP, a faction APGA, DPP towards the formation of the APC·

peace and youth employment that had eluded the country could only be restored if LGs were granted administrative and financial autonomy like the judiciary sector.

"Enough of not respecting the tenure of council officials, enough of LGs not having full financial benefit of their monthly allocations.

Seventy-five per cent of the people live in the rural areas and that should be a basis for our councils to be fully operational.

"The bill is now at the doorstep of the Houses of Assembly, we are crying loud and clear that they should pass it in the interest of

over 75 percent living in the rural areas. They should come to the aid of Nigerians. We are not here talking about salary increment, but talking about how to fix Nigeria."

In its submission, SocialAction, represented by Mrs. Tokunbo Adedeji, described local governments as the closest to the people, saying state Assemblies should fast-track action on the passage of the bill in the interest of Nigerians.

The parley was attended by NULGE officials, local government staff, representatives of the physically challenged , traditional chiefs, market men and women, among others.

NITDA Sabotaging FG's Efforts to End Strike, Says ASUU

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

Academic Staff Union of Universities has warned that the Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)'s unpatriotic stance will prolong the ASUU strike.

The university union accused NITDA of lying that the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) failed the agency's integrity tests.

“Ironically, NITDA, in conjunction with its parent ministry (the Ministry of Communications), is seriously sabotaging the government's efforts at resolving the impasse," the Bauchi zonal coordinator of ASUU, Prof. Lawan Abubakar, revealed. "This is obviously capable of prolonging the current strike, thereby bringing untold hardship on Nigerian university students and the university system."

Addressing a press conference at the ASUU Secretariat, University of Jos, Plateau, the union criticised NITDA's claim that UTAS failed the integrity test despite scoring 97.4 per cent and 99.3 per cent based on all the agency's test metrics.

“One out of the seven demands the union is impressing on the

Federal Government to address is the deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) to replace the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) for personnel payments & management in the University System," added the ASUU representative.

The ASUU's zonal coordinator further mentioned that UTAS was developed to address the peculiarities of the university system the IPPIS failed to resolve.

He added that following the successful development of UTAS

by ASUU, the government directed NITDA to conduct integrity tests on the software.

According to Abubakar, NITDA scored UTAS' software 97.4 per cent and 99.3 per cent on two occasions.

The Federal Ministry of Education monitored the exercise, the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, and the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission (NSIWC) monitored the tests, said the ASUU coordinator.

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NEWS

IN SEARCH OF CONSENSUS...

L-R: Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki; Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki; Muhammed Hayatu-Deen, and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Muhammed, during a visit by PDP presidential aspirants to Governor Obaseki, in Benin City... yesterday

PDP Govs Reply Garba Shehu, Insist Nigeria Facing Existential Threats Due to APC’s Misrule Chuks Okocha in Abuja Governors of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have responded to the criticism of the communique from a meeting they held at Umuahia, Abia State last week by the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Mr. Garba Shehu.

The PDP governors described the statement by Shehu as infantile, ignorant, pedestrian, low quality, confused and the rambling response of a spokesman.

The PDP governors further stated

that the presidency's response was an amorphous entity, to the factfilled patriotic, well thought out chronicle of the dire living conditions of Nigerians by the party's governors in their communiqué of March 23, 2022.

Shehu had described the communiqué as a fantasy, delusional and fictional.

But a statement from the Director General of the PDP Governors, Cyril Maduabum, stated that, “perhaps Garba Shehu was dazed by the sheer assemblage of facts, figures

and evidence on the existential threat Nigeria is facing as a result of the APC misrule, with respect to the economy, security, stealing of Nigeria’s crude, etc, as contained in the communiqué.”

According to the PDP governors, "It was John Adams who said that, “facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”

The PDP governors maintained that the communiqué of their

meeting merely stated the facts.

The statement added: "The PDP governors’ communiqué made a comparative sketch of Nigeria of 2015 under PDP and Nigeria of 2022 under APC. The communiqué reeled out the fact that in almost all sectors, things have gotten worse by over 1000 per cent.

“This is reflected in prices of basic foodstuffs, unemployment rate, electricity prices, kerosene, diesel, fuel, aviation fuel and air ticket prices which have all gone through the roof. It reeled out figures

Nigeria's COVID-19 Candidate Vaccine Ready in 18 Months TETFUND votes N450m for research

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

Nigeria will in the next 18 months join the league of countries that have developed candidate vaccine for the prevention of the COVID-19.

The vaccine which is a product of several research syndication by research institutions in the country was being funded by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TEFFUND) to the tune of N450 million.

Nigeria's food and drug regulatory agency, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) recently got certification for the attainment of Maturity Level Three Regulatory agency by the World Health Organisation.

NAFDAC said the certification would enable it regulate and help to midwife the local production of vaccines, including the much needed COVID19 vaccines.

The Project Manager of the Nigeria COVID-19 Research Coalition (NCRC), Prof. Popoola Mustapha Ayo, who spoke about the prospect of local production of vaccines at the first research colloquium organised by the 50-member coalition in Abuja, yesterday, said TETFUND was working with five institutions - Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR); National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI); Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto; University of Jos and National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), to develop reagents components locally.

"We are actually looking at the NIPRD that is going to be used for vaccine protection, TETFund has put in N450 million to support that process and the ultimate thing is to come up with candidate vaccine for Covid-19 in the next 18 months,"

he said.

Speaking further on research funding on the health sector, Ayo said the proposition by the African Union was that countries should set aside one per cent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as contribution for Research and Development.

Ayo said the country's health sector required not less than $500 million per annum to have concrete research that can be of impact to the economy.

"Our National GDP is $500 billion and one per cent of this is $5 billion. Presently, Nigeria is holding the highest grant portfolio for research and is spending around $20 million on research and development," he said.

As part of the efforts to ensure more result-oriented research studies, Ayo said the federal government had adopted a triple

strategy of interfacing between the government, private sector and the academia in its research development.

"For research and development that has an interface between the government, private sector and the academia and we are actually focusing on the people.

“Before now what we do was to concentrate the funding for research and development only on tertiary education sector but for the first time, we bring together five institutions that are having real times business in terms of development of vaccines generally in the country using the model of COVID-19.

"We have institutions like NlMR, National Vetinary Research Institute ('NVRI) Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto , University of Jos and NIPRD among others because we are looking at the reagents

component of what is needed so that it can be produced locally.

“We are actually looking at the NIPRD that is going to be used for vaccine protection, TETFund has put in N450 million to support that process and the ultimate thing is to come up with candidate vaccine for Covid-19 in the next 18 months," he said.

The National Coordinator of NCRC, Dr. Chinwe Lucia Ochu said the research coalition was set up to conduct COVID-19 research and to generate research evidence to aid understanding of COVID-19 and support Nigeria’s response to the current disease outbreak.

A Professor of Epidemiology, Prof. Ehimario Igumbor who spoke on the expectations from the colloquium said so far, over 2000 researches had been carried out on COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

INEC Launches Application Portal for Ad Hoc Staff for Ekiti, Osun Elections Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has launched an online portal for interested and eligible citizens to apply as ad-hoc staff for the upcoming Ekiti and Osun governorship elections billed for June 18 and July 16 respectively.

The portal, with the link, http:// pres.inecnigeria.org, was expected go live on Monday at 12:00am, and close on Sunday April 24 at 12:00 midnight.

INEC on its website stated that interested qualified persons were expected to log into the portal, fill

and complete the application form online for consideration as Ad-hoc staff in the election.

The Commission said it welcomed applications for all categories of Ad-hoc staff EXCEPT Collation Officers.

Some of the available positions on INEC website are: Supervisory Presiding Officer (SPO), Registration Area Center (RAC), Manager Presiding Officer (PO), Assistant Presiding Officer (APO), and Registration Area Technical Support (RATECH) with requisite eligibility criteria.

It stated that all applicants are to visit the Eligibility Page, where they

would review the qualification/ criteria necessary for any election staff position of their interest.

According to INEC, "applicants who have previously applied ONLINE for any ad-hoc position prior to this election are to click on the “LOGIN” button, while fresh applicants who have not applied online for an Ad-hoc position prior to this election were advised to click on the “REGISTER” button.

INEC said Nigerians could also access more information on the process on the INEC website www. inecnigeria.org.(shadanpamanews/ Editor)

on poverty, inflation, exchange rate, debt accumulation and corruption.

"Indeed, all aspects of life in Nigeria are being systematically destroyed by the APC administration. Life has become short, brutish and valueless in Buhari’s Nigeria as insecurity ravages the land. But this is not the problem of Garba shehu, who is enveloped in the Presidential Villa, totally oblivious of the suffering and agony Nigerians are facing.

"The most disturbing aspect of misrule of the APC as chronicled in the communiqué is the petroleum sector.

"The stealing of Nigeria’s crude oil and the connivance of NNPC in shortchanging other tiers of government, namely, States and Local Governments is simply mind bogging, if not outright criminal.

Nigeria now produces 1.1million barrels of crude oil per day. It has capacity to produce 2.5million per day. “It cannot even meet its OPEC quota of 1.8million per day. NNPC is a law unto itself. Nobody can call them to order to desist from the part of lawlessness and unconstitutional

acts it has chosen to dwell in.

“Of course, President Buhari is the Minister of Petroleum Resources.

Under his watch, the Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Sector is deteriorating. In an accountable government, he should have resigned his position as Minister of Petroleum, as a result of the cataclysmic failures in the sector."

The PDP governors further stated that they were even shocked that Garba Shehu admitted that funds from NNPC are now directly used to fund social and health programmes, road construction etc, in an unconstitutional overreach.

They further stated, "NNPC can spend the federal government’s share of the Federation Account as it pleases. It cannot spend money belonging to other tiers of government without their approval. NNPC cheats states and local governments.

“NNPC recklessly squanders money belonging to other tiers of government and has the audacity and impudence to pay Zero amount of money into the Federation Account."

House Committee to Probe State House, MDAs over Falsification of Credentials, Others Juliet Akoje in Abuja

The Chairman, House Committee on Public Petitions, Hon. Jerry Alagbaso via two separate letters has invited the Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission and Head of Service of the Federation to appear before it over allegations bothering on falsification of age, date of birth and other vital credentials such as West African Examination Council (WAEC) and Tertiary Institutions results by some Permanent Secretaries, Directors and Assistant Directors in the State House and other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

The invitations were sent by the Chairman, House Committee on Public Petitions, Hon. Jerry Alagbaso via two separate letters titled: 'Request for names and personnel records', with Reference No: NASS/9HR/CT.5 and dated 29th March, 2022.

The invitation read: "The above Committee is investigating a petition laid on the floor of our Chambers on 29th March, 2022 regarding the falsifications and doctoring of ages, dates of Births and vital credentials of some Permanent

Secretaries, Directors and Deputy Directors of MDAs and Parastatals as well as unauthorised extensions of service tenures by the Federal Civil Service Commission and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation between 2015 - 2022.

"It is against the above background that we established the need to reach your office. Thus, we wish to request that you furnish the House of Representatives, Committee on Public Petitions within five (5) days with the names of all the Permanent Secretaries, Directors and Deputy Directors in all the Federal Ministries, Agencies and Parastatals and of course their present postings and those (if any) on extension of tenures.

“You are to submit five (5) copies of the above requests to the House of Representatives meeting Room 429, New Wing OR office No. 0.42 ground floor."

The proposed investigative hearing was sequel to the petition dated March 11, 2021, initiated by a Civil Society Organisation, AntiCorruption and Integrity Forum via petition addressed to the Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and read on the floor of the House.

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NEWS

LEADERSHIP BY DESIGN SUMMIT....

L-R: Chief Financial Officer FBNQuest, Mrs. Olamide Adeosun; Chief Executive Officer DKK Nigeria, Mrs. Temitope Jemerigbe; First Lady Kwara State, Mrs Olufolake Abdulrazaq; Founder Leading Ladies Africa, Ms. Francesca Uriri; Managing Director FSDH Merchant Bank, Mrs. Bukola Smith, and Chief Marketing and Corporate Communications Officer Interswitch, Mrs. Cherry Eromosele, at the Leadership By Design Summit organised by Leading Ladies Africa in Lagos...recently

Explosives Have Killed 789 Civilians in North-east, Injured 1,356 Others, UN Reveals Michael Olugbode in Abuja The United Nations (UN) has decried that 789 persons have been killed by explosive in the ongoing insurgency in the north-eastern part of the country.

Speaking during the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action event in Nigeria, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Matthias Schmale said for Borno, Adamawa, Yobe (BAY) states, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) collated 1,532 incidents involving explosive hazards from January 2016 to January 2022, involving more than 10,000 causalities out of which 1,356 civilians were injured and 789 killed.

He explained: “In North-east Nigeria, explosive ordnance in their different forms continue to represent an immediate, grave and additional threat to already suffering populations. The use of indiscriminating improvised mines kills, maim and constitute an obstacle to the basic right of safe freedom of movement.

“These devices are also an obstacle to early recovery and

development efforts. For the BAY states.”

He added: “Mines and other explosives are an everyday threat to civilian populations. We particularly condemn the use of improvised mines which kill and maim without discrimination. “It is important to remind that such devices go against international humanitarian law. Restriction of safe freedom of movement, endangered everyday life, killing and maiming indiscriminately, purposely targeting civilians, causing unnecessary suffering is not acceptable. Populations shall be protected against such threats.”

He revealed that: “With donors’ support, and under the coordination of the United Nations, especially through UNMAS, action is already taken by humanitarian partners such as the Youth Awakens Foundation, Danish Refugee Council and Mine Advisory Group to mitigate the effects of this threat through risk education and mapping of contaminated lands.

“I am pleased to stress that since January 2019, Mine Action organisations have provided critical life-saving information

to mitigate the risk by Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) for more than 1.2 million (including almost 60% girls and boys) conflict affected communities, IDPs in camps, host communities, refugees and returnees.

“Also, life-saving assistance was provided to 999 humanitarian workers of more than 1032 UN agencies, International and National NGOs and Civil Society Organisations as well as stakeholders (government officials, service providers and caregivers) through explosive ordnance awareness to protect them during their travel and work.

through the Community-Based Crime Prevention and Development Intervention strategy.

He said this was the first of its kind put in place by any of Nigeria’s nine coastal states.

The governor added that his administration continued to create the enabling environment for good governance, transparency, and accountability, critical elements in the fight against crime in the maritime environment.

Diri also called on the international community and the federal government to involve states on maritime security issues while assuring that his administration will remain committed to the well-being of Bayelsans, peace, and security.

"We from Bayelsa State and the entire Ijaw nation are critical stakeholders to the whole idea

sustain the response.”

He, however, noted that full integration of Mine Action within humanitarian, early recovery and development strategies and plans was essential to effectively and efficiently protect communities.

He said: “Be reassured that as the Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator, I pay the utmost attention to this necessary coordination and thank UNMAS for their action.

I also praise all endeavors to ensure that our actions are developed and coordinated in close cooperation with Nigerian authorities and institutions.

“The humanitarian and devel-

opment community appreciates the relentless actions born by Nigeria security forces to clear the roads from improvised mines and to dispose of Explosive Remnants of War.” He revealed that the UN was ready to collaborate with the federal government to extend the demining to the North West with record of growing crisis in the region.

Schmale added: “The United Nations, especially through UNMAS, are more than willing to provide technical advice and coordination support for the Government of Nigeria to fulfill this objective.”

At Ramadan Tafsir, Buhari Prays for Peace, Justice In Nigeria Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has prayed for peace and justice to prevail in Nigeria as well as enhanced welfare and prosperity for humanity in general.

Presidential spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, in a statement, revealed that Buhari yesterday joined Muslim faithful at the State House Mosque in Abuja,

EU to Partner Bayelsa on Gulf of Guinea Security Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa has expressed the willingness of his State to partner the European Union to ensure security in the Gulf of Guinea.

Playing host to a delegation on maritime security from the European Union in Abuja, Diri said Bayelsa was interested in collaborations that will help it secure its maritime area and harness the resources because the state has the longest coastline in Nigeria.

A statement by the governor's chief press secretary, Daniel Alabrah, quoted Diri as describing Bayelsa and the Ijaw nation as critical stakeholders in maritime safety, given that the lives of the people depend on their coastal ecosystem.

Diri noted that the state had intervened directly in affected communities where potential maritime criminal activities have their origin

“A lot has been accomplished.

However, these efforts must be sustained. The 2022 Humanitarian Needs Overview process has identified 1.2 million people immediately at risk and in need for life-saving assistance in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.

“Again with donors’ support, the Humanitarian Response Plan will target 407,000 individuals from all genders and age to facilitate with decisive lifesaving risk education, mapping and marking of hazardous areas, identification of survivors and affected communities across BAY States. As well, capacity building projects will be conducted to

of maritime safety, protection of the maritime ecology, the healthy and sustainable development of the deep blue economy, and preservation of our aquatic, cultural heritage," added the governor.

Also speaking, Ambassador Boladei Igali called for support and interventions in the region.

Earlier, the EU Senior Coordinator for the Gulf of Guinea, Mr. Nicolas Berlanga, said the EU and its partners would work with the government and Bayelsans as long as they provide the needed leadership.

In his remarks, Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria, Juan Sell, said the meeting with states was because they were conscious that success would not be achieved if the coordinating units were not involved in improving security in the Gulf of Guinea.

to mark the commencement of the Ramadan Tafsir, the interpretation and explanation of the Qur’an.

The exercise which is in line with Islam’s guiding principles and the intense devotional activities marking the 30-day Ramadan period saw the President joining in prayers for justice, peace,

prosperity and enhanced welfare of the whole humanity.

The Muslim faithful also emphasised the need for deepening of forgiveness, mercy and kindness to the poor.

The Chief Imam of the State House Mosque, Sheikh Abdulwahab Sulaiman, who led the exegesis condemned terrorists

who have taken the religion of Islam as a cover to kill and loot the property of fellow citizens.

He prayed to Allah to avert the activities of terrorists, bandits, kidnappers as well as the occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the unforeseen hardships it brought to the country and global community.

Ekiti 2022: Oni Woos Voters, Urges them to Resist Poll Riggers Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti Former Ekiti State Governor and the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the June 18 governorship poll, Engr.

Segun Oni, has advised electorates to troop out en masse on election day to cast their votes and also prevent poll riggers from subverting their will.

Oni said this yesterday during his visit to Ido/Osi, Moba and Ilejemeje Local Government areas of Ekti state, on a consultation with party members ahead of the June 18 election.

He appealed to residents of Ekiti State to act as true soldiers of democracy and rescue themselves from bad governance, which according to him had taken over the land after his exit in 2010.

The former governor stressed that he was not seeking re-election

for personal enrichment like some governors were allegedly doing in Ekiti, saying he bowed to people's pressure to plunge into the race and prevent few individuals from cornering the state's Commonwealth.

Oni while addressing the party members urged the SDP supporters not to succumb to intimidations from the ruling All Progressives Congress and the People's Democratic Party.

He described the two dominant parties as spent forces in Ekiti, saying the outcome of the coming election would convince them that they are already rejected by the masses.

"I want to assure you that the SDP will win the June 18 poll, so don't allow anyone to terrify you, we are taking over government from. them. Nobody can claim to be more Ekiti than us. We believe the election will

be free and fair.

"I want you to come out and begin aggressive mobilisation and get prepared. I am happy with the groundswell of support we have been getting from Ekiti people, but this should be translated to victory on June 18.

"We are sure of victory, but they are planning rigging and I know that Ekiti people will prevent their rigging because the power of the people is mightier than any power. Act as through soldiers of democracy and defend your votes and your state," Oni advised.

Oni promised that his government would tackle poverty like he did in his first term by initiating programmes that would touch the grassroots.

"When we were in government, APC as the then opposition was outside then promising to make Ekiti greater, but they failed.

TUESDAY APRIL 5, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWS

Commissioner’s Son Killed as Terrorists Attack Zamfara Community Onuminya Innocent The Nigeria Police yesterday confirmed terrorists’ attack in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

According to Public Relations Officer of the command Superintendent of Police (SP), Mohammed Shehu, the command has mobilised enough Mobile police to the local government to forestall further attack .

He added that the people should provide the security personnel with useful information if they see any suspected movement in their areas.

No fewer than four persons have been reportedly killed in a fresh attack by suspected terrorists including a biological son of the Zamfara State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Mamman TSafe (rtd)retired in the Tsafe town.

Sources told THISDAY that the suspected terrorists invaded TSafe Local Government headquarters in Zamfara State last Sunday evening where they started firing sporadic gunshots killing Abba Mamman TSafe and cutting his hands off.

According to eyewitness’

accounts, the terrorists later proceeded to the residence of the Chairman of Zamfara State Local Government service Commission in the same TSafe town, where

they also killed two persons.

The incident was said to have occurred about 8:30 pm, which created panic among residents of the trouble area as they ran

into the bush for safety.

One of the victims, who sustained high degree of gunshot wound, was rushed to undisclosed hospital for urgent

medical attention.

TSafe is one of the Frontline local government areas of Zamfara State which has been consistently suffering from

terrorists’ attacks in recent times and border with Katsina State as well as gateway to Gusau, Sokoto and Kebbi States in the North-west, Nigeria.

CATCHING THEM YOUNG……

L-R: First Runner-up, Second Edition of Nigeria Info ‘I Beg To Differ’ student debate tournament, Debrah Pamzar; General Manager, Corporate Communication, Cool FM, Wazobia FM, and Nigeria Info, Femi Obong Daniel; Winner, Ruth Okorocha, and Second Runner-up, Olamilekan Ramadan at the presentation of prizes in Lagos…recently

2023: Peterside Harps on Youth DSS Parades Nursing Mother, Five Others Participation in Nigerian Politics for Kidnapping Toddlers in Ondo Oluchi Chibuzor

Nigerian Economist and Statesman, Mr. Atedo Peterside, has harped on active involvement of Nigerian youth in steering the course of the country’s politics through maximum participation at the polls come 2023.

Delivering a keynote address at the first edition of the Future Leaders Conference, which was held in Lagos recently, Peterside noted that there would be a complete overhaul of the country’s political system with the youth population coming out en-mass to exercise their franchise.

He maintained that with the mass of young people coming out to vote at the polls, the country is poised to elect a leader who would reflect the wishes and aspirations of a new Nigeria and spur growth in all sectors of the economy.

He said: “Young people must understand that until they get to the point where they are afraid of you and your votes, nothing is going to change in Nigeria. When MKO Abiola won in Lagos of course I was much younger. When I came out of my street on Victoria Island to vote, we were a sea of young people. Everybody came out for one reason.

Lucky Igbokwe Declares for Abia Guber Global Peace Ambassador, Lucky Igbokwe, yesterday, declared interest to contest the 2023 governorship election in Abia State, saying his decision to run was borne out of the hunger and desire to add value and impetus to governance against the backdrop of the yearnings of the entire people of the state.

Igbokwe, who will be contesting the election under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP), said he took the decision following due consultations with relevant stakeholders, traditional leaders, the downtrodden and entire good people of Ndi Abia.

According to him, he was further empowered by a support group under the auspices of Concerned Friends of Mayor Lucky Igbokwe led by the Deputy Chief Whip of the Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Kelechi Onuzuruike and Hon. Okechi Utah who out of their goodwill, purchased the expression of interest and nomination forms for him.

Igbokwe, who is the founder of Don Lulu Foundation, a nonprofit organisation that caters to women and the less-privileged, said he has all it takes to fix Abia if given the opportunity to serve.

Fidelis David in Akure

The operatives of Department of State Service (DSS) yesterday paraded a nursing mother among six-man syndicate that specialises in kidnapping toddlers between the ages of two and four in Ondo State.

The Director of DSS in Ondo State, Mr. Jonathan Kure, while parading the suspects at his

headquarters, explained that the syndicate had been terrorising the state, noting that following the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari and the support of its Director-General and Ondo State Government, they commence tracking of the suspects.

He noted that the nursing mother was a member of the kidnap syndicate; helped to

keep weapons for the syndicate, and was a wife to one of the arrested kidnappers, stressing that the operation was carried out in synergy with the men of the Nigerian Army, as he appreciated the collaboration among the security agencies in the state.

He said: “They have tormented so many families, especially within Akure, but

following the directive of President Buhari and the support of our DG, we were able to launch a crackdown on them.

“You can see that there are young men, and what is even more touching is that one of their members is a nursing mother and a wife of one of the kidnappers. She also plays a dual role of being the armourer of the group.”

Firm Petitions EFCC over Allegations of Share Manipulation against Management Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Board of Directors of Dreamworld Leisures Limited has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate a petition sent to it by the board over allegations of mismanagement and share manipulation against the management team of the company.

The board had written a petition against the management team of the organisation in 2019, accusing it of financial misappropriation and share manipulation.

A statement issued by the Chairman of the board, Mr. Wale Mesioye, expressed concerns that the anti-graft agency did not act on the petition submitted to it by the board but chose to expedite action on the petition sent by the

management team in 2021.

It said the petition detailed weighty infractions against the management including alleged share manipulation, money laundering, sale of company assets without the knowledge of the board, among others.

The board said it had, in the petition to EFCC, intimated it of the alleged infractions of the managing director including

forgery of several board resolutions,unapproved sales of landed property of the company, diversion and embezzlement of the proceeds from the previous sales of land belonging to the company.

Others include suspected money laundering, diversion of company’s funds to accounts of companies owned by the MD and his wife.

‘Don’t Allow Secondary School Dropout to Become Gov in Osun’ Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo Former governorship aspirant under the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP in Osun State, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, yesterday, tasked the electorates not to choose a leader who is clueless to govern the state.

Ogunbiyi gave the admonition at a summit that was organised in Osogbo by a civil society

organisation known as the Committee for Anti-fraud Election Security.

He alleged that one of the candidates contesting to become the governor of the state was a secondary school dropout and the people must not watch that to happen.

Ogunbiyi was allegedly referring to the Governorship Candidate of the PDP, Mr. Ademola Adeleke, who was

favoured by the National Working Committee of the party.

He urged the people of Osun State to do all within their power to elect a credible candidate to change the fortune of the state.

He said: “A secondary school dropout wants to become the governor of Osun State, can you watch and allow that to happen because the consequences will be serious?

“The problem in Osun

is not civil service, it is not the infrastructure, it is about making Osun an industrialised state. It was the vision of the founding fathers to make Osun an industrialised state, that is yet to happen.

“The only thing to make change to happen is to elect credible leaders. Do everything within your power to have credible election in Osun State,” he said.

Sacked Abuja Imam Gets New Appointment Constituents Purchase Forms, Endorse Nwankwo for Senate Former Chief Imam of the National that he was not bothered by his sack, Assembly Legislators’ Quarters Mosque, Sheikh Muhammad Nuru Khalid, has said the termination of his appointment was a necessary price he had to pay for identifying with the sufferings masses and speaking truth to those in power.

Khalid was sacked for criticizing President Muhammadu Buhari, saying the government has failed the people of Nigeria.

However, the Imam said yesterday

disclosing that has been appointed by the Management Committee of a new Jum’mat Mosque behind the Central Bank Nigeria (CBN) Quarters, Abuja, to lead the congregation with effect from Friday, April 8.

He said: “My sack is a reflection of how Nigeria is today. Many people are hiding under the cover of religion to perpetrate all manner unwholesome acts.

Nseobong Okon-Ekong

Constituents from 52 towns spread across seven local government areas in Anambra Central Senatorial District have purchased nomination forms for the member representing Njikoka/Dunukofia/Anaocha federal constituency in the House of Representatives,

Hon. Dozie Nwankwo.

A delegation from the various towns and communities of the senatorial zone, led

by Chief Ndubuisi Isiadinso and Chief Okechukwu Ayika visited the lawmaker in Abuja, to deliver the nomination forms to enable him contest the election on the platform of the All Progressives Grand

Alliance (APGA) Speaking while presenting the documents, Chief Isiadinso explained that the gesture was the voluntary donation of members of the Senatorial district in appreciation of the accountable, impactful and quality representation that Hon. Nwankwo, demonstrated in the House of Representatives

for the past six years.

He noted that having acquired rich legislative experience and shown himself as a worthy voice for the people of Njikoka/Dunukofia/ Anaocha federal constituency, Hon. Nwankwo deserves the elevation to represent Anambra Central Senatorial District in the red chamber.

38

TUESDAY APRIL 5, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

Kaduna Train Attack: Falana Accuses Amaechi, NRC MD of Negligence, Wants Them Prosecuted A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Femi Falana has accused the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and the Managing Director (MD) of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Fidet Okhiria of negligence in the attack on a train plying the Abuja-Kaduna rail line last week.

Falana, who issued a statement yesterday, also called for the prosecution of Ameachi and Okhiria.

The legal practitioner referenced reports of attacks on the Abuja-Kaduna rail line and accused the corporation and Amaechi of not taking enough measures to forestall the latest incident.

He said: “Although both Messrs Amaechi and Okhiria knew that the Abuja-Kaduna train was not safe they kept on giving passengers a false sense of security.

“Since both of them knew that the tragedy that befell the nation last week was waiting

to happen and did not adopt measures to prevent it, the President should direct the Inspector-General of Police to investigate and prosecute them for criminal negligence.

“Meanwhile, both of them should not be allowed to continue to risk the lives of train passengers in the country.”

He said contrary to claims by the NRC that there is no fraud in the sales of train tickets, a ticket racketeering syndicate was arrested in 2019, noting that since then NRC has not been able to crack down on other syndicates operating in the Abuja-Kaduna and LagosIbadan train stations.

According to him, the corporation and the ministry is legally bound to bear the cost of treatment for those injured during the incident.

Falana said:“It is indisputable that the loss of lives, personal injury, and abduction of passengers by

the terrorists was caused ‘by want of reasonable care, diligence or skill on the

part of the Corporation or its servants.”

“In other words, top

officials of the Nigerian Railway Corporation and the Ministry of Transportation

are liable for the criminal negligence that caused the bomb attack.”

HAPPY MARRIED LIFE…

A staff member of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC), Minna, Mr. Shakopon Ehiarinmwan (left), and former Miss Dorothy Ogbeni, during their traditional marriage in Benin City, Edo State…recently

Police Arrest 22 Suspected NDLEA Forcefully Invades Homes, Shoots Two at Lagos Party Cultists in Ogun Chiemelie Ezeobi

James Sowole in Abeokuta and Becky Uba Umenyili The Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Police announced yesterday that men of the command have arrested no fewer than 22 suspected cultists in Abeokuta and Sagamu.

The arrest of the suspects was disclosed by the command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Abimbola Oyeyemi, in a statement that was made available to journalists.

Oyeyemi said that the arrests testified to the resolve of the command to checkmate activities of cultists across the state, which necessitated the formation of a special squad

that being headed by the Assistance Commissioner of Police Department of Operation to tackle the scourge.

He said: “The arrested cultists who have affirmed their membership of Aye and Eiye confraternities were apprehended when the squad stormed their hideouts at Mayas in Lafenwa and Oju Ogabra in Sapon area of Abeokuta.

“Some of the suspects were also apprehended in Sagamu during a similar operation that was carried out by the squad.

All the arrested suspects are currently being investigated to ascertain their roles in the cult war that engulfed the state recently, which claimed the life of some cult members.”

Ugwuanyi Commended on Job Creation, Youth Empowerment The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu, Most Rev. Callistus Onaga has commended Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State for promoting job creation and youth empowerment as well as peace and governance in the state.

Bishop Onaga made the commendation when Gov. Ugwuanyi flagged off a commercial industrial kitchen project, in Agbudu, Udi Local Government Area of the state, being built by an illustrious son of the community, Mr. Emeka Eneh, to provide and supply fresh and healthy local

foods to different outlets in the state for average Nigerians at affordable prices.

In his sermon, Bishop Onaga described the business venture, “Come Chop Restaurants”, as “Mamaput redefined” and a rare tasty food factory that will empower up to 1000 youths, in its little way of making idle hands busy.

The bishop said the governor’s gesture was in keeping with his administration’s commitment to job creation and youth empowerment as well as peace and good governance.

Zico Petroleum Fetes Customers them in a jovial environment.

Sunday Okobi

A player in the downstream petroleum sector, ZICO Petroleum and Marketing Company Limited, has expanded its relationship with its esteemed customers as they were feted at their Customers’ Forum recently in Benin City, Edo State.

The company in a statement made available to THISDAY, said the customers’ forum is an annual event where the company interacts with its customers all over the country to review business relationship in the preceding year, listen to their complaints with a view to resolving

The occasion also provides an opportunity to unveil new company policies with renewal of commitment to improve their service to the customers.

According to the statement, while addressing the customers at the forum, the General Manager of the company, Mr. Effiong Ndon, thanked the customers for continued patronage of the company’s products in the past years, and assured them of the sustenance of the “rebate regime” instituted by the company to the customers for their loyalty.

Following the controversial path of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in forcefully invading homes of persons of interest, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has shot two persons at a night party in Lagos.

Led by one Chima, the officials numbering about 30 were said to have stormed a birthday party venue around 10:30pm on Friday at Festac Link Bridge canal, where they fired sporadically at the fun seekers.

Those hit by the gunshots, who were simply identified as Ewejo and David, were rushed to the hospital after the operatives allegedly fled the scene.

While Ewejo was hit on his right stomach and left unconscious, David got hit on the leg.

A witness, who gave his name as Kingsley, urged the government to intervene and stop the NDLEA from indiscriminate raids and shooting of unarmed civilians.

Stressing that there was no hesitation nor struggle with the

operatives, he said: “They came in gun-blazing. At first, people took cover thinking armed robbers have come.

“But it was later we knew they were NDLEA officials. It was those sporadic gunshots they released that hit the victims.

“I have been hearing complaints about how NDLEA just break into people’s homes late nights in the guise of sting operation but I never knew they could just open fire like that”.

This recent incident is coming after several other complaints from residents about the NDLEA,

with many taking to social media to relive their experiences.

In recent times, the agency had engaged on series of drug raids, targeting celebrities and other young people in different parts of the state who have allegedly been involved in drugs.

One of those who accused operatives of agency of breaking into his house last weekend was Akintunde Abiodun Timileyin alias TI Blaze, an artist, who alleged that his road manager and manager were whisked away during the early Sunday morning raid on his apartment.

Lagos DPP Recommends NURTW Chieftain, Kunle Poly, for Murder Trial

Wale Igbintade

The Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has recommended the prosecution of a National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) chieftain, Azeez Lawal (a.k.a.

Kunle Poly), in connection with an alleged murder case.

Lawal, 48, is to be tried at the Lagos State High Court for alleged accessory after the fact to murder.

His co-defendant, Adekanbi Wahab, 38, will face trial for

membership in an unlawful society.

A Yaba Chief Magistrate’s Court in Lagos stated this yesterday, explaining that the DPP’s advice showed that a prima facie case had been established against the duo.

Chief Magistrate Linda Balogun added that the DPP advised that three other defendants, whose names were mentioned in the advice, though they were charged separately from the two defendants, should be discharged.

She transferred the case to a

high court.

Kunle Poly, the NURTW’s Lagos Island Branch B Chairman, and Wahab were on January 27, remanded for 30 days on a temporary charge of conspiracy to commit murder, murder, and membership of an unlawful society.

The Magistrate renewed the order on February 28, following an application by the prosecutor of the Force CID, Alagbon, Mr. Morufu Animashaun.

At the commencement of yesterday’s proceedings, a

lawyer from the DPP, Mrs. O. R. Saliu, told the court that the legal advice was ready and in the court’s file.

Following an application by counsel to both defendants, Mr. Adeshina Okulana, who told the court that the defendants had been in custody for 78 days, the chief magistrate granted each defendant bail in the sum of N1 million.

Balogun also ordered that the defendants should produce two sureties each as part of the bail condition.

FG Replies Obasanjo, Says Buhari Not Overwhelmed by Insecurity Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The federal government has responded to the comments by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that President Muhammdu Buhari is overwhelmed by the gale of insecurity across the country.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stated this yesterday on the TVC breakfast programme, This Morning.

He said that the string of successes of the military in fighting the terrorists and the bandits that have been attacking soft targets was a pointer that government was not in any way overwhelmed by the prevailing challenges.

Obasanjo, who governed the country as an elected president from 1999-2003 had on Sunday in Abeokuta, lamented the insecurity in the country, following the bombing

of an Abuja-Kaduna train that left eight persons dead and scores of passengers yet to be accounted for.

“So, if anybody comes to say I want to see you, I want to talk to you, I will say ‘you’re welcome’. This is because I believe very strongly, and I have said it publicly and I will say it again that the situation we are in this country is not a situation, where one man will say, yes, he has a solution, unless we are

deceiving ourselves. I believe we need to sit down collectively and look at the situation.

“A situation where you are not safe on the road, you are not safe on the train, you are not safe at the airport, shows a very serious situation. I believe that all right-thinking Nigerians must know that we have a situation that has overwhelmed the present administration, but we should not allow that situation to overwhelm Nigeria.”

APC Chieftain Commences Consultations with LG Chairs Ugo Aliogo A chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Jamil Yola, has commenced a national consultation with the APC 774 local governments chairmen.

The engagement, which is the first of its kind in the country, is meant to discuss APC’s problems, prospects, and challenges at the local government levels, and

proffer unity as a way forward and a solution to the success of the party in 2023.

The maiden meeting was held in Yola -Adamawa State capital with all the 21 APC local government chairmen.

The Adamawa APC LGA chairmen were excited about being the first category in the nationwide meeting and commended Yola for

spearheading such an important national discussion from the grassroots level despite not having any political ambition for elective office.

Rather it is just further the interest of the APC and its stakeholders nationwide, and see that the party is stronger and better.

In his remarks, Yola said: “I want to tell you that I’m not

looking for any position, what I’m keen about is to help in strategic thinking and directly or indirectly work for our party to win elections come 2023.”

Yola told the chairmen that nobody can do without them, thus, they should go back to their respective local government areas to support credible party men and women by asking them to venture into politics.

39

TUESDAY, ͽ˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

TUESDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Uzoho Breaks Silence, Describes Partey’s Goal Worst Day of His Life Femi Solaja with agency report Super Eagles goalkeeper, Francis Uzoho, has described the 10th minute goal he conceded against Black Stars of Ghana at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja last Tuesday as the worse in his fledgling career.

As it turned out, that goal by

W O R L D C U P P L AYO F F S Thomas Partey in the second leg 2022 World Cup Playoff, eventually became an albatross for Nigeria.

It earned the Ghanaians the away goal rule that eventually stopped Super Eagles from qualifying for a fourth consecutive

and seventh overall appearance at the FIFA World Cup. After a brilliant performance in Kumasi, it was Uzoho’s howler that caused Abuja fans to visit their anger on the Moshood Abiola Stadium, destroying

everything in sight after the Tunisian referee called off the game after added five minutes to regulation time.

Speaking for the first time since the costly mistake of allowing Partey’s harmless shot crept past him, the Omonia Nicosia goalkeeper in the Cyprus league, said yesterday on social media

that he remains very pained by the gaffe.

"These past couple of days have been the worst in my lifetime," Uzoho posted on his official social media account.

"I wanted to take my nation to Qatar but rather did the opposite.

I know what football means to you all and to myself. I can’t promise not to make mistakes again but I can promise not to give up until I bring back that smile on your faces.

"Thank you for the support and God bless,” was Uzoho’s message to his compatriots still raging with anger over the World Cup miss.

Although William Troost-Ekong equalized Partey’s goal, the Black Stars held on to that advantage of an away goal to ensure the game ended in their favour.

Uzoho has made 18 appearances for the three times

African champions since his debut in 2017.

Meanwhile, Ex-Nigeria international striker, Daniel Amokachi, has challenged football administrators in the country to return to developmental structures that saw the team reach greater heights in the past.

"Quality-wise, we can't take it away from Nigeria. Every day, Nigeria is blessed with one immigrant player who is playing out there and he'll always come up and say I turned down my birth country, I want to play for Nigeria when their country of birth never looked for them. They won't even make their birth nation squads," Amokachi told SuperSport.

"Unfortunately for us in Nigeria, we've thrown away our developmental structure which we had that made us win the 1996 Olympic gold medal, that made that generation so great.

Heineken Brings Dutch Legend, Seedorf, UCL Trophy to Nigeria

Francis Uzoho...pained by Nigeria’s World Cup miss.

PHOTO: Getty Images

Van Dijk Targets Unforgettable Liverpool Season Virgil van Dijk said it "should not be taken for granted" what Liverpool have been achieving before their Champions League quarter-final with Benfica tonight.

The Reds travel to Lisbon yesterday still with the hope to remain in contention to win the quadruple this season.

Having already won the Carabao Cup, they sit one point off Premier League leaders Manchester City, who they take on in the FA Cup semi-finals.

"We just want to make this

TODAY @8pm Benfica v Liverpool Man City v Atletico

WEDNESDAY @8pm Virgil van Dijk...Dreams unforgettable season with Liverpool

Chelsea v R’Madrid Villarreal v B’Munich

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE season an unforgettable one," said Van Dijk.

"If you said it at the start of the season that we would still be in all competitions at this stage, with a full squad, (we'd have taken it).

"We should just enjoy it, go to Lisbon and give it our all. If it's not enough, we go again next season. The things that are going on at Liverpool should not be taken for granted."

The Liverpool centre-back, who signed a three-year contract extensionin the summer, played just five league games last season after he sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury in October 2020.

Before his injury he was widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the world and had played a crucial role

Arsenal’s Top Four Ambition Suffers Setback at Crystal Palace Arsenal missed the chance to move back into the Premier League's top four and strengthen their hopes of Champions League football as they were stunned 3-0 by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

The Gunners would have moved above Tottenham with victory but fell behind early on through Jean-Philippe Mateta's header following a free-kick.

Things got worse for the Gunners a few minutes later when Jordan Ayew got away from two

PREMIER LEAGUE Arsenal defenders and bent a shot beyond Aaron Ramsdale.

Arsenal were outfought and outworked in the first half, their only shot on target a Gabriel header at Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita.

The visitors showed improvement after the break and should have at least got one back as Martin Odegaard shot

wide when unmarked inside the box, while Eddie Nketiah hit the woodwork.

Palace made sure of a hugely impressive win when Wilfried Zaha was brought down inside the box late on and the forward stepped up to convert the penalty.

The victory, Palace's first at home in the league in 2022, moves them up to ninth while Arsenal remain fifth and outside the top four on goal difference, albeit with a game in hand.

in Liverpool's Premier League title win in 2019-20 and Champions League success the season before.

Van Dijk admitted he felt people "expected the same" level from him immediately upon his return this season.

"Before the international break in January, I did care a little bit that it was going unnoticed," said Van Dijk.

"I felt a bit taken for granted, coming back from a long-term injury, that everything was sort of 'normal' - that everyone expected the same.

"But after the break I didn't and maybe that helped the performances. Everyone is playing their part."

The UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken is bringing a legend of the game, Clarence Seedorf, who played for Ajax, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and AC Milan, to Nigeria.

The tour provides football fans around the world with a chance to be in close proximity of the iconic UEFA Champions League Trophy and the heroes of the game.

In its fifteen-year history, the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken has reached 31 countries across Africa, Asia, North and South America.

This year, the tour will visit Lagos and Abuja, both in Nigeria where Seedorf will commence a trophy tour and play live in the Heineken Football Face-Off. Heineken 2021/22 UEFA Champions League campaign entitled, “Cheers to All Fans”, highlights the inclusive nature of the game of football, communicating that football belongs to all passionate fans; regardless of gender, age, or tribe.

Heineken® is bringing this to life for football fans across the globe with an extensive campaign and activation experiences open to all fans, enabling them to get closer to the iconic UEFA Champions League Trophy and legends of the game.

As part of its global campaign,

the 2022 UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented

by Heineken will stop in Lagos, Nigeria on the 12th of April, and in Abuja, Nigeria on the 13th of April 2022.

The two-day tour affords fans with a rare opportunity to take photos with the UEFA Champions League Trophy, meet UCL Legend Clarence Seedorf and experience the thrill of the tour in their hometown.

Seedorf is considered one of the most successful players in UEFA Champions League history as he is the first and currently the only player to have won the UEFA Champions League Trophy with three clubs: Ajax in 1995, Real Madrid in 1998 and twice with AC Milan in 2003 and again in 2007.

Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Emmanuel Oriakhi said: “We are thrilled to bring the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken® to Lagos & Abuja this year.

“The tour is a unique experience for global football fans outside of Europe to come face to face with the UEFA Champions League Trophy and to meet UCL Legend Clarence Seedorf in their home city. Our aim is to demonstrate that the best UEFA Champions League matches are enjoyed by all fans, and a Heineken® of course.”

NPFL: Hero Lager Goads Enyimba to Victory in Aba Sunday Okobi In a bid to intensify support for domestic football, and meet consumer passion points, Premium Lager beer, Hero, has drummed support for Enyimba Football Club as the People’s Elephant came out victorious when they locked horns with Wikki Tourists last weekend.

The proud beer supporter of Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) teams in the South-east region began the sponsorship since November last year.

Football fans in Aba and neighbouring towns thronged the Aba Stadium to watch the two-time CAF Champions League winner, Enyimba of Aba, overcome the formidable Wikki

Tourists team 2-0. The match had the fans on their toes in excitement till the end of the game.

Some fans in their jubilation sang with the name, “O’Mpa”, which is what Hero Lager is called in the Eastern part of the country. Hero Lager’s sponsorship team list includes Enyimba FC; Enugu Rangers International; Abia Warriors; Ifeanyi Uba FC, and Heartland FC. According to the Marketing Director, International Breweries Plc, Tolulope Adedeji, “Hero Lager remains committed to supporting and promoting culture and the values of sports, business, and entrepreneurship as a roadmap to leaving a lasting legacy.

“There is no football club without a history and culture behind it. Hero Lager is a brand

that is committed to preserving rich cultural heritage, be it in business, tradition, or football.”

“As a forward-thinking brand, Hero Lager has invested in several pro-Southeastern activities such as Igba Boi, which has seen so many business-oriented young men and women get grants, training, and mentorship to start and grow their businesses. A lot of youths from the Southeast have also benefited from the annual Kickstart initiative that will soon be activated for the 2022 edition.”

The Aba stadium was visibly branded with Hero Lager colours and logos while members of Enyimba Supporters Club donned the Hero Lager branded T-shirts as they cheered the Elephants to victory.

TR

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

UT H

& RE A S O

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Price: N250

MISSILE

CSO to Atiku Abubakar

“As regards age, people who have vied to run for presidency are old in age and in their ideas. The major point is that we understand that Atiku lacks the capacity to make things happen. When he was Vice President under Obasanjo, he was the chairman of Privatisation Council; what did he do with the privatisation? He privatised Nigeria into their pockets…’’ ---African National Congress Spokesman, Olufemi Adeyeye, advising Atiku to shelve his presidential ambition.

TUESDAY WITH REUBENABATI abati1990@gmail.com

The Night Train To Hell T

he railway used to be a very important part of transportation in Nigeria during the colonial era up until the collapse of everything that once worked in this country. The collapse began, suspect, with the civil war and its aftermath and the introduction of a Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in the 80s which turned the country into a waste-land of poverty. As young students, knowing the rail lines of Nigeria was a compulsory assignment if you were studying Civics or Geography. I recall how we were made to draw those winding lines with double bars across indicating the lines from Lagos to Nguru and Port Harcourt to Maiduguri. We also memorized all the destinations along the line. We were taught that the first railway in Nigeria was opened between Lagos and Abeokuta in 1898 by the colonial authorities using the Cape gauge, a very narrow gauge.

In Abeokuta, Ibadan, Kano, Maiduguri, the train terminal was a major cultural and social icon, a bustling centre of economic activity. Along the route to the major terminals, small communities developed along the rail routes, the trains linked towns and communities – Ifo, Ilaro, Mokoloki, Minna, Kaduna, Kaura Namoda, Kuru, Jos and the people in such places found jobs and opportunities. During the civil war, the rail line was a ready route of escape from the pogrom in parts of the country as Easterners fled to their ancestral homeland. After the war, the railway was also useful. It provided not just a reliable alternative to road travel, it was also useful for the transportation of goods and services. As a young lad, I travelled with my step mum from Abeokuta to Ibadan and to Lagos. At every major train station, hordes of sellers would knock on the windows and sell sugar cane, bean cake, maize, corn matte, and all kinds of fried materials. The signal that the disembarkation of passengers and the boarding of new ones had been completed was always signaled by the loud horn of the train and the clanging of bells to announce the continuation of the journey. I found the movement of the train especially intriguing. I preferred to look out of the windows to soak in the sight of moving houses and trees. In my innocent mind, I thought the houses and trees moved along with the train.

The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) was one of Nigeria’s biggest public sector employers at the time. We used to hear of such things as Railway Yard, and truly, it was quite prestigious to be a Railway Staff. In Dugbe, Ibadan, Lafenwa in Abeokuta, Iddo in Lagos, Kafanchan, Jebba, Minna, the Railway station was a 24-hour melting pot of culture, commerce and engineering. The NRC could also boast of many rich assets. The trains were so slow it usually took about three days to get to Kano from Abeokuta. But the people were happy with the services. The routes were safe, day and night. There were no regular accidents, and if any, very minor, but the most fatal that occurred was at Langa-Langa in present day Nasarawa State on February 16, 1970. The train was on its way to the South East from Jos, when it suddenly derailed at Langa-Langa, resulting in the death of about 150 persons. It was a tragic accident. Many had to be amputated before they could be rescued from the wreckage. But this did not deter people from patronizing the services of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC). In due course, Nigeria happened to the Railway. Hereis what that means: the Nigeria Railway became inefficient. Its coaches collapsed one after the other and they were not replaced.

Many of the train stations from Lagos to Nguru, from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri were abandoned.

Many of the train communities lost the commerce that the trains brought along. In the few places like Lagos, where a few coaches still moved between Agege and Iddo, rail transportation had become an expression of madness. By 1990, the NRC could only boast of about 15 coaches in its entire national network. In many parts of the country, vandals stole the iron on train tracks and melted them for their own selfish purposes. The tracks

The attacked Abuja-Kaduna bound train were already overgrown with weeds in any case.

The most shocking illustration of the failure of the NRC was the conversion of the rail lines into trading posts. In Lagos, at Agege, and in Yaba, Oshodi, and Mushin, as the rickety surviving coaches approached, the traders moved their wares out of the way. As soon as the train passed, they would set up their wares again: tomatoes, pepper, second hand clothes, chin chin, puff puff. Late in the night, the rail tracks were turned into public toilets! The dispossession of the Nigerian economy due to bad economic judgment, bad leadership and corruption within the public sector led to the collapse of the Nigerian Railway: unpaid salaries and allowances, un happy pensioners, abandoned yards. As the railways collapsed, Nigerians moved to the roads. The roads would also soon collapse under the weight of abuse. Air travel has always been elitist. The majority of the people travel on the roads and by rail. In the 80s, the Lateef Jakande administration in Lagos, thinking ahead, tried to build a Metroline in Lagos. Jakande meant well, but the Buhari administration that came to power in 1985, aborted the project. About 40 years later, Lagos is still struggling to revive the dream.

Indeed, it has been long recognized that a multimodal transportation system and a railway system in particular was crucial to Nigeria’s development process. This explains why since the return to democratic rule under the leadership of President Olusegun Obasanjo, concerted efforts have been made to strengthen transportation infrastructure in the country with the rail system as part of the design. Other administrations have followed suit with efforts and programmes to deliver efficient and solid railway infrastructure.

In 2006, the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) was brought in to build the Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge Railway. Before the Obasanjo Government left office in 2007, there had been an attempt to further expand railway operations in the country. In 2009, serious attempts began to restore the rail lines beginning with the Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, on the Eastern line. At both state and Federal levels, efforts were also made to re-build Nigeria’s railway infrastructure. In fairness to the Buhari administration which assumed office in 2015, it has done a lot to sustain infrastructure projects that it inherited from its predecessors, including the Jonathan administration, the railway, included. These include the Abuja-Kaduna rail line of 187 km, officially commissioned on July 26, 2016, the Warri-Itakpe line completed in 2020. It took 30 years to finish that particular construction. The Lagos-Ibadan line was launched on June 10, 2021. The administration has also constructed major railway terminals in

Lagos, Ibadan, Abeokuta and parts of the East. In a sense, what the Buhari administration has done with the Railways, in terms of structure, branding, reinvention, and promotion of communal ownership is meant to be one of its major legacies.

Unfortunately, all of that is coming unstuck in a very bad manner.

The rail lines cited above and others are in place, and others are works in progress, but the efforts of the Buhari administration in taking the revival of the rail infrastructure in the country to a strong end is undermined by recent revelations and incidents about the integrity of railway operations in the country. The most shocking development would be the attack on an AbujaKaduna bound train by terrorists last Monday.

As reported, 398 passengers bought tickets, 362 boarded, but some media outlets reported that a total of 970 persons were on board. How? Nigeria is one country where basic statistics is a ghost affair, we are a country where nobody knows how much crude oil is produced, how much is refined or imported, how many students are in school or out of school, how many policemen the country has, there is even no reliable data on retail sales, we don’t even know the country’s exact population!

Almost a week after the attack on the night train to Kaduna, Nigeria remains in a state of confusion.

The only people that are most affected are those who lost their beloved ones- their only sin is that they belong to a country that does not care enough for its citizens. The Abuja-Kaduna train tragedy speaks to all that is wrong with Nigeria: we have revived the railways, but in the very effort that has been made is the seed of failure. Who is going to explain this failure to the affected families? Who is going to tell them that it is okay to die needlessly in Nigeria? The big lesson from the Kaduna-Abuja train tragedy is that the country is not safe. Not even in the Langalanga incident was there a report of bombing. The rail tracks at the worst of times in the past used to be safe. Today, terrorists plant bombs either in trains or on rail tracks.

I painted the picture of a time when the Railway was considered one of the safest modes of transportation in Nigeria and the decline that followed. Despite all the investments and the attempts to revive the railway sector, it is sad to note that the best is not working. A loud statement was made about the insecurity in the land when the Abuja-Kaduna train was bombed. There have been other cases of train bombing in the world: the Minsk Metro bombing of 2011, the Chennai train bombing of May 2014, the Istanbul Metro bombing of 2015, the Brussels train bombing of March 2016, the Saint Petersburg Metro bombing of April 2017, all of them linked to terrorist attacks.

What rankles in the Nigerian case is that there was prior intelligence. Nobody acted on the intelligence.

Both the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai and the Minister of Transportation have disclosed that the tragedy was avoidable, because it was foreseen.

El-Rufai accuses the military of failing to do its duty by blatantly refusing to attack their hideouts of the terrorist despite having enough information about their location, identity and operations. El-Rufai barely stopped short of accusing the military of complicity. He plans to see the President to make specific requests: he says military formations should be established in the North West, that the military

should show greater determination, and that the NRC should stop night operations henceforth.

The Minister of Transportation says the problem is money: if only he had been given N3bilion as earlier proposed to address security and surveillance issues and to purchase sensors and other surveillance equipment, nobody would have been able to go near the trains to plant bombs or attack travellers.

The Inspector General of Police now says he has deployed security men to protect the engineers who have been directed to make sure the trains start working again forthwith. He also wants to deploy drones. The Nigerian Air Force says it will use aircraft to provide back up security for trains in Nigeria. Minister Rotimi Amaechi has talked about engaging villagers along train routes to provide information to the security agencies.

Please where on earth does anyone build strategic railway lines across vast, ungoverned spaces of the country without working out a security arrangement, only to wait for tragedy to occur before considering security as an add-on?

Only in Nigeria! We act first and think later, after a familiar fashion. The terrorists in the North West and the North East have become more audacious because they know that Nigeria is negligent. They understand the weakness of the state better than the state itself. One whole week after the incident, with the President giving the Service Chiefs marching orders, nobody has been arrested, nobody has given us any positive information, no victim has been rescued! But we have evidence of cosmetic visits to the hospitals and promises made. The House of Representatives acting patriotic asked the Service Chiefs and other stakeholders to show up in their Chambers to give account. The Service Chiefs and other stakeholders, with the exception of the DG of the Nigeria Airspace Management Authority (NAMA) sent Representatives! The President has directed that services should resume. The Nigeria Railway Workers Union has sent back a rebuttal: its members are not going back to work unless their safety can be guaranteed. I doubt if many passengers would have the courage to travel by rail again, either along the Abuja-Kaduna route or elsewhere. The problem is that the roads are not safe, air travel is expensive, and there are no other ready options. We are under the siege of bandits and terrorists and hapless security agents. Apart from the bombing of the Abuja-Kaduna train, the Kaduna International Airport was also attacked by terrorists who according to a certain Army General were just passing by. Passing by! Communities have also been tacked in Niger State, close to the Federal Capital Territory.

Governor el-Rufai says if the Federal Government would not do anything, he will arrange to get mercenaries to fight the terrorists. He is speaking out of frustration. He has no such powers under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic. The Nigeria Air Force says they are now prepared to deploy the Super Tucano jets which Nigeria bought from the US in 2021. When we see the jets in action, we will say so - seeing is believing as Nigerians would say. But all of this is reactive rather than pro-active. Insecurity remains the biggest problem Nigeria faces today. It is the same problem that any Presidential aspirant in the 2023 Presidential election must talk about with clarity and sense.

On this subject, the outgoing administration must eschew the temptation to abuse, harass, insult or intimidate anyone who chooses to speak truth to power either from the pulpit or from lecture halls at home and abroad, whether that person be a Sheik, an Overseer or a former President. We need to make the trains safe: leverage technology, put the best hands in charge and place a higher priority on the observance of best practices. In 2019, the Nigerian government reportedly reviewed the National Security Strategy (NSS) to find lasting solutions to security threats. It was the first time since 2014 that such a review would take place.

Three years later, where are the gains of that review?

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